The Rice Alliance Nanotechnology Venture Forum will showcase 20 of the most promising nanotechnology start-up companies.

The Rice Alliance Nanotechnology Venture Forum will showcase 20 of the most promising nanotechnology start-up companies. Speakers will include leading venture capitalists, investors, and the world's foremost experts in nanotechnology research and commercialization. Attendees will learn how nanotechnology will change our lives and shape the future of business. National venture capitalists and attendees will review companies and their cutting-edge research at the annual forum. More than 400 attendees participated in 2007.

Additional information about Nanotechnology Venture Forum:

· 20 promising nanotechnology companies will present updates on their companies

· Venture capital panel will discuss trends in investing in nanotechnology

In addition, emerging nanotechnology companies from all aspects of the nanotechnology industry will showcase their technologies at the forum. The company showcase is a section of the forum that will allow participants and guest a more in depth look at each company participating in the forum.

WHO: Opening Keynote Speaker: 9:15 - 9:45 AM

Dr. Ray O. Johnson, Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer,

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Dr. Ray Johnson guides Lockheed Martin's technology vision and provides corporate leadership in the strategic areas of Technology and Engineering, which include more than 65,000 people working on more than 4,000 programs. Dr. Johnson also leads the Corporation's Advanced Concepts Organization and the Center for Innovation, a world-class laboratory for collaborative experimentation and analysis involving Lockheed Martin, its customers, and industry partners.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Dr. Johnson holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Afternoon Keynote Speaker: 1:15 - 1:45 PM
Josh Wolfe, Managing Partner, Lux Capital Management

Josh Wolfe is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Lux Capital focusing on the firms' venture investments in physical & life sciences. Wolfe sits on the Board of Crystal IS, Silicon Clocks, Lux Research (a research and advisory firm serving Fortune 100, government and buy-side clients) and Angstrom Publishing (a media joint venture with Forbes, Inc.). He is a founding member of junior boards for The East Harlem School at Exodus House, the Hospital for Special Surgery, Coney Island Prep and the Cancer Research Institute.

Wolfe is a native of Brooklyn, New York. He graduated with distinction from Cornell University with a B.S. in Economics and Finance.

Closing Keynote Speaker: 4:00 - 4:30 PM
Chris Anzalone, President and CEO, Arrowhead Research Corporation

Chris Anzalone's background combines biomedical research, investment banking, financial services, and venture capital. He is President and CEO of Arrowhead Research Corporation, a holding company that actively builds and invests in nanotechnology companies. Prior to Arrowhead, Chris was founder and CEO of the Benet Group, a private equity firm focused on building new nano/biotechnology companies out of raw university-generated science. At Benet, he was founding CEO of Benet portfolio companies Nanotope, Inc., a tissue regeneration company, and Leonardo Biosystems, a cancer drug delivery company.

Anzalone was an NIH Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation and Research Center, specializing in altered germ cell DNA-protein interactions. He was an active scientist with publications in the areas of Molecular Biology, Endocrine Physiology, Reproductive Biology, and Conservation Biology.

WHEN: Thursday January 24, 2008

9:00 AM - 6:30 PM

WHERE: Rice University

McNair Hall Jones Graduate School

6100 Main Street
Houston, TX 77005-2932

Contacts:
Media Contact:
Costatinos J. Pappas IV
The Padgett Group
713-590-3771
cj@thepadgettgroup.com