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28th Annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium to Highlight Innovation in Clean Tech, Life Science and Technology Industries

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 April 2009, 07:00 CDT

Preview of Select Presenting Companies Announced for Midwest's Premier Equity Event; Keynote Speakers Unveiled

ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Despite the global challenges facing entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, technology innovation and viable startup businesses continue to emerge from research hotbeds in the Midwest. Highlighting innovation in growth sectors such as clean tech, energy, life sciences and high tech, organizers of the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) today unveiled select presenting companies and keynote presenters for its 28th annual event which will be held May 12-13, 2009 at the Marriott Resort in Ypsilanti, Mich.

During MGCS, companies from Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, and Canada will comprise the 32 emerging and growth business ventures slated to present over two days to MGCS' audience of more than 450, including investors from across the country, executives of early stage and emerging growth companies and related stakeholders. MGCS represents an important networking event for companies, and has served as a launching point for many startups.

Commenting on innovation and opportunity in the Midwest, David J. Brophy, MGCS Founder and Director and Professor of Finance at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, said, "We've got an awful lot of technological entrepreneurship coming out of the University of Michigan and the other universities. The centers that have been started over the last few years are beginning to produce viable, real companies. But we have to do a better job of getting our companies known and shown. The Symposium is a great way to pole vault your company in that direction, because we bring in people from those other markets."

A rigorous screening process was implemented to evaluate over 82 applications. The review committee, which included three venture capitalists from across the U.S., poured over applications to identify those companies who would represent the "Best of the Midwest." Companies will present in concurrent industry tracks, including the life sciences, energy, IT and technology.

Below is a partial list of companies that will present at MGCS. The complete list will be announced on the opening day of the symposium.

• Microposite - a Michigan-based clean tech company that designs, develops, and manufactures advanced green composite materials
• Advanced Battery Concepts - a Michigan-based alternative energy company, which has developed battery electrode technology that enables dramatic improvements in battery performance while lowering costs
• IGuiders - an Ohio-based technology company commercializing an advanced approach to online lead generation for complex high-value B2B products and services
• Skymeter - a Canadian-based technology company that has developed revolutionary technology to address the burgeoning market of road-pricing
• Tolera Therapeutics - a Michigan-based biotechnology company focusing on the development of immunotherapeutics directed at the transplantation, oncology and autoimmune disease market
• Flexicath - a Pennsylvania-based medical device company innovating in the catheterization market

"Today more than ever, VCs and entrepreneurs need to be connected to the industry's deal flow," stated Mina Sooch, founder and general partner of Kalamazoo-based Apjohn Ventures. "We want to know what the great deals are in the region. The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium provides the opportunity for VCs to come and see what the best deals are."

In addition to the presenting company panels, MGCS attendees will hear from entrepreneurial and investment industry luminaries as part of the symposium's featured keynote presentations. Keynote speakers for MGCS 2009, include:

• Jonathan Seelig, Managing Director of Globespan Capital Partner, and co-founder of Akamai Technologies, a leading Internet technology company
• Fred Craves, Ph.D., Investment Partner, Managing Director, and Founder of Bay City Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm focused on the life sciences industry
• Lloyd H. Carr, Associate Athletic Director and Former Head Football Coach, University of Michigan - Athletics, where he served as a member of the Wolverine football staff for 28 years

MGCS is the premier networking event for leaders in the venture capital investment world to connect with the entrepreneurs, startups and emerging growth companies that are actively searching for partners and funding. To register or for more information on MGCS, please visit www.Michigangcs.com.

About the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS)

MGCS is the original university-based venture fair, which was first held in 1979. This nationally attended two-day event provides an opportunity for financiers to connect with up-and-coming Midwest businesses and learn about emerging technologies. The Symposium offers the opportunity to build relationships with an unparalleled business network of distinguished private equity industry leaders, leading university research faculty, and entrepreneurial business professionals. Entering its 28th year, MGCS continues to draw top investors from coast to coast. MGCS is hosted by the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance of the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

CONTACT: Jean Serra Version 2.0 Communications 617-426-2222 jserra@v2comms.com Mary Nickson Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies 734-615-4424 mnickson@umich.edu

SOURCE Michigan Growth Capital Symposium

Source: PR Newswire

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