Written by Kevin Lunke, Edited by Lauren Rusk
Our Commercialization Specialist, Kevin Lunke, got to attend 2 major conferences in May. Here are his insights on what he gained from Angel Fest 2024 and XPONENTIAL 2024.
What is Angel Fest?
Angel Fest is an immersive 1-day conference empowering and connecting angel investors from Minnesota, and beyond. Angel Fest is the region’s marquee annual investor conference. Angel Fest took place at the Huntington Bank Stadium on May 2, 2024. The headline speaker was Molly Wood, a former journalist, who turned to venture capital to support climate tech entrepreneurs.
What Were Some of the Key Takeaways from Angel Fest Speakers and Panels?
Recently, the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) designated Minnesota as the MedTech hub. This designation seeks to capitalize on regional assets to grow Minnesota’s world-leading status in the healthcare sector. Minnesota is dedicated to innovating and improving the healthcare system and Angels are key to keep those improvements moving forward.
The top healthcare companies in Minnesota are looking into innovative startups and founders that need their support.
When investing in startup companies, the founding team is just as important as the product/service they are providing.
Fostering strong relationships between founders and investors is the key to promoting transparency. This ensures an open dialogue to address any obstacles that arise.
Angel investors provide more value than just money, such as industry expertise, networking opportunities, and mentorship.
Closing
If you are interested in angel investing, Angel Fest is an excellent event to attend. It highlighted the continued growth and improvements of the healthcare industry in Minnesota. The speakers provided a wealth of knowledge surrounding the role of an angel investor and how they can help support the growth of startups.
What is AUVSI Xponential?
Xponential is a yearly gathering of global leaders and end users in the uncrewed systems and robotics industry. Organized by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA), this year’s event took place at the San Diego Convention Center. UND had a booth comprising of faculty, staff, and students from various departments.
Xponential continues to see remarkable attendance and growth each year. Some key statistics include:
7500 industry leaders and end-users |
Participants from 62 nations, 23% of attendees and 30% of exhibiting companies from countries outside the US |
Over 560 exhibitors |
10% growth in overall attendance over 2023 |
What were some of the key takeaways from XPONENTIAL ?
The use of unmanned systems is growing and with that, there is a need for more security, research, and safety measures put in place. The main focuses of this event were infrastructure and operations, technical research and development, data and analytics, cybersecurity, and policy and regulations. Additionally, defense applications were a common theme during the sessions and the XPO Hall.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) AUVSI and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) signed an MOU on drone cybersecurity. Miriam McNabb, Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE, states, “The agreement sets a framework for drone component manufacturers holding Green UAS certification to share their data directly with DIU. The goal is to streamline the inclusion of these certified components into DIU’s Blue UAS framework list, which is used to review cybersecurity and supply chain certifications.”
Closing
As unmanned systems become more prominent in our world and daily life, cybersecurity and defense applications will continue to be a topic that is heavily talked about. Collaborations bringing together innovation and security will be paramount to improving the autonomous industry.
References:
https://www.auvsi.org/xponential-2024-concludes-10-surge-attendance