Cindy Padnos Selected by AlwaysOn as a Power Player in the Cloud Winner

OAKLAND, Calif., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Illuminate Ventures announced that Micro VC founder Cindy Padnos has been chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the Power Players in the Cloud. The Power Players in the Cloud list honors the most influential people in venture capital and the banking, legal, and accounting ecosystem participants who support the entrepreneurs that are bringing massive technology breakthroughs to the cloud computing and SaaS world. Individuals like Cindy Padnos and their firms are the infrastructure workhorses that make the Global Silicon Valley an incubator for success, creating strong companies that are building forward-thinking, indispensable products.

Cindy Padnos and other Micro VC and Super Angel Power Players in the Cloud such as Ron Conway and Mike Maples will be honored at AlwaysOn's OnDemand event on April 4th, 2012, at Hewlett-Packard's Executive Briefing Center in Cupertino, CA. This two-and-a-half-day executive event features CEO presentations and high-level debates on how the Internet is disrupting how companies—from small businesses to large enterprises—create, store, distribute and analyze their mission-critical data.

"Behind every successful Internet and mobile technology startup is a handful of power players guiding the founders," says Tony Perkins , founder and editor of AlwaysOn. "From helping enterprises merge valuable legacy data and systems with new, vital streams of information to changing the way businesses coexist, these powerful individuals are bringing a new generation of innovation to the on-demand sector and the Global Silicon Valley."

"It's no surprise to see Cindy selected to the Power Player in the Cloud list," said Chris Cabrera , Founder & CEO of Xactly Corporation. As a member of the board of our SaaS company for over 5 years, her efforts have helped accelerate our success. The fact that she has walked a mile or more in our shoes as a start-up founder/CEO herself makes a big difference."

"I've witnessed the value-add that Cindy Padnos and Illuminate Ventures deliver in support of their portfolio companies," said Sarah Friar , advisory board member and SVP at SalesForce.com. "I'm particularly pleased to be associated with a team where the next generation of technology innovation is inclusive of more women - as successful investors and advisors – and as extraordinary entrepreneurs."

The 2012 Power Players in the Cloud were nominated by their peers—investors, bankers, journalists, and industry insiders—and selected from among hundreds of individuals in the on-demand entrepreneurial community. The AlwaysOn editorial team conducted a rigorous three-month selection process to finalize the 2012 list. A full list of the Power Players in the Cloud winners can be found on the AlwaysOn website at: http://www.aonetwork.com/AOStory/Announcing-2012-Power-Players-Cloud

About Cindy Padnos

Cindy Padnos is founder and managing partner of Illuminate Ventures, an early stage Micro VC firm focused on cloud computing. Current fund investments include BrightEdge, CalmSea, Hoopla, and Xactly. Cindy has helped dozens of start-ups reach successful outcomes including Red Aril (acq. Hearst Corporation) and WildPockets (acq. Autodesk). Named one of the Most Influential Women in Technology (Fast Company) and one of the Most Influential Women in Business in the Bay Area (San Francisco Business Times), Cindy's career includes successful stints as a management consultant, VP of Marketing and founder/CEO. Cindy is an advisory board member for Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business and for Astia and is author of the white paper High-Performance Entrepreneurs: Women in High Tech.

About Illuminate Ventures

Illuminate Ventures (www.illuminate.com) is an early stage Micro VC firm led by experienced investors with significant operating and investment track records. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the firm invests in great entrepreneurial teams leveraging capital-efficient cloud computing technologies to deliver disruptive business applications and infrastructure solutions. Illuminate Ventures works closely with founders to support them in building sustainable, high-growth companies. The firm and portfolio benefit from a world-class 30+ person Business Advisory Council made up of successful members of the high-tech ecosystem. @IlluminateVC

About AlwaysOn

AlwaysOn is the leading business media brand networking the Global Silicon Valley. AlwaysOn helped ignite the social media revolution in early 2003 when it launched the AlwaysOn network. In 2004, it became the first media brand to socially network its online readers and event attendees. AlwaysOn's preeminent executive event series includes the Silicon Valley Innovation Summit, OnMedia, OnHollywood, IMPACT Venture Summit Mid-Atlantic, Venture Summit East, OnDemand, Venture Summit Silicon Valley, OnMobile, and GoingGreen Silicon Valley. The AlwaysOn network and live event series continue to lead the industry by empowering its readers, event participants, sponsors, and advertisers like no other media brand.

Media Contact: Cindy Padnos Illuminate Ventures, 510-531-6202, cpadnos@illuminate.com

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SOURCE Illuminate Ventures

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