Early Stage East 2005 Conference
Bio-Life-Tech Conference
For Immediate Release

December 17, 2004

EARLY STAGE EAST ANNOUNCES FRESH VISION

FOR 2005 VENTURE CAPITAL CONFERENCE

Wilmington , Delaware - The eighth annual Early Stage East Venture Capital Conference will be held in Philadelphia on May 11 th and 12 th at the Hyatt Regency on Penn's Landing. Early Stage East has a fresh vision to bring emerging technologies to the forefront for its audience of venture capitalists, investors, service providers and entrepreneurs on the East Coast.

Early Stage East is the trendsetter in showcasing the most promising young companies in the tech industry. In keeping with this reputation, Early Stage East has broadened its list of featured industries to include not only information technology, internet technology and enterprise software, but also chemical and advanced materials, manufacturing technology, nanotechnology, medical instruments and devices, industrial biotechnology and electronic materials.

The Conference has been moved to Philadelphia for 2005 in recognition of the expanded list of featured industries. Many of the companies in these industries are dominant in the central region of Early Stage East's geographic coverage area, which extends from the Carolinas to New England.

The Early Stage East Conference is a two-day event. On Wednesday, May 11 th , 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 that evening, all attendees will gather for Early Stage East's distinguished Opening VIP Reception.  On Thursday, May 12 th , up to 25 companies will present their break-away businesses to an audience of investors.

Early Stage East is geographically the largest venture conference developed specifically for early stage companies. Companies that have participated in Early Stage East events have gone on to raise over $600 million in institutional funding. The Conference has an audience of investors which typically represent over $10 billion of institutional funding.

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

Companies that wish to sponsor Early Stage East 2005 should contact the Early Stage East office as soon as possible at 302-777-2460 or [email protected] , as sponsorships are selling out quickly.

Register to attend or apply to present your business plan at www.earlystageeast.org.

About Early Stage East

Early Stage East (ESE) is a non profit organization founded in 1998. ESE events showcase entrepreneurs in an effort to help them effectively obtain venture capital and successfully start break-away businesses. ESE events typically have an audience of 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 is a leading enterprise software company for e-Education 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.



Media Contact:

Amy Podlesnik
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
302-777-2460

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