Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
RTRP and CED Team with Treasurer Moore
to Attract California Investors
Public/Private Partnership Goes to Silicon Valley to Pitch NC Investment Opportunities
April 14, 2005, Research Triangle Park, NC – The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) and Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) partnered with North Carolina State Treasurer Richard Moore to promote North Carolina's innovation economy to a group of leading investors in Silicon Valley on Wednesday, April 13. During a special luncheon in Silicon Valley, several of North Carolina's government, non-profit and business leaders spoke to venture capitalists in California about the Tar Heel State's investment opportunities.
The trip to California marks the second time that Treasurer Moore has led a North Carolina delegation to speak with out-of-area investors. Treasurer Moore led a similarly successful mission to Boston in March 2004.
In addition to Treasurer Moore, the other North Carolina officials who spoke at the Silicon Valley luncheon included Joe DeSimone, Ph.D., Professor, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Chemistry Department and N.C. State University’s School of Engineering; Bob Bell, venture partner, Intersouth Partners; Charles Hsu, venture partner, A.M. Pappas & Associates; Steve Nelson, partner, Wakefield Group; Ryan Wuerch, CEO, Motricity; and Christy Shaffer, CEO, Inspire Pharmaceuticals.
RTRP hosted the luncheon in conjunction with CED. Representatives from Intersouth Partners, Parish Capital Advisors, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the N.C. Board of Science & Technology also attended the luncheon. CED President Monica Doss said the event exceeded expectations in showcasing North Carolina's investment strengths to the Silicon Valley business community.
“We hoped to attract 30 to 50 venture capitalists, but we were thrilled to have nearly 60 California investors at the meeting,” said Doss. “As we experienced last spring in Boston, this trip provided a unique opportunity to position North Carolina as a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurial activity.”
Fifty-nine investors attended the luncheon, including representatives from the following firms:
- Burrill & Company
- Institutional Venture Partners
- J.P. Morgan Partners
- Menlo Ventures
- Norwest Venture Partners
- Prospect Venture Partners
- Sand Hill Capital
- SAP Ventures
- Technology Crossover Ventures
- USVP
- VantagePoint Venture Partners
- And many other active Silicon Valley firms.
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 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
About RTRP: The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) is a public/private partnership that promotes economic development for the 13-county region of North Carolina comprising Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake and Warren counties. RTRP promotes the region worldwide and works to attract investment from successful businesses that can well serve the region and its mix of rural and urban areas.
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