Somewhere between universities and startups, you’ll find UNeTech, where breakthrough ideas take their first steps toward the marketplace. One of our greatest challenges is translation: not just converting complex scientific discoveries into real-world applications, but also turning that innovation into a language investors understand. We’ve become fluent in both inventor and entrepreneur, but sometimes, there’s no direct translation for investors. That’s where the real work begins.
Piece by Piece Promotional Graphic by Jennifer Pool
The Origins of the Piece by Piece Investor Summit
In 2022 UNeTech won the Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale: Capital Challenge award. The Omaha Medical Technology Development Alliance has been instrumental in supporting startups to launch, and grow but also includes a conference. The mission of that conference was ‘investor education’ and here at UNeTech, we spent a lot of time figuring out what we had to say to local investors.
Speaking to investors, we felt the weight of the challenge. These are real people investing real money, that they can really lose. Our various ideas for education felt… off. The big ideas, the data-driven trends, the one-off war stories – they all seemed like they’d be lost in translation.
So, we decided to find some speakers from within—investors to speak to investors about investing. To painfully mix the metaphor – the university is just one piece of the puzzle.
The Piece by Piece Investor Summit, scheduled for May 1, 2025, at The Catalyst, represents our solution to this challenge. Rather than delivering a one-way lecture on investment strategies, we’re creating a collaborative environment where knowledge flows in multiple directions.
What makes this summit different from traditional investment conferences?
First, we’re bringing together a diverse mix of participants – from seasoned angel investors to curious professionals who might not yet identify as investors but possess valuable industry insights. This diversity creates opportunities for unique perspectives and unexpected collaborations.
Second, our format breaks from convention. While we’ll feature structured panels with industry experts, the heart of the summit lies in our participant-driven roundtable discussions. These sessions allow attendees to shape the conversation around topics that matter most to them – whether that’s valuations in medical technology, de-risking university startups, or building investment syndicates in the Midwest.
Third, we’re emphasizing practical, actionable takeaways. Participants will leave with more than just theoretical knowledge – they’ll develop connections, frameworks, and specific opportunities to engage with Omaha’s innovation ecosystem.
The community bulletin board feature exemplifies our approach. Throughout the day, attendees can post questions, insights, and opportunities, creating a dynamic, evolving conversation that extends beyond formal sessions.
How to stay in the loop:
Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to learn more about all the goings-on at UNeTech. For UNeTech, this summit represents the next evolution in our mission to bridge the gap between university innovation and market impact. By bringing together the different pieces of our investment community – from researchers to entrepreneurs to investors – we’re creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
Whether you’re an established investor looking to sharpen your med-tech due diligence skills or someone curious about supporting local innovation, the Piece by Piece Investor Summit offers something valuable. We invite you to join us on May 1, 2025, as we collectively assemble the puzzle of Omaha’s investment future.
Registration is now open HERE. Tickets are free, but space is limited.
Piece by Piece is presented with the support of the EDA, NMotion, UNeMed, and the Catalyst
