Early Stage East Now Accepting Registrations for Venture Capital Conference

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2005--Registration to attend the 2005 Early Stage East Venture Capital Conference is now open. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with the most distinguished venture capitalists, private investors and investment firms on the East Coast as well as the most innovative entrepreneurs in various fields of technology.

The Early Stage East conference is a two-day event. On Wednesday, May 11, all are invited to attend Early Stage East's entrepreneurial education session where venture capitalists and experts in entrepreneurial development will present "Building a Great Business," and gather that evening for Early Stage East's distinguished Opening VIP Reception. On Thursday, May 12, up to 25 companies will present their break-away businesses to an audience of investors. The conference will be held in Philadelphia at the Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing.

The conference traditionally features start-up companies focused on information technology, enterprise software and internet technology. However, this year Early Stage East has expanded its list of featured industries. Companies specializing in chemicals and advanced materials, manufacturing technology, nanotechnology, medical instruments and devices, industrial biotechnology and electronic materials will also be presenting at the conference.

The conference, which is typically held in Delaware, has been moved to Philadelphia for 2005 in recognition of the expanded list of featured industries. These industries are dominant in the central region of Early Stage East's geographic footprint, which extends from the Carolinas to New England.

To attend the Early Stage East Venture Capital Conference, register at www.earlystageeast.org. The deadline to register is May 6. Also, applications are now being accepted. To present a business plan at Early Stage East, apply at www.earlystageeast.org. The deadline to apply is March 17.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available, but selling out quickly. Those interested in sponsoring this event should contact the Early Stage East office as soon as possible at 302-777-2460 or [e-mail].

About Early Stage East

Early Stage East (ESE) is the initial venture capital showcase for promising young companies. The organization serves as a gathering place for entrepreneurs and those institutions funding and servicing them. ESE was founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization and has grown from a single-day venture capital fair to a year-round series of events. Our events showcase entrepreneurs in an effort to help them effectively obtain venture capital and successfully start break-away businesses.

ESE is geographically the largest venture conference developed specifically for early stage companies. Our events annually attract investors representing over $10 billion of institutional venture capital. Companies that have participated in Early Stage East events have gone on to raise over $600 million in institutional funding.

ESE presenter alumni include such companies as Blackboard (NASDAQ:BBBB) and Tarian Software. Blackboard, which went public on June 18, 2004, is a leading enterprise software company for e-Education based in Washington, D.C. and was a presenter at the first Early Stage East Conference in 1998. Tarian Software was recently sold to IBM and presented at the Early Stage East Conference in 2002.