Join Venture Connectors on Wednesday, Dec. 7, for an exciting panel featuring City Collaborative board members, who will discuss the importance of community engagement and innovation. They will provide a brief history of its ReSurfaced program and share future plans for the initiative.

Panelists include Dave Durand, co-founder of City Collaborative and CEO of Forest Giant; Rebecca Matheny, executive director of the Louisville Downtown Partnership; and Patrick Piuma, co-founder and director of City Collaborative, director of the Urban Design Studio at the University of Louisville, and planning director for Louisville Downtown Partnership.

Louisville-based City Collaborative is a nonprofit urban research, planning and design research laboratory dedicated to advancing new ideas and developing actionable solutions for communities. Founded in 2013, it is made up of an experienced, cross-disciplinary board trained in urban planning, urban geography, spatial analysis, urban development and technology. The organization works with public sector institutions, private companies and grassroots organizations to turn spaces into places that improve the city of Louisville.

Launched in September 2014, City Collaborative’s ReSurfaced initiative activates underutilized urban spaces in order to enable economic growth and social interaction in Downtown Louisville.  Through the ReSurfaced program, City Collaborative and its partners are transforming a three-quarter acre lot in the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood into a community activation space that fosters civic engagement and entrepreneurialism. The idea behind this project is to create a destination for residents from all areas of the community to come to engage, collaborate, create and celebrate.

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An important purpose of our organization is to help facilitate and encourage the expansion of business and commercial investment activities in the Kentuckiana region. Our events include monthly luncheons and our annual Venture Sharks™ competition.  And, we participate in many other regional, entrepreneurial events such as the Idea Festival, Startup Slams, and the Vogt Awards.

If you are interested in making valuable contacts, exchanging information, or pursuing mutual business opportunities, please join us at one of our events or our monthly luncheons.  Luncheon meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month in downtown Louisville from 11:30 to 1:15 PM EST.

Each meeting features:

• 30-second open mic announcements by about upcoming new companies, activities, and programs relevant to our members.
• Five-minute presentations by entrepreneurs interested in obtaining capital to start up or support growth and expansion of their businesses.
• A guest speaker with an entrepreneurial success stories or one who discusses venture or financing issues or trends affecting today’s entrepreneurial climate.

Membership is open to business professionals, venture capitalists, private investors, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and students who are involved in the entrepreneurial community. We offer Corporate Memberships, Full Memberships and Associate Memberships.