SOFTBANK's Gary Rieschel to Keynote 11th Annual Colorado Capital Conference; Event to Focus on Financing and Strategic Partnering In the Next Millennium

Business Wire, June 1, 1999

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1999--

Financing in the next millennium may look entirely different than the last century and require new approaches and financing paradigms.

Are you prepared?

From 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. MDT on Tuesday, June 8, 1999 the Rockies Venture Club, the Rocky Mountain region's leading entrepreneurial and capital financing network, will host the 11th annual Colorado Capital Conference at the Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, Colo.

The luncheon keynote speaker at this year's conference will be Gary Rieschel, executive managing director of SOFTBANK Technology Ventures. Since January of 1996, Rieschel has led all of SOFTBANK's U.S. venture capital activities. He also serves as a director for several SOFTBANK portfolio companies and is a member of SOFTBANK Corporation's Global Executive Board. SOFTBANK has provided financing for such Internet giants as E-Trade, GeoCities and Yahoo!.

"We are very fortunate to have Gary Rieschel keynoting this year's conference," said John Metzger, president, Rockies Venture Club. "Gary is a valuable resource for insight into the future of financing and brings a very high level of experience and expertise to the table."

The rapid increase in new technology businesses, particularly Internet and e-commerce-oriented companies, has changed the business models of successful companies forever. The future of financing will require a new attitude and way of thinking. This year's conference theme, "Financing in the 3rd Millennium," will feature presentations that offer valuable insight into those arenas.

The morning program will consist of two panel presentations. The first, "Angel Investing," will look at the boom in angel investing as a source of venture capital and discuss the role of angel investing in the future. The next session, "Strategic Partnering," will define and describe the risks and benefits of this increasingly popular method of venture capital. Both panels will be comprised of experts in the field.

Afternoon presentations will explore two different aspects of venture financing. Track I, Financing 101, will outline the various types of financing, including debt, equity and alternative methods. There will also be a hands-on, interactive panel with four companies sharing their financing challenges and success secrets. Track II will be an investor forum featuring a series of presenters from emerging growth companies who are seeking financing. The afternoon will close with a venture capital panel of experts from national and local venture capital firms.

This year, Arthur Andersen LLP will be the host sponsor, BDO Seidman LLP will be the lunch sponsor and the Denver Post will be the media sponsor. Conference sponsors include American Express Tax & Business Services, Business Wire, Hall & Evans LLC, Holland & Hart LLP, Norwest Business Credit Inc. and Pueblo Bank & Trust.

Registration is $99 for members and $139 for non-members. Register online at www.rockiesventureclub.org, or contact Maita Lester at 303-831-4174.

The Rockies Venture Club is a non-profit volunteer organization that celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship in the Rocky Mountain region. Founded in 1983, RVC is the only networking organization that connects entrepreneurs, service professionals, investors, venture capitalist and other funding sources.