Venturing Into the Rock

The National Association of Seed & Venture Funds has given up on Orlando and is now looking to bring its annual conference to Little Rock in 2006.

Sam Walls, executive vice president of Arkansas Capital Corp. Group, said ACCG is trying to put together the $150,000 necessary to host the meeting of 200-300 venture capital big shots. Since the NASVF wanted an answer “yesterday,” he expects to be saying yes or no in the very near future.

“Orlando wasn’t able to pull it together, so they came to us. We know we have some money committed, but there is a gap,” Walls said. “My sense is they would like to come to Little Rock and we can have it if we want.”

ACCG has a long track record of promoting the idea of venture capital in Arkansas, where the concept has been slow to take hold.