31st Annual Colorado Capital Conference

Private Equity's Influence on Venture Capital

Private equity trends and behaviors influence how downstream venture capitalists operate. Private equity tends to acquire or invest in venture-backed deals, making these entities crucial to seed stage exits and follow-on investments. Similar to how VCs keep a close eye on Series A or B venture deals, venture capitalists and seed investors should pay attention to these upstream private equity investors as well.

Learning from the most successful private equity practices, venture capitalists can improve outcomes by taking a more active approach to managing investments. Be it board seats or hands-on operational support, venture capitalists, like private equity investors, can add value to portfolio companies through an increased sense of ownership, attentiveness, and responsibility.While VC is being pushed upstream with larger rounds in later-stage companies, the opportunity for taking smaller deals at more reasonable valuations in places like Colorado keeps growing. By relying more on private equity deals or acquisitions, as opposed to IPOs, to exit a deal, understanding private equity is crucial to the success of both entrepreneurs and investors.

Meet the Companies:

Living Ink replaces carbon black in commercial printing inks and other applications with Algae Black pigments derived from algae. Carbon black is classified as a 2B carcinogen, derived from finite petrochemicals while creating significant carbon emissions. Initial focus is on next-generation packaging and publication inks, but a commercially viable and an environmentally friendly carbon black alternative has a broad range of applications.

Quench Medical is developing the first inhaled route of delivering an approved chemotherapy medication to treat lung cancer by directly targeting lung tumors while minimizing systemic toxicity. Quench is using an approved, reimbursed drug, reformulated for inhalation, allowing for a 505(b)(2) streamlined regulatory pathway, and rapid value creation. The platform technology may be extended to treat lung diseases such as COPD and cystic fibrosis.

Sticker Control’s modular system allows customers to adopt the functionality they need when it makes sense for them. First, they know their asset levels and locations so their teams can set up production runs and customer shipments quickly and accurately. Then they optimize inventory levels, warehouse operations and production processes. In the background are system integration and data preparation tools. Powerful, yet easy to use and affordable.

PolyPort is the game-changing 3D Asset Control provider transforming how the modern creative workforce collaborates, distributes, and protects high-value digital assets. Our simple, yet sophisticated proprietary software facilitates a frictionless cross-platform solution enabling 3D content creators, collaborators, and brands to design, share, and edit digital assets no matter the workflow, piracy-free.

Hygge (pronounced HUE-guh) is the Danish culture of coziness and beauty in everyday moments, and the inspiration behind Hygge Power. Managing our power environment requires tools and insight that allow us to control everything from price, to efficiency and where our power comes from. Hygge Power products work for you and with you, to manage your power supply simply by plugging them in.

Upsuite is the easiest way to office. Upsuite offers coworking and flexible offices in major North American cities that are conveniently located, meet businesses budget, and on their terms. Upsuite helps companies secure offices in a fraction of the time, providing 99% of the market inventory, actual suite availability and pricing, and a free Coworking Advisor. Upsuite offices also come with exclusive discounts, and a satisfaction guarantee.

RexPay is a mobile app where patients can easily understand, manage, and pay all of their medical bills & track insurance information in one place. By making it easier for patients to pay, RexPay helps providers reduce delayed & defaulted payments. Our revenue model is based upon patient payment transactions.RexPay gets a 1% transaction fee, which can be paid either by healthcare providers or the patient ($5 cap per payment for patients).

PageDip is reimagining the way critical written content is created, distributed and tracked to serve the needs of the modern content creator and reader. We provide an alternative communication path that is ever current, engaging and measurable. Readers receive the information they need in one place without ever having to leave the page - including live data, important context, and media elements. "The most engaging way to share business information"

The Last Gameboard (TLG) is a technology company based out of Denver, Colorado. TLG is the world's first hobby board game console. A 16” x 16” touchscreen device which has a library of games a player can purchase or subscribe from (similar to Kindle). The game pieces can either be digital or real. TLG™s patent-pending technology allows for any game piece to be used on the gameboard to pin-point precision, in a three-Dimensional volume.

Wander + Ivy is revolutionizing the single-serve wine market. Our award-winning wines are made from organic grapes, sourced from family-owned vineyards around the world + served in custom 6-oz glass bottles that are premium + eco-friendly.