For more information, please contact:
MAVA Press Contact: Stacey Sweeney
(703) 281-2254 or (571) 228-2249
Stacey@StaceySweeney.com
Impressive New Programming Announced For 2006 Capital Connectionsm To Include Governor Mark Warner
Prominent CEOs Ganek, Fernandez, McGovern, Rudman & Simpkins to Address Key Business Issues Facing Growth Companies
Timonium, MD - May 8, 2006 - Today the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) announced a stellar line-up of new speakers for the organization's annual venture fair, Capital Connection 2006, being held May 30-31, 2006 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC. Joining the slate of previously announced keynote speakers Steve Levitt (author, Freakonomics) and Bo Burlingham (author and Inc. editor-at-large), Mark R. Warner, former Governor of Virginia, was announced today as a featured speaker.
With notable business and public service credentials, Governor Warner will speak to the general attendance and address "U.S. Competitiveness in a World Economy". Prior to becoming Governor of Virginia (2002-2006), Warner co-founded the company that became Nextel and was a founder of Columbia Capital, one of the mid-Atlantic region's most prominent venture capital firms.
Drawing on the overall strength of the region as a hotbed for entrepreneurial development of innovative technology companies, Capital Connection 2006 will also feature five mid-Atlantic success stories, each providing a case study of key issues germane to building successful enterprises. Attendees, including up-and-coming entrepreneurs as well as later stage investors looking to invest in the region, will hear from a powerful line-up of CEOs, including:
- Jeffrey E. Ganek, Chairman and CEO, NeuStar, Inc., will relate his company's path to a successful IPO. Founded in 1996, NeuStar is a leading provider of essential clearinghouse services to the global communications and Internet industry. NeuStar received two awards for its IPO, which took place in June 2005 when the company sold 27.5 million shares at $22 a share. The company was named "IPO of the Year" for 2005 by Renaissance Capital and "U.S. IPO of the Year" by Thomson Financial's International Financing Review.
- Raul J. Fernandez, CEO of ObjectVideo, will discuss how to build an "A-Class" Board of Directors. Fernandez is well known as the founder of Proxicom. After taking Proxicom public in 1999 and growing the business to more than $200 million in revenue, he sold it to Dimension Data in a deal worth nearly $450 million.
- Robert McGovern, CEO of Market10 and Venture Partner of New Enterprise Associates, will talk about recruitment for the start-up company. Previously CEO of CareerBuilder.com, McGovern grew that company to $140 million in revenues, $20 million in operating profits, and 500 employees. The company went public in 1999 before merging with Tribune and Knight Ridder.
- Rick Rudman, CEO, President & Co-Founder of Vocus, will share the dais with Ganek in discussing bringing a company public in today's market. Rudman is a software veteran who co-founded Vocus, a leading provider of on-demand software for corporate communications and public relations, in 1992. Since 1999, Vocus has achieved 25 consecutive quarters of revenue growth and has received awards for company growth and product excellence.
- Daniel S. Simpkins, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Hillcrest Labs, will discuss creating a company the second time around in a different space. Simpkins founded Hillcrest Labs in 2001 to create a revolution in entertainment, developing software that reinvents how consumers navigate content in the digital home. Prior to Hillcrest, Simpkins founded SALIX Technologies which he then later sold to Tellabs for $300 million.
"We are pleased and excited to include such a fantastic line-up of select CEOs in this year's program. Each brings knowledge and targeted expertise to share with our attendees — all relevant for building successful enterprises at any stage and sector," said Julia Spicer, Executive Director of MAVA. "The addition of Governor Warner, nationally renowned for his leadership in business as well as government, adds to our already impressive list of featured speakers, while offering his perspectives on competitiveness in the global market."
Capital Connection 2006 will showcase nearly forty technology companies pre-screened by venture capitalists and coached through a formal mentoring process. The selected companies represent the premier entrepreneurial investment opportunities in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Since 1996, presenting companies at MAVA venture fairs have raised more than $2.5 billion. A list of the final companies selected to present at this year's Capital Connection will be announced in advance of the fair.
About MAVA
MAVA represents private equity and venture capitalists with investment interests in the mid-Atlantic. Founded in 1986, MAVA provides a wide range of programs, information and forums designed to facilitate quality deal flow, encourage collaboration, and foster relationships with entrepreneurs and investors in order to promote private equity investment. Membership includes more than 500 venture capital professionals representing nearly 125 firms with collectively more than $10 billion in capital under management. In addition, more than 250 key professional service providers from the legal, financial, executive search and consulting fields are also MAVA members. For more information, please visit www.mava.org
Capital Connection is a registered service mark of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA).


