ATLANTA, Oct. 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- At its sixth annual ION Venture Forum for venture capitalists and emerging technology companies, The Atlanta CEO Council provided investors from across North America with an opportunity to participate in its most successful event to date. At the 2007 ION Venture Forum, held September 25-26, conference attendees learned about today's hottest trends in technology from a keynote address by Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy, a panel discussion featuring some of Georgia's top CIOs, and presentations from 14 of Georgia's most promising entrepreneurs.
Since its inception in 2002, ION Venture Forum presenting companies have raised a total of $451 million in venture capital and delivered over $700 million in value through acquisitions and public offerings.
"The 2007 ION Venture Forum was a very productive event for venture capital and private equity investors, featuring high quality companies and invaluable networking opportunities," said Eric Byunn, partner at FTVentures, a private equity firm focused on software and business services companies. "The panelists, presenters and attendees were impressive, making my trip to the conference worthwhile."
More than 200 people attended the keynote speech by Sun Microsystems' chairman and co-founder, Scott McNealy. Additionally, the CEO Council reported strong attendance from the venture community, with funds represented from around the country.
"This year's event has yet again served as an invaluable connection between the venture capitalists and Georgia's most exciting young technology companies," said Brendan McGuire, senior relationship banker with RBC Centura Bank and co-chair of the ION Venture Forum. "Attendees gained tremendous insights from our keynote speaker and panelists, and we're confident the presenting companies can expect to see lots of interest from participating venture funds."
The CIO panel discussion was moderated by Gartner's Research Vice President Robert Anderson and featured four CIOs from leading technology companies: Robin Bienfait, Research in Motion; Karen Painter, Turner Broadcasting System; Sue Powers, Worldspan; and Brian Shield, The Weather Channel.
Fourteen technology companies, selected from a record number of applicants, presented to the nation's premier venture capitalists and private equity investors from states including California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Ontario, Canada.
The 2007 ION Venture Forum presenting companies were: Aelera Group, Agentek, Deposit Solutions, Evoca, Innovolt, Invistics, IVOX, Neurotic Media, OneLinq, Preparis, Qualtre, SparkIP, Steelbox Networks and Walking Stick Solutions.
To learn more about the ION Venture Forum, visit www.ionventureforum.com.
About the Atlanta CEO Council
The Atlanta CEO Council is an exclusive organization for C-Level and senior executives that has been serving the community since 1999. The Council membership is comprised of more than 1,000 CEOs and senior executives (CIOs, CFOs, COOs, CTOs, etc.) from leading technology and related companies from across the Southeast. The Atlanta CEO Council focuses on the strategic development and support of the technology community in the metro Atlanta area. Members of the Atlanta CEO Council represent companies that employ more than 50,000 people in the Atlanta region and generate over $10 billion in direct annual revenue for the local economy.
The Atlanta CEO Council logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4101