MONDAY 30 JUNE 09.30 – 12.30

Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION) Presentations

A series of short funding presentations by investment-ready companies from a variety of sectors seeking equity funding

09:45

Welcome

Eileen Modral, Manager

10:00 – 10:15

Tolven

William Seabrook, Wisley, Surrey

Funding sought: £750k

Tolven was founded in the USA as an open source company in February 2006, with the vision of becoming one of the most innovative health information service delivery companies anywhere. Tolven is accomplishing this goal by leveraging the quality and nature of open source software. We provide a high quality, low cost secure open source electronic health record solution for patients and clinicians.

Medical inaccuracies deprive patients of the best medical care, and costs healthcare systems across the world billions of wasted pounds and dollars each year. The adoption of e-health records can improve outcomes and help reduce expense.

10:15 – 10:30

Karus Therapeutics

Simon Kerry, Southampton

Funding sought: £600k

Karus is a spin-out from Southampton University and Cancer Research UK that is developing innovative medicines with best-in-class potential to treat cancer, psoriasis and RA. With a strong commercial and scientific team, Karus has adopted a creative strategy to rapidly create substantial value and an exit without major investment. This strategy includes a corporate partner for one programme and grant funding for another.

Karus aims to secure £600k to augment existing commitments to a £1m fund raising. During this investment, Karus will be able to commence human testing in at least one programme and start regulatory toxicology in two others.

10:30 – 10:45

Vaccine Research International

Richard Llewellyn, Birmingham

Funding sought: £2.5m

Vaccine Research International plc (VRi) is a Birmingham-based vaccine development company. The Company’s first project is a Staphylococcus aureus vaccine (SA75) targeted at preventing the deaths, infection and high healthcare costs from Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI), particularly due to Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). SA75 is an innovative “whole organism” vaccine for which the company has patented the preparation method and has applied for other patents.

To date the Company has raised approximately £2.5m in equity and completed a double blind placebo-controlled Phase I clinical trial of SA75, its lead project, demonstrating safety and immunological response in human volunteers.

10:45 – 11:00

MindWeavers

Bruce Robinson, Oxford

Funding sought: £750k

MindWeavers plc creates and sells brain stimulation software products that apply world-leading neuronal-level science to alter brain function by design. A ‘hot industry of the future’ (Reuters, Mar ’08), opportunities exist for highly differentiated products across the human life span.

Currently MindWeavers is targeting 3 areas: brain fitness to slow, delay and protect against the effects of ageing and to stave off dementias such as Alzheimer’s; language learning; and hearing.

Already generating revenues, MindWeavers is now seeking new funding to build sales and marketing for existing products, and to continue product development and trials.

11.00 – 11.05

Update on Bank of Scotland & OION Co-Investment Programme

Stephen Campbell, Bank of Scotland Growth Equity

11:05 – 11:10

peoplesolutions (Bis-Web)

Charles Boffin, Bicester, Oxfordshire

Funding sought: £500k

peoplesolutions has developed an online recruitment platform (Applicant Tracking System) which is already being used by over 20 major FTSE/public sector organisations in this fast growing market. The Engage platform is fully modular which enables a 100% solution for clients, unlike major competitors who offer generally packaged solutions. The company has already signed commercial agreements with two major UK agencies/portals to provide white label solutions for their businesses and more are in train, so have clear routes to market. The core team has significant experience at HR/IT Director level. The company is looking for £500k to fund rapid expansion.

11.10 – 11.15

ecoAlert

Jenny Rohde, Plymouth

Funding sought: £300k

ecoAlert offers a new and unique product for water quality assessment which is faster and lower cost than alternatives. It provides information on the effect of complex pollutant cocktails in water and the relative impact on the water ecosystem/environment.

The key selling points of this company are:

Novel technology for large and growing market gap, offering significant added value at affordable price
Scalable business
Experienced, passionate team with good skills, experience and wide support network
Further value opportunities for product development

ecoAlert seeks investment for completion of product development, strategic marketing and to provide working capital to take the business to profitability. £300k is needed in 2008, and a further £625k in 2009.

11:15 – 11:45

Vivienne Cassley, Senior Relationship Manager, PLUS Markets Group

Over 200 small and mid-cap companies are currently on the “PLUS-quoted” market segment, an exchange-regulated market for small and mid-cap companies. It offers an alternative to AIM for high-quality applicants offering the potential for investment returns.

Vivienne Cassley joined the PLUS Business Development team in February 2007 with responsibilities including developing the market’s stock coverage. She has broad experience of working with the UK smaller companies community, to guide them through the process of being quoted and /or traded on a public market.

Prior to a recent period consulting to listed and quoted companies on regulatory and governance matters, Vivienne spent many years at the London Stock Exchange, in the international market and AIM, and went on to spend two years at Easdaq. She also has extensive experience of commodity markets, having worked as a sugar trader, and acted as consultant to derivatives exchanges.

11.45 – 12:30

Refreshment and networking with companies

The Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION) is a highly successful investment network, focusing on technology-based companies with high growth potential. Since 2000, OION has helped close nearly 100 deals, raising over £21.5m. In 2007 - 2008 OION closed 13 deals, with these companies raising total investment of over £6.5m.

Organised by Oxford Investment Opportunity Network

(Return to Programme at a Glance)

Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
The fund raising sessions at Venturefest provide an opportunity for investors to meet entrepreneurs and companies seeking investment and enables investors to receive information on investment opportunities of interest to them. The Networks do not advise on the merits or risks of specific investment proposals. The responsibility for the decision on specific investment lies with the parties concerned.