About Us


Keiretsu Forum is a global investment community of accredited private equity angel investors, venture capitalists and corporate/institutional investors. Keiretsu Forum was founded in the San Francisco East Bay in California in 2000.

We are a worldwide network of capital, resources and deal flow with 48 chapters on 3 continents. Keiretsu Forum members invest in high-quality, diverse investment opportunities.

“Keiretsu” Definition


Keiretsu is a Japanese term describing a group of affiliated corporations with broad power and reach. Keiretsu Forum is described as a conglomeration of individuals or small companies that are organized around private equity funding for mutual benefit. Keiretsu Forum believes that through a holistic approach that includes interlocking relationships with partners and key resources, they can offer an association that produces the highest quality deal-flow and investment opportunities.

Keiretsu Forum Midwest


The region is a diverse and thriving business ecosystem. With one of the lowest costs of doing business and living in the U.S., it is home to some of the most vibrant Fortune® 500 companies, who actively support tech and innovation growth. With the support of corporations and regional economic development engines, the Midwest is fast attracting a vibrant start-up scene and becoming an epicenter for innovation and investment.

This is aided by an affordable cost of living, world class universities and research centers, and some of the best hospitals in the world. The recent announcement of the smart cities award to the City of Columbus was followed by significant private sector investment. The growth of medical start-ups in Ann Arbor; the establishment of Chicago as a pivotal center for financial innovation; the establishment of Cincinnati as a world class destination for branding, marketing and consumer goods and the rebirth of Detroit as a vibrant tech center, are all contributing to the early successes at Keiretsu Forum Midwest.

Our Focus


Keiretsu Forum Midwest focuses on an array of business disciplines, amongst which are: Aerospace • AgTech/Food • Manufacturing • Life Sciences • Smart Cities • Internet of Things • Big Data/SAAS • Energy/Sustainable Solutions • Real Estate • Fashion Tech • Hospitality

Our motto is “Great Association with Quality Deal Flow.” We live up to our motto by creating a vibrant environment for the investor community to gather socially, exchange ideas, bring and assess high quality deal flow.

We provide educational stimulation by bringing guest speakers from a variety of industries to meet with and interact with our members and entrepreneurs. We are also very active in the world of philanthropy and seek to be strong participants in our community.

Keiretsu Forum Midwest has created a unique platform in the region, offering our network of over 2500 angel investors from around the world the opportunity to co-invest alongside our Midwest Chapter members. We actively work with start-up companies in coaching and professional training and offer them easy access to our global membership.

Monthly Forum


The “Forum” is a monthly event for Keiretsu Forum. On any given day we spend our time working with and coaching our members as well as focusing on attracting new members who love the ecosystem as much as we do.

We also spend our time strengthening our relationships in the start-up ecosystem and vetting new companies to present to our members. Each month this vetting process involves personal interviews, prescreening interviews and deal screening. We take our start-ups through a rigorous process before we introduce them to the Forum. By the time they are invited to the Forum, we have spent considerable time and energy in cultivating them to present to our members. Our Forums are unique, inviting and very exciting events. These events are strictly by invitation only. If you are interested in attending one of our Forums, please send an email to:

MidwestInfo@KeiretsuForum.com

Our Forum typically takes place from 3 – 6 PM followed by cocktails. This provides our members, entrepreneurs and guests with a workable and enjoyable calendar day.

Keiretsu Forum Midwest meetings are currently held in the following cities:

Cincinnati/Lexington/Louisville
Chicago
Virtual (Detroit/Ann Arbor/Minneapolis/Kansas City)

Locations


Keiretsu Forum Midwest opened its doors in the spring of 2016, launching its first Chapter in Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequent Chapters were established in Chicago in the spring 2017 and Ann Arbor in the spring 2018.  It is comprised of the States of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Headquarters for Keiretsu Forum Midwest are in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Our Team


Sotiris Pagdadis, Ph.D.
President

Sotiris is a futurist, strategist, public speaker, problem solver and entrepreneurial investor. He has led investment opportunities from large scale, multi-billion-dollar public infrastructure projects around the world to early stage companies in Tech, Life Sciences, CPG, Space, Automation and Robotics. He is constantly seeking cutting-edge entrepreneurial ventures with massive growth potential to nurture and grow. He is president of Keiretsu Forum Midwest and Lambousa Enterprises.

