+Venture North

October 9, 2025

Hosted at WEC Energy Group

Register Now Join Waitlist

About +Venture North

Presented by NVNG Investment Advisors, +Venture North 2025 will showcase how collaboration and networks between venture capital and corporations can further propel Midwestern industries to become engines of economic growth. 

This year’s program will explore the breakthroughs reshaping critical sectors—from autonomous machines and robotics in heavy equipment to the future of transportation and mobility. We’ll examine how national security is driving a new wave of defense tech, how quantum and advanced computing are unlocking next-gen capabilities, and how reindustrialization is redefining construction, energy, and logistics across our region.

Attendees will hear insights from venture capitalists, corporate innovators, successful founders, and operators leading the charge.

Additional events from NVNG this week include:

Wednesday 10/8 @ 2 pm

NVNG’s Corporate-Ready Day:For Wisconsin and visiting corporations to learn more about one another, and to engage with venture-backed startups and globally-focused venture capitalists aligned with the Midwest region’s core industries. Milwaukee – location TBA. To inquire about attending, please reach out to Marina Rostein.

 

Wednesday 10/8 @ 5 pm

NVNG’s Community Happy Hour: Our annual happy hour will take place on October 8, kicking off +Venture North.  Join us if you’re in town! Milwaukee – Location TBA. Registration here.

Thursday 10/9 @ 6 pm

NVNG Annual Meeting Reception: This event is for our +Venture North speakers, NVNG LPs, NVNG’s portfolio venture funds, and select guests. This will take place following +Venture North. Milwaukee – location TBA. To inquire about attending, please reach out to Marina Rostein.

 

Friday 10/10 @ 8:30 am

NVNG Annual Meeting:This year’s annual meeting will take place the morning following +Venture North. NVNG’s investors, portfolio venture capital fund managers, select guests, and those interested in learning more about NVNG investments. Milwaukee – RW Baird. Registration Here.

Full Agenda Coming Soon!

Featured Sessions

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Grady Buchanan

Managing Director at NVNG

Mike Hooper

EVP & COO at WEC Energy Group

Scott Lauber

President & CEO at WEC Energy Group

The Nuclear Resurgence

John Myer

Senior Counsel at Husch Blackwell

Kyle Hoops

Vice President at WEC Energy Group

Hunter Patton

Vice President, Finance & Treasurer at The Nuclear Company

Speaker coming soon

National Security & the Rise of Defense Tech

Bill Berrien

CEO at Pindel Global Precision

Will Edwards

CEO at Firehawk Aerospace

Naweed Thamas

CEO at Aeon Industrial

Speaker coming soon

Data Centers

Naveen Verma

CEO at EnCharge AI

Aaron Bilyeu

Chief Development Officer at Cloverleaf Infrastructure

Speaker coming soon

Future of Mobility

Chris Stallman

Managing Partner at Fontinalis Partners

Alex Roy

General Partner & Co-Founder at New Industry VC

James Schlosser

SVP Innovation at Evans Transportation

Stefon Crawford

Partner at GM Ventures

Autonomous Machines – Robotics & Heavy Equipment

Zack Birky

Senior Investment Manager at Caterpillar Ventures

Erik Nieves

Founder & CEO at Plus One Robotics

Speaker coming soon

Speaker coming soon

Quantum & Advanced Compute

Kate Waimey Timmerman

CEO at Chicago Quantum Exchange

Britton Plourde

Quantum Hardware Engineer at Qolab

Pranav Gokhale

General Manager, Computing at Infleqtion

Speaker coming soon

NextGen Reidustrialization

Jackie DiMonte

Co-Founder & General Partner at Grid Capital

David Tearse

Co-Founder & CEO at Karman Industries

Speaker coming soon

Speaker coming soon

Longevity & The Future of Wellness

Dylan Livingston

Founder & CEO at The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives

Tristan Hunt

Partner at Averin

Rich Yang

CEO at Biolinq

Speaker coming soon

Construction Tech

Gregg Wallace

General Partner at Nirman Ventures

Yuji Doi

Chief of Innovation at Kajima Corporation

Colleen Konetzke

Chief of Staff at Document Crunch

Speaker coming soon

The Final Frontier

Aaron Peterman

Managing Director at Boeing Ventures

Ali Perez, PhD

Senior Investment Manager & Portfolio Manager at Lockheed Martin Ventures

Speaker coming soon

Speaker coming soon

Builders Showcase

Joe Poeschl

Executive Director at MKE Tech Hub Coalition

Matthew Pearlson

CEO at Intrnls, Inc.

Ryan Wheeler

CEO at Cylerity

Tom Dean

Founder & CEO at Renaissant

Nick Anastasiades

Co-Founder & CEO at Benji

Francisco Martin-Rayo

CEO & Co-Founder at Helios AI

Matt (MJ) Johnson

CEO & Co-Founder at Blank Metal

Speaker coming soon

Session Speakers

Aaron Bilyeu

Chief Development Officer at Cloverleaf Infrastructure

Aaron Peterman

Managing Director at Boeing Ventures

Alex Roy

General Partner & Co-Founder at New Industry VC

Ali Perez, PhD

Senior Investment Manager & Portfolio Manager at Lockheed Martin Ventures

Bill Berrien

CEO at Pindel Global Precision

Britton Plourde

Quantum Hardware Engineer at Qolab

Chris Stallman

Managing Partner at Fontinalis Partners

Colleen Konetzke

Chief of Staff at Document Crunch

David Tearse

Co-Founder & CEO at Karman Industries

Dylan Livingston

Founder & CEO at The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives

Emery Waddell

General Partner at Vocap Partners

Erik Nieves

Founder & CEO at Plus One Robotics

Francisco Martin-Rayo

CEO & Co-Founder at Helios AI

Gregg Wallace

General Partner at Nirman Ventures

Hunter Patton

Vice President, Finance & Treasurer at The Nuclear Company

Jackie DiMonte

Co-Founder & General Partner at Grid Capital

Sponsors

Premier

Venue Host

Experience Sponsors

Branding Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

Powered by The Welch Group

FAQs

Do I need to register to attend +Venture North?

Yes, as all guests need to be pre-registered and approved by our venue, we do not recommend booking travel before you’re invited to formally register. We encourage you to join us at the NVNG Community Happy Hour on October 8. Please register for that event here: https://founderhappyhour2025.rsvpify.com/

Will a hotel block be available?

A room block is available at the Courtyard Milwaukee Downtown, conveniently located right across from WEC Energy Group. Please note that the room block will close on September 8, 2025. After this date, we cannot guarantee the availability of rooms or the pricing of $169 per night.

To make an online reservation, please use the following link.

If you would like to contact the hotel directly, please reference the group code (NVN) or mention the NVNG Investment Advisors group block to secure the group rate.

Will parking be available?

Paid public parking is available at the Milwaukee Grand Ave Garage, 615 North 2nd Street, Milwaukee, WI.

Will food be served?

A light breakfast and lunch will be provided, and snacks, coffee, and water will be available throughout the day. Please remember to stay for the reception immediately following +Venture North, where appetizers and beverages will be served.

 

See some of our 2024 highlights here!

About the Organizer

Our long-time experience and diverse set of talents span decades of work in the institutional investment, technology transfer, venture capital, and startup company industries. We operate as a disciplined guide and experienced connector intent on serving an engaged and mutually beneficial community of active investors, venture capital funds, and underlying portfolio companies.

Carrie Thome

Managing Director

Grady Buchanan

Managing Director
Marina Rostein headshot

Marina Rostein

Head of Platform