January 28, 2008 15:47 ET

Hot Hi Tech Companies Pitch for Funding at Conference Feb. 7

SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwire - January 28, 2008) - Twenty-three of the hottest hi tech companies in Utah, Hawaii, Oregon and California have their 10-minute pitches polished and ready to go for Wayne Brown Institute's (WBI) 24th Annual Investors Choice® Venture Capital Conference at the Zermatt Resort & Spa in Midway, Utah.

This fever-pitch event puts high-growth companies seeking capital together with investors. Teams of experienced professionals involved in the angel and venture capital process have mentored the selected companies.

The selected IT, life sciences and clean tech companies (see below) have or are near sales and/or previous investment, a strong management team, proprietary technology and have a credible expectation of doing 30-100 million USD a year in sales in three to seven years. Companies will typically be seeking A or B round or seed financing.

In 2006, 50 percent of the presenting companies at the WBI Investors Choice® Venture Capital Conference raised capital for a total of $31 million; the same companies created or retained 620 jobs.

The event begins with a reception at Salt Lake City's Alta Club from 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6, and continues on Thursday, Feb. 7, with companies presenting from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. One-on-one meetings continue throughout the afternoon. Luncheon topic is "Trends in Corporate Venturing," and two seminars will be presented: "Trends in Venture Investing and the Utah Fund of Funds" from 2 to 3 p.m. and "Finding Your First Dollar -- Trends in Angel Investing" from 3 to 4 p.m. The event will close with a mixer sponsored by the Utah Technology Council beginning at 3:30.

For a list of presenting companies, registration and more information, go to http://venturecapital.org/utah or call 801-598-4652.