Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) is excited to announce the agenda for its second-annual Investment Summit, which is co-located with the publication’s CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs in Nashville, Tenn., this Oct. 8-11.
The 2024 Investment Summit will feature three educational panels, a “Shark Tank”-style pitch session, a keynote discussion with the founder of Walk-On’s and Smalls Sliders, and networking roundtables that give operators a chance to connect face-to-face with investors.
“Last year’s Investment Summit proved there’s a need among emerging brand leaders to connect with investors and learn about the financing options available to them,” said Sam Oches, NRN’s editor-in-chief. “This year’s Summit is meeting that need and then some, with more than 20 investors participating and double the number of educational sessions and networking opportunities.”
The Investment Summit kicks off at 2 p.m. on Oct. 8 at The Bell Tower in downtown Nashville. It is supported by Gold Sponsors Savory Fund and inKind Capital; Strategic Alliance partners The Elliot Group; and additional Sponsors Landed, The Largo Group, and Golenbock, Eiseman, Assor, Bell & Peskoe.
The Summit begins with three panels:
- “Are You Ready for Private Equity?” will be moderated by Savory Fund managing partner and cofounder Andrew K. Smith and feature the following panelists: Jeff Brock, founder and managing partner of Hargett Hunter; Lauren Fernandez, CEO and founder of Full Course; Anand Gala, founder and managing partner of Gala Capital Partners; Akash Mirchandani, partner of Kitchen Fund; and Perry Leavitt, vice president of Enlightened Hospitality Investments.
- “What are Some Other Financing Options Available?” will be moderated by NRN executive editor Alicia Kelso and feature the following panelists: Claire Anderson, partner of Cougar Point Partners; Neha Govindraj, founder and CEO of Bonside; Aaron Kless, CEO and CIO of Andalusian Credit Partners; Gregg Majewski, CEO of Craveworthy Brands; and Alicia Miller, cofounder and managing partner of Emergent Growth Advisors.
- “The Path to Your Dream Deal” will be moderated by Restaurant Business editor-in-chief Jonathan Maze and feature the following panelists: Rikin Lakhani, practice lead for emerging brands at The Elliot Group; Ashish Seth, founder and managing partner at Harrington Park Advisors; Andrew Peskoe, partner at Golenbock, Eiseman, Assor, Bell & Peskoe; and Anne Gannon, CEO of The Largo Group.
The Investment Summit will then welcome a new session, Brands in the Hot Seat, that gives leaders at four emerging restaurant concepts the opportunity to pitch their brands to a panel of investor judges: Charles Nelson, founder of CN2 Ventures; Jim Balis, managing director of CapitalSpring; Aarti Kapoor, partner at VMG Partners; and Michael “Schatzy” Schatzberg, cofounder and managing partner at Branded Hospitality Ventures.
The Summit’s educational sessions will close with a keynote conversation featuring Brandon Landry, founder and chairman of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux and Smalls Sliders; Maria Rivera, CEO of Smalls Sliders; and Morven Groves, managing partner of 10 Point Capital, talking with Oches about how capital has played an important role in fueling the two brands’ growth.
The Investment Summit closes on Oct. 9 with two hours of roundtable networking, giving participating operators the chance to connect directly with more than 20 investors. CREATE (Oct. 9-11) then kicks off at the Omni Nashville hotel immediately following a short break.
“There are so many startup restaurant concepts that have most of the pieces in place for a scalable business, they just need access to capital,” Oches said. “The Investment Summit will equip those concepts with the tools, insights, and connections necessasry for adding that final piece to the puzzle.”
Attendance at the Investment Summit is limited and only a few spots remain. Restaurant leaders can register for the Summit and CREATE for free by clicking here. Investors interested in participating should email [email protected].
