Grow Utah Outdoor Retailer Event

SDSI and Outdoor Retailer Partner to Support Startups within the Outdoor Industry with FundSource OR Event

Pitch event puts, emerging companies in front of the outdoor industry investment community at 2014 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY – (07.29.14) – Outdoor Retailer, the premier outdoor product tradeshow, and SD Sport Innovators (SDSI) along with sponsor Grow Utah, announced today that they will hold an exclusive invitation only investor event, FundSource OR. The forum was created to assist emerging companies find the capital investment needed to continue their growth. This event will happen during the upcoming 2014 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market event.
FundSource OR investor attendees will hear from six high-quality, emerging companies in the outdoor industry, all which have been vetted and have either graduated SDSI’s business accelerator program, Springboard, or are past winners of Grow Utah’s Concept to Company competition. Each company will present their business opportunity in five-minute pitches to potential investors and strategic partners with the intention of securing follow on meetings.
The inaugural FundSource OR was held January 2014 at Winter Market and included presentations from three SDSI Springboard graduates Cl!CK Carabiner, StrongVolt and Bon Hiver.
“As the active outdoors lifestyle has become integrated into the global mainstream of consumer products, OR has seen increasing visitation from the finance community interested to meet young brands and support innovation at its roots. The FundSource at OR program highlights this activity at the show, and gives voice to several of the many worthy companies enabling consumers to go higher, faster, longer, more safely and in comfort in their adventures. We’re excited to offer the stage of Outdoor Retailer to help ‘fast-track’ innovation in the industry. “ said Kenji Haroutunian, Vice President, Emerald Expositions and Group Show Director, Outdoor Retailer.

“The heart of SDSI’s mission is to drive the growth of the Sports and Active Lifestyle industry,” said Lisa Freedman, Executive Director of SDSI. “Through our Springboard business mentoring program and Grow Utah’s Concept to Company Competition, we create teams to prepare early stage companies for commercialization and investment opportunities. We then assist in securing resources these companies need to continue their growth, most importantly capital investment. In launching FundSource OR and establishing strategic relationships with Grow Utah and Outdoor Retailer, we have created a pipeline for investors, specifically those interested in the outdoor market, to some of the most promising and innovative companies breaking into the industry.”

The private event will be held at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City on August 5, 2014. Investors interested in attending FundSource OR to learn more about the dynamic and innovative up-and-comers from the sport and active lifestyle industry, can contact SDSI’s Renne Catalano at rcatalano@connect.org.

Presenting companies include:
Arena Sciences (SDSI Springboard) www.arenasciences.com
Bike Fast Rack (Grow Utah Concept to Company Winner) www.BikeFastRack.com
Char Poles (Grow Utah Concept to Company Winner) www.CharPoles.com
GrassAds (SDSI Springboard) www.grassads.com
Lunatec, Inc. (SDSI Springboard) www.lunatecgear.com
ZOIC (SDSI Springboard) www.zoic.com

About SD Sport Innovators
SD Sport Innovators (SDSI) is a non-profit, business accelerating organization that connects and drives the growth of Southern California’s vibrant sports economy by offering elite level networking, innovative programs and services for start ups, mature companies and service providers. We offer mentoring, education and capital funding opportunities for start-ups; best practice collaboration, access to new technology, and public policy advocacy for mature companies; as well as deal flow to our service providers and the Southern California Investment Community. For more information visit www.sdsportinnovators.org
About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer (OR) brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through tradeshows, product demo events and web-based business solutions. Produced by Emerald Expositions and based in San Juan Capistrano, California, Outdoor Retailer also provides and promotes retailer education, advocacy, responsibility and critical face-to-face business initiatives within the outdoor industry.

Consistently named among Trade Show News Network’s 25 fastest-growing tradeshows by attendance, Outdoor Retailer (outdoorretailer.com) connects approximately 50,000 attendees on a semi-annual basis for its Summer and Winter Market shows, and thousands more through its year-round online resources and platforms.

About Grow Utah
Grow Utah, is a privately funded, non-profit organization dedicated to accelerate the creation of innovative, entrepreneur-led, high-growth businesses that will strengthen and expand the future growth of Utah’s economy. The vision of Grow Utah is to create a robust entrepreneurial eco-system in Utah that fosters entrepreneurial talent, drives innovation to solve market needs, aligns community resources and support, and ensures funding for products, entrepreneurs and businesses of promise.