The Rice Alliance Names Most Promising Information and Web 2.0 Technology Companies at 5th Annual IT and Web 2.0 Venture Forum

HOUSTON – November 13, 2007 -- The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship at Rice University recently announced the top ten most promising Information Technology and Web 2.0 companies at the 5th Annual IT and Web 2.0 Venture Forum in Houston.

The most promising IT and Web 2.0 companies were selected based on the commercial potential of the companies’ proprietary technology and the impact the technologies are expected to have on the information technology industry, such as:

• integrated software for upstream oil and gas operations and the digital oilfield
• social networking and information for new mothers
• web-based community to help inventors commercialize their products
• Tivo-like service for recording and playing video on multiple devices
• social networking and information for young professional women
• document management for designing, constructing, owning and operating a building facility
• sophisticated imaging analysis for 2-D and 3-D images
• automated fuel cleaning additive systems at the pump

Emerging Information Technology and Web 2.0 companies showcased their new ventures for an audience of more than 350 attendees, including investors, venture capitalists, industry representatives, business leaders, advisors/mentors, service providers, and entrepreneurs.

The one day event culminated in an announcement of the Most Promising Information Technology and Web 2.0 Companies chosen from 45 competitors and judged by the Rice Alliance Information Technology Advisory Board, based on the companies’ elevator pitch presentations. More than 40 companies applied to present at this year’s Forum.

One attendee commented, “Rice Alliance continues to impress me with the high quality of their events, speakers and attendees. The IT forum was another outstanding example of true professionalism at its best.”

Another added: “The Rice Alliance continues to add value to the city of Houston by providing a platform for entrepreneurs to gain invaluable exposure and experience. I was thrilled to learn that nine out of the ten most promising technology companies were created here in Houston. Rice University is really helping to highlight our city as a true technology leader.”

These companies were selected by a hand-picked panel of approximately 50 venture capitalists, investors, and other leaders from the IT industry. Following are the top companies, representing IT and Web 2.0 technologies:

Additech - Houston, TX (www.additech.com)
Additech, a technology company based in Houston, is the only company in the world to provide retailers operating fuel centers an automated, turn-key system for cleaning and maintaining vehicle fuel systems right at the gas pump. By removing harmful carbon deposits from critical areas of the engine, Additech enables consumers to save gas and maximize engine life. Additech holds a portfolio of domestic and international patents on the at-pump technology it has developed. The company’s services business model calls for retailers to sign 5-year service contracts. Initially targeting high- volume retailers, Additech has secured long-term contracts with 3 of the top 10 to date, including Wal- Mart/MurphyUSA, Kroger, and HEB.

Today, Additech is installed and operating at approximately 500 stores in 16 states, and has positive EBITDA. Additech believes it can attract 10% of the retail gasoline outlets in the U.S. which will generate annual revenues of $310 million with 25% EBITDA and 30% IRR on capital employed.

IdeaTango - Dallas, TX (www.ideatango.com)
IdeaTango.com is social networking web site that helps inventors commercialize their products. Through collaborative forums such as a virtual trade show, community-ranked listings of service providers, invention contests sponsored by member companies, and friend-of-a-friend networking capability, IdeaTango.com has become the largest social networking web site for the product development community.

Makeido - Houston, TX (www.makeido.com)
Makeido is a software company that delivers customizable content to the user based on their mobile lifestyle. Our software provides national/geographical/local content delivery based on each Makeidoian (our customers). Makeido’s software is built on a SaaS (software-as-a-service) framework comprising of a Web 2.0 enabled website for content delivery and a mobile client package. MediaLogic Inc. - Houston, TX (www.medialogic.com) MediaLogic, Inc. has developed a web based software application by the name of Planroom targeting Building (or Facility) Owners and Operators for Facility Document Management. Planroom offers archiving and community access to critical facility documents such as Blue Prints, As Built Drawings, Operating and Maintenance Manuals, Spec Sheets and any other documents related to designing, constructing, owning and operating a building.

QTAGS, LLC - Houston, TX (www.qtags.com)
qtags designs, builds, hosts and manages full-service keyword-based text-messaging programs. Founded in 2005 and providing service throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, qtags text helps corporations better connect to and interact with both internal and external audiences. The qtags service runs on a short-code platform, and supports corporate branded identity as well as a cost- effective shared platform.

