Region’s Top VC’s will attend Intermountain Venture Forum- Boise Event Application Deadline Extended to August 27th

Intermountain Venture Forum-Boise organizers announced today that several of the West’s top venture capital firms (VCs) have already confirmed their attendance for the event on October 1-2, 2003.

So far, attending VCs include OVP Venture Partners; Village Ventures; Solstice Capital; Akers Capital; Frazier Technology Ventures; Highway 12 Ventures; Wasatch Venture Fund; InvestAmerica Advisors; UV Partners; and American River Ventures. Many of the firms will have representatives featured in the event’s panel groups.

Links to most of the attending VCs are available at the event website at http://www.ventureboise.org at the “Event Agenda.” Comerica Bank will also be attending the event as is sponsoring a networking reception for the guests.

“We expect the list of attending VCs to increase as the event approaches,” explained Tom Loutzenheiser, Managing Partner, Akers Capital, a Boise venture firm, “But the fact that ten firms have already confirmed is a promising sign. Several other firms that attended last year still have not notified the event steering committee, but we expect to hear from them as well.”

The event steering committee also announced today that they have extended the deadline for fund-seeking companies to apply to present their businesses to investors. The new deadline is August 27, 2003. The original deadline was August 8th. The decision to extend the deadline is a response to several requests by companies that need additional time to finalize their applications and to update their business plans.

Event Chairman Brad Wiskirchen advised, “We intend to host the most customer-focused venture forum in the country. When you’re dealing with entrepreneurs you have to be able to adapt to their busy schedules. While we are very appreciative of those companies that made the original deadline, our main objective is to showcase the fifteen best companies in the West – not the first fifteen companies to apply.”

Companies seeking funding should log onto http://www.ventureboise.org to submit an online application (a downloadable version is also available for fax or conventional mail). Applicants also must email their executive summaries to the Forum Director, Brent Thomas at [email protected]. The companies that are selected will be notified by September 1st, at which time they will receive details on how to prepare for the event, including a series of scheduled conference calls with a mentoring team of industry professionals.

This year’s Intermountain Venture Forum-Boise will feature guest speakers, three panel discussions, up to fifteen company presentations, continental breakfasts each day, a catered lunch, networking reception sponsored by Comerica Bank, and a special dinner for VCs and featured companies sponsored by Bechtel/BWXT-Idaho (Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory). Guests are also encouraged to take advantage of special offers on post-event recreation activities, including guided whitewater rafting, mountain biking or fly-fishing.

Sponsored this year by Holland & Hart (http://www.hollandhart.com), Intermountain Venture Forum-Boise brings together entrepreneurs and equity investors from across the West. Last year, 14 early stage companies from 6 states made formal presentations to an audience of 250 guests, which included venture capital firms from across the Intermountain Region. General guests (investors and other venture community members) can register through October 1st. For additional information about this exciting event contact Brent Thomas, Forum Director, at (208) 472-5232 or email [email protected].