03 Mar Registration Now Open for 2025 IU Founders & Funders Network Venture Summit
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This spring, IU Ventures will once again welcome IU-affiliated entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and others to the IU Bloomington campus for its annual Venture Summit, a unique opportunity to connect with IU’s global network of founders and funders. The fourth annual IU Founders & Funders Network Venture Summit will take place May 15-16, 2025 in Bloomington.
Friday morning’s keynote session features IU alumnus Matt Hay. Hay is a best-selling author, TEDx speaker, congressional lobbyist, public health doctoral candidate and serves as the Director of Advocacy for a rare disease biopharma company. The phrase “never daunted” is memorialized in IU’s fight song. The perseverance and “never daunted” mind set found in Matt’s journey serves as inspiration for founders and funders alike.
Later that morning, IU alumnus and the Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences at Indiana University, Dr. Richard DiMarchi, will take the stage during the “IU Icons Fireside Chat.” DiMarchi, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, is a co-inventor of more than 100 U.S. patents, co-author of more than 250 scientific papers and co-founder of eight successful biotechnology start-up companies. In 2024, DiMarchi received the Mani L. Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Award, presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for his pioneering research that laid the foundation for drugs that are transforming the treatment of obesity worldwide. The fireside chat will be moderated by David Johnson, the president of Regional Growth Strategies LLC, and former CEO of both the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and BioCrossroads.
Registration for the Summit, which is limited to 300 people and is expected to sell out, is now open on the IU Ventures website. Registration is $100 and includes all Summit programming. IU Ventures also offers a limited number of full scholarships (offered first come, first served) for current IU students to attend all Summit activities.
“Resting inside the nearly 800,000 living IU alumni network is a world-class venture ecosystem,” said Tony Armstrong, president and CEO of IU Ventures. “The Summit is a chance to mobilize that ecosystem in service to students, faculty, and alumni founders and funders alike.”
BridgeBank, a division of Western Alliance Bank and a leading financial resource to innovative companies nationwide, returns as the Summit’s presenting sponsor. The event’s two signature sponsors are Amundsen Davis and CLA. Other Summit sponsors include Gutwein Law, TechPoint, HCC a division of One Digital, Elevate Ventures and the Venture Club of Indiana.
Summit activities begin on Thursday in Henke Hall at the Indiana University Memorial Stadium with a networking lunch and three AI-focused sessions, a tour of Memorial Stadium and the always popular “Networking at Nick’s” session at Nick’s English Hut.
Friday’s schedule includes the event’s keynote session, a VC panel on corporate venture investing, the “IU Icons Fireside Chat” and the awarding of the annual Spirit of Venture Award as well as the new Mentor of the Year Award. Following a networking lunch, attendees can look forward to an additional VC panel focused on economic trends and investment themes and a final happy hour networking session. All Friday sessions take place in Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union.
Additional information about travel, lodging and a complete list of activities and speakers can be found on the IU Ventures website.
About IU Ventures:
IU Ventures invests in and supports IU-affiliated early-stage companies. Its investment programs include the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund, the IU Angel Network, and the Innovate Indiana Fund. Further support initiatives include its Executive in Residence Program and the IU Founders and Funders Network. Student support is provided through a variety of engagements. Each program takes a unique approach to accelerate and support the positive impacts that entrepreneurs affiliated with IU already achieve across the world.