Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
Senator Bob Dole to Keynote CED's Venture 2004
Political Leader, Alston & Bird Special Counsel to Speak at Venture 2004 on April 28
January 13, 2004, Research Triangle Park, NC - The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced that Senator Bob Dole, a renowned statesman, former Presidential candidate and current Special Counsel for Alston & Bird LLP, will keynote CED's Venture 2004 conference. Scheduled for April 27-28, 2004, in Chapel Hill, NC, Venture 2004 will continue a 21-year tradition of showcasing North Carolina's innovation economy and leading investment opportunities.
Senator Bob Dole will speak during the second day of Venture 2004 on April 28. Senator Dole is currently Special Counsel in Alston & Bird's Washington, D.C. office and a member of the Legislative and Public Policy Group. Senator Dole was elected to Congress from his home state of Kansas in 1960 and to the U.S. Senate in 1968. He gained national prominence as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1971 to 1972. In 1976, President Gerald Ford tapped him to be his vice presidential running mate. Elected Senate Majority Leader in 1984, Senator Dole set a record as the nation's longest serving Republican leader. He resigned from the Senate in 1996 to pursue his campaign for President of the United States.
“We are extremely thrilled to have a high-caliber speaker like Senator Dole provide keynote remarks at Venture 2004,” said CED President Monica Doss. “The willingness of Senator Dole to share his experiences at this conference speaks volumes to the growing strength of the region, and it also underscores the valuable input and strong commitment provided by CED's partners.”
In addition to Dole's keynote remarks, Venture 2004 will also feature North Carolina's top investment opportunities, with presentations from various early and later stage high-growth companies. The final application deadline is Jan. 31 for North Carolina-based companies interested in applying to present at Venture 2004. Six companies (Affinergy, Constella Group, Datacraft Solutions, Metabolon, Overture Networks and StrikeIron) have already been selected to present at Venture 2004.
Bill Gwyn, partner with Maupin Taylor, P.A. and co-chair of Venture 2004, said conference attendees will gain insight into potential new growth opportunities for technology companies in homeland security, life sciences and other areas, and how to access those opportunities.
“We expect CED's annual Venture conference to again attract venture capitalists, angel investors and entrepreneurs from across the Southeast as well as from other technology hubs across the country,” said Gwyn.
About Venture 2004: CED's 21st annual Venture 2004 - Where great minds meet smart money - is scheduled for April 27-28 at The Friday Center in Chapel Hill, NC. Last year's conference, Venture 2003, drew a crowd of more than 850 investors, service professionals, entrepreneurs and others involved in the entrepreneurial funding process from throughout the United States. For more information on applying to present, sponsor or register, visit www.cednc.org/venture.
About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 4,000 members representing 1,100 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
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