Former NFL player Jeremy Bloom anxiously scanned the crowd at a taco party under the luminous faux-sky of the Venetian hotel’s canal walk in Las Vegas. The wide receiver turned entrepreneur wasn’t hoping to spot friends or catch a waiter’s attention — he was on the lookout for venture capitalists.
Bloom, also a former Olympic skier, flew in from Denver, blew through four meetings, then landed at the party hosted by venture capital firm Foundry Group — par for the course on the sidelines of the Computer Electronics Show earlier this week, where venture capitalists and cash-hungry startups held marathon meetings to seal potentially game-changing deals.
The 29-year-old was looking for financial backing for his advertising startup, Integrate.com, which already has raised $4.25 million.
CES is “a collection of some of the most important decision makers in the venture world. It would otherwise be virtually impossible to coordinate all those schedules, to get time with them, to meet with them and do deals,” Bloom said.
The world’s technology showcase has long been a vibrant meeting place for industry executives, consultants, fund managers, analysts and bloggers. But in the past five years, entrepreneurs, and the venture capitalists they depend on have joined the club.
Image via CrunchBase
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