Lloyd Carr, College Football Hall of Fame inductee and national champion coach at the University of Michigan, will be appearing on a panel of global sports leaders discussing the art and science of building great teams.

John Harkes, former Captain of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team and first American ever to play in the English Premier League, will be joining legendary Hall of Fame football coach Lloyd Carr on our panel of global sports leaders to discuss his experience in building great teams.

Moderating our panel of global sports leaders is Joe Schmidt, football walk-on and Buser Fellow at Notre Dame where he earned a scholarship, was named MVP in his junior year and as well as finishing his football career as team captain.

Schmidt is currently an investor at Accel, one of the top early and growth stage venture capital firms in the world with a 33-year track record of success. Schmidt’s experience as captain of one of the most prestigious college football teams has honed his approach in the investor world, helping him recognize talent and fundable startups.

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Ryan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Thiago as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Alan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Julia as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Dru as a moderator as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

John will present the "Ten Key Steps for Raising Venture Capital" by taking an in depth look at the important steps that entrepreneurs should follow when raising Capital. This includes various legal and business issue that could delay or stop the process. This workshop is now sold out.

VENTURE PITCH 2019

Thursday, April 11th, 2019

Selling out for the third year in a row, our 2019 conference brought together 275 attendees for a tightly-packed agenda.

Our educational morning workshop for entrepreneurs sold out once more, as featured speaker John Yates presented "Ten Key Steps for Raising Venture Capital".

The conference keynote featured a fireside chat with Rob Bearden, former CEO of Hortonworks, followed by insights from a panel of established venture capitalists, a leadership panel on "How to Build Winning Teams", and pitches from 8 Carolinas-based startup companies.

Also featured at the conference was a big check presentation by SCRA to startup 6AM City, a featured pitch company from our 2018 conference, as well as the presentation of the Phyfer Innovation Award by Clemson University to Matt Gevaert, a NEXT Founding entrepreneur and CEO of life-sciences startup KIYATEC.

2019 CONFERENCE LINEUP

Opening Keynote Speaker

ROB BEARDEN

Cloudera Board Member

Rob was previously chief executive officer of Hortonworks, prior to its merger with Cloudera. Hortonworks was the fastest enterprise software company to reach $100M in annual revenue and the first open source company to successfully IPO since RedHat.

LEVON KIRKLAND

Former NFL All-Pro Linebacker, Pittsburg Steelers Captain & MVP

Currently Vice President of Development, SC Football Hall of Fame

A South Carolina native and former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker with an incredible 11 years in the NFL, Kirkland was also named NFL Alumni Linebacker of the year, MVP twice, as well as being part of the 1990’s NFL all-Decade-Team. During his 8 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was recognized as one of the top inside linebackers in the league with a stellar performance resulting in a trip to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

Kirkland’s career on the field has resulted in many hits but his speed and ability to make the play while going for the win has helped him connect performing athletes together in an effective and operational team. We look forward to hearing him discuss the art and science of building great teams and helping them achieve maximum performance.

LLOYD CARR

College Football Hall of Fame inductee & National Champion Coach

Lloyd Carr, College Football Hall of Fame inductee and national champion coach at the University of Michigan, will be appearing on a panel of global sports leaders discussing the art and science of building great teams.

JOHN HARKES

Former Captain of the U.S.A. Men's National Soccer Team

Current Head Coach for Greenville Triumph SC

John Harkes, former Captain of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team and first American ever to play in the English Premier League, will be joining legendary Hall of Fame football coach Lloyd Carr on our panel of global sports leaders to discuss his experience in building great teams.

JOE SCHMIDT

Former Notre Dame Captain & MVP

Currently Investor, Accel Partners

Moderating our panel of global sports leaders is Joe Schmidt, football walk-on and Buser Fellow at Notre Dame where he earned a scholarship, was named MVP in his junior year and as well as finishing his football career as team captain. Schmidt is currently an investor at Accel, one of the top early and growth stage venture capital firms in the world with a 33-year track record of success. Schmidt’s experience as captain of one of the most prestigious college football teams has honed his approach in the investor world, helping him recognize talent and fundable startups.

Facilitator

RYAN ZIEGLER

Partner, Edison Partners

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Ryan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

THIAGO OLSON

Partner, Engage

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Thiago as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

ALAN TAETLE

Partner, Noro-Moseley

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Alan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

JULIA TAXIN

Partner, Grotech

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Julia as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

DRU ARMSTRONG

Facilitator

CEO, Grace Hill

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Dru as a moderator as well as a variety of venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

JOHN YATES

Partner, Morris Manning & Martin, LLP

In our sold-out morning workshop, John presented the "Ten Key Steps for Raising Venture Capital" by taking an in-depth look at the important steps that entrepreneurs should follow when raising Capital. This includes various legal and business issues that could delay or stop the process.

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Lloyd Carr, College Football Hall of Fame inductee and national champion coach at the University of Michigan, will be appearing on a panel of global sports leaders discussing the art and science of building great teams.

John Harkes, former Captain of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team and first American ever to play in the English Premier League, will be joining legendary Hall of Fame football coach Lloyd Carr on our panel of global sports leaders to discuss his experience in building great teams.

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Ryan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Thiago as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Alan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Julia as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Dru as a moderator as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

John will present the "Ten Key Steps for Raising Venture Capital" by taking an in depth look at the important steps that entrepreneurs should follow when raising Capital. This includes various legal and business issue that could delay or stop the process. This workshop is now sold out.

VENTURE PITCH 2019

Thursday, April 11th, 2019

2019 CONFERENCE LINEUP

Opening Keynote Speaker

ROB BEARDEN

Rob was previously chief executive officer of Hortonworks, prior to its merger with Cloudera. Hortonworks was the fastest enterprise software company to reach $100M in annual revenue and the first open source company to successfully IPO since RedHat.

Building Winning Teams Panel

LEVON KIRKLAND

LLOYD CARR

Lloyd Carr, College Football Hall of Fame inductee and national champion coach at the University of Michigan, will be appearing on a panel of global sports leaders discussing the art and science of building great teams.

JOHN HARKES

Former Captain of the U.S.A. Men's National Soccer Team

Current Head Coach for Greenville Triumph SC

John Harkes, former Captain of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team and first American ever to play in the English Premier League, will be joining legendary Hall of Fame football coach Lloyd Carr on our panel of global sports leaders to discuss his experience in building great teams.

JOE SCHMIDT

Facilitator

Venture Capital Panel

RYAN ZIEGLER

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Ryan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

THIAGO OLSON

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Thiago as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

ALAN TAETLE

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Alan as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

JULIA TAXIN

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Julia as well as a variety of other venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

DRU ARMSTRONG

Facilitator

Our Venture Capitalist panel will feature Dru as a moderator as well as a variety of venture capitalists speaking on the topic of "Why Certain Companies Succeed: Stories of Success (& Failure) in Venture Capital Investing"

CEO Workshop Leader

JOHN YATES

In our sold-out morning workshop, John presented the "Ten Key Steps for Raising Venture Capital" by taking an in-depth look at the important steps that entrepreneurs should follow when raising Capital. This includes various legal and business issues that could delay or stop the process.

PITCH COMPANIES 2019