BNC Venture Capital – Summer 2011, #1

John Jonelis

As I heard it –

We say goodbye to the terrifically huge boardroom and move to our new location

NEXVU – Aditya (Eddie) Nath, CEO

To remain competitive, large retail chains must enhance their customer’s experience while increasing efficiency. NEXVU makes it possible for large chain stores to track metrics in real time at every store around the country. Data is available at a central location where management can access it. Customer satisfaction is increased by reducing lines and wait times at checkout stations. Problems and their root cause can be pinpointed quickly. Time to identify and repair faulty equipment is reduced. The system manages the number of open cash registers open at any given time of day, tracks inventory, and performs energy management. The equipment is plug ‘n play and takes only 15-20 minutes to deploy per store—simple as setting up a TV. Sears already installed a demo and proved the concept. Kohls and other big chain stores have shown an interest. Revenue is a recurring licensing model—rental per location. Costs are covered within three months. NEXVU is first to market and wants to stay ahead by continuing to develop the technology and become vertically integrated. This is an Indian company. The CEO has 40 years in retail sales. The CTO, 30 years in IT. The CFO, 47 years of financial experience. Can they penetrate a significant segment?

KEEGAN EXHIBITIONS Robert F. Keegan, President

Keegan Exhibitions will run trade shows for the equestrian industry under the Equitana brand from Europe, the largest equestrian trade show in world. Keegan intends to re-build and protect the brand in North America and act as its steward. Equitana is behind him and wants him to succeed. The equestrian segment is high net worth and very passionate about horses. It’s a lifestyle. There are five times as many horses in the US as in Europe. Keegan brings to the table his 20 years’ experience with horses, 25 years in trade shows, rock ‘n roll exhibitions, product launches, and new acquisitions. He holds the personal licensing rights for North America—US, Canada, and an option on Mexico. Revenue is from booth sales and merchandising. The first show will host 600 booths. It only takes 150 booths to break even. Future ventures include an Equitana Resort and the Equitana Cup, which is a premier European event. Can he re-build the brand on this side of the ocean?

UNIFLIGHT Joseph A Hawke, CEO

This company holds the exclusive rights to retrofit Bell helicopters with Rolls Royce engines—a market that represents 10% of the US fleet. This new engine permits small helicopters for the first time to operate above a 10,000 ft. ceiling. UNIFLIGHT maintains a large fleet for the utility, law enforcement, and medical industries. Opportunities exist in the US as well as the third world. The market is large, growing, and fragmented. It’s cheaper to retrofit a helicopter than replace it but the OEMs are stuck in the new sales model. Can the company grow and capture a significant portion of the small helicopter fleet?

That’s what I heard. What did you hear? Your comments are welcome.

Go to – BNC SUMMER #2

Find Chicago Venture Magazine at
www.ChicagoVentureMagazine.com Comments and re-posts are welcomed and encouraged. This is not investment advice – do your own due diligence. I cannot guarantee accuracy but I give you my best.