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Do the Deal Venture Forum to Take Place on August 16th

SB Informer
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; 03:19 AM

The Network of Business Angels and Investors (NBA&I) will join forces with The Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBEC) for the second year in a row to bring emerging growth companies together with Private Equity Investors at the "Do The Deal" Venture Forum on August 16, 2006. At least 8 companies from around the Southeast have qualified to present to the investing audience. Private Investors, Angel Funds, Venture Capital Firms, Wealth Managers, and Investment Bankers representing over $50 Million in investment capital will be in attendance. There are still seats available for qualified investors to attend.

Selected qualified companies representing technology, software, life science, financial, services and consumer products industries will present their investment opportunity to motivated investors. Some companies will be seeking first round financing and others will be seeking their Round B financing after previously receiving as much as $9M from private investors. The event will follow a Venture Forum format with an 8 minute presentation followed by a brief question-and-answer period. Investors will be provided with an Investor Profile for each presenting company and will be offered an opportunity to attend a more in depth Q&A session. The Do the Deal event will be followed by a private reception for the investors to get to know the presenting entrepreneurs better.

Presenting companies will either come from the business development efforts of the Minority Business Enterprise Center or will have completed an application approval process through NBA&I's strategic partner, LAUNCH Funding Network. This opportunity is unique and historic because it provides a specific showcase for Minority Owned companies. The event is strategically planned to occur during the Southeastern Minority Enterprise Development Week (MED Week). Earlier in the day, over 100 minority owned companies will participate in the Financial Round Table Forum which will offer two panel discussions for the education and enrichment of the minority entrepreneurs in attendance. A Lenders' Panel will have representation from GA Small Business Capital, BB&T, Stonehedge Capital, Allied Financial, and Buckhead Community Bank. The Private Equity Panel will have representation from Public Financial Services, Adams Capital, Jackson Capital, Georgia Tech, and Noro-Moseley Partners. During the Financial Round Table Forum, the MBEC will also give away the annual recognition for Minority Business Enterprises and Advocates.

NBA&I, MBEC and the Atlanta Urban League have joined forces to launch the Entrepreneur Network and the Progressive Investor Network. Without motivated and committed socio-economic investors who want to provide capital and experience to help small companies grow and thrive, we won’t have our next generation of companies to create jobs and provide assets for lenders to lend against and equity funds to facilitate merger and acquisitions with. Without programs and resources to develop companies so that they have the proper infrastructure and plans to scale their businesses, investors won’t have a comfort level that they will make a return on their investment. These three organizations have combined forces to bridge the capital divide by developing companies that have the potential to thrive and by creating an environment that experienced and new investors can collaborate, learn and prosper. The Kick Off event will be on September 13th, 2006.
LAUNCHfn (LAUNCH Funding Network, Inc.)(http://www.launchfn.com) connects qualified companies (new and established) with motivated sources of funds to accelerate their growth. The firm has developed an extensive network of funding sources representing Billions in funding capacity. Together with its event partner NBA&I (http://www.nbai.net), a 12-year old Angel Investor Membership organization whose members have invested over $23 Million in 53 companies, LAUNCHfn hosted 10 Private Equity Events in 2005 which more than 120 members of their financial community attended. Those members provide five companies with nearly $2 million in funding and have invested close to $300K in one company so far this year.

The Georgia Statewide Minority Business Enterprise Center is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency and operated by Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute. Its Mission is to provide business and technical assistance that helps emerging and existing minority businesses experience significant growth and sustainability and have a long-term economic impact through the creation of jobs and revenue.