Rick Eckert

Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (RJA) is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF), a diversified holding company. RJA offers a full array of capital markets services, strategic advice and planning for institutional investors.

Piper Sandler & Co. (Broker) (PSC-Broker) is the full-service brokerage division of Piper Sandler & Co., a financial service firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a subsidiary of Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR). The firm was founded in 1969 and previously known as Piper Jaffray & Co. They became Piper Sandler & Co. when Piper Jaffray Companies and Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. merged to become Piper Sandler Companies in 2020. PSC-Broker provides brokerage and investment banking services to financial institutions, corporations and other financial investors. Their core focus sectors are Agriculture, renewables & cannabis, Business services, Chemicals & Materials, Consumer, Diversified industrials & services, Energy, Financial services, financial sponsors, Healthcare, and Technology.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC provides assurance, tax and advisory services. Its services include audit and assurance, consulting, deals, human resources, legal, tax, and family business. The firm also offers accountability, risk management, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and performance and process improvement. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

EKG Ventures (EKG Ventures) is a venture capital subsidiary of Eilers & Krejcik Gaming LLC founded in 2021 by Adam Krejcik, Todd Eilers and Christopher Grove. The firm is headquartered in Irvine, California.

O2 Investment Partners LLC (O2 Investment Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2010 by Hansen Jay J. The firm is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Pure Venture Partners LLC (Pure Venture Partner) is a private equity firm founded in 2014. The firm is headquartered in Parma, Michigan.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc. is a credit rating and investment research firm headquartered in New York City. They are a subsidiary of Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO). The firm performs international financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities and provides a variety of analytic tools for assessing credit risk. Their clients include creditors, investment banks and commercial banks.

Ann Arbor Spark Business Accelerator (Ann Arbor Spark Business Accelerator) is the venture capital arm of Ann Arbor Spark founded in 2005 by Mike A. Finney. The firm is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michigan State University Foundation engages in research, teaching, and commercialization of technologies. It focus on providing facilities and building sites at the university corporate research park for technology enterprises, university technology-development initiatives, and university collaborations. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Lansing, MI.

Rockbridge Capital LLC is an Independent Private Equity firm founded in 1992. Rockbridge Capital LLC is headquartered in Columbus.

Jefferies LLC is a global investment bank and institutional securities firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, ultimately held by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies provides corporate clients with research and execution services in equity, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets, as well as a full range of investment banking services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services, with all businesses operating in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Barclays Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1997 and is a subsidiary of Barclays Group US, Inc., ultimately owned by Barclays plc (LON: BARC) in Great Britain. Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients a full spectrum of prime brokerage services which includes equities and fixed income financing, OTC Clearing, Futures and Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage and access to industry insights and analytics from their Strategic Consulting team.

ROTH Capital Partners LLC is a broker/dealer headquartered in Newport Beach, California. The firm was founded in 2001 and is a subsidiary of CR Financial Holdings, Inc. They offer institutional sales and trading services. Their broad institutional coverage includes investors in North America, Canada, UK, Europe and other international territories.

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc. (Broker) (Baird-Broker) is the broker-dealer division of Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., an investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1919 and is ultimately owned by Baird Financial Group, Inc. Baird-Broker offers a full suite of comprehensive trading services for institutional clients.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

Plante Moran Financial Advisors LLC (PMFA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. The firm was founded by Elorion Plante and Frank Moran in 1997. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of P&M Holding Group LLP. PMFA provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate planning services to individuals and other entities which includes institutions, and not-for-profit entities.

Harvard University engages in the provision of teaching and research. It has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a global education. The university was founded in 1636 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

Arboretum Ventures LLC (Arboretum Ventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 2002 by Jan L. Garfinkle and Tim B. Petersen. The firm is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Lake Trust Credit Union operates as a state chartered credit union. It offers personal and business banking, loans, and invest and insure. The company is headquartered in Brighton, MI.

Archer Venture Capital LLC (Archer venture capital) is a venture capital firm founded in 2010 by Greg Martin. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

North Sky Capital LLC (North Sky Capital) is a private equity firm. The firm is headquartered in Wayzata, Minnesota.

International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. serves the global retail real estate industry. Its programs include webinars, global awards program, exhibit, sponsorship and advertising, opportunities. The company was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

The Michigan Department of Treasury (MDT) is a State-owned pension fund manager headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan. MDT collects, invests, and disburses all state money. The firm also administers major tax laws, property tax laws, and safeguards the credit of the state and its local units of government. In addition, they invest retirement funds of Michigan's state employees, public school employees, state police and judges.

The Municipal Employees' Retirement System (MERS) of Michigan is a State-owned pension fund manager headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. The firm was founded by the Michigan Legislature in 1945, and by 1996, they were granted independence from the state. MERS administers the retirement plans for Michigan's local units of government on a not-for-profit basis.

Renaissance Venture Capital Management, Inc( Renaissance Venture Capital) is a venture capital firm is founded in 2008. The firm is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University offers various programs for doctoral and graduate students interested in political economy and public policy. The Mercatus Center is located in Arlington, VA. The center conducts research on various topics such as urban development, healthcare reforms, regulation, international trade, and government-granted privileges. The center also hosts a podcast that discusses macroeconomic issues.

Prairie Capital Management LLC (PCM) is a wealth management firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The firm was founded in 1995 and was acquired by UMB Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: UMBF) in 2010. PCM provides wealth management and investment consulting services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, family offices, foundations, endowments, and other institutions across the US through offices in the Kansas City, Chicago and Dallas metropolitan areas.

Detroit Venture Partners LLC (Detroit Venture Partners) is a venture capital subsidiary of Rock Ventures LLC founded in 2010 by Daniel Gilbert, Josh Linkner and Brian Hermelin. The firm is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (Investment Management), dba Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (MSWM), is the investment management division of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Purchase, New York. The firm was founded in 2009 and is ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS). MSWM provides investment advisory program to individuals, trusts, banking or thrift institutions, pension and profit-sharing plans, plan participants, other pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, corporations, other businesses, state or municipal government entities, investment clubs and other entities.