NJ EDA’s New Program Links Startup Founders to Investors

Want a chance to meet some investors?

The NJ Economic Development Authority is introducing a new program in June that will give NJ startups a chance to take a meeting with investors.

The first New Jersey Founders & Funders office hours will take place on June 10 at 12:00 p.m.

“Once a quarter, we will invite venture investors to meet with a select group of companies for 10-minute, one-on-one sessions to discuss strategy, business models and funding opportunities,” the EDA said.

“Our mission is to help grow the TLS [Technology and Life Sciences] ecosystem to support innovative NJ companies.”

The EDA will take the lead to match startups to those investors who can help them based on the startups company profile and investment thesis. The EDA staff will get to know the startups, and provide a warm introduction to the investors. One-on-one Q and A sessions can provide smart feedback on startups business models, strategy and technology, the EDA said.

To date, participating investors include ff Venture Capital, Edison Ventures, Genacast Ventures, KEC Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners, NewSpring Capital, NextStage Capital, Osage Venture Partners, ARC Angel Fund, GHO Ventures, Jumpstart NJ Angel Network, Klifer Capital, and SoundBoard Angel Fund.

The EDA is continuing to secure additional participants, the organization said in a press release. Companies interested in attending should register at https://application.njeda.com/tls. 

Companies should be New Jersey-based with a focus on commercializing their technology, the EDA added. 

Companies that register for the event will be contacted by a member of the EDA’s Technology & Life Sciences team to discuss the information that should be provided to participating investors.

This information includes the company’s commercialization strategy and business plan, as well as specific requests for investors such as funding opportunities. The EDA expects to host New Jersey Founders & Funders quarterly.

Additional meetings have been set for Sept. 9 and Dec. 9, 2014. They will take place at the Commercialization Center for Innovative Technology in North Brunswick.