UNeMed to feature Catalyst tours, panel on startup funding

UNeMed has two events planned for Thursday, June 27, beginning with UNeMed’s next installment of “Idea Pub: Morning Edition,” followed by a panel discussion aimed at entrepreneurs and startup founders.

Following the events, attendees can get a sneak peek of the UNMC Catalyst facility that is in the final stages of construction. Guided hard-hat tours will be available for a limited number of guests, who will see the progress and promise of the $65 million facility.

Located on the western edge of the UNMC campus along Saddle Creek Road, the Catalyst building will be a mixed-used facility focused on bringing together UNMC scientists and innovators with the local entrepreneurial and startup communities. The goal is to help establish new partnerships, opportunities and better health care solutions through a facility that promotes collaboration.

“Morning Edition” will run from 9 to 11 a.m., beginning in the Durham Research Center commons with featured speaker Jay Lund, principal at GreenSlate Management. GreenSlate is a key member of development team overseeing the Catalyst project. The tours will follow Lund’s presentation about the vision of the Catalyst building.

The panel discussion, titled “Navigating Your First Investment Round,” will follow from noon to 1 p.m. in the Wigton Heritage Center. The discussion will focus on how to prepare for and pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists.

The panel will feature four area experts from investment groups and local entrepreneurs who have successfully raised capital funding.

• John Grange, of the Nebraska Startup Academy, a mentoring program for startup founders, and a general partner at MOVE Venture Capital, which focuses on investing in Nebraska technology startup companies.
• Scott Henderson, managing principal at NMotion, a Nebraska-based accelerator that invests in high-growth startup companies.
• Evan Luxon, CEO and co-founder of Centese, Inc., a medical startup built around a chest drainage system that could improve patient outcomes following surgeries.
• James Young, a co-founder of University Medical Devices, a startup built on the UNMC innovation and nasal swab alternative MicroWash.

The panel is co-sponsored by the Great Plains IDeA-CTR. A free boxed lunch will be provided to the first 25 attendees.

“Morning Edition” is held on the final Thursday of every month, featuring speakers from the Omaha entrepreneurial ecosystem. They are free and open to all, and complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.