Newark Venture Day
Newark Venture Day aims to enable greater access between investors and entrepreneurial peers. Whether you are a Founder, Entrepreneur, Investor or Venture Capitalist, Newark Venture Day is for folks in Newark's ecosystem looking to network, deep dive into macro-industry topics through a local lens and learn about the different resources available for early-stage startups in Newark, New Jersey, and beyond.
Join hosts and sponsors Audible, Invest Newark and Newark Alliance alongside sponsor, Prudential, for discussions, panels, office hours, and networking with industry leaders from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), HAX, and a slate of venture capital firms who are invested in Newark's growing ecosystem.
Program
12:00-1:00PM: Networking & Light Lunch
Please join us in mixing and mingling over light lunch with NJ based/invested startup founders, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
1:15-5:00PM: VC Office Hours
Are you looking to refine your pitch, solidify your funding strategy, or grow your business? Attend this event to ask a VC, Michael Connelin, Managing Partner from Garden State Venture Partners your questions in 40 minute one-on-one sessions designed to help early-stage founders and entrepreneurs succeed! 5 slots total. Sign up here.
1:15-2:00PM: [Panel] Main Character Energy: Building in Newark
Newark's taking center stage with this 45-minute panel featuring key ecosystem players. Moderator Janelle Alexander, Lead Advisor at DEVLAND, is joined by panelists Ari Fox, Head of Economic Impact and lead of Audible's Business Attraction Program, Alexander Pachman, Director, Venture Products from NJEDA's Venture Fund Program, Yining Chen, VP Emerging Tech & Innovation from Prudential Financial, Inc and Mike van Ter Sluis, VP of Entrepreneurship at NJII. They will discuss their programs, available resources, and collaborative efforts to strengthen Newark's startup scene. Perfect for our NJ and regional startup founders and VCs who want the inside scoop on what makes Newark's ecosystem unique and how these institutions are working together to support growth.
2:15-3:00PM: [Session] VC Storytime
You've seen the pitch decks, but have you heard the real stories? Join VCs Jossy Harrington, Senior Associate at Tech Council Ventures, Lauren Roberts, Investor at Forum Ventures and Jess Liu, Partner at Nationwide Ventures for VC Storytime. Where venture capitalists get refreshingly honest about what they don't share in meetings. We're talking failures, messy pivots, and the hard-won lessons that actually shaped how they invest today. Whether you're raising capital or just curious about the human side of venture, you'll leave with insights that go way beyond the typical VC playbook.
3:15-4:00PM: [Fireside Chat] Project Runway: Princeton Critical Minerals
We're hosting a 45-minute deep dive into startup fundraising with Sean Zheng, PhD., Co-Founder & CEO of Princeton Critical Minerals Inc. He'll be joined by HAX's General Partner, Avra Van der Zee to break down their fundraising journey. The company is expected to close their round by mid-March, so this will be a fresh, real-world case study. This session spotlights a Newark-based startup success story for our community of startup founders and VCs in NJ and the regional area. A great opportunity to see local ecosystem wins in action.
4:15-6:00PM: Happy Hour @ Newark Local Beer
Wrap up the day with drinks and continued networking. Connect with the founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders you met throughout the day in a relaxed setting. First drink on us, courtesy of Audible!
Register above and join us for a day of learning, connecting, and building!