Silicon Valley Bank's Andrew Rico to Moderate CED EntreForum on August 30

Research Triangle, NC -- August 27, 2001 -- Andrew Rico, manager of Silicon Valley Bank's Research Triangle Park regional office, will be moderating a panel at the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) EntreForum on August 30, sponsored by TechKnowledge Communications Inc. The event is open to both CED members and non-members, and registration is available online at www.cednc.org/entreforum.

The panel's discussion topic is profitability, and will cover managing growth with a view toward near-term profitability; revenue growth versus gross margin and when to take unprofitable sales; the impact of burn rate and how to control burn; knowing when to hire a CFO; and the importance of profitability in a business plan and its role in investor expectations.

Rico has been managing Silicon Valley Bank's regional office in Research Triangle Park, N.C., since it opened in February 2000. He is responsible for managing and growing the Bank's technology portfolio throughout North Carolina. The office in Research Triangle Park is part of the Bank's Southeast Division, which serves over 300 venture capital-backed emerging technology companies.

Additional speakers on the panel will include: Jonathan Perl, partner with Intersouth Partners; Nick Riehle, CFO of HAHT; Petra Weishaupt, CFO of A4 Health Systems; and Scot Wingo, CEO and president of ChannelAdvisor Corporation.

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.