Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
Six Companies Selected for CED's Venture 2004
Second Application Deadline Now Slated for Jan. 9
December 18, 2003, Research Triangle Park, NC - The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced its choice of six companies to present at Venture 2004, and encouraged other interested companies to apply by Jan. 9 for consideration in the next selection round. Scheduled for April 27-28, 2004, in Chapel Hill, NC, Venture 2004 will continue a 21-year tradition of showcasing North Carolina's hottest investment opportunities to hundreds of venture capitalists and financiers from throughout the United States.
“Venture 2003 was an excellent opportunity for Biolex to present our company's tremendous progress,” said Jan Turek, CEO of Pittsboro-based Biolex and a Venture 2003 presenter. “Some of the venture firms we met at Venture 2003 participated in our recently-completed $24.4 million financing. I'd recommend it to other venture-backed companies who are raising money.”
Biolex closed North Carolina's largest venture financing round this year in August 2003, raising $24.4 million with support from numerous local and out-of-state investors. The company has been a CED member since 1999.
The six Venture 2004 presenters selected to date include the following companies:
- Affinergy (RTP, NC - www.affinergy.com) develops "biological glues" which can selectively bond or repel specific materials and regulate biology at the surface of synthetic materials. Affinergy's coatings will improve an existing product's performance by "kick starting" biological processes such as bone ingrowth on orthopedic devices or repelling bacterial infections on medical devices.
- Constella Group, Inc. (Durham, NC - www.constellagroup.com) is a leading provider of professional health services worldwide. Constella's three business units - Health Sciences, Clinical Informatics and Health Strategies - conduct health research and provide a variety of technical, professional and strategic consulting services to help pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government clients identify and solve problems affecting human health.
- Datacraft Solutions, Inc. (Durham, NC - www.datacraftsolutions.com) delivers process automation solutions to lean manufacturers through a secure Internet gateway, eliminating the need to install and maintain a complex IT infrastructure. Datacraft empowers small and mid-size companies with the competitive advantages of technology-driven, cost-effective process automation solutions.
- Metabolon, Inc. (Durham, NC - www.metabolon.com) is a leader in the application of metabolomics, a new and powerful scientific approach for the discovery, development, and repositioning of drugs. The company measures the total content of biochemicals in the cell or body fluid and displays results in physiological context by mapping them to metabolic pathways. Metabolon's technology will work to uncover the underlying causes of disease.
- Overture Networks (Morrisville, NC - www.overturenetworks.com) addresses three critical problems facing telecom carriers deploying metro networks today: how to increase revenues, how to decrease costs, and how to migrate to next-generation networks. With Overture's platform, carriers can move towards a data-optimized network that can keep pace with the increasing need for intelligence and speed at the edge of the network.
- StrikeIron (Durham, NC - www.strikeiron.com) is developing products and subscription-based online services that provide ease of use and increased productivity for the utilization of Web services. StrikeIron's products allow anyone to quickly, and with minimal experience, take advantage of Web services for access to information, integration with existing applications, and the development of new applications.
The Venture 2004 Selection Committee includes professional venture capitalists and angel investors from throughout the Southeast. Mike Elliott, partner with Wakefield Group and chairman of the Venture 2004 Selection Committee, said the committee is seeking high growth companies from an array of industries that are looking to raise either initial or subsequent rounds of professional equity capital.
“We all feel excited with the positive turn in our sector, and I believe this year's companies and entrepreneurs reflect that energy and optimism,” Elliott said. “This conference has always been an energizing point for entrepreneurs and investors, and Venture 2004 is shaping up to be another outstanding event.”
Because selection is highly competitive, companies are encouraged to submit their presenter applications as early as possible so that they will have the opportunity to receive full consideration during as many of the selection stages as possible. Venture 2004 has three selection stages with two remaining application deadlines: the updated second deadline of Jan. 9 (previous deadline was Dec. 31) and the final deadline of Jan. 31. For more information on applying to present, visit www.cednc.org/conferences/venture/2004/presenters/.
In addition to company presentations, Venture 2004 will include leading industry speakers, extensive networking opportunities and exclusive investor-only events. The overall conference co-chairs for Venture 2004 are Les Bethune of Ernst & Young LLP and Bill Gwyn of Maupin Taylor, P.A.
About Venture 2004: CED's 21st annual Venture 2004 - Where great minds meet smart money - is scheduled for April 27-28 at The Friday Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Last year's conference, Venture 2003, drew a crowd of more than 850 investors, service professionals, entrepreneurs and others involved in the entrepreneurial funding process from throughout the United States. For more information on applying to present or general registration, visit www.cednc.org/venture.
About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 4,000 members representing 1,100 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
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