27 March 2003, The Centennial Centre, Birmingham

Connect Midlands, an organisation dedicated to nurture the development and growth of technology-based enterprise in the British Midlands, is organising its first ‘Springboard’ event of the year.

The Connect Springboard is a one-day event that allows early-stage technology companies to showcase their ideas, innovations and business propositions. This exciting event calls upon entrepreneurs and inventors primarily from the East and West Midlands, to produce a 10-minute presentation to an invited audience of investors and business advisors.

15 companies across all technology sectors are now preparing their presentation to benefit from this opportunity. Connect Midlands is expecting to attract over 100 delegates to attend this event.

The format of the event is designed for those investors and business angels with an interest in early-stage technology companies looking for, typically between £100,000 - £500,000 of equity investment. The last Connect Springboard held on 15 October 2002, successfully pulled together 120 delegates and 15 presenting companies. Dr Duncan Billson, director of Dig-e-Print Ltd commented: “Connect Springboard in October 2002 offered us the opportunity to present our company’s investment needs to a range of new potential investors. Following preliminary discussions with a number of organisations, we are now in exclusive negotiations with one of these, and fully expect an investment agreement shortly, enabling us to take our product forward to market”.

A special addition to the event is having Bill Musgrave, President of The Enterprise Network of Silicon Valley speaking on ’The American Perspective on Technology Start-ups’.

All interested parties are warmly welcome to attend the Connect Springboard event. To register online for this event, please visit the Connect Midlands website

For further information contact Isabell Majewsky