DEMO Alumni Kick Start 2008 With Business Success
A Round Up of New Year DEMO Demonstrator News
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 1 -- While a host of new products were launched at the DEMO 08 conference in Palm Desert this week, DEMO Alumni also kicked off the New Year with a list of successes. After taking center stage, DEMO demonstrator milestones continue to be promoted through the DEMO Tracker (http://www.demo.com/community/). This year, Alumni are off to an impressive start with a host of new funding, partnership, acquisition and product announcements.
"This week DEMO celebrated its 18th year as the conference where the best new emerging technologies launch. Our Alumni, 1,500 strong, are still out there continuing to deliver on the promises they made when they stood up on the DEMO stage," said Chris Shipley, product analyst and executive producer of the DEMO conferences. "They are a wonderful testament to the success of this conference. When I read about their continued achievements, I know we have done something right with our selection process and keen focus on product innovation."
In December and January, several companies announced new milestones including:
-- Nexo Systems (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2007/91331.html)
(DEMO 2007) was acquired by Shutterfly. Nexo Systems is an online
sharing and group services company with a platform for easily creating
customized, content-rich personal and group websites. According to
Shutterfly, "Nexo's services will complement Shutterfly's, giving
customers more ways to connect with friends and family."
-- NComputing (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2006fall/79903.html)
(DEMOfall 2006) raised $28 million in a Series B round of financing
from Menlo Ventures and existing investors Scale Venture Partners and
Korea's Daehong Technew Corp. The company provides desktop
virtualization software and hardware and will use this round to finance
sales operations.
-- Freepath Inc. (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2006/62988.html)
(DEMO 2006; formerly Grass Roots Software) announced a $1.5 million
Series A round led by Velocity Venture Capital. The company said it
will use the funding to introduce new tools to its digital content
sharing platform.
-- Seagate (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2007/91347.html) (DEMO
2007) partnered with Sanyo, PortoMedia and HarmanBecker to align its
Digital Audio Video Experience (DAVE) technology platform with several
digital devices. DAVE is a mobile wireless storage platform that lets
users download, store and play back photos, music videos and business
documents on supported devices.
-- Boston-Power (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2007/91275.html)
(DEMO2007) reported $45 million in new funding from a Series C round
led by Oak Investment Partners and existing investors Venrock
Associates, Granite Global Ventures and Gabriel Venture Partners. The
company has raised more than $68 million in funding. Its flagship
product, Sonata, is a next-generation Lithium-ion battery for notebook
computers.
-- Dash Navigation
(http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2006fall/79807.html) (DEMOfall
2006) announced it will be taking pre-orders for its Dash Express
product scheduled to ship mid-February. The first Internet-connected
GPS device will cost $599.99. The monthly service will cost anywhere
from $9.99 - $12.99 per month and includes access to real-time traffic,
Internet Search, Send2Car and the Dash Driver Network.
-- Avvenu (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2005/54118.html)
(DEMO at 15), which provides a secure remote access and private sharing
technology, was recently purchased by Nokia. With Avvenu, users can
access and view their PC files remotely, even if the PC is off. Nokia
says it plans to "further enhance its portfolio of solutions for mobile
operators, as well as deliver a secure file access and share service
direct to mobile workers."
-- NewTek (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2005/54221.html)
(DEMO at 15) upgraded its TriCaster Studio portable live production and
"virtual set" system. The new NTSC system (North America) costs $10,995
and features preview options for switching between live camera sources,
and greater flexibility when creating text and title treatments.
-- Aliph (http://www.demo.com/demonstrators/demo2004mobile/54877.html)
(DEMOmobile 2004) announced a partnership to make the Jawbone Bluetooth
headset available for Verizon Wireless subscribers. The headset costs
$119 and includes Aliph's Noise Shield technology that eliminates
background noise to improve incoming and outgoing voice clarity.
Up-to-date news on past demonstrators can be found on the DEMO Tracker at http://www.demo.com/demoletter/weather_report.php.
Note to editors: This is one in a series of news alerts informing media of the ongoing successes of DEMO companies. News alerts will be issued every four to six weeks.
About the DEMO Conferences
Produced by Network World Events and Executive Forums, the semi-annual DEMO conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products, which are hand-selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for initial products from companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring, TiVo, Skype, Half.com, U.S. Robotics, salesforce.com and WebEx, helping these companies secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. Each DEMO conference features approximately 70 new products, technologies and services from companies both new and established. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com/.
The DEMO community also benefits from the award winning DEMOletter. A weekly e-newsletter designed to reach the people who are creating companies, building products and launching new ideas, DEMOletter provides smart insight and analysis of entrepreneurial business issues.
About Network World
Network World, Inc., the Leader in Network Knowledge, empowers network IT executives through education, information and community. Network World, an IDG company, is the leading provider of news, analysis, reviews, events and education on information technology. Network World publishes the leading newsweekly, Network World, hosts the most active online communities (http://www.networkworld.com/, http://www.javaworld.com/, http://www.linuxworld.com/, and http://www.demo.com/), and produces educational seminars and events worldwide. Network World's portfolio of strategic marketing programs provides marketing and agency professionals with the tools to generate high-quality leads, optimize marketing campaigns, and create new revenue opportunities. Additionally, Network World is the event organizer of DEMO and DEMOfall, the leading events for new technology innovation.
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