FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ZAG FOUNDER & CEO SCOTT PAINTER TO DELIVER VENTURENET^™ 2007 KEYNOTE 
 

Executives from Top Venture Capital Firms including Rincon Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Frontier and Palomor Ventures to Lead Expert Review Panels for Record Number of Capital Presenters

 TORRANCE, Calif. – October 1, 2007 – The Technology Council of Southern California, www.tcosc.org, today announced that Scott Painter, founder and CEO of automotive retailer innovator Zag, will give the keynote address at VentureNet™ 2007, the region’s premier capital conference for software and information technology companies.  An experienced entrepreneur, Painter is well suited to offer his perspective to the VentureNet audience. He recently closed $13.5 million in funding for Zag, bringing the company’s total equity capital to more than $46 million.

This year’s annual conference will be held Friday, October 5, 2007 at The Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, Calif. A limited number of conference registrations are still available online at www.venturenet.org, or by calling (310) 325-4000.   

In 1998, Painter founded CarsDirect.com, which helped propel the world's major automotive manufacturers and their franchised dealers to embrace the Internet.  Under Painter's leadership, CarsDirect.com secured over $350 million in funding and played a principal role in the transformation of the automotive retail industry into one driven by consumer expectations, customer service, and trust.  

This year’s conference will feature a record 14 capital presentations from pre-qualified companies seeking to make funding connections. Situated throughout Southern California – from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to San Diego – this year’s presenters are seeking all levels of funding. 

VentureNet 2007 capital presenters have developed new solutions for a wide variety of technologies, ranging from mobile game platforms and cloud computing to business intelligence software and VOIP. The companies are tackling several of today’s most pressing industry issues, including digital rights management, spam overload and online media distribution.

The conference is anchored by two expert review panels that feature executives from several of today’s top venture capital firms, including Rincon Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Frontier, Palomar Ventures, MHS Capital, GRP Partners, Arcturus Capital, Rustic Canyon Partners, and Tech Coast Angels.

Twenty-one companies, including the 14 presenting companies, will also be exhibiting in the Entrepreneur's Showcase, where much of the conference’s networking takes place. A “Best of Show” award will be given to the company determined by panelists to have made the best overall presentation.  

Presented by the Technology Council of Southern California, the conference is sponsored by Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, Deloitte & Touche, CJ Patrick Company, CoreObjects, Tech Coast Angels, Pasadena Angels, socalTECH.com and Ruder Finn, Inc.
For more information on the Technology Council or its events, please visit: www.tcosc.org.

About the Technology Council of Southern California

The Technology Council of Southern California is the premier forum for the region’s technology leaders, providing events, connections, information and resources to help technology companies succeed. From recognizing excellence in innovation through its annual awards event to providing access to funding through VentureNet, the Technology Council supports companies throughout their entire corporate lifecycles. Founded in 1991 as the Software Council of Southern California, the Technology Council has a 15-year history of supporting technology companies across the region. For more information visit www.tcosc.org.