Venture Forum Call for Applications
March 21, 2005

The 11th annual Venture Forum is now accepting applications for companies to present to hundreds of potential investors and partners at the Southern California Showcase on May 26, 2005. Companies exhibited at the Forum have raised over $500 million in capital since 1995. Deadline to apply is April 8, 2005. Companies can apply by clicking here. 130 companies will present over two days, May 25 and 26, 2005, at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Venture Forum is a convergence of the most noteworthy innovators and investors from Southern California and nationwide. At the 11th annual Venture Forum, companies will have unparalleled opportunities to meet leading investors from around the country. Attendees will access one of the largest innovation pipelines in the nation. The Forum provides an inside look at emerging companies, carefully pre-screened to showcase innovation and growth potential, and a chance to network with company CEOs, investors, and world-class experts behind emerging trends and opportunities.

"In its ten-year history, the Venture Forum has served not only as a source of earlier stage deals, but also by leading thinkers to exchange ideas and spot technology trends," explained Larta Institute CEO Rohit Shukla.

This year's Venture Forum features an expanded two-day format featuring 130 companies. May 25 is devoted to life sciences companies, profiling the best of NIH projects from New England, the South, the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, the Bay Area and San Diego. May 26 is devoted to technology companies from Southern California, as well as companies funded by NIST's Advanced Technology Program.

Venture Forum Keynote Speakers include Peter S. Pao, Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Raytheon Company; John Gibson, Senior Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development at Allergan; and Wayne Johnson, Vice President, University Relations Worldwide at Hewlett-Packard. Other Speakers include Bill Reichert, Managing Director at Garage Technology Ventures; Jesús S. Argüelles, Investment Officer, Alternative Investment Management at CalPERS; Jim Gauer, General Partner at Palomar Ventures; and Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner at Technology Partners, and National Public Radio's Scott Horsley.

Day 1: NIH Life Sciences Showcase

Day 1 of the Venture Forum will highlight 75 top-quality emerging life science companies funded by the National Institutes of Health. These SBIR Phase II companies have been selected to participate in the National Institutes of Health Commercialization Assistance Program (NIH-CAP) and have been awarded an average of $850,000 to develop their technologies.

Day 1 also includes a Keynote address by John Gibson, Senior Vice President Pharmaceutical Development at Allergan; and two Panel Discussions: Trends in the Life Sciences Industry in the morning, and Raising Capital for Life Science startups in the afternoon. Day 1 opening remarks will be provided by Kay Etzler of the National Institutes of Health; as well as Rohit Shukla, Victor Hwang and Bob Ashley of Larta Institute.

Day 2: Southern California Showcase, Advanced Technology Showcase,
and Israel Pavilion

Day 2 of the Venture Forum will highlight a wide spectrum of companies. The day will feature two showcases. The Southern California Showcase will feature 50 of the most innovative companies in Southern California from several technology industries, including nanotechnology and the life sciences. The Advanced Technology Showcase will feature 5-10 top companies funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The Israel Pavilion will showcase 3-4 top-notch Israeli life sciences companies working with Larta under a grant from the US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation (USIFTF).

The Day 2 program includes the Keynote address by Peter Pao; two Panel Discussions: Finding the Resources to Grow Emerging Companies in the morning and The Role of Venture Capital in Today's Markets in the afternoon. Welcome remarks will be provided by Jim Gauer of Palomar Ventures and Ira Ehrenpreis of Technology Partners; as well as Rohit Shukla and Carlos Gutierrez of Larta Institute.

Venture Forum 2005 is presented in partnership with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the California Healthcare Institute (CHI), Tech Coast Angels, and Red Herring magazine. Venture Forum 2005 Sponsors include Mannatt Phelps Phillips, Straddling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, Southern California Edison, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Block Bowman & Associates, Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, cFour Partners/ITP Worldwide, Comerica, Perkins Coie, Harris & Harris Group, Impossible Brand Innovations, gevity, and Rainmaker & Sun. Supporting Organizations include Innovation Pipeline newsletter, socalTECH.com, the Corporate Investment and Strategic Alliance Conference, and the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA).

The Venture Forum 2005 Investment Committee, which assists in the selection, screening and preparation of Day 2 companies, includes Jeff Anderson of Mellon Ventures, John Babcock of Rustic Canyon Partners, Susan Block of Block, Bowman & Associates, Ira Ehrenpreis of Technology Partners, Jim Gauer of Palomar Ventures, Shiv Grewal of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, Greg Horowitt of Global CONNECT, Jay Houlihan of Innocal Ventures, Brad Jones of Redpoint Ventures, Steve Jurvetson of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Brian Kelly of Manatt Phelps Phillips, Ed Moss of
Arcturus Capital, Alex Suh of California Technology Ventures, and Allen Sussman of Morrison & Foerster as well as Rohit Shukla, Carlos Gutierrez and Victor Hwang of Larta Institute.

Read Raytheon's Peter Pao To Deliver Venture Forum Keynote from the March 14, 2005 issue of Larta VOX.

Read Venture Forum Company Named Top 100 Innovator from the January 10, 2005 issue of Larta VOX.

Read Venture Forum 2004 Helps Company Raise Money from the April 19, 2004 issue of Larta VOX.

Read Larta's 2004 Venture Forum Captures The Rebound in Venture Capital from the April 5, 2004 issue of Larta VOX.

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