Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
21st Venture Conference Showcases Investment Opportunities
CED's Venture 2004 Attracts Local and National Investors;
Conference Highlights Venture Investing Potential and Challenges
April 28, 2004, Research Triangle Park, NC - The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) hosted its 21st annual Venture conference Tuesday and Wednesday with over 800 people participating in total, including approximately 275 investors. The two-day conference, held in Chapel Hill, showcased North Carolina's strongest innovation-based, venture investment opportunities to investors, service professionals, entrepreneurs and others involved in the entrepreneurial funding process from throughout the United States.
Venture 2004 included presentations from 27 of the state's most promising private companies. The conference also featured a panel discussion and an all-star cast of speakers, including former Senator Bob Dole, Johnson & Johnson Development Corp.'s David Holveck and The Carlyle Group's David Rubenstein.
During his keynote address, Senator Dole offered humorous anecdotes and important life lessons. He also highlighted the impact of entrepreneurship and innovation in North Carolina job creation.
“There are few states as well positioned as North Carolina. The impact of entrepreneurship is felt throughout the economy, especially when traditional industries are in flux,” Dole said. “The bottom line is leadership. Now is the time to grow that strong economic base.”
Maupin Taylor's Bill Gwyn, co-chair of Venture 2004, said the quality of presenting companies and speakers are indicators of North Carolina's strong entrepreneurial community.
“I'm pleased with the caliber of companies and the large turnout of investors this year,” Gwyn said. “Throughout the conference I've heard many positive comments from venture capitalists locally and from outside of North Carolina. Several out-of-state firms indicated to me that they want to further cement relationships with this area's entrepreneurial community.”
Rizwan Hussain, an executive with Venture One, said the venture investing picture for North Carolina still looks very promising. He said many venture capitalists are currently raising new funds, which explains why these investors are not as focused on making new investments. Hussain said that as these new funds close, he anticipates a significant up-tick in North Carolina investments and in the nation as a whole.
Visit www.cednc.org/venture for more information on Venture 2004 presenting companies, featured speakers and sponsors.
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 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
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