BIO Mid-America VentureForum Coming To Minneapolis September 21-23
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 14, 2005) — The third annual BIO Mid-America VentureForum will bring together privately held biotech and medical device companies, venture capitalists, academic institutions, government groups and executives from the pharmaceutical, chemical and agribusiness industries. The Sept. 21-23 Minneapolis conference, sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and nine participating state organizations, is the year’s largest Midwest life sciences investor and partnering forum. Biotech and medical device companies seeking seed to late-stage funding will present business plans to venture capitalists and potential partners from across the nation. Additional information, as well as general and media advance registration, is available at http://bma.bio.org/opencms/bma/2005/.
Each year, the BIO Mid-America VentureForum brings the Midwest’s growing life sciences industry to the attention of a national investor and industry audience.
“The Midwest is home to hundreds of life sciences companies, and medical devices in particular is one of the fastest growing sectors in this part of the country,” said Morrie Ruffin, vice president of business development at BIO. “For the past two years, our ability to draw from such a high-quality pool of companies and select the best of the best to present has enabled us to attract a large and influential group of investors from across the nation, including the East and West coasts.”
In addition to company presentations, the conference includes plenary sessions and workshops covering current issues in the life sciences and financial communities. BIO Mid-America also provides ample opportunities for networking and relationship building. For additional information and testimonials about BIO Mid-America VentureForum, visit http://bma.bio.org/opencms/bma/2005/vc/.
Apply Now to Present
BIO is currently accepting applications to present at the BIO Mid-America VentureForum. An advisory board consisting of the nation’s leading venture capital firms will evaluate the applications and select approximately 75 life sciences companies to present. Companies interested in presenting can find additional information and application forms at http://bma.bio.org/opencms/bma/2005/presenting. The application deadline is June 3, 2005. Late applications will be considered if space permits, but presentation slots are limited and applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis. Therefore, BIO encourages interested companies to apply as soon as possible.
Selected companies also will be invited to attend regional “boot camp” workshops where they will receive assistance with their presentations and tips for improving communications to their target audiences.
The BIO Mid-America VentureForum is hosted by BIO and nine state biotech associations: the Colorado BioScience Association, the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization, the Indiana Health Industry Forum, the Iowa Biotechnology Association, MichBio (Michigan), Medical Alley/MNBIO, the Missouri Biotechnology Association, Omeris (Ohio), and the Wisconsin Biotechnology Association.
About BIO
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. For more information on BIO, visit our Web site at www.bio.org.
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