Boston, MA - November 13, 2007 - Today the New England Venture Network (NEVN) announced the launch of VentureNetwork.VC, a new Web site that incorporates the most popular elements of today’s social networking and Web 2.0 destinations to enable its members to more freely and easily network online. This is the first professional social network built for the venture capital community. The site is available exclusively to venture capitalists, limited partners and NEVN sponsors.
V
entureNetwork.VC offers numerous components designed to not only facilitate greater exchange of information and ideas but also create a forum where members can continuously interact outside planned networking events coordinated by NEVN each year.
Each member will have their own profile page which can be populated with detail about their firm, investment focus, personal background and experience. Not unlike some of the most popular business and mainstream social networking sites in use today, the site will allow members to establish their own sub-networks and internal communities.
VentureNetwork.VC is built upon California-based MyLife Brand’s white label online community platform, which powers all of its functionality and allows its members to connect across other business social networks like LinkedIn. Beyond traditional social networking features, the new site will enable members to post and discuss information about deals, job openings and upcoming industry and live networking events. Also offered will be in-depth industry research collected from the area’s most knowledgeable analyst firms to help members with due diligence and strategic investment decisions. Finally, the site will feature regular Q&A sessions with experts in various fields tangential but pertinent to the venture capital world, including the fields of law, accounting and marketing.
“This is an exciting time for NEVN as we truly believe that the launch of VentureNetwork.VC will create a unique forum for members to communicate with one another and benefit from each other’s knowledge, experiences and contacts,” said David Safaii, of Windspeed Ventures and Chairman of NEVN. “We are supremely confident that our members will immediately realize the inherent value in the new Web site, allowing it to become not only a great communications tool but a mechanism for growth of our network as well.”
Mr. Safaii has worked over the past few months with NEVN Steering Committee members Dan Klein of Vesbridge Partners and Joe Medved of SoftBank Capital to develop VentureNetwork.VC. They have designed a customized portal leveraging technologies that many of NEVN’s members focus on from an investment perspective. NEVN expects to add new features and evolve the functionality of the site as it grows in popularity and as feedback is solicited from members and users.
Over the long term, NEVN will partner with other venture capital associations to bring VentureNetwork.VC to the entire venture capital community. While any eligible industry member can join today, the platform has been constructed to allow peer associations to customize scheduling and communications within their unique memberships while facilitating the collaboration of all members across the broader network.
In conjunction with the launch, NEVN also aims to strengthen its focus on charitable giving and community investment. The association hopes to motivate members to use the networking tools not just for business purposes but also for the betterment of the surrounding community through donations of time and money to local charities and sponsorship of charitable events.
The development of VentureNetwork.VC has been facilitated through the support of NEVN’s Platinum Sponsors: Capital Advisors Group (www.capitaladvisorsgroup.com) and Cooley Godward Kronish LLP (www.cooley.com).
About NEVN
Founded in 1999, the New England Venture Network (NEVN) is dedicated to cultivating sustained relationships among the top young venture capitalists and limited partners in the region and beyond. NEVN is the largest young venture capital network on the East Coast.
NEVN provides an interactive forum where members can connect with peers through networking events, educational panels, and our online portal. VentureNetwork.VC, powered by NEVN, is a social network and collaborative environment where members can share resources, source deals, access research and advance their careers.
The organization is also committed to providing outstanding opportunities for leading venture capital service providers to connect with their clients, and to help promote and support our sponsored charities.
NEVN is run by Board members Geraldine Alias (Fidelity Ventures), Aaron Bright (Permal Capital Management), Leland Cheung (Masthead Venture Partners), Gavin Kim (Advanced Technology Ventures), Danny Klein (Vesbridge Partners), Maura McCarthy (Ironwood Equity), Joe Medved (SoftBank Capital), Chairman David Safaii (Windspeed Ventures), and Trent Yang (Globespan Capital Partners).
For additional information, please visit www.nevnweb.com, and www.VentureNetwork.VC.