Sharon Vosmek, CEO Astia

Message from the CEO

WELCOME TO 2011

Let's dive right in to it, shall we?

Last week we showcased for the investment community 18 companies at the first Astia Investor Forum for the 2011 calendar year; one life science, three clean tech, five enterprise software, and five consumer tech companies. Each is a distinguished member of the Astia portfolio of over 267 companies who benefit from ongoing access to the expertise and networks of Astia's global community of investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders. The Investor Forums are just one touch point on the road to success for these companies; you can look forward to seeing and hearing more from them over the coming years.

The National Venture Capital Association has gone on record as predicting that we will see a "pick-up" in venture capital investment this year. NVCA President, Mark Heesen said in a recent press release that his cautious optimism is a result of the recovering economy, "the improving exit market and a renewed excitement in the IT sector," all of which "have engendered a confidence among VCs."

I, too, share this optimism for 2011, but I highlight that during the extremely difficult fundraising years of 2008, 2009 and 2010 the Astia portfolio maintained its historically consistent and exceptional success rate.

• Greater than 60% achieved funding or an exit within one year
• Over $940 million raised
• 21 exits, comprised of 2 IPOs and 19 M&As

A very special thank you to the Astia community without whom, none of this would be possible. And an equal acknowledgement of Team Astia - a team that is growing and in transition as we launch in to 2011.

For each member of the team, our singular objective has been to attract and recruit the best and brightest professionals to effectively manage and inspire the Astia community - for your benefit and to the benefit of our mission.

In October we announced Simone Brummelhuis joining to spearhead Astia Europe. Today, I am delighted to announce two new additions to the executive team: Rob Delman, Vice President, New York Office, and Jen Shelby, Vice President, Client Services.

Rob Delman brings extensive business and angel investor experience - as well as substantial alignment with the Astia mission. Rob has been a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, a network of angel investors dedicated to investing in early stage companies founded and/or led by women. In the same way we were able to find Simone, Rob comes to us from within the Astia community. He has served as a highly rated Advisor and Ambassador for Astia since the launch of Astia NYC in 2008. In addition to joining the team full time, Rob will continue to play an active role in the angel community as well as serving as a guest lecturer at Columbia. Rob joins Program Manager, Kat Karimi in the New York office starting January 10th.

Many of you will already know the name of Jen Shelby. Jen returns to Astia after a two-year hiatus during which she served as CMO of Astia client, Betty Confidential. In welcoming Jen back, we are most pleased to announce the expansion of our client services. Our objective in bringing back Jen is to increase our engagement and support for the Astia portfolio throughout the lifecycle of these businesses. We know that the community is poised to provide value well beyond the initial entrepreneur program, investor forums & Ambassador engagement. Jen's focus will be to ensure for our clients a continued access to capital, a continued access to expertise for the growth of the businesses, and a continued investment in the leadership of the women on the founding team.

And finally, it is with a heavy heart that I share with you that Katie Nittler is stepping down as Chief Operating Officer. Katie will continue full time through the end of the month, and then will transition to part time until the end of February to help the new team ramp up. We look forward to her continued involvement in the community long after this - but we will miss seeing her on a daily basis. Her commitment and leadership over the past two years have been invaluable and we know that much of Astia's current success is a direct result of Katie's many contributions. We extend to Katie our deepest appreciation.

On behalf of Katie, Simone, Rob, Jen, Mark, Kat, Vanessa, Vinita, Stella and Brian - we wish you all a prosperous 2011!

Cheers,

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Astia's Global Entrepreneur Program - Call for Applications for 2011

The Astia Entrepreneur Program is an unparalleled resource for success - a transformative program designed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs who want to become dominant players in their sectors. The Format? A comprehensive multi-day workshop, 2-month program of personalized advising from premier experts and the opportunity to start benefiting from the global ecosystem of Angels, VCs, corporations, and entrepreneurs that is Astia. Who Should Apply? Exceptional women-led high growth start-ups who know that success is not just about raising money but about growing a business and thriving in today's tough market.

Applications are taken on a rolling basis.

Apply today if you have...

• An innovative idea in either the Technology, Life Sciences or Clean Tech sectors
• A high-growth investment opportunity
• An exceptional team and business strategy
• A significant market opportunity
• A defendable competitive advantage
• At least one woman in a leadership role (at C level) or in significant position of equity and influence

Visit Astia and complete your application before February 7th to be considered for the European Astia Entrepreneur Programme.

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Astia 2011 Calendar

Astia Entrepreneur Programs
London: March 14 - 18
New York: April 25 - 29
San Francisco: October 24 - 29

Astia Investor Forums
Silicon Valley: January 20
London: May 11
New York: June 22

Annual Events
We Own It Summit: London, June 10
7th Annual Astia Awards: Mountain View, December 1

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Astia News

Astia 2011 Outlook - Will we see a "pick-up" in venture capital investment this year?

