IBIF: Illinois Business & Investors Forum

About ILBIF


Mark your calendar, the next Forum is Thursday, September 18, 2008.

The Illinois Business & Investor Forum (ILBIF) acts an umbrella group for angel investors throughout the Midwest. Its purpose is to create an interactive meeting showcasing early stage companies, entrepreneurs, and intellectual property from universities and corporations in the Midwest. The presenters are seeking early stage investment capital. ILBIF’s goal is to provide a forum that connects great technologies with significant commercial potential with active investors and/or investment groups. The Forum is a virtual meeting with multiple venues, which is made possible through collaborative communication systems.

Companies interested in presenting at the Illinois Business & Investor Forum will be asked to submit a business plan, and each plan will be screened by a Review Team. The Review Team will select the Forum’s investment area (i.e. Life Science, Advanced Manufacturing, etc.) and determines which companies will be asked to present at each meeting. Up to four companies could be selected to present their business case at the Forum. The Review Team may also designate one university or company to present pertinent intellectual property with strong commercial potential.

Each presenting company will follow a required presentation format and will be coached on how to present their business case. Each company will have 10 minutes for a presentation followed by a Question and Answer session (10 minutes) from the Investors at any of the multiple venues.

The ILBIF may also devote a portion of the meeting to discuss the educational aspects of seed or pre-seed stage funding. This time will be devoted to sharing best practices among the participating investors.

Supporters:

The following organizations and companies have come together to support the Illinois Business & Investor Forum:

  • Bradley Technology Commercialization Center
  • Bradley University
  • Caterpillar Inc.
  • DePaul University
  • The FastRoot TechNexus
  • Heartland Capital Network
  • Illinois Information Technology Association (ITA)
  • McCormick School of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Northern Illinois Technology Enterprise Center- NITECH
  • Northern Illinois University Outreach
  • Northwestern University ITEC
  • Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison- Office of Corporate Relations
  • Wisconsin Angel Network (WAN)
  • Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions

Investor:

The Illinois Business & Investor Forum will connect Accredited Investors from around the region and provide them access to a pipeline of pre-screened start-up companies and intellectual property from Universities and Corporations seeking pre-seed and seed stage investments.

ILBIF is also focusing time and attention on the educational aspect of Angel/Early-Stage Investing. The Forum may also devote a portion of the agenda to addressing the complexities of Early-Stage Investing by providing educational information and best practices data about seed and pre-seed stage investing.

Each attendee will be required to verify they are an Accredited Investor ( as qualified by the Securities Act of 1933). There is a $60 registration fee to cover venue expenses and infrastructure related costs.

If you would like to attend the ILBIF and qualify as an Accredited Investor, please visit the registration page or if you would like to someone to contact about the Forum, please visit the contact page for more detailed information.

All registration information provided by Investors will be kept strictly confidential.

Presenter:

ILBIF is always looking for new investment opportunities to showcase. If you are an entrepreneur, early-stage or existing company, or research institution and are looking for seed or pre-seed stage funding for your idea with strong commercial potential, we encourage you to submit a copy of your business plan for consideration. Please visit the contact page for further instructions.

An experienced Review Panel will evaluate your submission and select the companies that will present at each meeting. The Forum will showcase start-up companies along with an existing company or research institution with intellectual property to commercialize.

If you are selected as a presenter, you will be asked to make a 10 minute presentation followed by a Question and Answer Session (10 minutes) from potential investors at any of the participating venues. A moderator will control the Question and Answer session and manage time.

Each presenter will be provided with a required presentation format and a Presentation Panel will coach selected companies with the preparation and rehearsal of their presentations.

If you would like to submit your business plan for consideration at a future ILBIF, please visit the contact page for more detailed information.