Partnership will connect investors from across New England with highly curated Seed-to-Series A investment opportunities at the September 25 Summit in Newport
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — August 24, 2026 — RIHub and the New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) today announced a strategic partnership supporting the 2026 Newport Investor Summit, taking place September 25 in Newport, Rhode Island.
The partnership brings together RIHub’s growing network of entrepreneurs and innovation organizations with NEVCA’s community of venture capital professionals from across New England. Together, the organizations will work to expand connections between investors, entrepreneurs, and emerging companies, increasing access to high-quality deal flow, and creating stronger pathways for capital and talent to support innovation across the region.
“The Newport Investor Summit is designed first and foremost for investors,” said Annette Tonti, Managing Director of RIHub. “We bring strong, active investors together for one highly focused day and introduce them to companies we believe represent genuinely compelling investment opportunities. Our value proposition is simple: investors come to Newport because they know we are doing the work to put good deals in front of them. Our partnership with NEVCA significantly strengthens that proposition by connecting the Summit with the broader New England venture community.”
The 2026 Summit will feature a carefully selected group of companies actively raising capital from Seed through Series A, organized into three investment tracks: Health & Life Sciences, Ocean Tech & Dual Use, and Open Tech. Companies are selected with an emphasis on investment readiness, growth potential and their ability to present compelling opportunities to active early-stage investors.
“New England has an extraordinary concentration of entrepreneurial and investment talent, and there is tremendous value in creating more opportunities for those communities to connect across state and regional boundaries,” said Hope Hopkins, Executive Director of the New England Venture Capital Association. “We are excited to partner with RIHub on the Newport Investor Summit to strengthen the relationships and pathways that help capital, talent, and innovation move across the region.”
The partnership reflects a shared vision that extends beyond a single event. RIHub and NEVCA see an opportunity to strengthen connections among venture firms, angel investors, founders, universities, accelerators, economic development organizations and other members of the New England innovation ecosystem.
The goal is to make Newport Investor Summit an increasingly important annual gathering place for the region’s innovation and investment community — a place where investors can discover promising companies from Rhode Island and across New England while building relationships with fellow investors.
Jeff Bussgang to Keynote 2026 Summit
The 2026 Newport Investor Summit will feature Jeff Bussgang, Co-Founder and General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, as its keynote speaker. Bussgang is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, author and Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School who has spent his career working with early-stage technology companies and founders.
The Summit will also welcome Morgan C. Plummer, Vice President of Policy Design & Delivery at Americans for Responsible Innovation, as a special guest, adding an important perspective on the rapidly evolving intersection of innovation, emerging technology and public policy.
The Newport Investor Summit is designed around a straightforward premise: make it easier for serious investors to discover successful companies. Rather than a traditional conference built around lengthy programming, the Summit emphasizes curated pitches, investor engagement, relationship building and conversations that can lead to investment.
About RIHub
RIHub is Rhode Island’s innovation hub, supporting high-growth entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, incubation, investor connections and ecosystem-building programs. RIHub works with founders, investors, universities, corporations and innovation organizations throughout Rhode Island and Southeastern New England to help promising companies start, grow and scale.
RIHub organizes the annual Newport Investor Summit, Rhode Island Startup Week and other programs designed to strengthen entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the region.
About the New England Venture Capital Association
The New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) is a regional trade association serving the New England venture capital community. Its membership includes more than 700 investment professionals across more than 85 member firms. NEVCA works to strengthen relationships, connections and opportunities across the region’s venture and innovation ecosystem.
About the Newport Investor Summit
The 2026 Newport Investor Summit will take place September 25, 2026, in Newport, Rhode Island, bringing together active early-stage investors and carefully selected Seed-to-Series A companies across Health & Life Sciences, Ocean Tech & Dual Use, and Open Tech.
Media Contact:
RIHub
Michelle Henning
Michelle@rihub.org
401-829-1051