Venture Capital in the Rockies Gathering a "Summit of Big Sky" Success

There are some things about a venture capital conference in Montana that are no different from a venture capital conference anywhere else: nervous entrepreneurs give their Powerpoint presentations to would-be investors; men in khakis circle hotel ballrooms; everyone eats sushi.

But there are also some things that are different in Montana: the pre-conference cocktails are held at magnificent log clubhouse with spectacular views massive mountain peaks, and an unfinished dirt access road; The host has to apologize that smoke from the forest fires are ruining the view; and everyone obsesses over the question of how to develop more entrepreneurial activity in the Rocky Mountain West.

While there are some established pockets of technology and venture activity in Denver/Boulder, Salt Lake City, and Boise, in the rest of the region there is little infrastructure for entrepreneurs, and no venture capital economy to speak of at all. The VCs say they don’t invest because there is no "deal flow," i.e. no companies worth investing in, while the entrepreneurs say they can’t buildd companies because they have no sources of capital. The Big Sky Venture Capital Conference, being held today at Big Sky Resort, aims to help bridge that gap.

TechRanch http://www.techranch.org

By Jonathan Weber

Full Story: http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/article/11029/