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Farnam Jahanian Named Entrepreneur of the Year

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New Enterprise Forum has announced that Farnam Jahanian, co-founder of Arbor Networks and Chair of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, has been named NEF Entrepreneur of the Year. The annual recipient exemplifies the vision and leadership required to launch and grow a high-tech company, creating jobs and generating strong returns for investors.

Dr. Jahanian co-founded Arbor, a security services company, in 2001 with his former Ph.D. student G. Robert Malan, based on research they conducted at the U-M on Internet infrastructure and security. While launching Arbor, Prof. Jahanian, in the role of President, led the drive to raise $30 million to grow the company. He later served as the company's Chairman of the Board. Today, 70 percent of Internet backbone transit traffic is protected by Arbor technology and the company's products have received many industry accolades. The company has corporate offices in Massachusetts, and its R&D center is located in Ann Arbor. Arbor was purchased by Tektronix Communications in September 2010.

"With many academic honors and publications, Dr. Jahanian has demonstrated how basic university research can be uniquely central to an innovation ecosystem that drives economic growth and global competitiveness," said the NEF team that selected Dr. Jahanian. "We are honored to recognize Dr. Jahanian as this year's 'NEF Entrepreneur of the Year.'" The award will be presented at NEF's 25 anniversary gala on February 17th.

The 25th anniversary gala will be held at Eastern Michigan University Student Center, EMU Campus, Ypsilanti from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cost is $35. The celebration will consist of networking, and NEF award recognitions. VIP tickets and other special ticket packages are available and are expected to go quickly. Visit www.NewEnterpriseForum.org for further information. Sponsorship opportunities are also still available. "Interested parties can look at our registration page for special ticket packages which allow for all kinds of nostalgia. You can visit as a VIP or sponsor a table (each table represents a year in NEF's history), and stakeholders and sponsors can have an exhibit. Also, check out our film sponsorship packages, sponsor our book, or just pick up an event sponsorship," says Jan Gensheimer, NEF president. Contact Jan at seracon@aol.com to become a sponsor. Current Major Sponsors for the event are Michigan Economic Development Corporation (Silver Sponsor) and Butzel Long (Bronze Sponsor). Thank you to these firms for your generous support of this gala celebration!

ABOUT NEF: Through its hands-on work with entrepreneurs, NEF has been planting the seeds for Michigan's economic prosperity for over two decades. NEF serves Michigan entrepreneurs by linking them with management expertise, venture partners, business services, capital, and other critical resources. NEF also provides free coaching teams who assist entrepreneurs with investor presentations and business planning in preparation for fundraising meetings. For information, visit www.NewEnterpriseForum.org.

SOURCE New Enterprise Forum