Insights

Company Applications and Conference Registration Open Today

DURHAM, NC, May 15, 2018 — The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced three co-chairs for the CED Tech Conference 2018:

• Joe Colopy, Investor, Colopy Ventures
• Jeff Muir, Founder and Partner, Fulcrum Equity Partners
• Russ Cobb, Senior Vice President of Growth and Business Operations, SAS

Joe Colopy builds and invests in tech startups through Colopy Ventures, based in Downtown Durham. Prior to Colopy Ventures, Joe was co-founder and CEO of Durham-based Bronto Software, which was acquired for $200mm by NetSuite. NetSuite was subsequently acquired by Oracle. Through his work with Bronto, Joe was a past winner of Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Carolinas.

“I am thrilled to co-chair the CED Tech Conference this year. Over the past twenty years, I have enjoyed the conference immensely – first as a student volunteer, later as an entrepreneur and speaker, and now as an active investor,” said Joe Colopy of Colopy Ventures. “The CED Tech Conference continues to be the must-attend event for the region’s tech entrepreneurs and their investors.”

Working with the CED team, these co-chairs will steer programming for the premier event for technology entrepreneurs in the Southeast. Now in its 34th year, the CED Tech Conference attracts over 800 attendees including trailblazing entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, and industry visionaries from across the nation to the Raleigh Convention Center in North Carolina. The two-day event will be held September 12-13, 2018 with a mission to showcase entrepreneurial companies and connect them with partners, investors, and other organizations to accelerate business growth.

Last year investors attended the conference from 75 firms including private equity funds, venture funds, angels, corporates and strategics. Over 100 of the hottest emerging and growth stage companies based in the Southeast were on display in the Demo Room, with select entrepreneurs giving main stage presentations.

“The CED Tech Conference is a key annual event for investors looking for deal flow. It allows funds to meet multiple entrepreneurs and reconnect with peers all in one place,” said Jeff Muir of Fulcrum Equity Partners. “I am based out of Atlanta, but Fulcrum recently opened a Chapel Hill office led by Alston Gardner because we see the area as a hotspot for entrepreneurial activity. I will be personally inviting fellow outer-region investors to join me at the conference this year.”

Jeff Muir is a co-founder and partner of Fulcrum Equity Partners and its predecessor firm, Fulcrum Ventures that started in 2000. He is also a co-founder and former Managing Partner of Chatham Capital, a mezzanine finance firm launched in 2001. He has managed over $500 million in capital and led or participated in 150 transactions, including public offerings, multi-party mergers and consolidation plays.

“I am honored to support the growth and visibility of North Carolina’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as co-chair of this year’s CED Tech Conference,” said Russ Cobb, Senior Vice President of Growth and Business Operations at SAS. “The evolution of SAS is a testament to the local tech community, and involvement with CED is a way to give back and help foster future success stories.”

As chief of Growth and Business Operations, Russ Cobb works closely with other members of the global executive leadership team to align and enable the company to achieve strategic goals and business priorities. In this role, Cobb provides focused leadership for strategy development and execution, business planning, and corporate development; cross-functional business operations and performance management; and strategic alliances and channels.

In addition to company presentations and high-level networking opportunities, the agenda will feature top industry thought leaders as speakers and panelists throughout the two-day conference. Recent speakers have included the biggest names in venture capital. In 2017, legendary Silicon Valley VC John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins was a keynote, his first time ever speaking publicly in North Carolina. In 2015, #1 ranked investor on the Forbes’ Midas List Jim Goetz of Sequoia Capital spoke at the conference.

CED Tech Conference registration opens today. Companies can apply now to exhibit in the Demo Room and present on the main stage. The application deadline is Tuesday, June 5. For more information regarding registration rates and company applications, please visit: cednc.org/tech

Media interested in attending the conference should contact Emily McLoughlin at emcloughlin@cednc.org or 919-800-7165.