SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 13th annual Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and Business Plan Competition will take place on June 22nd at Santa Clara University. The Summit draws a global influencer base to address the ongoing needs facing the Boomer consumer, and to pair investors with entrepreneurs who can bring innovative products and services for the longevity economy to market. This year, the focus will be on "Strategic Investment in the Longevity Market" and includes a day of spotlight sessions, speed dealing, boot camps, networking opportunities, and more.
The 2016 Summit features the Business Plan Competition where emerging companies will pitch new ideas to a panel of esteemed judges in the hope of getting validation, funding, and a $10,000 grand prize. Competition judges include: Lynne Chou, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Aaron Flink, Investment Manager, McKesson Ventures; Jody Holtzman, Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership, AARP; Jeff Lee, Principal, DCM Ventures; Jim Murphy, Vice President, Medicare & Retirement, UnitedHealthcare; Scott Smith, Founder & Managing Partner, Viant Group; Gavin Teo, Principal, Comcast Ventures; and others yet to be confirmed. Business plans will be accepted through 5pm on June 1. Previous winners of the competition have included: Ambika Bikanta (Bikanta), Rush Bartlett (Vynca), and Natasha Ashton (Pet Plan).
The Summit opens with "Breakfast with the Angels"—a networking opportunity for attendees to connect with, and learn from, angel and seed investors, such as Dr. Sanjaya Kumar, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Synepta Group, Inc. This year's Summit will feature briefings on investing priorities presented by Katy Fike, Managing Partner of Generator Ventures and Co-founder of Aging2.0; Jeff Lee, Principal, DCM Ventures; and more. Other topics for the day include trends in boomer and senior investing and how to provide customer service to the longevity markets.
For companies that have successfully developed a product or service for profit, there is an opportunity to pitch for distribution during the Summit. This special session will feature these companies live-pitching a group of prestigious distribution partners in hopes of getting one or more to "take a meeting."
Another unique feature of the Summit is "Lunch and Learn" where registered guests have the opportunity to connect with angel investors, corporate VCs, CEOs, research analysts, and other experts in the marketplace. This allows guests to spend time with Summit speakers and industry leaders in a small, conversational learning environment.
"I started the Silicon Valley Summit to bring together a combination of investors, angels, industry experts, entrepreneurs, and start-up companies to learn about the wants and needs of the boomer and senior markets," says Mary Furlong, CEO and President of Mary Furlong & Associates and Co-Producer of the Summit. "Thirteen years later, I am proud to say that this conference is the longest running event to focus on investing in the longevity economy and it keeps getting bigger and better each year."
The Longevity Economy, "the sum of all economic activity serving the needs of Americans over 50," is responsible for at least $7.1 trillion in economic activity every year. Overall, it accounts for nearly 100 million jobs and more than $4.5 trillion in wages and salaries.
2016 Summit sponsors are as follows (as of May 9, 2016):
AARP, The Business of Aging, United Healthcare, Zillner, CareLinx, CDW Healthcare, GreatCall, Hasbro, Susan Davis International, Ziegler-Linkage Longevity Fund, GSA, Posit Science, The Sequoias, and GE.
For the most updated lineup of events and to register visit www.boomerventuresummit.com, follow us on Facebook, @SiliconBoomer, #SVBoomer
This conference is being produced by Mary Furlong and Associates, Lori Bitter/The Business of Aging, and Susan Davis International.
SOURCE Mary Furlong & Associates