Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

By KATHLEEN CALLAHAN, Correspondent

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What: Networking event to match investors with companies that need funding.

Where: Crowne Plaza Nashua, 2 Somerset Parkway, Nashua.

When: Today at 5:15 p.m. Registration takes place at the door and is limited.

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Speed dating will meet the business world at this afternoon’s Speed Venture Summit, where companies will present brief pitches to potential investors in hopes of securing capital.

The summit, to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, will consist of two segments. During the first, from 2-5 p.m., 50 companies and 25 investors will meet in private for “speed pitches.”

The investors, which include individuals, angel investors, and mezzanine financiers, will see 12 companies, and each company will see six investors. During these private meetings, each company has roughly 12 minutes to pitch its idea or product to potential investors with whom they were matched beforehand.

The second segment, from 5:15-7:30 p.m., is for business networking and is open to the public. For companies that didn’t register for the speed-pitch event, this is a second chance to meet with potential investors. Registration takes place at the door, but is limited.

In this tough economy, the summit is a welcome boost to companies in need of investors, organizers say. For many companies, “it was tell me where to apply,” said Tim Platt, producer of the summit and director of Preti Corporate Finance. The summit is hosted by the New Hampshire High Technology Council and the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center.

But despite the readiness of companies to find investments, underlying economic problems and liquidity concerns can present a challenge in finalizing the deal, Platt said. The interest is there but it’s harder to actually secure the investment, he said.

Perhaps surprisingly, Platt said finding interested investors was not difficult. In fact, he said, investors actually requested the summit, because fewer companies were seeking capital, some laying in wait to develop their ideas or customer base further before approaching investors.

“The portfolios of the investors are not performing as they hoped,” said Platt, so they are especially interested in finding up-and-coming companies. The summit, in its second year, will target companies at various stages of development, pairing earlier-stage ventures with angel investors and more mature businesses with mezzanine investors.

The companies chosen to pitch were recruited and asked to submit applications online. A selection committee graded each application based on four criteria: the value of the product, the sector it serves, the amount of capital raised and its management team. Once the grades were in, they were matched against the investor base – who were also recruited – to ensure compatibility.

The businesses – about half of which are from New Hampshire – represent various sectors, but some of the powerhouses this year focus on alternative energy solutions.

“It’s where a lot of entrepreneurs have focused their talents and energies,” Platt said.

Businesses specializing in patient-monitoring tools and mobile and web applications will also be well represented.

The companies will compete for awards, including Dell Mini Netbooks and data center services. The top five companies, as ranked by the investors, will compete in a “pitch-off,” giving one-minute elevator pitches during the networking portion. The audience will vote for the winner.

Platt said some investments were made as a result of last year’s summit, but the details of those cannot be disclosed due to privacy concerns. Companies would like to see more publicly disclosed financing from this year’s summit, he said.

It’s unclear yet whether the summit will end up being an annual event. That depends on the demand, Platt said.

“We’re just doing this as a service to the business community.”

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