Springboard Celebrates Six Years of Showcasing Women-Led Growth Companies; November 18th Forum to Feature 21 Technology-Oriented Companies.

BOSTON -- Springboard: New England today announced the roster of companies selected to present at its venture forum scheduled for Friday, November 18, 2005 at Harvard Business School's Spangler Center. The Forum is the 16th Springboard Venture Forum and 6th New England Forum hosted since early 2000.

Springboard: New England 2005 is co-hosted by the Center for Women & Enterprise and Springboard Enterprises. The presenting companies were selected from 120 applicants, and represent a range of opportunities from seed to later stage technology, life sciences and business and consumer product ventures. The program features a rigorous screening of applicants, a full-day orientation bootcamp, and a month long, individualized coaching program. The program culminates in a venture forum showcasing the companies before an audience of corporate, angel, and venture investors. To date, the 350 companies that were selected to present at Springboard Forums have raised over $3 billion in equity, grants and strategic investments.

"Springboard has demonstrated over and over again that investing in women-led business makes great dollars and sense," asserted Kay Koplovitz, entrepreneur, author, investor and co-founder and Chairman of Springboard Enterprises. "Savvy investors, such as the ones who invested early on in Helen Greiner who took her company iRobot public last week, know that our Forums are a place to find great deals."

The companies presenting at this year's forum were recruited from the entire east coast and were chosen on the strength of their management teams, the commercial appeal of their products and their investment opportunity. They include a developer of an alternative to current in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques, a business-class IT solution that automates proactive PC maintenance & security management, a pioneer in the technology of plastic optical fiber and a leader in the electronic Patient Reported Outcome area of clinical trials around the world to assist in bringing new drugs to market faster with better quality data.

A full list of the SPRINGBOARD: NEW ENGLAND 2005 presenters follows.

--Artemis Woman, manufacturer and retailer of a unique line of home spa products

--Attogen, a company that targets tumors with specific antibodies that are present in tumorigenic or metastatic tissue

--BioTrove, Incorporated, a biotechnology company focused on advancing drug discovery life science research by exploring micro and nanotechnologies

--Chromis Fiberoptics, a pioneer in the technology of plastic optical fiber and a leading original equipment management supplier of perfluorinated graded-index POF 

--DesignerShoes.com, the largest woman's shoe retailer in the world that specializes exclusively in hard to find sizes for "women who leave a larger footprint"

--Gene Network Sciences (GNS), a biosimulation company that creates data-driven compound simulation models that help pharmaceutical companies improve the quality of drug candidates

--GiveBeauty.com, a provider of a re-loadable gift card valid for services anywhere in a national network of salons, spas and yoga/pilates studios, with beauty/fitness consultant partnerships nationwide

--Isis Maternity, a creator of programs and retail products for expecting & new parents, infants and toddlers in Massachusetts

--Medelle, a developer of an updated infertility procedure and an alternative to current in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques

--Myomo, a provider of independence for individuals who have suffered from neurological trauma or other debilitating loss of strength through active joint brace technology and robotic rehabilitation

--PHT Corporation, a leader in the electronic Patient Reported Outcome area of clinical trials around the world to assist in bringing new drugs to market faster with better quality data

--Playability, Inc., a new concept in retail that combines children's entertainment, a toy store, and childcare into a 3,000 square foot play center located inside shopping malls

--Saladax Biomedical, Inc. (SBI), a developer, manufacturer and distributor of a line of monitoring tests that aid oncologists in adjusting chemotherapy drug dosage

--Sanostec, a medical device company that improves the upper respiratory airway health of millions of consumers with a mild, minimally invasive intervention

--SiteScape, a provider of highly secure software solutions for collaboration and knowledge management

--Star Farm Productions, an independent entertainment company that designs, creates, develops and markets children's entertainment properties simultaneously in multiple media

--The Digiticians, a Managed Service Provider (MSP) that has developed a business-class IT solution, which automates proactive PC maintenance & security management reducing common errors and crashes in the digital home

--The Natural Dentist, a developer and marketer of natural oral care products that are nationally distributed in natural and mass market grocery and drug chains

--VirtuosoWorks, a software company focused on incorporating its passion, vast musical knowledge, the best programming, and the finest musicians and recording technology in the world

--Zeetoo, a creator of licensable technologies, which revolutionize mobile devices through innovative combinations of software, hardware, sensor technologies, and ergonomic design

--Zweave, Inc., a Product Lifecycle Management Solutions (PLM) company which provides systems integration services and software to clients looking for a total PLM solution

Springboard: New England 2005 Lead Supporters include: The Castle Group, Inc, Edwards & Angell LLP, Flagship Ventures, Foley Hoag LLP, Goodwin Procter LLP, Harvard Business School, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Weston Presidio, and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

About Springboard Enterprises

Springboard Enterprises is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization educating, promoting and connecting women entrepreneurs to the nation's private investment community. Springboard has demonstrated phenomenal success in increasing women's access to the equity markets and assisting them in growing their businesses. Springboard patrons include The Kauffman Foundation, The George Washington University, Grant Thornton, Bank of America, OPEN American Express and Venable. Springboard Venture Affiliates include the National Venture Capital Association, the Kauffman Fellows Program, ONSET Ventures, Ascend Ventures, CDVCA and NASBIC. Information about Springboard programs and companies can be found at www.springboardenterprises.org.

About the Center for Women & Enterprise

The Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) is the largest regional entrepreneurial training organization in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. CWE's mission is to empower women to become economically self-sufficient and prosperous through entrepreneurship. CWE offers education, training, technical assistance, women's business enterprise certification and access to both debt and equity capital to entrepreneurs at every stage of business development. CWE draws its clients from a wide variety of racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, spanning the range from women living in public housing who may want to start home-based or small retail businesses to women running fast growth, multi-million dollar technology businesses. As a non-profit, charitable organization, CWE provides its services on a sliding-scale basis in order to serve all women, regardless of their ability to pay. Since its founding in 1995, CWE has served more than 10,000 entrepreneurs.