SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/26/07 -- Two leading figures in the world of high technology investment and managing technology and innovation converge to address the country's largest showcase of early stage innovation.

Close to 1,000 technology innovators, venture capital firms, government agencies, and corporate investors will meet in San Francisco May 1-2 at The Venture Forum (http://www.theventureforum.com/), an annual event to connect early stage innovators with funding sources. Since its inception 13 years ago, The Venture Forum has facilitated over $600 million in venture capital, corporate and government investment, thereby helping innovators move high-value technologies closer to commercialization.

Vinod Khosla will keynote May 1, in conversation with Matthew Bishop, Chief Business Writer/American Business Editor, THE ECONOMIST.

Dr. Chesbrough will keynote May 2, in conversation with Scott Horsley, Business Correspondent, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO.

BusinessWeek recently profiled Vinod Khosla, noting that "... over half his investments at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers from 1996 to 2001 were infusions of $1 million or less into barely formed startups. That period was a golden era for him, giving rise to such hits as optical networking company Juniper Networks, which returned KPCB's invested capital over 1,000 times."

The term "Open innovation" was originated and developed in Dr Chesbrough's 2003 Harvard Business School Press book, based on his research on the innovation practices of large multinational companies. The book received advance praise from leading scholars and executives. As John Seeley Brown, former head of Xerox PARC, explains in his forward: "The open innovation model that Chesbrough describes in this book shows the necessity of both letting ideas flow out of the corporation in order to find better sites for their monetization and also to flow into the corporation as new offerings and new business models."

"We are delighted to welcome two world-class opinion-leaders from the innovation and investment worlds to the Forum," said Rohit Shukla, CEO of Larta Institute, creators and producers of the Venture Forum. "With over 130 early stage companies presenting from 5 countries and a host of speakers on diverse issues of interest to investors and innovators everywhere, their insights will be of great value to everyone," he added.

Forum Overview

Now 13 years strong, The Venture Forum is the largest -- and longest running -- showcase of early stage innovation and entrepreneurship on the planet. It is the must-attend event for those seeking access to untapped quality deal flow from around the world. The Venture Forum 2007 features innovators from across the U.S., Korea, New Zealand, Russia and Taiwan. It also features panels on issues ranging from Early Stage Investing to Medical Technologies, from Cleantech to Global Innovation.

Venture Forum presenting companies are drawn from Larta's robust pipeline, and prepared by Larta's world-class mentors to deliver presentations focused on a solid business proposition, excellent science, and strong growth potential for an audience of investors, partners and customers.

Venture Forum Advisory Committee members include top technology sourcing, investment, and licensing executives from Samsung Ventures, Johnson & Johnson, Burrill & Company, Intel Corporation, Technology Partners, Allergan, Unilever Technology Ventures, BASF Venture Capital America Inc., Research Corporation Technologies, Inc., DuPont, Advent Technologies, Yahoo! Inc., Lilly Ventures, Pfizer, Boston Scientific, Cargill Ventures, Genzyme Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., Sharp Corporation, BD Ventures, and Siemens TTB.

Attendee Registration

Registration for the two-day event is $995. To register, go to http://www.theventureforum.com/registration.asp.

Credentialed Media: To register for a press pass, please contact Abigail Pohlman at apohlman@larta.org or 213-765-4836.

Sponsorship Opportunities

For information on sponsorship opportunities contact Carlos Gutierrez at 213-765-4833 or email at cgutierrez@larta.org.

About Larta Institute

Larta Institute's mission is to increase economic development through the improved transition of scientific and technological breakthroughs from the laboratory to the marketplace, where they can solve problems, enhance economic opportunities, advance medical care, and better people's lives. Larta Institute is an independent, private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation registered in the State of California. Since 1993, companies helped by Larta Institute have raised over $1.5 billion in capital. Its programs serve thousands of businesspeople each year. Larta accelerates the transition of cutting-edge technologies to the marketplace by connecting innovators to investors and companies, and leveraging its extensive network of relationships and resources.

Larta Institute was originally formed in 1993 through legislation enacted by the State of California to assist small companies developing innovative technologies. The Institute has expanded dramatically since then to serve thousands of clients in a wide variety of technology sectors globally.

For more information contact Rohit Shukla, CEO & Founder, at rshukla@larta.org The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:

Carlos Gutierrez
213-765-4833
Email Contact

Abigail Pohlman
213-765-4836
Email Contact

Rohit Shukla
CEO & Founder
Email Contact