Seth Levine is animated about his forthcoming trip to Beaver Creek, yet the mountain’s current 56 inch base barely creeps into conversation. Levine is Conference Chair for Venture Capital in the Rockies Winter – a gathering of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and technology CEOs – and believes this year’s effort will build on the shoulders of the conference’s twenty-five year history. His optimism rests on three aspects of the event, scheduled for March 3-5 at the Beaver Creek Park Hyatt:
First, from the hundreds of applications vetted by two separate selection committees, the twenty-two companies chosen to present this year will all be entirely new to the VCIR audience. Second, the teams ready to take the stage “play to the strengths of the Rocky Mountain entrepreneurial community,” with a cross section of next-generation web companies, alternative energy firms, and telecommunications technologies. Finally, there is a concentration of clean tech businesses presenting (seven), which mirrors investors’ appetites for sustainable opportunities and highlights the Rocky Mountain’s strength in this emerging area. The firms will present on a dual track, meaning two presentations will be ongoing simultaneously, but the organizers have grouped them together by sector so as to best serve investors focused on a single industry.
While the company presentations will consume the bulk of daylight hours on Wednesday, there is ample time built in for other activities. This year’s keynote address will be a press panel comprised of reporters from Forbes, BusinessWeek, Barron’s, and PE Week. Additionally, the event will kick off with a Tuesday night cocktail party – which Levine describes as “the highlight of the year” – and also includes a Wednesday night take-no-prisoners Texas Hold ’em tournament. While the tournament welcomes those of all abilities, the action at the final table, which has been known to carry on well past midnight, can get pretty intense.
Venture Capital in the Rockies was designed by the organizers to cater to a diverse audience. For CEOs, there is plentiful networking time and a chance to experience novel technologies. For venture capitalists there is an occasion to catch up with colleagues and “see some opportunities not on the radar screen of Sand Hill Road.” And for the entrepreneurs there are the eyeballs of over a hundred investors in attendance, as well as the chance to mingle with other companies and service providers.
But let’s not forget the snow. The Colorado mountains are having one of the best seasons on record, with Beaver Creek over 5 feet ahead of its year-to-date average snowfall. With a Thursday schedule that allows for a full day of skiing, Venture Capital in the Rockies could be enriching for body, soul, and bottom line.
Click here for registration information. For those unable to attend, RockyRadar is pleased to bring you coverage of the event.
