Florida Venture Forum Names 2008 Conference Co-Chairs

TAMPA, Fla. & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--John Hill, Chairman of the Florida Venture Forum, announced today that Carl Roston, Partner with Akerman Senterfitt, Miami, FL, and Wayne L. Hunter, Managing Partner with Harbert Management Company Corporation, Richmond, VA, have been named Co-Chairs of the 2008 Florida Venture Capital Conference set for January 2008. The 17th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference, hosted by the Florida Venture Forum, will be held January 29-January 30, 2008 at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg, FL. The Conference will feature 20 – 25 of the best, high-growth private companies that are prospects for venture capital funding in Florida.

More than 1,200 are expected to attend the annual event, including venture capitalists, investment bankers and private equity investors from across the nation.

Mr. Hunter is Managing Partner of Harbert Venture Partners (“HVP”), a venture capital fund focused on early stage growth companies in the information technology and life sciences industries in the Southeastern U.S. HVP is an affiliate of Harbert Management Corporation, an investment management firm focusing on alternative asset classes with approximately $11.5 billion under management.

Prior to joining Harbert, Mr. Hunter was Managing Director and Head of Wachovia’s Technology Investment Banking Group. In addition, Mr. Hunter was a member of Wachovia’s Private Equity/Venture Capital Fund Investment Committee and served on Wachovia’s Investment Banking Management Committee.

Prior to Wachovia’s acquisition of Wheat First Butcher & Singer, Mr. Hunter was the founder, Managing Director and Group Head of Wheat’s Communications and Technology Group. Mr. Hunter has more than twenty years of experience working with leading entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Mr. Hunter currently serves on the Boards of Harbert portfolio companies Airimba Wireless, BroadSource, Privaris, TapRoot Systems and Unitrends.

Mr. Hunter received a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and a B.S., Economics, from Auburn University.

Carl Roston is a corporate shareholder at Akerman Senterfitt, Florida's largest law firm, and Co-Chairs its Private Equity and Venture Capital Practice Group. His practice focuses on representing private equity and venture capital firms, emerging growth and technology companies, and large privately-held and public companies. Mr. Roston is listed as a leading private equity, venture capital and/or M&A lawyer by Chambers USA:America's Leading Lawyers for Business, and America's Best Lawyers. Mr. Roston is a member of the Executive Committee of Florida Venture Forum, is Co-Chair of its 2008 Florida Venture Conference and was Chairman in 2004.

Mr. Roston has also served as General Counsel to and as a member of the Board of Directors of BioFlorida and the Florida Research Consortium. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Florida Foundation, where he chairs the Private Equity Committee. He also serves on the University of Florida Technology Commercialization Advisory Board. Additionally, Mr. Roston served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Public Corporations, and is a Trustee of the United Way of Miami-Dade. Mr. Roston received his undergraduate, law and MBA degrees from the University of Florida, and was Managing Editor and Associate Tax Editor of The Florida Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif.

2008 Conference

Conference fees are $449 per person before January 7, 2008 and $499 thereafter. Interested parties may register on-line at www.floridaventureforum.org or by calling (813) 335-8116. For hotel reservations, please link from the Florida Venture Forum web site to Hotel Reservations. The hotel can be reached directly by calling 1-888-303-4430. There are a limited number of rooms available.

Created in 1984, and now celebrating its 23rd Anniversary, The Florida Venture Forum, Inc. is the premier entrepreneurial networking group in Florida that provides companies with managerial assistance and identifies sources of venture capital. To date, more than $1.4 Billion of venture capital has been attracted by presenting Florida-based companies since the Florida Venture Capital Conference began 16 years ago. Throughout the year, the Florida Venture Forum provides monthly programs on a statewide basis. For more information, please visit the Florida Venture Forum’s web site at www.floridaventureforum.org or e-mail robin@floridaventureforum.org. or pat@floridaventureforum.org.