CED’s Venture Connect Online Starts This Week 

The show must go on.

Venture Connect, the annual networking conference for North Carolina life science and technology entrepreneurs that had been scheduled for Raleigh until the COVID-19 pandemic struck, will get under way this week as an all-online event.

Venture Connect Online will run for the next three weeks, giving over 90 growth-stage companies exposure to potential investors from around the world.

“It is important now, more than ever, to provide access to the vital resources these companies need so that they can grow, create jobs and move business forward,” said Kelly Rowell, interim president and chief executive officer of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the conference’s organizer.

Venture Connect Online will allow companies to present their scaling plans to investors and potential partners. Out-of-region investors can prioritize a quick exchange of information around deal flow while connecting with local investors for the inside track on up-and-coming companies.

Participants can access up to eight on-demand episodes per week in a multi-part series starting May 4 and concluding on May 21. Each episode will contain a four-minute pitch by up to five companies, followed by virtual chats, sessions with investors, Q&As and investor-only content.

“CED provides support to growing companies year-round by making connections to resources that propel their company forward,” said Rowell. “Businesses across the board have been impacted by COVID-19, and we are doing our part to adapt.”

Among the 91 presenting companies are 33 bioscience companies.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is one of 42 sponsors of the conference. J.P. Morgan is the headline sponsor.