midwest.tech

midwest.tech/connect overview

COVID-19 has created more need than ever for early stage funding in the Midwest. Fundraising and due diligence are taking longer than usual, and founders are trying to fundraise a few warm introductions at a time. It's also more difficult for investors to source deals due to reduced travel, fewer events, and less networking.

So, we thought we'd do something about it.

What

A regional virtual summit focused on 1-on-1 meetings between startups and investors, each 25 minutes plus a 5-minute break

Who

Founders (Pre-Seed to Series A stage) based in the Midwest or with ties to the region
Funders (angel investors and VCs) active in the Midwest

Where

Virtual summit hosted by Sandalphon Capital

When

September 8-10, 2020 from 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm CT
You can opt-in for 0-36 meeting slots over up to 3 days

Key Dates

Tues Jul 21 - Startup and Investor Applications open
Mon Aug 10 - Startup and Investor Applications deadline
Thur Aug 13 - Startup selection opens for Investors
Fri Aug 14 - Startup and Investor late submissions close
Mon Aug 17 - Startup and Investor profiles finalized
Wed Aug 26 - Startup selections due from Investors
Thur Aug 27 - Preliminary schedules created, Startups review schedules, Startup opt-out window opens
Wed Sept 2 - Final requests and availability due from Investors and Startups
Thur Sept 3 - Schedules are finalized
Tue Sept 8 - 1-on-1s begin
Thur Sept 10 - 1-on-1s conclude
Any overflow connected via email after the event

Scroll down for our Frequently Asked Questions

Read more about the launch of this Midwest tech event in our press release

thank you to our sponsors!

Interested in sponsoring this event? Please contact us at info@midwest.tech

founders

APPLICATIONS WILL BE SENT TO INVESTORS TO REVIEW AUG 12. LATE STARTUP APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL FRI AUG 14.

Apply via the link below. It only takes a few minutes. Once approved, you'll be sent an Eventbrite registration to confirm your participation
(please save the date: Sept 8-10)
Your application will be sent to participating investors
Investors opt-in to meet with you; we'll send you the list of these investors, and you may opt-out of any meetings ahead of time
You'll be matched with as many investors as possible based on mutual interest and availability
If no investors select you, we will follow-up with next steps

Cost: FREE - always

Startups Apply Here

venture capitalists

VC APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN RE-OPENED FOR PRE-SEED VCs

If you invest at Pre-Seed stage apply via the link below. It only takes a few minutes.
You can indicate your availability for 6-36 x 30-minute meeting slots over 3 days or "none of the above" for email intros only.
Once approved, you'll be sent an Eventbrite link to purchase a ticket and complete the registration process.
You will receive information on all startups to review and select those you are interest - you may choose up to 50.
We will match you with as many as possible based on mutual availability and interest, and connect any overflow via email after the event. All meetings will be scheduled for you.
Email any enquiries or questions to support@midwest.tech
Sign up for our email updates to hear about what's next from midwest.tech

Cost: $50 per investor attendee and at least 10% of all proceeds will go to Feeding America

Apply as Pre-Seed VC

angel investors

ANGEL APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN REOPENED FOR PRE-SEED UNTIL FRIDAY AUGUST 14TH

If you invest at Pre-Seed or Seed stage apply via the link below. It only takes a few minutes.
You can indicate your availability for 6-36 30-minute meeting slots over 3 days or "none of the above" for email intros only.
Once approved, you'll be sent an Eventbrite link to purchase a ticket and complete the registration process.
You will receive information on all startups to review and select those you are interest - you may choose up to 50.
We will match you with as many as possible based on mutual availability and interest, and connect any overflow via email after the event. All meetings will be scheduled for you.
Email any enquiries or questions to support@midwest.tech
Sign up for our email updates to hear about what's next from midwest.tech

Cost: $50 per investor attendee and at least 10% of all proceeds will go to Feeding America

Apply as Angel

Want to hear more about what's coming from midwest.tech?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is midwest.tech? midwest.tech is a new site brought to you by the team at Sandalphon Capital. Sandalphon is a Chicago-based venture capital fund focused on Pre-Seed to Series A investing, with Seed stage being the sweet spot. We've been around since 2016 and have done several laps of the Midwest since then getting to know people across the ecosystem. Our founder Jonathan Ellis was also an angel investor in Chicago for a couple of years prior to starting the fund. You may have participated in, or heard about, our Midwest VC and Startup surveys which launched as a result of COVID-19.

Why are you doing this? Fundraising is extra hard right now because of COVID-19, so we want to give Midwest startups the best shot possible. We always try to connect startups with investors in our network that are a good fit for them, regardless of whether or not they're a fit for us. This event allows us to make those connections, at scale, efficiently. This format also helps get around the need for a "warm intro" and reduces some of the barriers that many founders face to get in front of investors.

What do you consider to be "Midwest?" This event is primarily focused on the states traditionally considered the Midwest e.g. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin - plus Pittsburgh/Western PA and Kentucky. If you've found this site and are based elsewhere but have strong Midwest ties, and/or if you are a startup addressing industries that are particularly strong in the Midwest, we encourage you to apply as a number of the investors signed up invest outside of the region. These industries include but are not limited to: agtech, biotech, CPG, edtech, enterprise tech, fintech, foodtech, healthcare, insurtech, life sciences, logistics/supply chain, manufacturing, medtech, real estate/proptech, retail.

What's the catch? No catch. It's free for startups because we don't think you should have to pay to meet investors. We're charging investors a nominal fee so we can cover our staffing, advertising and software costs associated with organizing the event. We will also be donating at least 10% of proceeds to Feeding America, and potentially more to additional non-profits if we generate any substantive profit from this.

How early stage is too early? That depends on the investor, so you can still apply and see if your pitch resonates. Even for "Idea Stage" you should try and validate your idea as much as possible e.g. how any potential customers have you talked to, and how strong is your founding team? If you are Pre-Revenue you should still try and present some evidence there will be demand for what you are building. Sell the dream, but don't oversell it.

Not fundraising yet? If you're not fundraising yet, this is still a great opportunity to have initial conversations with investors, get some feedback, and see who may be a mutual fit so you can follow-up in due course.

Is there a limit to the number of startup applications? Not at this time. We ask for information to help investors filter down to their main interests. Final attendance will depend on the number of mutual matches. If we are unable to accommodate all matching requests we will connect any overflow after the event based on mutual opt-in.

Are the deadlines strict? Yes - we will be processing large amounts of information during each stage of matchmaking so we unfortunately cannot accommodate late applications or responses.

Can we help with matches? No - Sandalphon Capital and midwest.tech team are remaining impartial throughout this process. We are pre-screening investors but are not pre-screening startups. Any matches will be based on mutual interest (beginning with investor selections) and mutual availability.

Can I update my application later? Yes - if you want to make any changes to your application such as providing an updated pitch deck please send an email to support@midwest.tech before midnight on Sunday August 16. Investor and startup profiles will finalized and be static from August 17th. W

‍Who is coming?‍
Startups: 750+ startups | Pre-Seed | Seed | Series A | all sectors
Investors: 260+ investors | VCs | curated angels | Pre-Seed | Seed | Series A | Stage specialists | Sector specialists | Generalists

We're happy to welcome VC funds including: