How do I contact the fund to see if it is interested in investing in my company?

• You can mail your executive summary or business plan directly to the fund. As an alternative, you can send it to us by email.
• At this time, the fund relies on its board for investment analysis and does not have the resources of large venture capital funds to evaluate hundreds of deals. Accordingly, it is relatively selective in its evaluation process.
• The fund often utilizes its relationship with the Pittsburgh Private Investor Network. This program is affiliated with Innovation Works.
• Typically a promising company is presented to the investment community monthly. This network has been an unusually good source of investment opportunities over the last two years. See fund investments and co-investments. Contact Innovation Works for more information.
• The fund also maintains relationships with local venture capital firms, which have referred co-investment opportunities for the fund. Some of the more active venture capital funds are Birchmere Investments, The CEO Venture Fund, and Adams Capital.

What kinds of companies does the fund invest in?

• The fund has no specific limitations on type of industry and will consider investing in companies in any industry. The fund invests in companies in southwestern Pennsylvania.
• Most of the fund's investments to date have been technology companies. See Investment Matrix. Criteria of the companies that the fund invests generally have had the following characteristics. Also see PowerPoint presentation.
• Powerful "value proposition" for the customer.
• Differentiated technology or market niche that is hard for competitors to match.
• Relative straightforward way to reach $25 million of sales* within five years
• Surprisingly complete management teams for a young company
• Investment (maybe not equity) by a customer or others who add credibility
• Some sales to customers
• Belief that the management team can sell
• Companies that have excellent communications that simplify our task of making an investment decision and working with those shareholders who wish to co-invest.

* The fund's prospectus states that the minimum is $5 million of sales in five years.