Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
CED Brings Carlyle Founder and J&J Executive to Venture 2004
The Carlyle Group's Rubenstein and Johnson & Johnson Development Corp.'s Holveck Will Speak at CED's Annual Venture Financing Conference in April
February 5, 2004, Research Triangle Park, NC - The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced two additional featured speakers for Venture 2004. David Rubenstein, founding partner and managing director of global private equity firm The Carlyle Group, and David P. Holveck, president of Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, will join previously announced keynote speaker Senator Bob Dole in providing remarks at CED's annual Venture conference.
Scheduled for April 27-28, 2004, in Chapel Hill, NC, CED's Venture 2004 will continue a 21-year tradition of showcasing North Carolina's innovation economy and leading investment opportunities.
Rubenstein will speak during the first day of Venture 2004 on April 27. Prior to forming The Carlyle Group in 1987, Rubenstein served for six years as a partner in the Washington, DC law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge, where he was counsel on a number of major corporate acquisitions and mergers. Rubenstein, who received his undergraduate degree from Duke University, also served as Deputy Domestic Policy Assistant to the President of the United States, a position he held during the Carter administration.
Holveck will address Venture 2004 participants during a breakfast session on April 28. Holveck was named president of Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation in March 2003. He joined Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation as a company group chairman in October 1999, after the completion of the merger of Johnson & Johnson and biotech company Centocor, Inc. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Holveck had been CEO of Centocor since 1992 and a member of its board of directors since 1994.
“We are thrilled with the caliber of Venture 2004's featured speakers, with their extensive experience in government, technology, life sciences and private equity,” said CED President Monica Doss. “Venture 2004 will continue a long-running tradition of celebrating the many entrepreneurial strengths of the Research Triangle and North Carolina.”
Beyond its strong speaker line-up, Venture 2004 will also feature presentations from North Carolina's top investment opportunities. During the first two selection rounds in December 2003 and January 2004, CED selected 13 companies to present at Venture 2004:
- Affinergy (RTP, NC - www.affinergy.com)
- APEX Analytix* (Greensboro, NC - www.apexanalytix.com)
- Chorus Systems (Durham, NC - www.chorussystems.com)
- Constella Group, Inc.* (Durham, NC - www.constellagroup.com)
- DarPharma, Inc. (Chapel Hill, NC - www.darpharma.com)
- Datacraft Solutions, Inc. (Durham, NC - www.datacraftsolutions.com)
- End II End Communications, Inc. (Charlotte, NC - www.eiiecomm.com)
- Metabolon, Inc. (Durham, NC - www.metabolon.com)
- Noverant, Inc. (Raleigh, NC - www.noverant.com)
- Overture Networks (Morrisville, NC - www.overturenetworks.com)
- Piedmont Pharmaceuticals LLC (Greensboro, NC - www.piedmontpharma.com)
- Serenex (Durham, NC - www.serenex.com)
- StrikeIron (Durham, NC - www.strikeiron.com)
The final application deadline for presenting companies is today, Feb. 5. Later this month, CED will announce the final round of companies selected to present at Venture 2004. Visit http://www.cednc.org/conferences/venture/2004/presenters/ for additional details on Venture 2004 presenting companies.
* Denotes Venture 2004 “Showcase Company,” specifically selected to highlight the strengths of the region.
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. The conference is presented with support from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and The National Venture Capital Association. Last year's conference, Venture 2003, drew a crowd of more than 800 investors, service professionals, entrepreneurs and others involved in the entrepreneurial funding process from throughout the United States. For more information on presenting companies, sponsorship 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, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
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