Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
In this month’s Doubleshot Newsletter, you will find:
- Builder Highlight: Midcontinent Venture Capital Summit 2023
- Team Highlight: Matt Waraich, Investment Associate
- LP Highlight: James Rogers, PhD.
- Cortado News
- PortCo Updates
- Ecosystem News & Events
Builder Highlight: Midcontinent Venture Capital Summit
Cortado Ventures is hosting a first-of-its-kind Midcontinent Venture Capital Summit, highlighting all facets of the burgeoning startup technology industry outside coastal bubbles, to be hosted on May 10th at the First National Center in Oklahoma City.
With $100B represented from investors and startups, this gathering will celebrate the achievements, challenges, and opportunities of our domestic emerging market for technology innovation. Anticipated speakers include VC general partners, institutional investors, family office managers, founders, government officials, and startup ecosystem builders.
Key speakers include David Epstein, Journalist and New York Times Best-selling author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. He will be joined in a fireside chat by James Rogers, who started a $2 billion ag-tech company, Apeel Sciences, that uses plant-based materials to keep moisture inside the produce and oxygen out, dramatically slowing the rate that produce spoils.
Sponsors include the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business, Oklahoma State University Cowboy Technologies, HoganTaylor, Atento Capital, GKFF, Saxum, Regent Bank, McAfee & Taft, Bison Technologies, Beneficent and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
Register before April 20th to get the early-bird special at $175. Ticket prices increase to $250 on April 21st. Registration costs are waived for any Tech Startup Founder.
Team Highlight: Matt Waraich, Investment Associate
We are thrilled to welcome Matt Waraich as our Investment Associate. As a former software engineer, Matt has extensive tech industry knowledge and has applied this expertise to his current role. He has assumed responsibility for the portfolio support program and works closely with the investment team to source and evaluate new deals while cultivating relationships with entrepreneurs. Matt has amassed a wealth of experience in the startup space, with a particular focus on B2B and B2C mobile and web applications.
We are excited to have him on our team to utilize his technical knowledge and business acumen to identify and support promising startups in the Midcontinent.
LP Highlight: James Rogers, PhD.
This month, Cortado Ventures is highlighting another of our Limited Partner investors, James Rogers, PhD. James is the Founder and CEO of Apeel Sciences, a company fighting the global food waste crisis by utilizing advances in materials science to prevent waste in the first place. He will keynote The Midcontinent Venture Capital Summit with NYT best-selling author David Epstein in a fireside chat. James’s $2B company innovates the food supply chain and has raised $650M from Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, and several famous VCs like Andreessen Horowitz, Rock Creek Capital, and Temasek. James is an investor in Cortado because he believes in our midcontinent strategy and market. See his story on CNBC.
Cortado News
Third close of Fund II: $60 Million
In case you missed it, Journal Record featured the exciting news of the successful third close of Fund II, which raised an impressive $60 million, putting it well on track towards its target of $80 million. This development has brought the total assets under management to just under $100 million, marking a significant achievement in less than three years. To learn more about this milestone, click here.
Team Event: Oklahoma Regional Food Bank’s Food & Resource Center
Our team recently volunteered at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma Food & Resource Center, and it was a truly rewarding experience for everyone involved. Giving back to the community is an important part of our mission. If you or your organization wants to volunteer with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, click here.
Podcast: Oklahoma’s VC Scene
Principal Susan Moring was recently featured on Startups XYZ discussing “Oklahoma’s VC Scene.” In the podcast episode, Susan emphasizes the importance of deploying capital in historically underserved regions and providing opportunities to entrepreneurs who may not have had the chance to build their dream. To listen to the full podcast, click here.
Founder Hour: University of Oklahoma Honor’s College
We hosted another Founder Hour event at the Noun Hotel in collaboration with the OU Honors College. The successful event brought together current founders and student, whom engaged in lively discussions on entrepreneurship and innovation in the Midcontinent and beyond.
Trends in Health Tech in the Midcontinent and Beyond
Technology has vastly impacted the way patients receive care and has changed the way medicine is practiced. Here in the Midcontinent, we’re seeing breakthroughs in the quality and type of care patients now have access to, thanks to the innovative ideas of entrepreneurs with a desire to address gaps in the healthcare space. Our Principal Susan Moring writes on the current Trends in Health Tech in the Midcontinent.
PortCo Updates
Forbes: The Rise And Importance Of Women’s Pelvic Floor Health Awareness
Watkins-Conti Products, which is developing a pipeline of diagnostics and treatments that address women’s reproductive, sexual, and pelvic health, was recently featured in Forbes for innovative developments in addressing women’s pelvic floor health. The company’s CEO, Allison Watkins, highlights the importance of their work, particularly for women in remote areas with limited access to surgical interventions or plug-in devices. Click here to read the full story.
Business Wire: Recuro Health Closes $47 Million Series B
Business Wire reported on Recuro Health’s recent announcement of the successful closing of a $47 million Series B round investment led by ARCH Venture Partners. Recuro’s mission is to transition the US healthcare system from a reactive, disease-focused model to a proactive care approach, and the funds from this Series B round will be used to further advance and scale innovative virtual-first care service and its Digital Medical Home. To learn more, read here.
Tech Crunch: Seed funding finds fertile ground with Mate Fertility
Mate Fertility, one of our portfolio companies, was featured in a recent article in TechCrunch. The article highlights the company’s mission to bring high-quality fertility treatment to underserved communities, improving access to healthcare and changing lives. To learn more click here.
New Investment: Moove.ai
We’re thrilled to announce our recent investment in moove.ai, a company dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence and computer vision technology to improve road safety and reduce traffic congestion. To learn more about our investment, click here.
Ecosystem News and Events
Inaugural gener8tor OKC Accelerator Cohort Announced
The gener8tor Oklahoma City Accelerator program recently kicked off its inaugural cohort, a partnership between gener8tor, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Cortado Ventures, and Boyd Street Ventures. The program aims to support and accelerate the growth of eight early-stage startups, focusing on those based in Oklahoma and those in the biotechnology, agriculture technology, energy diversification, and life sciences industries. Read more here.
Oklahoma Venture Forum Awards Ceremony
Annually, the Oklahoma Venture Forum recognizes successful Oklahoma businesses and their achievements. This year’s ceremony will be on May 18th at 11:30 am at the Oklahoma History Center. Cortado Ventures is proud to serve as a sponsor for this event that will recognize four companies and individuals in the categories of OVF Venture of the Year, Most Promising New Venture, Entrepreneurial Champion Award, and the Award for Economic Impact. To register or more info, visit here.