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Venture Capital in the Rockies Winter Conference Sees Green Shoots in First Wave of Presenters for February Conference
27th Annual Conference Features Standouts from Rocky Mountain IT
And Clean Technology Industries;
Demonstrates Resurgence of Venture Stage Companies as Economy Recovers
Denver, CO, January 25, 2010 – As indicators suggest a recovering overall economy, The Rocky Mountain Venture Capital Association’s Venture Capital in the Rockies (VCIR) Winter 2010 conference today announced the first wave of presenters for the its upcoming 27th annual conference, indicating economic green shoots for both the Rocky Mountain region and the broader venture-stage investment landscape.
The first wave of VCIR presenting companies are based out of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona and focus on clean technology, education, eCommerce, advertising, and medical imaging industries.
“We are thrilled with the diversity of this first group of companies and what they represent to the 2010 conference and to the region,” said Seth Levine, chairman of VCIR and a managing director at Foundry Group. “Companies of this caliber clearly illustrate that the Rocky Mountain region remains a superior place to found and operate new companies and a great place for investors to find innovative ideas.”
“And as we continue to identify exciting presenters, we are anticipating the 2010 VCIR class will represent our region very well,” he continued.
The selected companies include: BioVantage Resources, DICOM grid, Infopia, TopSchool, TruEffect, University Parent, and zettasun.
In addition to the impressive list of presenters announced today, VCIR is continuing to find other exciting and innovative stage companies to showcase at this winter’s event.
The conference will be held at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek, Colorado, February 23-25. The three-day event will include presentations by the selected companies along with significant networking time built into the program to allow for time to connect with co-investors, entrepreneurs, and service providers. Venture Capital in the Rockies, which holds conferences in the fall and winter, is among the oldest conferences in the United States dedicated to introducing companies with new ideas to some of the nations leading venture capital funds.
Colorado Spawning Clean Technology Companies
Demonstrating the region’s increasing attractiveness to clean technology companies, both selected presenters of clean technology are Colorado-based companies. BioVantage Resources, based in Golden, Colorado, leverages biological processes to substitute conventional approaches to reclaiming water and to produce fuels as a byproduct. The company uses algae in creative and natural ways.
Boulder-based zettasun produces higher efficient solar panels that concentrate sunlight over 700 times using their proprietary optical technology. The company also claims the cost is less per watt than any other panel on the market.
Additional Colorado Representatives
The additional Colorado companies represent continuing regional development of technologies for the advertising and education industries.
TruEffect based in Broomfield, connects advertisers to consumers with their patent-pending technology that recognizes every customer and prospect at every interaction anywhere on the web, all in real-time. The company was founded in 2002 by Internet industry veterans.
The two additional Colorado companies are focused around the educational experience. Boulder-based University Parent helps parents to adjust to the new surroundings of their college students. The company began as a senior project through the Leeds School of Business Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder and transitioned into a full time company after the CEO graduated in 2004.
TopSchool based out of Denver is a SaaS company that offers an alternative to conventional student information systems. TopSchool simplifies student management and offers a student portal, prospect management component, and an intelligent reporting suite targeted towards student-centric institutions.
Other Rocky Mountain States Represented
Infopia, an eCommerce software company in Salt Lake City, Utah, helps merchants grow their online business anywhere from managing inventory, creating enterprise level websites, to integrating their business applications.
DICOM grid is a Phoenix-based healthcare information technology that helps physicians from any location manage radiology health records irrespective of origin. Their technology allows physicians to view radiology images from multiple sites without affiliation.
About VCIR
Venture Capital in the Rockies (VCIR) is the region’s oldest and best attended venture capital conference and will hold its 27th annual VCIR Winter edition in Beaver Creek, Colorado in 2010. Along with the annual VCIR Fall conference, the two VCIR conferences encompass the premier venture investing conferences in the Rocky Mountain region and among the most respected venture conferences in the country. Creating a dynamic marketplace for ideas and investment, both editions of VCIR invite over companies seeking investment to present to panels of venture investors, as well as an audience of other entrepreneurs, CEOs and professionals servicing the venture community. More information can be found at www.vcirwinter.com <http://www.vcirwinter.com>
