Sold Out - Invest Midwest Attracts National Interest Venture Capital Forum Raises Awareness of Regions Entrepreneurial and Technology Base Above left: Micheal Marks, chairman & CEO of Flextronics, shared his experience in raising venture capital funds with attendees at the first annual InvestMidwest. Above: Some 400 leading venture capitalists, qualified investors, bankers, and accounting and legal professionals gathered together for the InvestMidwest venture capital forum. The St. Louis region took center stage in the national venture capital community May 23 and 24 as some 400 leading venture capitalists, qualified investors, bankers, and accounting and legal professionals from throughout the region and the nation gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for InvestMidwest, co-presented by the RCGA, the Missouri Venture Forum, and the Technology Gateway Alliance. The Danforth Foundation, the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the Missouri Department of Economic Development were underwriting sponsors. The 20 presenting companies (selected from more than 120 firms) at this inaugural Forum were: Loan Surfer.com; Three Dog Bakery; Partner Communications and Services; Sequoia Sciences; Freight.Pro; Synergetics; Sports.Huddle.com; Metaphore; Haystack Toys; Daedalus Technologies Companies; Boxdirect.com; Libratto; Omniplex; StreamSearch.com; Kereos; Primary Web/Works; Inner Circle Logistics; Data Trade; Assistguide.com; and BeyondNow Technologies. Select InvestMidwest Presentations aired on the nationally-syndicated PBS program, MoneyHunt and live on Richard Taveners popular webcast and syndicated national radio show, Entrepreneurs! Living the American Dream. In addition, the St. Louis Business Journal and the Post-Dispatch presented extensive coverage of InvestMidwest, and The Wall Street Journal covered the event. In addition to providing a venue for companies to find funding, the high national media interest in InvestMidwest reinforces the regions growing reputation as a rising technology hotbed, which already is attracting entrepreneurs, businesses and a growing workforce to the entire region. This is the venture capital equivalent of bringing the mountain to Mohammed, says Dick Fleming, president and CEO of the RCGA. For many of the venture capitalists, this was their first chance to experience firsthand the Midwests exceptional business opportunities. InvestMidwest capped off two full months of major technology events in St. Louis, including the Civic Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) National Technology Forum with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in April, and early May inaugural Tech Fair 2000 with leading speakers, exhibits and technology advances being developed in the community.

July 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COVER STORY 2000 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards PROFILE Joe Edwards Owner of Blueberry Hill, the Tivoli Theater and The Pageatn; founder of the St. Louis Walk of Fame - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org Taking Technology Personal Stressless Commuting - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -