Hi friend,
The Heartland Is Rising.
A third of all early-stage deal activity is now happening in the Heartland. That is no longer a rounding error. It is proof that founders outside the coasts are raising and building, and that investors are paying attention.
We’ve seen it firsthand. Through Onward FX, our founder-funder exchange, early-stage deal activity in our region has tripled. Founders from 34 states and 4 countries are now in the pipeline.
This October, we’re bringing the model to Little Rock. Twenty-five venture firms will be in the room, not as tourists but as active participants in a system that is beginning to shift.
👉 Startups have until September 8 to apply. If you’re raising in the next 12 months, this is your chance to compress months of outreach into a single day of high-signal conversations.
The geography gap in venture was never about talent. It was about access and structure. Those conditions are changing. The tide is moving, slowly and then suddenly.