He previously served as a Principal at PwC in a variety of global and national roles and as Managing Director at the law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge (now Dentons US), focusing on procurement advocacy,
governmental affairs and Public-Private Partnerships. Earlier, he was Global Vice President for public sector strategy at CA Technologies, Inc.

He began his career as a university professor at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, where he created his first technology innovation lab.

Sarah Aubrey
Membership & Events Director

Membership & Events Director

Sarah Aubrey was a music journalist and book editor before finding a love for UX design, branding and strategy. She worked for digital agencies in New York City, Cleveland and Cincinnati, including R/GA, DigitalDay and WonderGroup. She worked on website projects for Smucker’s, Airheads, Brown Jordan and Legg Mason.

Sarah helped a Silicon Valley startup, Clickability, develop a customizable Content Management System (CMS) and templates for television stations and later developed a custom CMS for Evenflo. While in New York, she helped Ernst & Young’s marketing team unite employees worldwide by developing workshops and an intranet featuring global brand standards.

Sarah took time off work to raise a family and spend more time on passion projects. She loves to give back and has been involved in event planning for charities for schools, hospitals, mental health programs and teen seminars promoting kindness and respect. Her love for design led her to found her own home organization and interiors consulting business before joining Keiretsu.

Laura Rowe
Entrepreneur Director

Entrepreneur Director

Laura is a highly experienced and compassionate healthcare professional with a diverse background in critical care nursing, transplant coordination, legal nurse consulting, and international studies. With eight years of dedicated service in critical care, including the challenging environment of a COVID-19 intensive care unit, Laura has developed exceptional skills in providing life-saving care and support to critically ill patients. She has expertise in organ procurement, donor evaluation, and transplantation logistics. Laura has leveraged her knowledge and experience as a legal nurse consultant, applying her medical expertise to assist attorneys and legal teams in complex cases involving medical malpractice, personal injury, and healthcare litigation.

Laura’s diverse background is further enriched by her degree in International Studies, which reflects her passion for global affairs and cross-cultural understanding. This interdisciplinary education has equipped her with a broad perspective, strong communication skills, and an ability to navigate diverse environments effectively. Her commitment to excellence, empathy, and continuous learning drives her to make a significant impact on the lives of patients and contribute to the advancement of healthcare practice. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biochemistry. Laura also enjoys gardening, home improvement, and baking.

Jacob Rayyan
Due Diligence Director

Due Diligence Director

Jacob Rayyan is a current PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. He wishes to pursue a career in the VC space performing scientific due diligence. His academic background includes a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s in Neurobiology from Northwestern University. Jacob’s current research pursuit involves studying the connectivity of memory-related brain areas in epilepsy patients. His previous work included studying motor deficits in patients with Parksinon’s Disease and identifying new therapeutic targets in patients with terminal brain cancer.

Jacob is actively involved in numerous organizations on campus including internships with the Emory’s Office of Technology Transfer and the biotech consulting clubs at both Georgia Tech and Emory. He has volunteered as a DD fellow for Keiretsu Mid Atlantic before assuming the role as acting Entrepreneur Director for Keiretsu Forum Midwest. He wishes to continue doing scientific due diligence after the conclusion of his PhD either in the VC or PE space.

Park Burrets
Entrepreneur Services

Entrepreneur Services

After Park wrote the instructions for astronauts to deploy 11 satellites from the Space Shuttle and monitored their activities as the youngest NASA front room Mission Controller, he moved into the commercial arena.

There, he assumed leadership roles on a multitude of projects with a special interest in those that were declared impossible by the experts, had an entrenched competitor and those that others couldn’t seem to finish.

Along the way, he extended the life of hundreds of airliners by a decade by making them quieter, built the world’s first 100% condition-based maintenance engine diagnostics system, pioneered mobile and distributed apps for the industrial internet and used big data techniques to reduce aviation calculations from weeks to hours.

Contact Us


phone: (917) 653-9490
email: midwestinfo@keiretsuforum.com

Forum Cities


Cincinnati/Lexington/Louisville
Chicago
Detroit/Ann Arbor/Minneapolis/Kansas City

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