NVCA Supports First Ever ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit

ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwire - January 8, 2010) - The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) is strongly encouraging its members from around the country to attend the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) first ever Innovation Summit (www.ct-si.org/events/EnergyInnovation). The event, which will be held March 1-3, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Washington, DC, serves as a forum for America's energy leaders to share ideas, collaborate, and begin building the next generation of clean energy technologies. The NVCA is supporting the event as clean technology has become one of the most important areas of innovation within the venture capital space.

Venture capitalists Vinod Koshla of Khosla Ventures and James Woolsey of VantagePoint Venture Partners will join leading U.S. policy and business decision makers in discussions about game changing technologies, regional innovation clusters and the role of energy in national security. The summit will also showcase many of the 250 ARPA-E awardees and projects. Workshops and panel discussions will focus on commercialization and government programs.

"There is a great deal of good that will come from the government and private sector working together to bring the most exciting and promising clean technologies to market," said Mark Heesen, president, National Venture Capital Association. "As we have seen in the past with the life sciences industry, the future of energy innovation will depend upon this partnership which supports basic research in breakthrough areas and the subsequent commercialization of proven technologies. We applaud ARPA-E's initiative to bring together key players in the growth of this important, revolutionary industry."

For more information and to register, visit: http://www.ct-si.org/events/EnergyInnovation.

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) represents more than 400 venture capital firms in the United States. NVCA's mission is to foster greater understanding of the importance of venture capital to the U.S. economy, and support entrepreneurial activity and innovation. According to a 2009 Global Insight study, venture-backed companies accounted for 12.1 million jobs and $2.9 trillion in revenue in the U.S. in 2008. The NVCA represents the public policy interests of the venture capital community, strives to maintain high professional standards, provides reliable industry data, sponsors professional development, and facilitates interaction among its members. For more information about the NVCA, please visit www.nvca.org.

Contact Information: Contact: Channa Brooks Tenor Communications for NVCA 302-368-2345