FBU Chicago to Feature Special “Pitch Panel” for Entrepreneurs
Three brands. Three investors. Advice for all.
BevNET’s FBU Chicago event will offer three brave entrepreneurs the opportunity to become part of the action when they submit their business plans and elevator pitches to a set of three experienced investors in front of the audience.
Those with stage fright need not apply — or else they had better seek treatment, because investors Trevor Nelson, a Managing Partner at ACG, Alex Schneider, a Partner at Clover Capital, and Kevin Park, the Founder and Managing Partner at SimplePitch Ventures are going to be on hand to provide unvarnished feedback during the session.
It’s a live-action event that will give a look inside the ideas and filters that get investors excited about a potential food or beverage opportunity — or doom those companies to an extended pursuit of cash. Interested brands should be prepared to submit a business plan to the panel ahead of time, and will have the opportunity to review their pitch with BevNET staff before the event.
Starting after lunch, Nelson, Schneider, and Park will be on hand to briefly discuss their own ideas and strategies when they look to invest in up-and-coming food and beverage companies. Then the three brave brands will take the stage, each with the opportunity to provide elevator pitches, with the panel responding in turn. Feedback from the panelists will be geared toward explaining the reactions of the investors, helping the presenters and audience understand what it takes to get and keep the attention of potential financial partners, and giving the presenters an idea of how they might improve their pitch the next time around.
The pitch panel is one of several opportunities that attendees will have to get person-to-person advice from panelists and speakers. Extended networking time, Q-and-A periods following every presentation, and a special “topic table” setup during the afternoon break — with different speakers positioned to address small groups on different areas of expertise — will create an environment that transcends the stage.
Special discounts for FBU subscribers are available. To learn more about this opportunity, or to have any questions about the event in general or pitch panel session answered, please reach out to Jon Landis directly at (617) 231-8834 or jlandis@bevnet.com.
There are still sponsorship opportunities open for companies looking to connect with early stage food & beverage entrepreneurs. Interested parties should contact John McKenna at (617) 231-8825 or jmckenna@bevnet.com.
About FBU Chicago
This full-day dive into the early stages of entrepreneurial food and beverage company formation and development will take place on April 30 at Moonlight Studios, 1446 W. Kinzie St. in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. It will take entrepreneurs and their teams through through the key decisions and challenges that accompany early growth, from commercialization, co-packing, and product design through the hard decisions that accompany structuring a company and a sales force, reaching key distribution and retail decision-makers, marketing products, while maintaining solid businesses that can attract growth capital. Always friendly, timely, and well-managed, FBU events feature opportunities to maximize learning through interaction with speakers and entrepreneurs, as well as the chance for entrepreneurs to sample their products for the audience.
About Trevor Nelson
As a co-founder and managing partner of ACG, Trevor enjoys providing a unique level of partnership and capital to entrepreneurs with consumer businesses poised for compelling growth. He has years of experience investing in the consumer industry and executing a variety of financial transactions. Trevor currently serves on the board of Ripple Brand Collective, maker of barkTHINS Snacking Chocolate. He previously served on the board of Phil’s Fresh Foods, maker of EVOL-branded frozen food products, which was acquired by Boulder Brands.
About Kevin Park
Kevin is the founder and Managing Partner of SimplePitch Ventures, a fund that invests in early-stage consumer companies that do not fit the traditional venture capital or private equity model. He is an active investor in the food and beverage space as a board member of Crunchies Food, Sticky’s Finger Joint, and an investor / advisor in Pressed Juicery.
About Alex Schneider
Alex Schneider is a co-founding partner of Clover Capital Partners, a private investment firm focused on investing in food and beverage related opportunities. Alex began his career with JPMorgan as an investment banking analyst; he then spent 10 years in private equity working for Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison in Minneapolis and Keystone Capital in Chicago. Alex and fellow JPMorgan alumnus David Choe formed Clover Capital in 2010 and invest in food related businesses in various life stages from growth equity, to maturity and in select restructuring scenarios. Clover currently has two control investments. Akron, Ohio-based Main Street Gourmet and Los Angeles, Calif.- based Jo’s Candie. Current growth equity investments in food-related markets include Kevita, Shiftgig and Wilde Snacks. Current minority investments backing entrepreneurs in control situations include KBP, Inc. and Phillips Syrup.