Cutting Edge Startups Given Chance of Lifetime at Silicon Valley Bank's Showcase II January 23

Santa Clara, Calif. -- January 8, 2001 -- Twenty of Silicon Valley's cutting edge startups will have the opportunity to present two-minute elevator pitches to a panel of leading angel and seed stage venture capitalists at Silicon Valley Bank's Showcase II. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23 at the Santa Clara Marriott.

Each company's presentation will be followed by a five-minute Q&A period from the panel. Panel participants include Craig Johnson from the Venture Law Group, Bob Bozeman of Angel Investors, Ian Patrick Sobieski of the Band of Angels, Randy Haykin of Interactive Minds and Jim Robbins of Panasonic Incubator. Over 200 members of the angel investment community are expected to attend.

The emcee for the event will be Don Sanders of Sanders Associates, who has over 30 years experience in technology industries and now works with startup teams and investors to kick-start business concepts into reality. Prior to the event, Kim Marinucci, principal of Winning Pitch, served as Pitch Coach and assisted each company with developing a compelling story and presenting it with confidence

Silicon Valley Bank founded the Showcase and hosted its debut event in September where Oakland, CA-based findtheDot, Inc. received a NetFinity 5100 Server, donated by IBM, for earning the top place finish. The Bank plans to host the event regularly.

"Showcase is just another example of our dedication to do everything we can to help our clients become as successful as possible," said Mark Horn, manager of Silicon Valley Bank's Emerging Technologies Division. "Our clients are thrilled to be able to present in front of an audience whose connections and influence are extremely critical to their development. We look forward to continuing to provide our clients with these exciting opportunities."

About Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank serves emerging growth and middle market companies in targeted niches, focusing on technology and life sciences, while also addressing other specific industries in which it can provide a higher level of service and better manage credit through specialization and focus.

The Bank operates throughout the Silicon Valley: Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Sand Hill, the center of the venture capital community in California. Other regional offices within California include: Irvine, Los Angeles, Napa Valley, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Sonoma. Office locations outside of California include: Phoenix, Arizona; Boulder, Colorado; West Palm Beach, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Durham, North Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Austin, Texas; Dallas, Texas; Northern Virginia; and Seattle, Washington.

SVB Contact: Andrea McGhee, (408) 654-3078, amcghee@svbank.com.