Florida Venture Forum History

A group of business leaders and academicians met in the spring of 1984 to accelerate the successful development of the entrepreneurial community in the State of Florida. A survey revealed that most entrepreneurs had sound technical expertise but many needed assistance in the areas of management, marketing and finance. The result of that meeting was an advisory and support program called The Florida Venture Forum. The goal of the Forum is to help ensure the success of entrepreneurial ventures by offering expert counsel, educational advice and managerial assistance. The Florida Venture Forum is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization that is supported locally by private companies, service providers, venture capitalists and academic institutions.

The Florida Venture Forum provides programs on a statewide basis attended by venture capitalists, investors, bankers, corporate executives, accountants, lawyers and entrepreneurs.

Educational programs provide in-depth information on topics such as raising debt and equity capital, human resources, finance, management, marketing and research and development. Panelists for these instructional presentations consist of high ranking executives who share their experiences with the audience. Providing candid management and financial advice and hands-on technical assistance, these programs offer a valuable learning experience for entrepreneurs and professionals.

A key part of the Florida Venture Forum is the opportunity to network with the presenting company, the panelists, the moderator, the Forum sponsors and the business professionals in the audience. Networking takes place before each presentation during a cocktail reception and afterwards.

In addition to regularly scheduled programs, since 1992, the Florida Venture Forum has hosted the annual Florida Venture Capital Conference. The purpose of the conference, held every year in January/February, is to showcase high growth companies looking for equity financing before a nationwide audience of venture capitalists and investment bankers. Over the past 18 years, former presenters of the Conference have been successful in raising over $2 Billion. Since the January 2008 Conference, presenters have raised over $230 million.