Posted October 2003

Four Chattanooga companies are among 15 technology businesses chosen to present their business plans at the 7th Annual Tennessee Venture Forum, November 17-18 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

The companies are: Signix Inc., Smart Furniture, Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group and Tricycle.

"Attracting more venture capital and connecting young companies with needed funding is critical to make sure Tennessee is a player in the New Economy," said Tom Rogers, executive director of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC). "The Venture Forum is an important opportunity that helps these promising technology companies reach investors they might not otherwise reach."

The companies were chosen after a two-step selection process judged by four regional committees.

The two-day Chattanooga event will give the selected companies the opportunity to network and present their business plans to an audience of approximately 300 institutional and individual investors and business executives from across the United States.

Companies scheduled to present at this year’s forum include:

AirSage, Inc. aggregates signaling data from wireless service providers to deliver real-time traffic data for urban as well as rural highways and arterials. AirSage offers a 10X improvement by providing information for all roads within cell phone coverage. Public as well as private sector organizations can use AirSage’s system-wide traffic information to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and promote surface transportation safety and security. www.airsage.com

Fast Forward Devices, LLC provides customers with a total solution approach to the process of creating, managing and deploying production manuals by providing expert staff to fully document their production processes through a backbone software package known as Smart Docs. www.ffdevices.com

Integra Logistics, LLC is a Third Party Logistics Services Provider and Software Development

company that specializes in seamlessly integrating customers, supplier and transportation vendors. www.integralogistics.com

Integrated Biometric Technology, LLC is a leading provider of state-of-the-art electronic fingerprint systems to high-profile clients in the 50 United States and Puerto Rico. www.integratedbiometric.com

MedEvolve, Inc. develops and sells information systems to the physician office market with unique features and advanced technology. Provides physicians with fully integrated solutions that interface with other leading on-line clinical systems. www.medevolve.com

Neptec Optical Solutions, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells, optical switches, optical terminations, optical couplers, splitters and taps, optical attenuators and other optical modules, subsystems and products. www.nepopt.com

Nextek, Inc. is a niche-market, technology-driven company, focused on offering precision electronic and optoelectronic assembly, engineering and analytical services for customers with needs-driven, non-commodity products. www.nextekinc.com

NuMarkets LLC is the first company designed to sell things. Fast, easy, convenient franchise centers offering the public selling services on ebay, shipping, packing and business services. www.numarkets.com

QGENICS BIOSCIENCES, INC. is focused on providing integrated micro solutions for the preparation of complex biological samples for customers in the pharmaceutical research and development industry.

Signix is a hosted, digital identity verification, electronic signature, document routing and digital storage company enabling companies to convert the Print, Sign and Send model to Signed, Sealed, and Delivered via any computer anywhere in the world. www.signix.com

Smart Furniture, LLC- Chattanooga, TN

Smart Furniture® designs and sells patented shelving and display solutions that save time, space, and money for both company and customer. www.SmartFurniture.com

Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group, Inc. owns and operates electric utilities and provides a full range of utility services focused on reducing generation costs and system losses. www.tvigroup.com

Tricycle, Inc. provides surface simulation and design technologies to the textile industry to significantly reduce sampling costs and delivery times, shorten sales cycles, and eliminate waste. www.tricycleinc.com

Veran Medical Technologies, Inc. has developed Dynamic Track3TM, a platform technology providing dynamic tissue referencing capabilities used with Image Guided Intervention applications in interventional procedures. www.VeranMedical.com

W.A.R.N, LLC is a Wide Area Rapid Notification, affordable web-based voice, fax, and text broadcasting for emergency and security professionals, dialing 6,000 phones or more every minute. www.warncalling.com

The City of Chattanooga is hosting this year’s event which is being presented by the TTDC, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD), and Technology 2020. This is one of the activities that TTDC pursues as part of the New Economy Strategy to promote new high tech business ventures and the growth of entrepreneurship in Tennessee.

Sponsors for this year’s Venture Forum are: Delta Capital Management; First Tennessee; Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough, PLLC; UT-Battelle; Miller & Martin, LLP; Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce; City of Chattanooga; Decosimo Corporate Finance; Husch & Eppenberger, LLC; MARSH; TVA; UnumProvident; Battelle Ventures, LLC; Chrysalis Ventures; Clayton Associates, LLC; Hazlett, Lewis & Bieter, PLLC; Nashville Health Care Council; SAIC; American Venture Magazine; globalspeak.com; and Inside World.

TTDC was formed in 1998 by the Tennessee General Assembly to forge Tennessee’s role in the New Economy. Led by a statewide board composed of many of the state’s top technology leaders, TTDC works to help connect ideas, people and resources for high-tech success.

To attend or to get more information on the Tennessee Venture Forum, please visit www.tennesseeventureforum.org or call Kelly Durham at 615.253.1946.