Event Details
If you have ever considered seeking Venture Capital funding to commercialize a new product, or would like some insight on how VC investors evaluate new ventures, this presentation will definitely be of interest. Our speaker is Tom Churchwell, Managing Partner of Midwest Venture Partners, venture partnership formed to address the gap in early-stage capital in the Midwest.
KEY TAKEAWAYS of the session:
- What VC’s look for
- What Entrepreneurs should look for in a VC
- Some Realities about Venture Capital and Entrepreneurism in the Midwest
- Guidance to Entrepreneurs seeking Venture Capital
Program
6:30 PM-6:30 PM: Registration&Networking
6:30 PM-7:30 PM: Presentation
7:30 PM-7:45 PM: Q&A
7:45 PM-9:00 PM: Networking at Midway Club
Speaker Profiles
Thomas L. Churchwell (Speaker)
Managing Partner, Midwest Venture Partners, L.L.C.
Thomas L. Churchwell is Founder and Managing Partner of Midwest Venture Partners, LLC, a venture partnership formed to address the gap in early-stage capital in the Midwest by investing in promising life sciences and technology companies and mentoring the entrepreneurs that lead them. He is also Managing Partner of ARCH Development Partners L.L.C., a very-early stage venture partnership which specializes in the creation and funding of high-tech companies in the Midwest.
Previously, he was President and CEO of ARCH Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the University of Chicago, which commercialized technology from the University and Argonne National Laboratory. Prior to that, he was President and CEO of Calgene Fresh, Inc., a 1992 start-up company which produced and marketed the MacGregor’s FLAVR SAVR tomato, the world’s first biotech food product. Prior to joining Calgene Fresh, Mr. Churchwell was Vice President of ARCH Development Corporation Development, and previously held several senior management positions at the NutraSweet Company as well as legal positions at G.D. Searle & Co., American Hospital Supply Corporation and The Coca-Cola Export Corporation.
Mr. Churchwell is the president-elect of TiE Midwest, a member of the boards of directors of Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, iBio, the Illinois Venture Capital Association, and number of start-up companies in the Chicago area. He holds a BA degree from DePauw University and JD degree from Northwestern University School of Law. He also is a Graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.