First-quarter venture capital (VC) funding in the US fell to US$4.6bn from US$5.4bn in the previous quarter, a MoneyTree Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics (TVE) and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) reveals.

But Bucking a national downturn, venture capitalists flocked to Florida during the first three months of the year, pumping $99.3 million into 11 companies and giving the state it’s best quarterly showing since 2002.

Venture funding in the state was up 10 percent versus the previous quarter and up 16 percent versus the same period last year, according to a survey released by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - HedgeCo Networks, {www.hedgeco.net} announced a new online agreement with NCO Financial Systems Inc., a division of NCO Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCOG). In the agreement, NCO Financial Systems will provide HedgeCo.Net members access to investigative hedge fund manager background reports, which until now, were almost impossible to obtain for the average investor.

The HedgeCo "Background Reports" will offer members of the Hedge Fund investor community, an opportunity to use Hedgeco Networks to investigate hedge funds and their managers for possible investment opportunities. With a set of unique and proprietary tools, never before available to the average investor, HedgeCo and NCO Financial Systems will now be able to deliver comprehensive reports to those investors.

The background reports will include any inconsistencies in the fund manager’s records and objective fund facts, which would help the investor make a more informed investment decision. This becomes of vital importance before any investor commits assets to a prospective fund, especially imperative in light of recent reports of Hedge Fund manager improprieties and criminal fraud. "The Hedge Fund Manager Background Reports will enable investors to make informed decisions about the quality and integrity of the managers prior to investing in the fund," said Evan Rapoport, a HedgeCo Principal, from his West Palm Beach headquarters.

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June 7-8, 2005

Madison Square Garden, New York City

The New York Venture Summit is the premier early stage venture conference dedicated to providing companies seeking funding and/or strategic partnerships, an opportunity to meet, interact and network with leading investors and strategic partners.

Developed by youngStartup Ventures, The New York Venture Summit will feature:

VC Panels:

More than 40 Top-tier VCs sharing their criteria and discussing the issues facing the industry.

Participating VCs  include:
Adams Capital Management * Ascend Venture Group * BEV Capital * Brook Venture Partners * Carlyle Venture Partners * Core-Capital * Dawntreader Ventures * Dolphin Equity Partners * East River Ventures * Eastern Technology Fund * Edelson Technology Partners * Edison Venture Fund * EuclidSR Partners * Genesys Partners * High Peaks Venture Partners * Insight Capital Partners * Investor Growth Capital * Hudson Venture Partners * L Capital Partners * Mellon Ventures * Milestone Venture Partners * New Light Associates * Ovation Capital * Pennell Venture Partners * Pequot Ventures * RHO Ventures * RockRidge Capital * RRE Ventures * Seed Capital Partners * Signal Lake Venture Fund * Silicon Alley Venture Partners * Starvest Partners * Sycamore Ventures * Thomas, McNerney & Partners * Trident Capital * Trillium Group * Union Square Ventures * Village Ventures * Wheatley Partners and many more.

Company Showcase:

More than 40 of the most promising early stage ventures seeking initial rounds of funding.

Company Presentations:

24 of the hottest emerging companies presenting their businesses.

High-level Networking: 

Unparalleled opportunities to meet, interact and network with investors and industry leaders.

Register Today and Save up to $400!!

http://www.vcsummit.com/

(Early Bird Registration available for a limited time!)

For more information or to RSVP by phone call Rivka Benjamin at (718) 477-2208.

VC Breakfast

Topic: "Where�s The Exit?"

May 3, 2005 8:30 am - 11:00 am

Abigael’s on Broadway, New York City

Come meet, interact and network with leading VCs, angel investors, emerging companies and potential partners at Venture Scene - New York’s premier meeting and marketplace for the venture community.

*PITCH YOUR STARTUP* — GET NOTICED — GET FUNDED!

As an additional benefit youngStartup Ventures will provide four startups with the opportunity to pitch live to our panel of early stage investors.  Companies will be chosen randomly at the event, and will each have 2 minutes.

Speakers for Venture Scene New York on May 3rd include:

Moderator:

Stephen Davis, Partner & Co-Chair Private Equity and Emerging Companies Group, Heller Ehrman Venture Law Group

Panelists:

Mike Bernstein, Managing Director, Emerging Business Group, Geller & Company

James Kollegger, CEO, Genesys Partners

Tal Lev, Principal, JVP (Jerusalem Venture Partners)

Ray Mirza, Principal, East River Ventures

Edward Moran, Director TMT Group, Deloitte

Edward Sim, Managing Director, Dawntreader Ventures

Marc Singer, General Partner, BEV Capital

For complete details please click here.

For more information or to RSVP by phone please call Carolyn Jamate at (718) 447-0009

Agenda

08:30 am � 09:00 am Registration, Networking & Breakfast

09:15 am � 09:30 am Welcome Remarks

09:30 am � 10:30 am Panel Discussion, Q&A

10:30 am � 11:00 am Networking

11:00 am                  Adjournment

Audience Profile:

Venture Capitalists, Private Investors, Corporate Investors, Founders & CEO of early stage and emerging growth ventures, professional service firms

25 April 2005

The New York Post reports that the sale of DoubleClick to San Francisco-based leveraged buyout firm Hellman & Friedman, possibly for $1.2 billion.

The reported $1.2 billion price tag would value the enterprise at less than $1 billion, as the purchase would include roughly a quarter billion in cash over and above DoubleClick’s existing debt. The price per share would be about twenty percent higher than it closed Wednesday afternoon.

Shares of DoubleClick jumped in this morning’s trading, closing the gap between yesterday’s price and the rumored per-share offer by about half-way.

DoubleClick has been on the market since the last quarter of 2004, causing many companies in the industry to expect a consolidation.

News Source:

Banks nationally and in Western New York are gobbling up independent insurance agencies and building their own from scratch, in a bid to capitalize on another source of income while meeting a customer need.

Since the regulatory and legal climate changed seven years ago, U.S. banks have eagerly jumped into selling insurance. Most standard insurance products are viewed as just another financial services product, so the banks see it as a service they should be providing.

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