LAVA Hosts 5th Annual Awards Dinner and Honors Idealab's Bill Gross

Business Wire, Jan 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) held its fifth annual awards dinner yesterday to recognize some of Southern California's best growth companies and to present the Lifetime Achievement Award in Venture Capital to Idealab CEO Bill Gross. The awards dinner benefited the Pasadena Union Station Foundation and was held at the Luxe Summit Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.

The award winners were:

Best Venture Financing in Biotechnology and Medical Devices:

Agensys is a private biotechnology company located in Santa Monica.

Best Venture Financing in Communications and Wireless:

Mobile Messenger is a leading global provider of technology and services for mobile content management and distribution.

Best Venture Financing in Software and Media:

Spot Runner develops technology solutions that revolutionize the way advertising is created, targeted, bought and sold. It focuses on automating many of the more inefficient aspects of the advertising process and creating turnkey ways for businesses of all sizes to access high quality creative and expert media planning and buying services.

Best Venture Financing in Clean Technology:

Ceres, Inc. is a leading developer of high-yielding energy crops that can be planted as feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production.

Best M&A Exit:

Business.com is a leading business search engine, directory and pay-per-click advertising network.

Best IPO:

Entropic Communications is a leading fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets system solutions that enable connected home entertainment.

The dinner also paid special tribute to Mr. Gross, a lifelong entrepreneur who has been developing groundbreaking technology companies and business leaders for over two decades.

"We are proud to acknowledge the area's hottest venture financings, M&A exit, and IPO," said Leonard Lanzi, LAVA's Executive Director. "We also felt it was our duty and honor to recognize the incredible achievements of Bill Gross, who has been a mentor and hero to many in the LAVA community. Plus, all of this benefits the Pasadena Union Station Foundation, so in the end everybody is a winner," he added.

About LAVA

The Los Angeles Venture Association is Southern California's premier forum for entrepreneurs, middle-market companies, venture capitalists, financial advisors, and other professional service providers. For over 20 years, LAVA's monthly breakfast meetings, annual Investment Capital Conference, and co-produced events have created an unprecedented platform for innovation and financing in Southern California. To learn more about LAVA, please visit www.lava.org.

About Agensys

Agensys, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company that is developing a pipeline of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to treat solid tumor cancers. These antibodies, many of which are fully human, are being generated to a diverse portfolio of proprietary, clinically relevant cancer targets that encompass 14 types of solid tumors. The company has the capabilities to generate, develop and manufacture and move into clinical trials antibody products and, through a partnership with Amgen Inc (formerly Abgenix), access to the XenoMouse[R] technology to generate fully human antibodies to multiple targets. Agensys is progressing a pipeline of preclinical MAb candidates with potential as naked or payload-conjugated therapeutic products, directed at a variety of cancer indications, including prostate, kidney, bladder, pancreas, lung, colon, ovary, breast, and skin. Agensys has initiated clinical trials with AGS-PSCA, a fully human MAb to Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA), a novel target expressed in the majority of prostate, pancreatic and bladder cancers. AGS-PSCA is being co-developed with Merck & Co, Inc. and is currently in clinical development. In parallel to developing certain antibody products, Agensys has established partnerships to develop and commercialize selected antibody products with Genentech, Inc., antibody drug conjugate products with Seattle Genetics, and cancer vaccine applications for its proprietary targets with sanofi pasteur. The company's laboratories, GMP manufacturing facility and offices are located in Santa Monica, California. On December 18, 2007, Agensys was acquired by Astellas Pharma, Inc., the second largest Japanese pharmaceutical company, for total consideration of $537 million. It now operates as a subsidiary of Astellas, continuing its prior programs and adding new ones to develop a world class center in bio-oncology. For further information about Agensys, please visit http://www.agensys.com.

About Mobile Messenger

Mobile Messenger is a leading global provider of technology and services for mobile content management and distribution. At the forefront of the Premium SMS market, Mobile Messenger currently operates successful, revenue-generating operations across the USA, Australia, UK, New Zealand and Canada. Mobile Messenger is a fast-moving, young, and dynamic company. Industry knowledge, multi-market footprint and expertise from around the globe combined with complete service, from inception through to implementation, offers the most successful mobile entertainment campaign possible. From its creation in 1999 with one employee, Mobile Messenger's ground-breaking business model has allowed the company to remain at the top of this exciting industry. For more information, please visit www.mobilemessenger.com.