Merrick Systems - Houston (www.merricksystems.com)
Merrick Systems, Inc. provides integrated software solutions and project services for upstream oil and gas production operations. Since 1992, our solutions suite has grown to include Best-of-Class applications for field data capture, production hydrocarbon accounting, plant allocations, regulatory reporting, technical data management, production monitoring, drilling operations, automation telemetry and real time optimization.

Sk*rt - Houston, TX (www.sk-rt.com)
sk*rt is a website created by and for women that collects and presents the "best of" what's online. Users submit and vote for links to interesting things they find on the web. The submitted links are organized into nine categories: Arts & Entertainment; Design & Crafts; Family & Parenting; Fashion & Style; Food & Home; Internet & Technology; Mind, Body & Spirit; Travel & Leisure; World & Business. This type of topic specialization and audience segmentation is the next evolution of social media. It creates a strong community, and it allows advertisers to connect with specific demographics and psychographics.

Smart Imaging Technologies - Houston, TX (www.smartimtech.com)
Smart Imaging Technologies Co provides automated image analysis software solutions for scientific and industrial applications. Our image analysis platform, SIMAGIS is an innovative table-based image analyzer that allows you to automate the steps taken in the process of image analysis without need for programming. SIMAGIS applications include automated analysis and diagnostics for 2D and 3D imaging as well as advanced automated three-dimensional analysis of CT, Ultrasound and MRI data for biomedical, nondestructive test, semiconductor, and other market segments.

SnapStream Media - Houston, TX (www.snapstream.com)
SnapStream Enterprise is revolutionary media monitoring technology used by public relations and public information organizations to monitor and respond to TV coverage. A cross between a DVR and a search engine, SnapStream allows you to record and search thousands of hours of TV recordings. Easy to setup by non-technical and technical users alike, the SnapStream's television search appliance can record from regular cable, digital cable, or satellite television, up to 10 channels at a time. Then, through the SnapStream Enterprise software client, any user can schedule new recordings and use SnapStream's powerful television search technology to find clips of interest. Clips can then be extracted, downloaded, and burned to DVD, all from within SnapStream's client software.

Tritaur, LLC - Houston, TX (www.opmom.com)
TriTaur, LLC, an early-stage Internet technology firm, creates Web 2.0 applications for specific and profitable consumer niche markets. The company’s flagship consumer product is a web-based social software application for Moms called Operation Mom (www.opmom.com). There are over 35 million moms online and growing, and U.S. moms control $1.7 trillion of annual consumer spending. OpMom’s multiple content-sharing channels such as Recipes, Travel, Health, Events, Shopping and Referrals provide a great daily resource for members, and offers brand marketers a high degree of valuable & contextual consumer engagement opportunities. This social software platform is designed to be an integral and “sticky” component of the online and offline lives of its users, while providing advertisers & affiliate partners with precise and reliable access to valuable demographic groups.

Panelists included four of the leading information technology venture capitalists in the United States. Keynote speakers were Jeff Henley, Chairman, Oracle Corporation and Eric Elfman, President & CEO of DataCert, Inc.

The event was sponsored by Event Underwriter: Oracle; Elevator Pitch and Networking Break Sponsor: Comerica Bank; Lunch Sponsor: Deloitte; and Media Sponsors: Houston Business Journal and the BusinessMakers Radio Show.

About the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is Rice University's flagship initiative devoted to the support of technology entrepreneurship. The Rice Alliance is a strategic alliance among the Brown School of Engineering, the Jones Graduate School of Management, and the Wiess School of Natural Sciences.

Since its inception in late-1999, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of over 210 new technology companies, which have raised more than $300 million in early stage funding. Of these, approximately twenty companies have been launched based on technology developed by Rice faculty and researchers and licensed from the Rice Office of Technology Transfer.

In October, 2007 the Rice Alliance was recognized as the leading university entrepreneurship center in the United States for the creation of successful new enterprises by the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (NCEC). The mission of the Rice Alliance is to support the creation of technology-based companies and the commercialization of new technologies. The Rice Alliance provides entrepreneurs with a collaborative network and forum for support, education, and exchange of ideas. It offers entrepreneurs access to the human and financial capital needed for success.