Read more here.

TechCrunch Europe announces Astia European Programme

Read more here.

Press Release: Exceptional female entrepreneurs wanted!

Read more here.

Stanford Business Cases on Astia with Professor Tom Kosnik & Katie Nittler

Read more here.

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Community News

DFJ Partner's New Book

Bill Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson wrote a book about the partnership between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Read more here.

From Kauffman Labs

Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation Launches Challenge to Illuminate Breakthrough Ideas from Female Scientists and Engineers. Read more here.

TEDWomen

What's next TEDMen? Astia CEO Sharon Vosmek quoted. Read more here.

TEDWomen - Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on Why We Have So Few Women Leaders: Read more here.

The National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs have announced the launch of a new Regulatory Assistance Program. Read more here or learn more about applying here.

How to Follow the Top Angel Investing Women in Tech on Twitter

Read more here.

Year-End VC Report Shows Strength of Internet & Early Stage Investment

Read more here.

The 2012 Project has launched!

It's a national, non-partisan campaign to increase the number of women in legislative office because Election 2010 saw the first decline in the number of women in Congress in more than three decades, and a drastic drop in the number of women state legislators. Click here for more information.

2010 was The Year of Whining About Women in Tech

Read more here.

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Client News

Aspaeris®; was well received at this month's EATA Expo in Philly and continues to build momentum as the number of institutions using Aspaeris® continues to grow. Athletes from Colleges, Universities, Private Schools, and Premier Athletic Clubs in 14 states are using Aspaeris® compression shorts.

Avaxia Biologics, Inc. to present Key Pre-Clinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease Remission Data at Biotech Showcase being held on January 10-12, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Read more. http://astianotes.blogspot.com/2011/01/avaxia-biologics-inc-to-present-key-pre.html

DegreeArt.com offers a new service to clients and the public. Check out their sample trend report.

Frontier Markets has secured its energy partnerships and is moving to Rajasthan! We are working with Sahayata, a large Microfinance Institution in rural and peri-urban Rajasthan. Jaipur is FM's first area of operations. We will be marketing and selling D-Light Design's Kiran and Nova solar light, Greenlight Planet's Sun King Light, Envirofit's Cook Stove, Serval's gas valves, and Duron Energy's solar lighting system.

Erica Weirich, Founder, GHRF gave a talk at the World Affairs Council of California on January 12^th on Improving Health Care Through Technology and Cultural Understanding in Bhutan and other Underserved Populations. Read more.

HarQen won 2010 Top Product of the Year for Voice Advantage from HR Executive magazine - one of the most prestigious awards in the HR technology space. HarQen also recently announced its integration into SmartSearch, a leading applicant tracking system that serves over 165K users and 4.7MM job seekers worldwide.

Kiboo is proud to announce that Jacob Apelbaum has joined the team as our new Chief Technology Officer.

Mamayoyo New to the team are Jan Roersma, a well known hospitality and development advisor and lawyer Matt Norton from Parker Poe. In the first week of January a power team went into open negotiations with the Government of Antigua & Barbuda for a lease to buy a 20 acre lot for the first Mamayoyo Family Resort.

TravelsinTaste was contacted by Fox Business News for an expert opinion in order to compile the top 5 New Year's Eve destinations across the country.

On January 13th TravelsinTaste launched TravelsinTaste Epicurean Adventures is a limited-time-only, custom-crafted experience that was tailor-made exclusively for TravelsinTaste's most loyal fans. We continue to reach out to our network of chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, restaurants and foodie friends to create unforgettable experiences that you'll be talking about for days to come. To give you a hint: Our next adventure will feature creatures from under the sea paired with exquisite wines. Our inaugural event is: "A Decadent Sunday Night Supper at Strip House - An Exclusive Evening on Sunday Jan. 30."

TravelSort is excited to announce that Patricia Larocca has joined its team as VP and Director of Sales. Patricia brings 15 years of experience in the travel industry, including as Director of Partner Marketing at Travelocity, where she was instrumental in rapidly growing their hotel business. TravelSort was also recently mentioned in Fox News and MSNBC.

TriBarter was featured in PRLog as an Astia Client. Also featured was a video feature founder, Heidi Katz, explaining her company.

Universal Giving was invited to the White House's Consortium on Next Generation Leadership and Social Innovation in July 2010. CEO Pamela Hawley spoke at the Commonwealth Club in August and the Mary Baker Eddy Library in November. In the past year, volunteering through the UniversalGiving site has risen 66% over 2009.

