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LAVA Investment Capital Conference Announces Stellar Lineup of Finance Track Speakers

Speakers Include Nation's Top Venture and Private Equity Funds and Investment Banks

The Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) today announced the lineup of speakers for finance track panels for this year's Investment Capital Conference. The event is scheduled for April 5 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

This year's theme for Track One discussions is "The Company Lifecycle: Financing Growth from Startup to Exit." Speakers, including senior executives from the nation's top venture and private equity funds and investment banks, will provide strategic advice and market-driven information that executives need at key phases of companies' development, including startup, growth, mergers and acquisitions and structured deals.

"The financing options for public and private companies are more numerous than any time before in history. Capital providers, ranging from venture capital funds, private equity to hedge funds are awash with undeployed capital seeking quality deals," said Bryon Roth, co-chair of 2006 Investment Capital conference and chairman & CEO of Roth Capital Partners, LLC. "The finance panels will feature capital providers and company executives sharing their views on successful strategies to help successfully finance the growth of early-stage to middle-market companies."

Startup panel:

--  John Fisher, managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson
--  Jim Armstrong, managing director of Clearstone Venture Partners
--  Winston Damarillo, managing partner of Simula Labs
--  Brad Jones, founding partner of Redpoint Ventures
--  Ted Alexander, managing partner of Mission Ventures
--  Moderator: David Cremin, managing director of DFJ Frontier
    

Growth panel:

--  Rick Heitzmann, senior vice president of Pequot Management
--  Byron Roth, chairman & CEO of Roth Capital Partners, LLC
--  David Castagna, managing director of Cowen & Company
--  E. John Schneider, managing director of WR Hambrecht + Co
--  Moderator: Michael Donahue, chairman of Corporate Capital Advisors
    

AIM panel:

--  Carl Nisser, advocate and consultant of SJ Berwin LLP
--  Anne Moulier, corporate account manager of London Stock Exchange
--  Cromwell Coulson, CEO and chairman of Pink Sheets LLC
--  Michael Marrus, managing director of C. E. Unterberg, Towbin
--  Deepak Chopra, chairman of Spacelabs Healthcare
--  Moderator: Lance Kimmel, attorney at law of SEC Law Firm
    

Mergers & Acquisitions panel:

--  Neil Morganbesser, senior managing director of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc
--  Eric Epstein, vice president of Cerberus California
--  John Mack, CEO of USBX Advisory Services
--  Hollie Moore, managing director of Silver Lake Partners
--  Gregory Soukup, partner of Ernst & Young
--  Moderator: Ken Nofziger, Managing Director of Duff & Phelps
    

Structured Deals Panel:

--  Eric Beckman, partner of Ares Management
--  Julie Levenson, managing director of Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin
--  Joshua Tanzer, managing director of Revolution Partners
--  Michael Bush, president and CEO of Anchor Blue Retail Group
--  Michael Kane, managing director of Caltius Capital Management
--  Todd Bomberg, CIO of MAG Capital
--  Moderator: Nevin Sanli, president of Sanli Pastore & Hill, Inc.
    

"For the increasing number of companies in the region seeking venture capital and other forms of institutional sponsorship, the Investment Capital Conference provides an open and level playing field to meet top capital providers," said Brad Jones, founding partner of Redpoint Ventures. "I would encourage any entrepreneur or CEO to take advantage of the feast of financing sources and market insights that will be available at the 2006 Investment Capital Conference."

The Investment Capital Conference is the largest and most important gathering of capital providers and companies seeking capital in the nation. This year's theme "The Path to Success: Financing Your Company from Startup to Exit," makes the event ideal for C-level executives, entrepreneurs, board members, active providers of equity and debt capital, key advisors and opinion leaders to receive insights from leading providers of growth financing. The conference will feature a two-track program of panel discussions followed by the Capital ZoneSM, a turbo-charged "deal making" forum designed to connect entrepreneurs, CEOs, CFOs, and company advisors with top capital providers in the nation.

About LAVA

The Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) is the oldest, most successful organization focused on the financing of companies from start to exit. Since 1985 LAVA has been promoting the development and financing of emerging growth and middle market companies by organizing dynamic forums where entrepreneurs and executives actively meet and learn from fellow executives, investors, bankers, financial advisors and other providers of professional services. For more information or to register, visit icc.lava.org. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Crocker Coulson at (818) 789-0100 or Crocker.Coulson@ccgir.com.

Distributed by Market Wire