Monarch Antenna Selected to Present at the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
ANN ARBOR -- Monarch Antenna today announced that it has been selected to present at the 2013 Michigan Growth Capital Symposium.
Monarch Antenna is among a roster of 36 promising, high-growth companies from the Midwest and beyond seeking funding in the next 12 months. Monarch Antenna will deliver its 10-minute presentation to attending investors, which include nearly 100 regional and top national venture capital firms, on Wednesday, May 22 at 10:45 a.m.
The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium is the oldest university-based venture capital fair and the premier Midwest networking event for leaders in venture capital investment to connect with emerging growth companies actively searching for partners and funding. Since 2001, the Symposium has provided nearly 400 companies with the opportunity to present to investors. Roughly 70 percent of these have raised capital totaling $1.7 billion in investments and nearly 20 percent have realized successful exits.
Monarch Antenna was selected to present at the 2013 event as a result of winning first place in the Emerging Company category at the Fall Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest. The competition was held January 31, during the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship.
Monarch Antenna was formed on the concept of commercializing self-structuring antenna technology patented jointly by Michigan State University and Delphi Corp. Automation Alley provided the initial funding to capitalize the company and rounds out the current ownership structure along with an executive option pool. Presenting for Monarch Antenna will be its CEO, Randall Dence. Dence has more than 20 years of experience in wireless software and hardware product development, including management positions at Dell Computer, US Robotics, NCR and Sharp Electronics.
Monarch Antenna is seeking funding to develop a smart and adaptive tunable antenna prototype for 4G global smartphones. The growth of 4G has been hindered by the requirement to support more than 38 frequency bands spanning from 700 MHz to 2.7GHz.
"Since the antenna is the only component of the smartphone that communicates directly with the network, it makes antenna performance pivotal to the end user experience and directly impacts both the reputation and bottom-line of mobile handset OEMs and wireless carriers," said Randall Dence, CEO with Monarch Antenna.
More than 400 entrepreneurs, researchers, investment professionals and business executives are expected attend to the Symposium, taking place May 21-22 at the Marriott Resort in Ypsilanti. In addition to company presentations to investors, the two-day event program will feature a keynote address from Credit Suisse's Kelly Williams and five panel discussions on topics including venture capital fund investment strategies, investing in healthcare IT, and transforming Michigan's entrepreneurial landscape.
"One of the secrets to Michigan's success is the cadre of good, smart entrepreneurs and the promising companies they are establishing and growing, including Monarch Antenna," said David J. Brophy, MGCS founder and director and professor of finance at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. "We've got a heck of a lot going on in Michigan, and it's catching the attention of people around the country and around the world."
To learn more, see the full list of presenting companies or register, visit www.MichiganGCS.com and follow conversations about the Symposium by tracking #MGCS on Twitter.
