by Jeffrey C. Robbins | at MinneBar 10 | 11:15 – 12:05 in Theater | View Schedule
Sponsored by AngelPolleNation, Piranha Pool (TM) II is Minnesota's own live take on the TV series "Shark Tank." -- and our second year of doing it at MinneBar! A panel of experienced, local tech investors will, on the spot, consider investments in FishFood (TM), aka local entrepreneurs. Confirmed returning Piranhas are well-known local investors Joy Lindsay, Ed Cannon, David Dalvey and Barbara Stinnett. Details on how to apply to participate as FishFood are here: link.
Joy Lindsay has been an active member of the Minnesota venture capital community since 1998. She is President and co-founder of StarTec Investments, LLC, a private venture capital firm focused on investing in high-tech companies based in the Midwest.
In addition to her role at StarTec, Ms. Lindsay is a member of the Sofia Angel Fund, a Minnesota-based womens angel fund focused on making private equity investments in companies founded by or led by women, or whose products and services target women. She is also a member of the Gopher Angels, a group of angel investors who share screening and due diligence and is a founding member of MOJO Minnesota, an innovation co-operative working to fuel entrepreneurship and reignite Minnesotas culture of innovation. Further, she is an advisory board member to Matchstick Ventures (formerly, Confluence Capital Partners).
Ms. Lindsay is a member and past chair of the Minnesota High Tech Association board of directors, is a member of the Advisory Board at the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota, and has served as Secretary and Vice-President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association. She is a judge for the Minnesota Cup business plan competition and serves on the Planning Committee for the Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference.
Prior to founding StarTec, Ms. Lindsay was a Senior Vice President in the Westlaw division of West Publishing (now Thomson Reuters). She has a B.A. in mathematics from Carleton College and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota.
Ed Cannon is CEO of Zivix, a multi-patented fingertip-sensing technology for use in real musical instruments and peripheral devices. Ed spent the first years of his career with the Westinghouse Power Systems group before leaving and co-founding Cannon Technologies in 1987. As CEO of this start-up, he lead the team to sales in excess of $100 Million and 150 employees. Cannon Technologies was one of the first truly smart-grid companies, helping electric utilities better manage demand response, substation automation and smart meters. Cannon Technologies was acquired by Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) and is an integral part of their Energy Automation Solutions group today. Ed holds a BSEE from South Dakota State University and was honored by them as Distinguished Engineer 2007. He is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management.
David Dalvey is a Managing Partner of Brightstone Venture Capital since September 2000, and he has 26 years of venture stage investment experience with 16 years as a venture fund manager and 10 years as a technology investment banker. Also, Mr Dalvey has 34 collective years of corporate board director/advisor experience.
Previously, Mr Dalvey has been a general partner at Food Fund Venture Capital II, L.P. from 1992 to 1995 and also held senior investment banking management positions with R.J. Steichen and Company from 1995 to 2000 and Wessels, Arnold & Henderson from 1987 to 1992. During his career, Mr Dalvey completed 40 public common stock offerings and 90 private placements totaling over $1.75 billion in equity growth capital for technology and life science companies. He currently serves as a Director at Mobile Realty Apps, Horizon Oil Field Services, Celcuity and Blue Rock Advisors and has also served Director roles with AppTec Laboratories, Navarre Corp., Definity Health, CHF Solutions, Nature Vision, TestQuest, Agiliti, Digitiliti and ShoreLunch Recipes.
Barbara Stinnett is CEO and Managing Partner of the Timmaron Group, a consulting organization that provides guidance, experience and interim executive support to CEOs, boards of directors, private equity investors and venture capital firms. Barb is the Executive Chair of Canopy Co. Among her many business accomplishments, she served for 22 years as a senior executive with Hewlett Packard, most recently as Worldwide Vice President and General Manager for Marketing, Sales and Service.
Jeff is an attorney and shareholder in the business services practice group at Messerli | Kramer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For 35 years, he has represented entrepreneurs who start and grow technology-based enterprises and angel and venture investors who target those companies. He is a serial entrepreneur himself, having founded two companies in the entertainment ticketing industry. Jeff represents high-growth, high-potential private enterprises and publicly traded companies. In 2011, he founded AngelPolleNation, a networking organization for investors that holds quarterly events in the Twin Cities. He has served as an advisory service member to the Minnesota Angel Network and serves as an advisory board member to Gopher Angels, a Minneapolis-based investor network. Jeff is also a judge for the annual statewide Minnesota Cup business plan competition. He is a board member of Venture Academy, a new Minneapolis charter school focused on developing entrepreneurial leadership skills for its students, and of the Minnesota Jewish Theater Company. Jeff was named in 2011 as one of “200 Minnesotans You Should Know” by Twin Cities Business magazine.
