IMPACT 2012, to be held in early November, intends to attract more out of town investors; Friday deadline to apply to present

Tom Paine





PACT, the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (formerly the MAC Alliance) is holding its annual IMPACT 2012 Venture Summit Mid-Atlantic on November 7 & 8 at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia and the Crystal Tea Room. The conference is hosted by Ernst & Young.

The deadline to apply to present and be a "featured company" at IMPACT 2012 is this Friday, September 14. (Update: the deadline has been extended to Friday, September 21.) Featured companies will be broken out into four tracks: Technology, Healthcare, Clean Technology, and a separate category focused on emerging growth companies. IMPACT is looking for 15 to 18 companies in the Technology and Healthcare tracks, and 6 to 10 in the other two. There is no charge to those selected to present as featured companies. You can apply here.


This year, IMPACT is broadening its scope and appeal by working actively to attract more VC firms from up & down the east coast between Boston and DC, as well as some from the west coast, Ernst & Young LLP Partner, East Central Strategic Growth Markets Leader and Chairman, IMPACT 2012 Venture Summit Mid-Atlantic Andrew (AJ) Jordan told me in a phone interview. He is seeking to draw ten to twelve out of town firms that haven't attended in the past. Traditionally, local VC firms have been the main participants. The goal, Jordan says, is to expose more outside investors to the Philly startup and emerging company scene, encourage more partnering on investments between local and out of town firms, and hopefully demonstrate a technology and healthcare ecosystem that will bring these firms back to the area in the future, as well as giving participating presenters more options for finding investors.

Steve Case

The keynote speaker will be AOL co-founder and former CEO Steve Case, who currently is Chairman and CEO of Revolution LLC, which includes Revolution Ventures, an east coast-focused VC firm. In 2011, Case was selected by President Obama to serve as Chairman of the Startup America Partnership, a group that supports young entrepreneurial startup companies. Coincidentally, Case and President Obama briefly attended the same school in Hawaii at the same time. Fox sportscaster Joe Buck will also keynote at lunch on Wednesday, coming right off the World Series.

Another change this year is the primary venue. IMPACT 2012 will held at the Ritz-Carlton, instead of the Pennsylvania Convention Center where it has been held frequently in recent years. Jordan hopes the Ritz-Carlton will give the event a more intimate and compact atmosphere. The closing reception will be held at the Crystal Tea Room in the Wanamaker Building on Wednesday evening.

IMPACT 2012 is expanding its reduced rate program for qualified entrepreneurs this year. The first 200 who qualify can attend the entire conference for $200 (This does not include a presenting spot, which must be applied for separately.)

As it did last year, PACT is co-presenting IMPACT 2012 with AlwaysOn, the Silicon Valley-based firm that analyzes the tech industry and helps organize conferences. AlwaysOn is expected to release its AlwaysOn Venture Summit Mid-Atlantic 100 Top Companies by early October. The nomination process appears to still be open on the AlwayOn website.


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