ANNOUNCING THE 5th ANNUAL S.E.E.D.
Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development

National Collegiate Venture Forum

Friday & Saturday, March 14-15, 2008

Reagan Ranch Center & Conference Facility
on the “American Riviera” in Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara, CA (January 21, 2008) – TechKnowledge Point is pleased to announce the final confirmation of the ten national semifinal ventures coming to the 5th Annual Spirit of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (S.E.E.D.) National Collegiate Venture Forum on March 14th and 15th at the Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara (in alphabetical order by venture name):

- Bizooki, LLC
- Nauti-Click Corporation
- Navitas, Inc.
- Real Agent, Inc.
- Second Breath, LLC
- StudentBusinesses.com
- ToneRite Corporation
- Urogen, LLC
- UV Force, Inc.
- Zipperz Corporation

Belmont University
Emory University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of San Francisco
Union College, NY
Harvard University
University of Florida
University of Central Oklahoma
University of California-Santa Barbara
Westmont College

Each year, the SEED Forum boasts some of the best and most experienced panels of new venture investment screeners in the country. The vision of SEED is to help top collegiate ventures secure capital funding. Our formula is simple: SEED completes preliminary due diligence on dozens of business plans submitted by the December deadline, then invites the most promising ventures to present their business plans to a world-class panel of evaluators, early-stage investors, and product development and market-industry specialists. SEED attracts dozens of qualified investors to see the presentations (angel investors, hedge fund managers, private equity managers, venture capital fund managers, and investment bankers).

This entrepreneurial environment helps collegiate entrepreneurs with all aspects of venture feasibility, long-term viability, and potential funding opportunities. It rewards ventures with specific input on raising capital and taking the business concept to sustainable revenue in the target market, and also provides a great line-up of direct access and personal introductions to potential strategic partnership referrals. SEED assembles all these resources in one place for two days in order to help great business plans move to the next level.

SEED-2008 venture teams will again disseminate audio-video (iTunes U) and content-information (Splurtz.com, ZLoop.com) about the bizplans to SEED reviewers and investors. Their podcasts and content are uploaded using a standard 8-module format covering the key segments of their venture launch.
SEED-2008 is also happy to have another great line-up of keynote speakers for the Friday opening luncheon, the Friday evening entrepreneurial-networking banquet, and the Saturday closing luncheon.

On Friday March 14th at 11:30, Brian Lim, CEO of Atomate is the opening luncheon speaker, and he will speak about navigating his company to have a significant and positive impact on the world with a wide range of nanotechnology-enabled innovations. As of today, the Friday evening keynote was not 100% confirmed, but SEED plans to have a high-level managing director of a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital company address an all-“Silicon Beach” area banquet that usually has 120+ in attendance, including investors, bankers, leading entrepreneurs, and the press. At the closing luncheon at noon on Saturday March 15th,
Jim Eiting, Board Chairman of MidMark Corporation, a multi-million dollar precision medical devices design, manufacturing, and sales firm he founded four decades ago, will speak about the trek of taking a mid-sized family business into a new direction and strategic position aimed at global growth.

SEED was launched in Fall 2003 by David Newton, founder and President of TechKnowledge Point, the world’s first/only online, 24-7 entrepreneurship research and referral exchange (www.TechKnowledgePoint.com). Dr. Newton is also Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance and the founder (1990) of the Entrepreneurship Program at Westmont College.

The inaugural SEED in February 2004 had a great line-up of ventures, and the top three bizplans were:

1. ThruSkin Technologies
2. Inspirae Healthcare
3. Flexon Solutions

University of Georgia,
University of Florida
University of Iowa.

Other 2004 semifinalists also included: Arizona, Colorado, Columbia (NY), Louisville, & Wake Forest. The 2nd annual SEED in March 2005 had the following results:

1. uShip
2. Tele-EMG
3. Autonomix

University of Texas-Austin,
Boston University
University of Arizona

Other 2005 semifinalists were: Florida, Akron, Washington State, UC-Berkeley, Westmont, & San Francisco. In March 2006, the 3rd annual SEED had the following results:

1. Allied Polymer
2. MS-dx
3. Just Kidding

Duke University + Southern Illinois University
University of Arizona
University of Houston

2006 semifinalists included: Washington State, Syracuse, Georgia, Rice, Columbia (NY), and Westmont. And last year’s 4rd annual SEED in March 2007 had the following results:

1. Ambient Corp.
2. AID-N
3. Back-Up Pal

Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Johns Hopkins, Univ. of Virginia, Univ. or Maryland
Loyola Marymount University

as well as: Carnegie-Mellon, San Francisco, Embry-Riddle, Georgia, Washington State, John Carroll.

TechKnowledge Point also operates EntrePoint.com: “The Doorway to Collegiate Entrepreneurship” (www.EntrePoint.com). Launched in September 2002, this national survey categorizes and ranks some 500 collegiate entrepreneurship programs nationwide across 75 program-profile variables. The 6th Annual 2008-National Rankings will be released at the SEED-2008 Forum and be available the rest of the year exclusively online at EntrePoint.com. Updates about SEED-2008, confirmed judges, speakers, and event logistics are available at EntrePoint.com (click the SEED logo).

Co-sponsors are: Vision Launchers, Westmont Entrepreneurship, MedBridge Development, Sansum Laser Eye Center, and Extreme Entrepreneurship Education (NY City). Questions can be emailed to: info@techknowledgepoint.com or call 805.455.7813 . We’re looking forward to another great forum, and look forward to seeing you there!