The premier venture capital summit of the Carolinas returns in 2022 to spotlight growth-stage entrepreneurs in the region
Greenville, SC (5/20/2022)- Since 2016, NEXT has been connecting entrepreneurs and venture capitalists through our annual conference. This event has evolved over seven iterations to encompass educational workshops led by experts in their field, world-class keynote speakers, and the unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to present on-stage to a panel of renowned VC judges.
These judges engage in dialogue with the founder about their business, growth, and market potential in an experience that leads to important takeaways for the presenters and audience alike.
In short, this event exists to help growth-stage entrepreneurs shift their momentum into overdrive.
In 2021, our event set the record for the largest gathering of VCs at a single event in Greenville history. With 30 semi-finalists and 9 finalists, our event was a successful return to in-person events. If you missed last year's event, check out the highlights here.
And this year we're going bigger than ever- as our region continues to grow and thrive, there are more companies than ever in our region that are experiencing these levels of growth that have made them ready to step into the sphere of raising venture capital.
Applications to be featured in the showcase at this year's summit are OPEN and we highly encourage interested companies to apply now. Applications close on August 19th.
Need more convincing that this event is the right fit for your company? We've lined up the key reasons growth-stage founders should be all-in on this year's event.
Why should you be a part of the NEXT Venture Summit?
1. We're recognizing and celebrating the top 10 venture-ready companies in the Carolinas
We want to shine a spotlight on the best and brightest in our region. While our applicant pool remains highly competitive, we will be championing 30 semi-finalists to be recognized at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Night at the Greenville Drive on September 8th. Similar to our 2021 pre-conference screening party, this event will put companies on the big screen (literally!) and semi-finalists will be featured in a number of publications distributed to the community as well as directly to our investor attendees.
Out of the pool of semi-finalists, 10 finalists will advance to individual on-stage Q&A sessions with VC judges from all over the country. By being a part of this event, founders walk away with key learnings, direct connections within the venture capital community, and a boom of awareness surrounding them and their company at a critical stage for growth.
2. Immersive learning experiences lead to faster growth.
We know how precious a commodity time is for founders who are entrenched in the daily grind of a high-growth business. With thoughtfully curated content and a multitude of experiences packed into a high-quality, single-day event, we're ensuring you can gather the resources and contacts you need and get back to your business with no time wasted.
Hands-on workshops and on-stage face time with investors means that founders who attend the summit are guaranteed to walk away with an improved toolkit for navigating the trials of entrepreneurship.
3. VCs and investors are your "exit sign" in the maze of entrepreneurship.
Founders often ask the question "If I'm not raising money right now, is this event right for me?"
All growth-stage entrepreneurs, whether you are actively raising capital for your business, planning to raise capital in the future, or have no capital raise plans should be involved with the NEXT Venture Summit. Regardless of a company's current funding status, the connections gained from this event will be critical if/when a founder decides to raise capital for their company.
Entrepreneurs taking part in the NEXT Venture Summit stand to gain valuable resources, connections, and exposure from the event. If you think you should be recognized at this year's summit (or know someone who should), be sure to apply to be featured in the on-stage showcase.
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ABOUT NEXT VENTURE SUMMIT The NEXT Venture Summit is a half-day venture capital conference that brings together high-growth entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, world-class speakers, and more to establish Greenville as an innovation and entrepreneurship hub in the southeast. In its seventh year, this event promises to deliver value to the entire #StartupGVL ecosystem and the surrounding region. For more information, visit https://www.nextventuresummit.com/
ABOUT NEXT NEXT is an entrepreneurial support organization that attracts and helps high-impact, knowledge-based companies grow by developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting entrepreneurs to it. NEXT currently supports over 120 knowledge-based companies in Upstate South Carolina. For more information, visit www.nextsc.org
CONTACT: Susan Durden | 864-735-7516 | sdurden@nextsc.org