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WTIA Announces A-List Roster of Participants for 2009 Fast Pitch Forum Technology Showcase

Posted on: Monday, 4 May 2009, 13:00 CDT

Local start-up stars to use Showcase event as launch pad for new products and services.

SEATTLE, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) (http://www.washingtontechnology.org), North America's largest statewide association of technology companies, IT departments and individual technology professionals, today announced the lineup for its Fast Pitch Forum and Technology Showcase -- a list of 24 companies that reads like a "who's who" of the Seattle startup scene. The event, taking place May 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, presents a unique opportunity to learn about Washington state's most innovative companies.

Attendees will also be among the first to hear about new products and services introduced by several Showcase participants. Presenting companies include:

• AdReady, a provider of online advertising technology
• blist, a social data discovery company
• Bonanzle, an online community for social shopping
• Buddy TV, an online community for entertainment and television content
• Daptiv, provider of on-demand project management and collaboration software
• DataSphere Technologies
• Gist, an email service designed to help people deal with the "information overload"
• Konnects, the social media platform for local newspapers
• Liquid Planner, an online project management service
• Ontela, a provider of technology that enables consumers to easily send photos from their mobile phones to PCs, email, social networking sites, etc.
• Pet Holdings, Inc., creator of the popular Web sites I Can Has Cheezburger, FAIL Blog and more
• Picnik, an online photo-editing site
• Reality Gap, Inc., publisher of online games
• Redfin, the online brokerage for buying and selling homes
• The Robot Co-op, creator of 43 Things, a "life list" site that has registered more than 1.9 million users
• SEOmoz, provider of consulting, Internet marketing and search engine optimization services
• Swype, developer of a unique text input solution for mobile touch-screen devices
• Talent Spring, provider of semantic search technology for talent sourcing
• Teachstreet, an online community for education
• Vantos, provider of investigation lifecycle management technology for the enterprise
• Visible Technologies, a leading provider of online brand management solutions
• WhitePages, the world's largest source for people's contact information
• Widevine Technologies, provider of DCAS, DRM, digital copy protection and video optimization solutions for content owners and Internet service operators
• Widgetbucks, a shopping ad network that helps publishers and bloggers optimize their earnings

"Washington is home to some of the fastest growing and most innovative technology companies in the world, but until now we have not had a start-up technology showcase event to match those in the Silicon Valley or New York," said Ken Myer, president and CEO of the WTIA. "This year, with the new format and new name, our Fast Pitch Forum and Technology Showcase will serve as the premier event for local rising stars. Attendees will hear presentations from our region's leading entrepreneurs and watch as the next generation of Northwest start-ups gets direct input from leading VCs and angel investors about market strategy, business plans and products."

Tim Draper, founder and managing director of Silicon Valley's leading VC firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, will keynote the event, and a morning panel presentation moderated by Microsoft's Marc Brown, managing director of the corporate development group, will include several prominent local tech leaders: Brian Roundtree, founder and CTO of SNAPin; Jeffrey T. Seely, CEO, Recruiting.com, Inc.; Hugh Crean, general manager of Live Search Farecast, a Microsoft Company; Pete Price, CFO at Visible Technologies.

To register for the Fast Pitch Forum and Technology Showcase, visit http://www.washingtontechnology.org. The cost to pre-register online for the full-day event is $225 for WTIA members and $275 for non-members (prices good through May 12). After the early-bird deadline, prices to register online and onsite are $325 for members and $375 for non-members. The WTIA is also offering $50 tickets for students and educators (limited to the first 10 people to contact Brittany Blackwell at bblackwell@washingtontechnology.org; must have student or faculty ID to qualify).

About the Washington Technology Industry Association

The Washington Technology Industry Association, founded in 1984, is the largest statewide association of technology companies, IT departments and individual technology professionals in North America. With more than 1,000 member companies representing more than 100,000 employees in Washington State, the association is a catalyst for sharing expertise, fostering collaboration, delivering key business services and advancing the value and global impact of technology companies doing business in Washington. The association's global partners are Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Microsoft, Regence BlueShield, Sun Microsystems, Vertafore and Wells Fargo Insurance Services. The association's funding partners are AH&T Insurance, F5 Networks, Moss Adams and RealNetworks. For more information, go to www.washingtontechnology.org.

SOURCE Washington Technology Industry Association

Source: PR Newswire

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