Founders and Funders - How to Grow from Startup to Star!

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Join us on December 2nd as an impressive panel of founders and investors share their knowledge and experience with Miami University students! Two panels--a Founders Panel and an Investor Panel--will be held in Miami University’s Farmer School of Business Forsythe Commons on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 12:00 PM. If you would like to watch either or both panels online, please register here.

Panelists’ Key Statistics & Staggering Numbers:  

  • The Founders run companies that employ almost 5,000 employees, have raised $2.25 Billion in venture capital to date, and have a combined market value of almost $13 Billion.
  • The Investors represent funds with more than $45 Billion in assets under management (AUM).
  • All panelists plus both facilitators have strong Miami University connections, 2 are current John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurs-in-Residence while the remaining 15 (or 88%) are alumni of this great academy.

FOUNDER PANEL

12:00 - 1:00 PM ET

Facilitator: Stuart Frankel, (MU ‘87 in Accountancy), Founder and CEO at Narrative Science and Chair of the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, the founder panel includes:

  • Jason Holland (MU ‘01 in Logistics and Supply Chain Management), Co-Founder and President of Firework (has raised $130 million to date, including closed a $55 million Series A venture funding round from Lightspeed China Partners, Asahi Medialab Ventures, Silicon Ventures (California), IDG Capital, and GSR Ventures in March).
  • Sean Lane (MU ‘02 in Computer Science), Founder and CEO at Olive (has raised almost $900 million to date including the largest venture funding round [$400 million] at the highest valuation [$4 billion] in the history of Ohio), and Founder and CEO at Circulo Health (raised $50 million seed round in February).
  • Alex Malebranche (MU ‘15 in Accountancy and Interactive Media Studies), Founder and CEO of PlaneAhead (raised a $500,000 seed round earlier this year, planning a $2 million seed+ round early 2022).
  • Michael Markesbery (MU ’15 in Zoology/Animal Biology and Entrepreneurship), Founder and CEO at OROS (has raised $23.3 million to date, including a $14.5 million Series A closed in June).
  • Nichole Mustard (MU ’95 in Zoology), Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Credit Karma (closed the sale of Credit Karma to Intuit in December for $8.1 billion).
  • Matt Pyatt (MU ‘10 in Marketing and Entrepreneurship), Co-Founder and CEO at Arrive Logistics (closed a $300 million growth equity round earlier this year that was led by ATL Partners and is on track to post $1.4 billion in revenues in 2021).
  • Aaron Ryan (MU ‘94 in Political Science), Co-Founder, Commissioner and President of Overtime and Overtime Elite (OTE) (has raised more than $140 million in venture funding, including an $80 million Series C that closed earlier this year and was co-led by Sapphire Ventures and Black Capital VC). Aaron is also a member of the Limited Partner Investment Committee for 1809 Capital.

INVESTOR PANEL

1:30 - 2:30 PM ET

Facilitator: David Willbrand, Chief Legal Officer at Pacaso, (which has raised more than $450 million with a $1.5 Billion valuation and a John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur-in-Residence and formerly Partner and Chair of the Venture and Emerging Company Practice at Thompson Hine LLP).

  • Mike Fitzgerald (MU '92 in Communication), Co-Founder and Partner at High Alpha (Indianapolis-based firm closed its third fund, HAC III, a $110 million fund, in February and has $227.10 million AUM).
  • John Gardner (MU ’84 in Economics and Political Science), Partner at NGP Capital (Palo Alto-based fund with $1.20 billion AUM). John is also a member of the Limited Partner Investment Committee for 1809 Capital.
  • Michael Harper (MU ’95 in Finance), Partner at Capital Midwest Fund (Milwaukee-based firm with $75 million AUM).
  • Trish Lukasik (MU ’92 in Finance and Economics), Partner at Atlantic Street Capital Advisors (Private equity firm headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut with $1.40 billion AUM).
  • Patrick Meenan (MU ’05 in Business), General Partner at Minneapolis-based Arthur Ventures (Minneapolis-based firm that closed $375 million in new early stage funding in September for Arthur Ventures IV, a $225 million core fund, and Arthur Ventures Growth III, a $150 million growth-stage fund, and has $650.00 million in AUM).
  • Aimee Minnich (a John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur-in-Residence), Co-Founder, Chief Impact Officer, and General Counsel at Impact Foundation and Former President and General Counsel at National Christian Foundation.

Department of Entrepreneurship Statistics:

  • Top 10 Entrepreneurship Programs in the Nation, by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine for the 14th Consecutive Year!
  • Winner of the Nasdaq Center’s Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, awarded by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) in 2020.
  • Nearly 1 in 4 of all Miami undergraduates from every major across campus took at least one entrepreneurship themed course.
  • Almost 1,000 student-entrepreneurs from across campus participated in Entrepreneurship (ESP) co-curricular programs.
  • 581 Student-founders created 124 actionable business models that led to 42 student-led startups launched.
  • More than 400 Miami Alumni and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Professionals engaged with ESP programming.
  • 2 Student-Led Venture Funds (RedHawk Ventures & Social Impact Fund) invested $100,000 in 3 outside organizations.
  • World Creativity & Innovation Week is the largest celebration of creativity and innovation in the world and was awarded an United Nations International Day of Observance.
  • 100% of all graduates complete an internship (74% complete 2 or more).

Questions about the in-person event can be directed to Tim Holcomb, Chair, Department of Entrepreneurship at holcomtr@miamioh.edu.

Questions about the livestream and online event can be directed to J.J. Slager, Director of Alumni Relations at slagerjj@miamioh.edu 

REGISTER TO WATCH ONLINE