Scaling the Land: Fueling Cleveland’s Next Generation of Startups

Join us for an Afternoon Event, Lunch and A Panel Discussion on Scaling the Land: Fueling Cleveland’s Next Generation of Startups on the Court at Tennis in the Land, Followed by Happy Hour and Semi-Final Tennis Matches, Nautica Entertainment Complex, West Bank of The Flats

Join us for a dynamic discussion on the future of Cleveland’s venture capital and startup ecosystem. Our panel of investors, entrepreneurs, and policy leaders will explore the region’s successes, challenges, and what’s needed to fuel the next wave of innovation. Topics will include access to capital, the role of universities in fostering entrepreneurship, public-private partnerships, and Cleveland’s positioning in the broader venture landscape. Whether you’re an investor, founder, or simply curious about the city’s economic future, this conversation will offer insights into how Cleveland can compete on a national scale.

Panel will be held on the tennis court and all attendees will receive lunch and two tickets to attend the Friday’s tennis matches ($100 Value). Lunch will be followed by a networking happy hour. Tennis matches start at 3pm Friday afternoon.

Thanks to this year's sponsors

ScaleCo - Grand Slam Sponsor

Ace Happy Hour Sponsor-1 Available $2000

Match Point Sponsor-5 Available-$1000

Email Cindy for sponsorship information cfa@cleveland.cfasociety.org

Agenda:

12:00pm-2:00pm Lunch and Panel Discussion

2:00pm-3:30pm Happy Hour

3:00pm Semi-Final Tennis Matches

More information on Tennis in the Land

Attendees will receive the tickets for Tennis in the Land via Seatgeek to their email 1 week before the event

Moderator: Carrie Murphy, Encore Labs

Panelists: Brendan Anderson, ScaleCo

Andrew Medvedev, Weatherhead School of Mangement, Case Western Reserve University

Andrew Newsome, Greater Cleveland Partnership

Liz Todia, Mutual Capital Partners

Carrie Murphy, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Encore Venture Labs

Carrie Murphy is a seasoned talent executive and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in recruiting, human resources, and leadership across VC & PE-backed startups, high-growth companies, and established organizations. She is the founder of Kintara, a talent firm focused on Carrie Murphy is a seasoned talent executive and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experienchelping manufacturing and technology-driven businesses recruit, train, and retain their workforce. She launched Kintara as part of her current role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Encore Venture Labs.Previously, Carrie served as CEO of Venture For America (VFA), where she led national recruitment and fellowship programs supporting emerging entrepreneurial talent, launching more than 1,500 careers; its alumni have gone on to start over 350 companies and raise nearly $1 billion in capital.Earlier in her career, she led talent acquisition at Vertical Knowledge, helping the company scale rapidly, and held senior search roles at Daversa Partners, recruiting C-level leaders for companies including Snap, SoundCloud, and Shazam. She also worked in recruiting at Goldman Sachs and began her career at TheLadders in New York City, where she helped launch and grow the FitFinder service.A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, she remains deeply engaged in Northeast Ohio’s innovation and manufacturing communities, with a particular focus on building a stronger talent pipeline across the region.

Brendan Anderson, Founder & Managing Partner, Scalervice.ACo

In 2018, Brendan Anderson founded ScaleCo Capital with a vision of helping small businesses scale and reach their growth potential. At ScaleCo Capital, Brendan focuses his time on vision building, fund-level strategy, deal sourcing, portfolio company performance, investor relations, and fundraising.

Throughout his career, Brendan has been dedicated to helping lower middle market companies not only succeed but thrive. He’s accumulated a wide range of experiences over the years, having served in various leadership roles across a number of companies operating in the business services, specialty manufacturing, and commercial lending industries.

Prior to founding ScaleCo, Brendan co-founded Evolution Capital Partners (“ECP”), a Cleveland-based private equity firm making control investments in micro-cap companies across the U.S. In 2018, he founded ScaleCo to invest in similar sized companies but with a greater emphasis on operational enhancements and a narrower geographic focus, prioritizing opportunities in the Midwest and Great Lakes-regions.

Brendan began his entrepreneurial journey in 1995 when he founded The Mast Group, a firm that offered management services to manufacturing, distribution, financial services, and other sectors. Then in 1996, he established the Heartland Companies to acquire a distressed industrial park based in the greater Chicago-area. Later in 1998, he acquired Ohio-based Stam, Inc., a manufacturing company where he gained extensive operational experience as the CFO, VP Sales, and Director of Stam until 2005.

Brendan’s career first began in Chicago, where he worked as a senior lending officer at American National Bank and HSBC Bank. He later expanded his lending expertise as an investor, board member, and loan committee member for a de-novo bank, American Heartland Bank.

Brendan is originally from Alliance, OH. He earned a BA in Economics from DePauw University and an MBA in Finance from Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business.

Andrew Medvedev, Dean, Weatherhead School of Mangement, Case Western Reserve UniversityEnergy and infrastructure investment professional with over 15 years of experience spanning principal investing, portfolio construction, corporate finance and strategic advisory.

Andrew Newsome, Director, Mergers, Aquisitions and Partnerships, Greater Cleveland Partnership

I have a passion for identifying promising opportunities and navigating the intricate landscape of small businesses. I've honed my skills as both an investor and hands-on operator on small and medium sized business across the country. My journey has been driven by the belief that acquiring and nurturing businesses is a transformative pathway to building substantial wealth, and drive impact in communities.

Liz Todia, Principal at Mutual Capital Partners

Liz Todia is a Principal at Mutual Capital Partners, a Cleveland-based venture capital fund that invests in healthcare IT and medical device companies. Liz manages all deal flow and due diligence for the fund, as well as supporting portfolio companies and overseeing LP relations. She has been on the team since graduating from the University of Dayton in 2017 where she received a B.S. in Entrepreneurship and Finance with honors. Prior to joining Mutual Capital Partners and while at Dayton, she spent two years managing the Flyer Angels Fund, a $1 million seed investment fund investing in early stage, Ohio-based technology companies. Liz currently serves as Executive Co-Chair of the nonprofit VentureNext, the premier peer group of rising venture capital investors that work with, manage, and run venture capital investment funds. Additionally she is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University teaching entrepreneurial finance.