Open Prairie Ventures Announces Opening of Kalamazoo Office

Venture capital firm Open Prairie Ventures announces the opening of its new office in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In partnership with Southwest Michigan First, Open Prairie Ventures offers investment opportunities to agricultural companies in Southwest Michigan.

Effingham, IL, April 29, 2011 (Straight Line PR) -- Open Prairie Ventures, a leading venture capital firm providing equity to early-stage agricultural technology and medical device companies throughout the Midwest, is pleased to announce the expansion of its operations to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Open Prairie will be taking space within the Southwest Michigan First offices as the two firms work together to aggressively bring investment opportunities to Southwest Michigan.  The move will formalize a partnership between the two entities, which have worked together during the past five years. Open Prairie and Southwest Michigan First have partnered to develop new companies such as Vestaron, a Kalamazoo-based agricultural company developing the next generation of insecticides for the environmentally conscious 21st century.

Open Prairie was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Effingham, Illinois with additional offices in Kansas. In September 2010, Open Prairie closed its second fund with $30 million of capital.

"Michigan has a vibrant ecosystem for early-stage investments in the focus sectors for Open Prairie and access to top-tier management talent.  We look forward to the expansion of our firm's footprint in the region with the opening of our new office.  The ability to establish solid investment opportunities in the state led us toward the creation of a long-term presence in Michigan," said Jim Schultz, Partner in Open Prairie Ventures. ( http://www.OpenPrairie.com )

"This partnership is a natural progression of Southwest Michigan First's efforts to establish the necessary investment cycle for a sustainable innovation economy in Southwest Michigan. By creating the pool of capital necessary to bring high potential investment opportunities, we can increase deal flow and create new companies, which in turn generate tech transfer," said Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Michigan First and General Partner of the Southwest Michigan First Life Science Fund.

About Open Prairie Ventures:

Open Prairie Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in promising life science and agricultural technology companies. Open Prairie applies both its capital and team expertise to focus on companies with efficient capital usage and disruptive technologies. With offices in Illinois and Kansas City, Open Prairie's national reach and unique access to investment opportunities throughout the Midwest region allows the firm to build a diverse portfolio of high-growth technology companies. For more information, visit http://www.OpenPrairie.com or call 217.347.1000.

About the Southwest Michigan First Life Science Fund:

The Southwest Michigan First Life Science Fund is a $75 million limited partnership venture fund interested in early stage life sciences opportunities in Southwest Michigan that have demonstrably viable technologies and are committed to establishing a presence in the Region.  The fund's primary goal is to spur economic development and retain intellectual capital within the area. More information about the Southwest Michigan First Life Science Fund can be found at http://1clik2.com/SWMFLifeScienceFund

About Southwest Michigan First:

Southwest Michigan First is the catalyst stimulating growth across the Kalamazoo Region.  Nationally recognized for its groundbreaking Community Capitalism approach to economic development, Southwest Michigan First is a private, nonprofit corporation fully committed to its mission of jobs and wealth creation.  Whether you're a site selector, an investor, an entrepreneur or part of an existing company looking to grow, Southwest Michigan First has the resources and expertise to assist you in identifying and surpassing your company's goals. For more information, visit http://www.SouthwestMichiganFirst.com

Press Contacts: Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Michigan First, 241 E. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, 269.553.9588, Press1@addtraffic.net

Please contact http://www.PressReleaseNation.com for corrections or updates.

Contact:

Jim Schultz

Managing Partner

Open Prairie Ventures

400 East Jefferson

Effingham, IL 62401

217.347.1000

openprairie@addtraffic.net

http://www.OpenPrairie.com

Sustainable Agricultural Technology Will Change to Meet Global Demand

The country's most prominent venture capitalists are convinced the next big opportunity is in the business of sustainable agriculture technology. Venture capital fund Open Prairie Ventures is poised to take advantage of this trend.

Effingham, IL, March 22, 2011 (Straight Line PR) -- Fifty years ago the cherry and apricot orchards of Northern California began to be replaced by the microchip and semiconductor plants populated by today's technology sector. Today the most prominent venture capitalists are looking at the corn fields in the United States, convinced the next big opportunity is in the business of sustainable agriculture technology.

"Sustainable agriculture is as big or bigger than clean tech," said Jim Schultz, founder of Open Prairie Ventures, a venture capital fund from Effingham, Illinois. In the early part of the twentieth Century, the Midwest was bustling with entrepreneurial activity in Agriculture. That resurgence is now sprouting out of the ground again, in the 21st Century, as we are seeing exciting technologies being developed which will further entrench the Midwest as the "bread basket" to feed the global population. Open Prairie Ventures ( http://www.OpenPrairie.com ) has been leading the charge of mid-America venture capital firms funding the yellow brick road of Agriculture 2.0.

Farmers in the United States are under huge pressure to produce more food, pollute less and fulfill specific consumer demand while dealing with harsh economic realities and a volatile climate.

Innovation in Agriculture has strong interest from venture capitalists throughout the world. These funds understand that the food supply will need to double over the next 30 years to feed the ever-increasing demands of the global population.

"If we are going to increase our food supply by 100% in the next thirty years, this demand for growth will be fueled by safe agricultural technologies that increase crop yields on less land," said Schultz.

Schultz speaks about Open Prairie Ventures' investments in sustainable agriculture in a new YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=714EQqgP4fI

But getting into the agricultural space requires knowledge that most venture capitalists currently lack.

"There are two major obstacles," said Schultz who has been regarded as the Johnny Appleseed of the Agriculture Technology sector. "The first is having managers who understand the space. The second is having an exit strategy on how the company will be developed to provide a liquidity option for a venture fund investor. This is how venture capital firms make their money and since the industry is relatively new it lacks the depth that exists in other business sectors."

In 2008, Open Prairie launched a $30 million fund that was split about 50-50 between agriculture and biotech. Now an expanding and increasingly profitable agriculture market has meant that Schultz and his company Open Prairie Ventures are in very big demand.

Schultz is contemplating a new fund that solely deals in agriculture and said he's been getting interest from some of Wall Street's biggest companies. Though the new fund is still in the concept phase, the demand and interest exists to establish such a fund today.

The reality is that investments in technologies to improve agriculture appear to be sound philosophies that can produce exceptional crop and financial yields.

For more information on Open Prairie Ventures please visit: http://www.OpenPrairie.com/About.html

About Open Prairie Ventures:

Open Prairie Advisors was created to leverage its Principals' combined expertise of over 50 years in assisting small and middle-market companies navigate the path to building successful, entrepreneurial companies. As entrepreneurs themselves, the Principals of Open Prairie Advisors have developed a keen understanding of the challenges that entrepreneurs must confront. The firm is known for both discovering high-potential businesses and helping their management successfully implement solution-focused strategies. The company's approach works for firms during both recessionary and expansionary economic environments across the agricultural marketplace. For more information, visit http://www.OpenPrairie.com or call 217.347.1000.

Please contact http://www.PressReleaseNation.com for corrections or to update this press release.

Press Contact:

Jim Schultz

Managing Partner

Open Prairie Ventures

400 East Jefferson

Effingham, IL 62401

217.347.1000

openprairie@addtraffic.net

http://www.OpenPrairie.com