TechVentures Network Debuts at Technology Under the Stars at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland,...

Business Editors and High Tech Writers

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2002

Bay Area's leading source of access to financing, business data and

services for emerging technology hosts networking event for business

and technology professionals

TechVentures Network, formerly Bay Area Regional Technology Alliance (BARTA), and the Economic Development team of the City of Oakland co-host Technology Under the Stars from 4:30 - 7:30 pm on September 18th. Technology Under the Stars is an open-air opportunity to explore business partnership opportunities and network with investors, service providers, public companies and start-up companies in the alternative energy, biotechnology, plastic recycling, medical devices, wireless communications and software markets.

Founded in 1994 BARTA's mission was to facilitate access to funding, vital business data and services for Bay Area technology companies, notably through CalTIP, a state-matching grant program for small businesses. Today TechVentures Network continues this work as a private/public partnership contributing to the economic growth of the greater Bay Area small businesses - the most productive segment of the US economy.

According to data from the American Electronics Association/Ernst & Young Biotechnology Industry Annual Report, California gained more than 210,000 new jobs in high-tech and biotechnology between 1993 and 1998 -- more than making up the 200,000 jobs lost to defense cuts, banking consolidation and reduced mining activities. Total employment in the high-tech and biotech sectors is estimated to be more than 885,000, and average worker annual income exceeds $60,000. Small companies, many of which did not exist 10 years earlier, created most of these jobs.

Success Stories:

TechVentures Networks is leading the way in bringing biotech and medtech companies to market. Somagenics, Inc., www.somagenics.com a two-time CalTIP grant recipient, developed the RNA Lasso, a new class of molecule for controlling gene expression. Kumetrix, Inc. www.kumetrix.com, another CalTIP winner, recently developed silicon micro needles for painless blood analyte monitoring based on the dynamics of a mosquito bite. TechVentures Network, through CalTIP and other services, helped this primarily R&D company commercialize their products with corporate partners.

Other successes include aviation and instrumentation innovator Seagull Technologies www.seagull.com , ARACOR, www.aracor.com, a security solutions provider for the nation's seaports, and Aloha Networks www.alohanetworks.com, a provider of wireless communications solutions. Seagull Technologies provides develops DSS, modeling and analysis and simulation software to customers like the FAA, NASA, DOD, DOE, DOT, and the airline industry. Aloha Networks' first commercial offering, SkyDSL, will provide high speed bi-directional internet access using satellites for carriers and service providers to offer new communication services to their customers.

Why companies work with TechVentures:

Funding Sources

One of the most difficult challenges an entrepreneur faces in today's economic downturn is finding sources of funding, from grants and seed money, to investment rounds from venture capital, private investors and institutional sources. In the last seven years, TechVentures Network has helped more than 63 Bay Area companies to receive grants totaling more than $11.7 million in state funds, leveraging nearly $30 million in R&D support, and more than $200 million in private funding.

Access to Vital Business Data

TechVentures Network is spearheading development of the Atlas for the New Economy (ATLAS), a web-based data center supporting the creation and development of knowledge-based industries. The ATLAS addresses key business data components of industrial infrastructure development with GIS mapping of topography, industrial clusters, resources and economic statistics.

International Access

Whether a company seeks to enlarge it's market internationally, or an international company, government body or foundation seeks to build a market presence in the Bay Area, TechVentures Network facilitates bi-directional access to develop partnerships and strategic alliances between qualified companies and sources of funding.

Entrepreneurial Resources

Working with successful business services companies and firms including local chambers of commerce, area universities, networking organizations for technology startups, public relations and marketing consulting firms, TechVentures Network provides a suite of vetted resources to their technology client companies. Friday Flash, a weekly email broadcast to almost 3000 entrepreneurs, investors and service providers, delivers an ongoing source of information on programs, events, and other resources for growing businesses.

About TechVentures Network

TechVentures Network, formerly known as BARTA, is a private-public partnership that provides access to grants, financing, business data and services for domestic and international clients. TechVentures Networks matches global investors with emerging tech companies in the Bay Area, screening emerging companies to find the most promising investments for international and domestic financiers.

For more information about TechVentures Network, go to www.techventuresnetwork.com or contact Judith Pacult, President and CEO, at 510-271-4116.