Third Venture Capital Conference, UNMET, To Be Held In Phoenix

PHOENIX, AZ (August 11, 2021) — The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and Stout Street Capital announced today that the third UNMET Arizona, Arizona’s largest venture capital conference, will be held in person October 7-8, 2021, in Phoenix. Company applications to present are being accepted until August 17 and investors can register for the event until September 2.

The event is set to host 100 venture capital investors from around the country and 75 of the fastest-growing startups from Arizona and across the U.S. The event will facilitate over 500 one-on-one meetings, with founders having the opportunity to network and engage with investors in private sessions.

On October 7, investors will have the opportunity to network over a reception and dinner co-hosted by Stout Street Capital and Venture Madness. The following day, founders will pitch their ideas and engage with investors through one-on-one meetings.

“UNMET was created to bring capital from around the country to the ever-increasing number of great start-ups in Middle America, which are largely underserved for venture capital funding,” said Clay Gordon, founding partner of Stout Street Capital. “As Arizona has a particularly vibrant start-up ecosystem, we’ve partnered with the ACA to bring investment from our national network to these great companies and to help put Arizona on the map as a great place to both start a business or to invest.”

UNMET Conferences aim to help early-stage companies in under-served regions across North America raise capital. In 2020, UNMET Conferences connected over 220 startups with nearly 380 Venture Capital funds, facilitated more than 1,500 connections and raised $150 million. UNMET has hosted six conferences in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Ohio.

“UNMET Arizona 2021 provides an opportunity for Arizona’s talented entrepreneurs to pitch their innovative ideas,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “We’re grateful to partner with Stout Street Capital for the second year to present UNMET Arizona, bringing together founders and investors to make meaningful connections and support Arizona’s vibrant start-up community.”

The ACA supports startups at all stages through a comprehensive suite of programs. This includes the flagship Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), the largest business plan competition in the country; the Venture Madness pitch competition, presented in partnership with Invest Southwest; the Venture Ready Accelerator mentorship program; and the Venture Partner program, which facilitates introductions between venture capital firms and promising early-stage Arizona companies.

Companies can submit applications to present here.

Investors can register for the event here.

For more information, visit UNMETConference.com.

Media Contacts

Cindy Ho, Stout Street Capital, [email protected]

Alyssa Tufts, Arizona Commerce Authority, [email protected]

About Stout Street Capital
Stout Street Capital is a seed-stage fund that invests in underserved markets in the middle of the country and sees an average of 5,000 deals per year and co-invests with over 200 VCs around the country. Stout Street Capital seeks to invest in early-stage companies focused on improving efficiency and generating bottom-line value in large, established sectors in the market. Stout Street Capital is focused on improving the Series A/B-funding ecosystem in the middle of the country. UNMET is one of its primary instruments, which will help companies located in the middle of the country to meet investors and attract capital.
www.stoutstreetcapital.com

About the Arizona Commerce Authority
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona's economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: attract, expand, create - attract out-of-state companies to establish operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to expand their business in Arizona and beyond; and help entrepreneurs create new Arizona businesses in targeted industries. For more information, please visit azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on Twitter @azcommerce.