Roadrunner Venture Studios to host September forum with national tech figures in Albuquerque
Aug. 8—A partner in Peter Thiel's San Francisco-based Founders Fund is set to speak to a group of like-minded tech investors in Albuquerque next month when a local firm plans to host its second-ever technology forum in Downtown Albuquerque.
Roadrunner Venture Studios, the for-profit venture that invests in deep-tech companies, will host the Roadrunner Technology Forum on Sept. 4 — bringing together the Founders Fund's Trae Stephens and other tech-minded individuals to the Wool Warehouse Theater.
Stephens will be joined by other investors, including Nicole Conner, partner with Airbus Ventures; Peter Barrett, partner at Playground Global; Rajesh Swaminathan, a partner with Khosla Ventures; Whitney Haring-Smith, partner of Anzu Partners; and Gilman Louie, the co-founder and managing director of America's Frontier Fund.
The event will also feature a team of experienced moderators — Fortune reporter Jessica Mathews, Bloomberg artificial intelligence reporter Rachel Metz, Semafor technology editor Reed Albergotti and The Realignment podcast host Marshall Kosloff — as well as a group of current and former higher education and government officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, Google, Columbia University and the Air Force Research Laboratory, Roadrunner Senior Consultant Chris Haugh told the Journal.
The studio had sold about 280 tickets by Tuesday, and it has more tickets available on its website, rtf.roadrunnerventurestudios.com, Haugh said.
September's forum marks a big turning point for Roadrunner, which launched last December with an investment from America's Frontier Fund, a deep-tech funding nonprofit that got its start with a $100 million from the New Mexico State Investment Council.
Roadrunner helps build startups from beginning to end, offering them access to capital and services such as access to advisers, product roadmapping, HR and recruiting, legal services and lab and office space. In return, though, the startups offer a piece of ownership to Roadrunner.
The studio has so far identified three portfolio companies it is helping build, including fab.ai, Hydrosonics and Inaedis.
In a statement to the Journal, Roadrunner CEO and co-founder Adam Hammer said "New Mexico is quietly becoming a nexus of innovation for energy, advanced manufacturing and other deep tech breakthroughs due to the foresight of the New Mexico State Investment Council, Economic Development Department, our partners at America's Frontier Fund, and so many of the great firms and founders."
"RTF24 is Roadrunner's way of staking that claim nationally," he added. "We are inviting the deep tech community to come to Albuquerque, see what's taking shape in our ecosystem, and build the future alongside us."
