3 Rivers Venture Fair
Five members of the TechGROWTH Ohio team attended the 3 Rivers Venture Fair, a two-day event hosted by the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association and held at Pittsburgh's PNC Park on September 15 and 16. The Fair, one of the nation's top venues for showcasing entrepreneurial innovations in technology, life sciences and energy, has become a mainstay on the venture capital and business circuit in the surrounding 10-state region since its founding in 2002.
In just seven years, 3 Rivers helped presenting companies acquire nearly $300 million in investment capital, making a presenter-spot at fair a highly coveted accolade. This year, thirty life science and technology companies, most from Ohio and Pennsylvania, were selected to present to investors after undergoing a rigorous nomination and vetting process. Among those chosen to make their pitch was TechGROWTH Ohio-assisted Toobla, Inc. Toobla, which recently released its product in beta, allow users to store content from around the Web on their own personalized, virtual dashboard. TechGROWTH Ohio has worked with colleagues at TechColumbus to assist this company to attract growth capital.
John Glazer, TechGROWTH Ohio Director, was thrilled to see Toobla take center stage at 3 Rivers. "It was wonderful to see a company that benefited from Ohio Third Frontier programs receive this kind of recognition, as well as have the chance to gain the attention of future investors," Glazer said.
Glazer attended the fair with Executive-in-Residence Andrew Olson and three of TechGROWTH Ohio's operational assistance business consultants. David Wight of OU's Edison Biotechnology Institute and Than Thein from OU's Technology Transfer Office also accompanied the TechGROWTH team. TechGROWTH team was able to use the two days for networking opportunities and to scout out venture capital firms and private investors in attendance. "We're looking for potential investors to support early-stage, technologically-innovative companies in southern and eastern Ohio," Glazer said.