Austin, Texas - September 19, 2016 - Lowenstein Sandler, Umbel, and NextGen Venture Partners will co-host VentureCrushATX as part of Austin's Startup Week on October 4. VentureCrush ATX will feature two panel discussions designed to connect founders with the people and information they need to succeed.

"Our goal for VentureCrushATX is to bring together tech industry founders, angel investors, venture capitalists and other key contributors, who grow a city's entrepreneurial community, in order to help strengthen the Austin startup ecosystem," said Valeska Pederson Hintz, Counsel in Emerging Companies & Venture Capital (fka, The Tech Group) at Lowenstein Sandler. "VentureCrushATX is an extension of Lowenstein's national VentureCrush platform of gatherings in Silicon Valley and New York. During our panels in Austin, we will be working through practical, real-world challenges for new ventures," said Anthony Raymundo, Partner in Emerging Companies & Venture Capital (fka, The Tech Group) at Lowenstein Sandler.

The first panel, "Mistakes Startups Make," will tackle the most common mistakes startups make from a fundraising, legal, and business perspective. The second, "How Startups Should Think About Cybersecurity," will address what startups need to consider to deter cyber threats.

Below are the moderators and featured speakers. Additional panelists may be added in the coming weeks:

Moderators

  • Valeska Pederson Hintz - Counsel, Emerging Companies & Venture Capital (fka, The Tech Group), Lowenstein Sandler LLP
  • Anthony Raymundo - Partner, Emerging Companies & Venture Capital (fka, The Tech Group) Lowenstein Sandler LLP

Speakers
Mistakes Startups Make:

  • Jon Bassett, Managing Director of NextGen Venture Partners
  • Kin Gill, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, and Secretary of Bazaarvoice
  • Lisa Pearson, President of Umbel
  • Kathi Rawnsley, Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley office of Lowenstein Sandler
  • Steve Sachs, Chief Executive Officer of OneSpot

How Startups Should Think About Cybersecurity:

  • Drew Hintz, Information Security Engineer at Google
  • David Endler, Managing Partner of Manifest
  • Brian Cummins, Vice President of Product Management of Umbel

The event will take place at Umbel's headquarters at the Seaholm Power Plant in Austin from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on October 4. Guero's Taco Bar will serve tacos, beer, and wine.

This inaugural VentureCrushATX will kick off a series of opportunities centered on Austin's startup community and will be hosted by Lowenstein Sandler's Tech Group and its local friends.

Austin Startup Week is five days of events celebrating Austin startups, the organizations and meetups that support them and all of the people that make them happen. Each year, organizations and startups open their doors, put on events and roll out the red carpet for both locals and visitors alike who are interested in learning more about the startup scene in Austin. Austin Startup Week is organized by Techstars and Capital Factory.

About Lowenstein Sandler

Lowenstein Sandler is a leading national law firm with offices in New York, California, Washington DC, New Jersey and Utah.

Recognized for the breadth and depth of its practice, its extraordinary client service and its entrepreneurial spirit, the firm provides seasoned, value-added legal advice and strategic solutions for its clients.

An Am Law 200 firm, Lowenstein brings deep resources to its cases, but its size ensures a personal relationship with senior leadership that delivers results.

About Umbel

Umbel empowers sports, nonprofit, media, and entertainment companies to make their data meaningful and actionable. Marketers use Umbel to collect, unify, analyze, and activate data from disparate sources to create highly personalized multi-channel campaigns to increase revenue. Umbel's vision is to make data the most valuable asset a business can own. Founded in 2010, Umbel is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Visit www.umbel.com to learn more or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

About NextGen Venture Partners

NextGen is the first network-driven venture firm. We back exceptional entrepreneurs through the collective power of a national network of founders and innovation executives. With investments including Convey, Renoviso, and Urban Stems we aim to be the most helpful line on the cap table.