SAN FRANCISCO (September 10, 2007) – Companies from across the US, Canada, the UK and Australia submitted applications to present at Astia’s (formerly the Women’s Technology Cluster’s) annual Venture Conference to be held October 18 in Mountain View, California. More than 60 investors prescreened the finalists to select the 29 that will present at the conference. Presenting companies at last year’s Venture Conference achieved a 60% rate of funding success. Since 2003, Astia’s Venture Conference companies have raised over $246 million in financing, and there have been 6 exits to date. This year for the first time, health and wellness companies will be presenting to investors as well as high tech and life science companies.

Highlights of the VC-screened companies that will present at this year’s Venture Conference include: ThreeFold Sensors, a bio-diagnostics company with a medical diagnostic device and proprietary chemistry; Mobius Photonics, Inc., which designs, builds, and manufactures rugged and reliable industrial light sources based on a modular, configurable and scalable architecture; TrafficCast International, Inc., a web-based software platform for route-specific, real-time traffic information and travel time forecasts via Internet and wireless devices; EraGen BioSciences, a developer, manufacturer and marketer of next-generation molecular diagnostic genetic testing products for the early, accurate diagnosis of critical diseases; and Elephant Pharmacy, a retailer providing both conventional and alternative health remedies.

“Astia has once again proven its ability to attract top talent from across the country. As a member of the Executive Council and Investor Review Committee, it is clear that this year’s conference promises to be a not-to-be-missed event for investors seeking highly qualified, prescreened, companies,�? said Jeff Karras, General Partner at Levensohn Venture Partners and Astia Board Member.

According to VentureOne, in 2006, the proportion of companies with a woman CEO funded by VCs was at an all-time low of less than 4%. “We are committed to sourcing high-quality companies for investors,�? said Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia, “and we intend to continue with our strong funding results to directly impact these numbers.�?

This year’s conference will showcase a new category for Astia – health and wellness. “I was extremely pleased to see excellent health and wellness investment opportunities at the Astia screening, alongside those in more traditional areas such as therapeutics and medical technology," commented Ilya Nykin, managing director of Prolog Ventures and member of the 2007 Executive Council and Investor Screening committee. “This emerging sector is fueled by tremendous consumer demand and has captured significant interest in the investment community.�?

The 6th Annual Astia Venture Conference will take place October 18 from 8 am to 5pm and will include 29 company presentations and panel sessions along with keynote address from Lynn Brewer, Chairman and Founder of The Integrity Institute and Enron whistleblower.

2007 Venture Conference Sponsors
Fenwick & West - Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo - Microsoft - Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman - Moss Adams -
Northern Trust -
Silicon Valley Bank - Dan Sapp & Associates, Inc - Accolo - Square 1 Bank - DLA Piper -
AON - The Althea Foundation - Cooley Godward Kronish LLP - Bridges SF

2007 Conference Executive Council Members
Advanced Venture Partners
Alloy Ventures
Apex Venture Partners
Applied Ventures, LLC
Asset Management
CalPERS
Cargill Ventures/Black River
Garage Technology Ventures
Hamilton Lane
Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Levensohn Venture Partners
Milk Street Ventures
Opus Capital
Prolog Ventures
Voyager Capital

About Astia
Astia’s mission is to foster the full participation and leadership of women in entrepreneurship and as accelerators of high-growth businesses. We believe in the value created by women in the development of new technologies and in their contribution as leaders.

We achieve our mission by providing executive services and C-level mentoring focused on results, assistance with team development, and high level introductions. By working with selected high-potential companies, Astia complements a company’s own team with in-depth resources from a community of over 300 mentors, all of whom are dedicated to Astia’s mission.

Astia’s Venture Conferences, which commenced in 2003, have attracted 84 presenting companies that have raised over $246 million and have returned $88 million to investors through M&A.