Imagination Welcome is rebranding as Yoomerang with the tagline: go anywhere. bring back stories. A centerpiece of this re-branding is naming the avatars Yoodles. A Yoodle is you + a doodle (a doodle of you), and Yoodle-creation will be the starting point for kids to have fun exploring through a variety of earth-loving characters in stories, on-line games, and real-life toys. An early version of the website is on-line with a preview of the fun coming soon. Yoomerang's commercial launch will be later this year.

Market Spotlight: Q3 2010 US VC Market Trends

• Venture capitalists invested $4.8 billion in 780 deals in the third quarter of 2010. Quarterly investment activity decreased 31 percent in terms of dollars, and fell 19 percent in number of deals compared to the second quarter of 2010 when $6.9 billion was invested in 962 deals.
• The decrease in dollars invested was in large part due to the absence of large rounds in the Clean Technology sector, which drove last quarter's higher investment levels. Yet with few exceptions, investment in all industry sectors slowed this quarter.
• According to PWC MonetyTree, the Software industry regained its position as the number one industry sector for investment with $1.0 billion going into 190 rounds. Still this level represented a 13 percent decrease in dollars and a 21 percent decline in deal volume from the second quarter when $1.1 billion went into 242 rounds.
• The Biotechnology industry received the second highest level of funding for all industries in the quarter with $944 million going into 108 deals. This level of investment represents a 32 percent decrease in dollars and a 29 percent decrease in deals compared to the second quarter when $1.4 billion went into 152 deals.
• Medical Devices and Equipment saw a 27 percent decline in dollars and an 18 percent decline in deal volume in the third quarter with $573 million going into 82 deals. This sector ranked third overall for the quarter.
• The Clean Technology sector saw a 59 percent decrease in dollars to $625 million compared to the second quarter when venture capitalists invested $1.5 billion.
• Internet-specific companies received $661 million going into 154 deals in the third quarter, a 25 percent decrease in dollars and a 28 percent decrease in deals over the second quarter of 2010 when $878 million went into 214 deals.

Sponsor Spotlight

The Althea Foundation Commits $20,000 to Astia's European Programme

The Althea Foundation is a social venture fund dedicated to helping 'agents of change' reach the full potential of their inspired ideas. Althea has developed a distinctive approach to philanthropy by providing financial support partnered with the guidance needed to increase impact and grow social innovations to scale. The Foundation has supported Astia since 2006, underwriting in its entirety the the name change and rebranding of Astia from the Women's Technology Cluster. Founder and Chairman of the Foundation, Alexsis de Raadt St. James, will join Astia's European Advisory Board.

MossAdams goes Gold!

Moss Adams has supported Astia for 5 consecutive years through many financial contributions and projects. For 2011 MossAdams has raised their sponsorship level to Gold! We are proud to have them as our sponsor and part of our community. Moss Adams LLP is the 11th largest accounting and consulting firm in the United States, and the largest headquartered in the West. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Moss Adams has 21 locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Our staff of over 1,700 includes approximately 240 partners.

Astia Events

Astia Partner Events

VLAB and SNR Denton present Entrepreneurs Uncensored - Legal Series!

January 25^th, 2011

This three part series provides entrepreneurs business, tactical and legal education. Presented by experienced industry CEOs, venture capitalists and lawyers, the series will offer insights on cutting-edge issues faced by entrepreneurs today.

Register here.

Travels in Taste Inaugural

January 30^th, 2011

Travels in Taste Inaugural A Decadent Sunday Night Supper at Strip House - An Exclusive Evening.

Reserve a table.

The Women Presidents' Organization

Application Deadline: February 1^st, 2011

The Women Presidents' Organization has launched the search for the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies™ in North America sponsored by American Express OPEN! 2011 marks the 4th Annual WPO competition to find the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies™ in North America. Companies will be ranked according to revenue growth from 2006 to 2010. The Top 50 fastest growing companies have the chance of being published online and in print!

Apply here.

The Level Playing Field Institute

Submit Deadline: February 3^rd, 2011

The Level Playing Field Institute has sponsored this anonymous survey explores the experiences and perceptions of employees within the Information Technology industry. We are most interested in the opinions of Information Technology engineers and managers, and all employees of tech start-ups.

Complete the survey here.

Women 4 Technology

February 16, 2011

Informal networking lunch for female CEOs, CXOs, entrepreneurs, VCs & Business Angels in the technology sector. Bailey Fisher hosts the next event in its popular series of networking lunches for female decision makers in the technology sector at Hotel Felix, Cambridge. The guest speaker is Emma Loisel, an experienced Non-Executive Director and investor in high-growth ventures, with a passion for innovating businesses, consumer offerings and industries, particularly through the adoption of technology.
Attendance is by invitation only for senior women in the technology sector. Attendance is at a cost of £10 per head to include a 2 course lunch with wine and coffee.
If you are interested in attending please e-mail Jenny on jenny@baileyfisher.com