Nearly 100 Investors from 50+ Funds Across the Nation Expected to Attend CED Tech Venture Conference 2014 to See 80+ of NC's Hottest Emerging and Growth-Stage Companies

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), the largest and oldest entrepreneurial support organization in the country, today announced that nearly 100 investors from more than 50 venture capital, strategic and angel funds across the nation are expected to converge on Raleigh this month to see more than 80 of the hottest emerging and growth-stage tech companies at the CED Tech Venture Conference 2014.

"For 30 years now, CED conferences have been a dynamite platform to connect investors from across the nation to the hottest emerging and growth-stage companies in the Triangle and across North Carolina," said Jay Bigelow, CED's director of entrepreneurship. "We are seeing more and more national and international investors coming to check us out. And this year's crop of featured companies is one of the most exciting ever."

Investors confirmed to attend the conference hail from across the country, including firms with a presence in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more.

The conference, which annually attracts more than 600 people, has become a "Who's Who" of the nation's technology industry -- from the most exciting tech startups to the most influential investors and tech leaders. It will be held Sept. 16-17 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) is a presenting partner for the conference.

Examples of out-of-state venture capital, strategic and angel funds confirmed to attend include:

• GE Ventures (Boston)
• Greycroft Partners (New York and Los Angeles)
• Azure Capital Partners (Bay Area)
• Bessemer Venture Partners (Bay Area)
• Safeguard Scientifics (Philadelphia)
• TDF Ventures (Washington, D.C.)

This year, investors will have a chance to meet more than 80 of North Carolina's best and brightest startups and growth-stage companies.

David Spitz, president and COO of ChannelAdvisor and chair of the CED Board of Directors, said the investment landscape in the Triangle has gone through major shifts in recent years. These include an increase in the number of angel investors, investors from other states and other countries, corporate investors looking at early-stage companies and the creation of local venture capital firms.

"Across the spectrum of investors, North Carolina is getting noticed," Spitz said. "From angels to corporates to home-grown venture capitalists, to out-of-state and even global investors, we are attracting the attention of the savviest investors in the world."

According to CED's 2013 Innovators Report, last year 223 entrepreneurial companies in North Carolina raised more than $460 million through equity investments, grants and awards from 108 unique funders – and 75 percent of these funders were from other states or other countries.

Comcast Ventures, which has offices in San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia and Palo Alto, recently made an investment in Windsor Circle, based in Durham, N.C. Jonathan Drillings, part of the investment team at Comcast Ventures, said that he is looking forward to attending the upcoming conference.

"We've spent significantly more time in the Triangle over the past few months and have been delighted by the growth in the startup community, and by the diversity and quality of both the entrepreneurs and the businesses they are building," he said. "We are excited to partner with Windsor Circle, and are looking forward to meeting more entrepreneurs at the Tech Venture Conference and beyond."

John Elton is a partner at Greycroft Partners, a leading venture fund investing in Internet and mobile companies -- with offices in New York and Los Angeles. The fund has recently made two investments in the Triangle, in Netsertive and Validic.

"I continue to be impressed with the companies I have seen in the Triangle and believe there are more good investments to be found," he said. "CED does a great job of introducing us to opportunities that fit our investment strategy."

About CED
CED is the network that helps Triangle entrepreneurs build successful companies.

CED Website: http://www.cednc.org

Conference Website: cednc.org/techventure

2014 Demo and Showcase Companies: http://ow.ly/B2y2h

2013 Innovators Report: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/cednc.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Docs/CED_Innovators_Report_Releas.pdf

Media interested in attending the conference should contact Kelly Killian Voelker at [email protected] or 704-769-5537.

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SOURCE Council for Entrepreneurial Development