Innovative Start-ups in the Spotlight

<body.content> <block> <p>WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ — The Ernst &amp; Young/VentureOne Innovation &amp; Growth Exchange Conference will address issues such aswhat types of start-ups are best poised for partnering and advancement in 2004, featuring speakers from leading firms including Motorola, Pfizer, and Nortel Networks. The Exchange, now in its fifthyear, will also feature presentations from more than 40 of the most promising venture-backed companies on the East Coast, selected by an advisory board of preeminent venture capital firms. Theconference takes place September 30th and October 1st at The Seaport Hotel in Boston.</p> <p>”Although economic conditions have been flat this year, the acquisition, investment andpartnership opportunities with start-up companies has never been greater,” said Jim Beecher, Vice President and General Manager of Alternative Investor, the parent company of VentureOne and ThePrivate Equity Analyst. “Thanks to the acumen and hard work of our Advisory Board, the Exchange will highlight a wealth of innovative young companies who can offer great growth potential.”</p><p>On Tuesday, September 30th, a keynote panel of leading corporate development officers from the region’s top technology and pharmaceutical firms will discuss the value of start-up companiesin sustaining corporate growth. Featuring Dr. Nash Marinovich of Pfizer, Ilonna Rumm of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Dan Phillips of Nortel Networks, Don McLellan of Motorola, and Jeremy Levin of Novartis,this panel will discuss how they evaluate investment opportunities and the factors they seek for future success.</p> <p>Leading corporate investment officers will reveal what they arelooking for, the challenges they face, and the role start-ups can play in meeting their needs at a keynote panel on Wednesday, October 1st. This panel features John Halamka of CareGroup HarvardMedical School, Mark Hernon of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Randy Stone of Teradyne, Doug Schwinn of Hasbro, and Malcolm Collingwood of Ernst &amp; Young, who will give their insights into what ittakes for young companies to resonate with the corporate CIO.</p> <p>This year’s conference is a complete partnership bringing together the strategic relationships of Ernst &amp;Young with the research expertise of VentureOne. The Exchange continues to highlight the importance of innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth in today’s economy. For more information, please visit:<a>http://www.assetnews.com/products/conf/pea/peaconf_2003.htm</a></p> <p>About Ernst &amp; Young</p> <p>Ernst &amp; Young, a global leader in professionalservices, is committed to restoring the public’s trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 106,000 people in more than 140 countries around the globe pursuethe highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism to provide clients with solutions based on financial, transactional, and risk- management knowledge in Ernst &amp; Young’s coreservices of audit, tax, and corporate finance. Ernst &amp; Young practices also provide legal services in those parts of the world where permitted. Further information about Ernst &amp; Youngand its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at <a>http://www.ey.com/perspectives</a>. Ernst &amp; Young refers to all the members of the global Ernst &amp; Youngorganization.</p> <p>About Emerging &amp; Growth Companies Practice</p> <p>Ernst &amp; Young’s Emerging &amp; Growth Companies practice is dedicated tounderstanding and serving the needs of entrepreneurial high-growth businesses. This practice has grown alongside the hundreds of companies it has guided from start-up to maturity, and investment toexit. With decades of experience advising emerging and growth companies, Ernst &amp; Young offers solutions to help accelerate and manage the development of business by advising on how toeffectively execute transactions, build operating infrastructure, understand and anticipate financing needs and sustain dynamic business strategies. The Emerging &amp; Growth Markets go-to-marketstrategy includes three foundation programs: the Venture Capital Advisory Group, the Entrepreneur of The Year Award program and the IPO Transformation — CEO Retreat.</p> <p>AboutAlternative Investor: VentureOne &amp; The Private Equity Analyst</p> <p>Alternative Investor, the premier provider of data, news, and analysis for private market professionals,leverages the research strengths of VentureOne with the editorial expertise of The Private Equity Analyst and The Venture Capital Analyst. Our databases, publications, conferences, directories, andcustomized research offer investors and industry service providers the comprehensive information they need to make informed investment decisions and stay abreast of industry trends andevents.</p> <p>Flagship products include The Private Equity Analyst newsletter, covering private equity fundraising and investment; VentureSource, an Internet database of financial andvaluation information on startups and investors worldwide; The Directory of Alternative Investment Programs, profiling institutional investors and their investments in private equity; and The PrivateEquity Analyst Conference and VentureOne Summit, the nation’s leading private equity and venture capital events.</p> <p>For more information about Alternative Investor, please visit<a>http://www.alternativeinvestor.info/</a>.</p> <p>About VentureOne</p> <p>VentureOne, the world’s leading venture capital research firm, offers investors,service providers, and entrepreneurs the most comprehensive, accurate, and timely information on the venture capital industry. VentureOne’s products and services help venture capital firms, corporateinvestors, investment banks, and accounting and law firms identify private investment opportunities, perform due diligence, and evaluate market trends, including company valuations and industrypreferences. </p> <datasource>VentureOne</datasource> </block> <block class=”contact”> <p>CONTACT: Michelle Jeffers, Senior Communications Manager ofVentureOne,<br/> +1-415-538-2658, or <virtloc idsrc=”dummy” value=”dummy”>[email protected]</virtloc></p> </block> <block class=”website”> <p>Web site:<a>http://www.ey.com/</a> </p> <p>Web site: <a>http://www.alternativeinvestor.info/</a> </p> </block> </body.content>