[April 25, 2012]

Steve Case to Give Capstone Keynote for 25th Anniversary Capital Connection

Capital Connection'12, a nationally recognized technology industry conference, will hear from the ultimate entrepreneur, Steve Case, who will speak on national entrepreneurial trends, new investment initiatives and real-time public policy that impacts businesses today. As the plenary speaker for the 25^th Anniversary Capital Connection on May 24, Mr. Case will highlight significant milestones along his journey as part of the closing session wrapping up a 1½ day conference showcasing the best and brightest entrepreneurs at all stages of growth.

"Steve Case's personal journey as an innovator and Internet pioneer at AOL; entrepreneurial champion and investor of companies such as Zipcar and LivingSocial (News - Alert); and public policy influencer working closely with President Obama, Democrats and Republicans in Congress, provides him with the particularly unique vantage of providing critical insight for anyone in the business of building a high performing company," said Julia Spicer, Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association. "Whether from his early days as a previous Capital Connection presenter to his influential role today in championing and investing in entrepreneurial causes, it is still his self-described moniker as entrepreneur first and foremost that makes him such a credible voice of interest to our attendees."

Steve Case co-founded America Online (AOL (News - Alert)) in 1985, when the Internet was in its infancy. Under his leadership as Chairman and CEO, AOL became the world's largest and most valuable Internet company. At the peak of the Internet boom, he negotiated what remains the largest merger in business history, bringing together AOL and Time Warner (News - Alert). He served as Chairman of the Board of the combined company (then known as AOL Time Warner) until 2003. Returning to his entrepreneurial roots, he has partnered with more than a dozen entrepreneurs as an investor and mentor. Mr. Case created Revolution (News - Alert) in 2005 to oversee his rapidly expanding investments; most recently, closing the $450 million Revolution Growth fund launched in December 2011 with Ted Leonsis (News - Alert) and Donn Davis to focus on backing high-growth companies that are leveraging Internet technologies to transform existing industries.

The success of AOL, coupled with Mr. Case's post-AOL track record of building businesses through Revolution, led CNBC to call him "one of the nation's greatest entrepreneurs." Mr. Case is also Chairman of the Case Foundation, a private family foundation he established in 1997 with his wife Jean. Currently, he is a member of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness; Chairman of the Startup America Partnership; co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and co-chair of The Democracy Project.

Mr. Case will give the closing keynote speech the afternoon of May 24. Following his presentation will be the final event of the Capital Connection'12 conference, the TechBUZZ Showdown. Companies voted the "Best of the BUZZ" on May 23, will advance to the TechBUZZ Showdown. Companies will pitch their innovative businesses to the entire Capital Connection audience and one TechBUZZ company will emerge as the 2012 champion.

Key features in this year's Capital Connection and TechBUZZ conference:

• Who's Hot: A who's who of "Top Tech" companies from around the country.
• What's the BUZZ?: The high energy, fast-pitch TechBUZZ program showcasing what's new and fresh from Seed Stage startups.
• Easy Access: A new rate structure to make the conference accessible to a broad range of entrepreneurs, angel investors, incubators and companies across all stages of growth.
• Opportunity to Tell the Company Story: An unparalleled opportunity for early, growth and late stage firms to present business models for investment or showcase their success.

Capital Connection^TM, one of the nation's most respected industry conferences, will be held this year on May 23-24 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Registration for Capital Connection'12 with its featured innovative TechBUZZ event is now open on the conference website located at www.capitalconnection.org.

About Capital Connection^TM

In its 25^th year, Capital Connection brings together the broad community of entrepreneurial companies and potential partners to help enhance business and economic growth. Opinion leaders from business and government share their knowledge and expertise, along with leading technology companies at all growth stages who showcase their capabilities to a nationwide audience of investors, advisors, partners and entrepreneurs at the annual signature event. Launched in 2011, TechBUZZ provides start-ups and seed-stage companies center stage in spotlighting the "next big thing." For more information and to register, go to www.capitalconnection.org.

About TechBUZZ

TechBUZZ was first piloted in 2010 and launched in May 2011 as a half-day conference preceding Capital Connection in response to the growing impact start-ups and seed-stage companies are having in recent years on the investment ecosystem overall. MAVA is dedicated to continuing to foster and celebrate this vital area of our membership by bringing together investors and entrepreneurs in a dynamic and meaningful format. TechBUZZ shines a well-deserved light on the visionary innovators and company-builders in our region who are actively developing their concepts, testing their beta or prototype products and services and pursuing a path toward market entry.

About the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association

The Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) represents the full spectrum of private equity and venture capital firms with investment interests in the mid-Atlantic and beyond, entrepreneurs and their strategic partners. MAVA provides a wide range of programs, information and forums designed to stimulate revenue and company growth, facilitate quality deal flow, encourage collaboration and foster relationships among entrepreneurs, investors, strategic partners and customers. To learn more about MAVA and the extensive services the association provides, go to www.mava.org.

[ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ]