MENLO PARK, Calif., WALTHAM, Mass., and NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- 3i, world leading venture capital and private equity firm, is building on its strong position in the VC market with the launch of its inaugural Venture Capital Advisory Board. This impressive group of technology visionaries and venture capital leaders from all over the world will work alongside 3i VC partners, to encourage entrepreneurship.

Jo Taylor, 3i VC Managing Partner, explained: "In this powerful endorsement of 3i's global network, 3i has brought together an elite group of individuals, who will work with us to support 3i-backed IT and healthcare companies. This symbiotic relationship allows sharing of insight and experience and provides opportunities for Advisory Board members to invest alongside 3i in highly innovative young companies worldwide."

The new Advisory Board members include: -- Dr. Ahmad Bahai, Co-inventor of Multicarrier CDMA, world-renowned researcher in wireless; Chief Technologist, National Semiconductor; Adjunct Professor, Stanford and UC Berkeley -- Eric Benhamou, Chairman, 3Com, Palm, Cypress Semiconductor; member, Joint High Level Advisory Panel of the US-Israeli Science and Technology Commission -- Ron Dollens, retired President and CEO, Guidant; Director, ABIOMED Corporation; Chairman, Kinetic Concepts Inc.; and Director, Alliance for Aging Research, Butler University -- Hossein Eslambolchi, Entrepreneur and Advisor to Silicon Valley firms and Technology Evangelist; former CTO, AT&T, responsible for its transformation, holding 700 global patents -- Adj. Prof. Dr. Martin Haemmig, international researcher, lecturer and consultant on "Globalization of Venture Capital" advising global organizations, corporations and investors -- David Nagel, former President/CEO, PalmSource; CTO, AT&T and President of AT&T Labs; SVP, Apple Computer; Head, NASA Ames Research Center Aerospace Human Factors Research Division; member of President Clinton's Advisory Committee on Information Technology; member of NATO's Advisory Group for Aerospace R&D -- Paul Saffo, distinguished futurist and thought leader; director, Institute for the Future (think tank); Chair, Samsung Science Advisory Board, and consulting professor, Stanford University -- Dr. Sachio Semmoto, founder, eAccess; co-founder, DDI; senior management roles at both NTT and Kyocera, also founder and CEO of 3.5G mobile broadband operator, eMobile Ltd. -- Yossi Vardi, one of Israel's early entrepreneurs, founded and helped build over 40 high tech companies; founding investor of ICQ, first Internet wide instant messaging and advisor to AOL and Amazon

Upon joining 3i's Advisory Board, Dr. Martin Haemmig, added "It's a great privilege to work closely with 3i and fellow board members and apply my expertise to help the firm develop and benchmark global best practice in venture capital. The US has historically led the way in the successful use of advisory boards and with the high caliber of 3i's new board, this should ultimately lead to a strong footprint in all key venture hotbeds around the globe and the creation of world-class companies which create substantial value for their customers and investors."

Working with 3i global partners, Advisory Board Members will have a share in 3i's interest in helping dynamic entrepreneurs to exploit market opportunities and grow their businesses internationally. Advisory Board members will offer strategic insight in their specific fields of excellence to 3i portfolio companies, help 3i during the due diligence process and assist with sourcing the best entrepreneurs and start-ups, especially at an early stage of development.

The first meeting of the Advisory Board will take place over two days in mid-October. Advisory Board members will also take part in relevant 3i sponsored industry events. This program commences with Ron Dollens speaking alongside 3i at the upcoming MedTech Insight conference in Boston, October 18 - 20, 2006.

This announcement builds on a year of success for 3i's global venture capital team and its portfolio, with multimillion-dollar trade sales including Arakis (Sosei), UbiNetics (CSR and Aeroflex), and Kudos Pharmaceuticals (AstraZeneca), with many successful IPOs including Interhyp (online mortgage broker) and Magix software.

For further information, contact: Katja Gehrt 650.470.3210 katja.gehrt@3i.com Notes to Editors About 3i

3i is a world leader in venture capital and private equity. We focus on Buyouts, Growth Capital and Venture Capital and invest across Europe, in the United States and in Asia. Our competitive advantage comes from our international network and the strength and breadth of our relationships in business. These underpin the value that we deliver to our portfolio and to our shareholders.

3i's Venture Capital business focuses on investing in scaleable start-up and early-stage businesses. The business currently manages investments across Europe, US, Asia and Israel valued in excess of $1bn. 3i's VC investments fall into four main industry sectors, including healthcare, telecommunications, software and electronics / semiconductors. For more information, go to http://www.3i.com/.

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CONTACT: Katja Gehrt, 3i, +1-650-470-3210, katja.gehrt@3i.com

Web site: http://www.3i.com/