The ACA 2021 Innovation Funders Showcase Pre-Summit Kick-Off and Deeper Dive Feature Groundbreaking Companies


Chiara Renella-Brooks, ACA Partnership Director

Incredible Companies Built by Women Highlighted During the Innovation Funders Showcase Deeper Dive 

This year’s ninth Annual ACA Summit Innovation Funders Showcase opened ACA Summit week with many exciting new twists!  Fresh for 2021, the Innovation Funders Showcase Company Flipbook provided a sneak peek of all the companies presenting, along with critical information such as market strategy, opportunities and more. A dedicated pre-event Summit kick-off gave each company more time to present with additional opportunities for Summit attendees to connect with companies during ACA 2021 – The Summit of Angel Investing.  Three companies were also selected to present in the Innovation Funders Showcase Deeper Dive at the conclusion of the event.

Don’t forget, ACA members receive year-long access to all Innovation Funders Showcase recordings and the company flipbook

The ACA Innovation Funders Showcase presented 31 promising portfolio companies in an intimate virtual setting and the chance to connect with these innovative organizations in private meetings during ACA 2021 – The Summit of Angel Investing May 4-6. This year’s virtual kick-off was made up of three rounds with each company presenting for three minutes. An all-star panel of angels selected three companies to present a full 12-minute screening with additional Q&A as a Deeper Dive wrap-up to the Summit on Thursday, May 6.

As a benefit for ACA members and all Summit registrants, the pre-Summit kick-off and Deeper Dive were complimentary to attend.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all of our Innovation Funders Showcase sponsors: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic, VentureWell, Portland Seed Fund, Oregon Bioscience Association, Greentown Labs, Oregon Bioscience Incubator and OHSU Invest-a-thon.

To learn more about each company, including summaries, opportunities and ways to connect, please access the ACA Innovation Funders Showcase Company Flipbook.

Three incredible companies, Hydrostasis, Reia and Sonavi Labs, presented in the May 6 Innovation Funders Showcase Deeper Dive. All three of these companies are made up of female founders who are disrupting their respective spaces.

The Deeper Dive company founders reacted to the Innovation Funders Showcase experience:

"The ACA 2021 Innovation Funders Showcase was an amazing experience to meet world-changing companies as well as new potential investors. The pitch prep work from our sponsors at NIH were helpful in crafting the message from experts in their field. We were so excited to be selected as one of the winners to proceed to the Deeper Dive presentation and received some great questions at our Q&A. Following our presentation, we had five angel funds reach out to ask us to submit to their screening process. Overall, this was a great experience and would definitely encourage companies to apply next year!” - Debbie Chen, PhD, Founder, CEO Hydrostasis, Inc.

“Participating in the Innovation Funders Showcase at the ACA Summit provided Reia great exposure to angels and the opportunity to receive feedback on both our short and long form pitch. The Q&A session during the Deeper Dive was especially valuable, enabling us to share more details about our company and path forward with a whole room of angles and providing us insight into what investors focus on. I want to thank the NIH for the coaching they provided and helping us hone our pitch. REIA is very excited by the number of connections made from this event and looks forward to raising our first round!” – Kaitlin Maier, CEO, Reia

“Having the opportunity to share the Innovation Funders Showcase Deeper Dive stage with two other phenomenal women was a powerful moment for me and is a testament to both National Institute of Health (NIH) and Angel Capital Association’s (ACA) commitment to diversity. The support that my team received from our coaches and mentors was a critical component of our success and we appreciate the opportunity to glean from their experience and look forward to continuing to build lasting relationships. I hope more startups can learn from the best minds at the NIH and can showcase their company’s work to supportive investors. We have received so much interest from participating in the ACA showcase that it truly affirms my belief in our mission the potential of this company.” – Ellington West, CEO & Co-Founder, Sonavi Labs

Congratulations to all the companies who presented in the 2021 Innovation Funders Showcase, the three Deeper Dive presenters and to all sponsoring organizations. It was a highlight of the week and we look forward to welcoming you to New Jersey for the 2022 ACA Summit!

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