Applicant Criteria

Venture 2005 Presenting Company Applicant Criteria

Now in its 22nd year, CED's Venture conference unites the Southeast's most dynamic and promising business opportunities with hundreds of leading national investors and the best of the region's growth companies. Venture 2005 is the Southeast's most well-established venture capital financing conference, it promises to showcase NC's hottest investment opportunities, provide tremendous networking opportunities and feature top-notch keynote speakers and panels.

What is the Benefit of Being a Venture Presenting Company?
What Are the Application Criteria?
Why Should You Apply?
How and When Do You Apply and What is the Selection Process?
What are the Application Fees?
Need Further Information?

What is the Benefit of Being a Venture Presenting Company?

Participating as a presenting company provides an opportunity to showcase your company to hundreds of nationally prominent investors, corporate executives and top-notch industry entrepreneurs. Venture 2004 drew over more than 800 people, making it the largest conference of its type in the Southeast. In addition to the high attendance, over one third of those attendees were investors. CED's venture conference series is regarded as the premier venture conference in the Southeast.

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What Are the Application Criteria?

• You must be a North Carolina-based company.
• Past Venture presenters cannot present two consecutive years UNLESS you presented as an Early Stage Presenter the year prior and are planning to present as a Main Stage Presenter the following year.

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Why Should You Apply?

• Funding Opportunities - hundreds of private investors and nationally prominent venture capitalists will be attending.
• Potential Customers - the conference is attended by a wide variety of business executives and decision-makers who may represent your company's target market, including execs from IBM, Cisco, SAS, Microsoft, Red Hat and more....
• Media - Venture has historically attracted local and regional press as well as national media.

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How and When Do You Apply and What is the Selection Process?

Applications will be reviewed in three stages:

• All applications received by the first application deadline (previously November 30, 2004), will be reviewed at that time and the first round of confirmed conference presenters will be selected from this group.
• All applications received by the second application deadline (previously December 31, 2004), along with those not selected in Stage 1, will be reviewed and the second round of confirmed conference presenters will be selected from this group.
• All applications received by the final application deadline, (previously January 31, 2005), along with those not selected in Stage 1 or 2 above, will be reviewed and the final group of companies will be selected as confirmed conference presenters at that time.

Because selection is highly competitive, companies are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible so that they will have the opportunity to receive full consideration during as many of the stages as possible for all conference presenter slots. A screening committee of qualified angel investors and venture capitalists selected by CED will review each application. Approximately 25-35 early and main stage companies will be selected to present. Selection of the presenting companies is competitive and based on the Selection Committee's assessment of the company's written application. You will be notified of your selection as a presenting company in as timely a manner as possible.

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What are the Application Fees?

All Venture 2005 participants must be CED members, there is a $125 membership fee (this includes a one-year individual or entrepreneurial company membership to CED). Members of CED can apply at no cost.

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Need Further Information?

If you have any questions, need additional information, or need guidance in developing your application, please contact Liza Lamberto at llamberto@cednc.org or 919.549.7500 x116.

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