GoodGuide, Inc. Announced as Web 2.0 Summit's Launch Pad Winner

Six Companies Unveil Tools from the Web to Address Change

PRNewswire
SAN FRANCISCO
(:UBM.L)
Nov 7, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- TechWeb and O'Reilly Media, Inc., co-producers of the annual Web 2.0 Summit, today announced the "Best in Show" winner of Launch Pad, a unique public forum designed to uncover the most promising Web startups. GoodGuide, Inc. was chosen as the audience's top choice for best pitch presentation via a real-time SMS voting system, provided by Mozes, on Thursday, November 6 during Web 2.0 Summit at the Palace Hotel.

The theme for this fourth edition of Launch Pad was Web Meets World. Each company selected to participate in the Launch Pad program exemplifies how to use the Web as a platform to connect the Web's culture with the real world and address the world's need for change. Six companies participated in the Launch Pad competition and prepared an on-stage presentation for audience members and judges, who then cast their vote in real-time. Participating companies include: Carbonetworks Corporation, GoodGuide, Inc., EveryScape, Inc., Predictify, Inc., Qik, and Sungevity.

GoodGuide, Inc. strives to provide the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental and social impacts of products and companies. Good Guide offers ratings on over 65,000 products commonly found in your home, making it quick and easy to find safe and healthy products that are right for you and good for the planet.

"We're incredibly excited to be launching at Web 2.0 Summit where the focus of Web Meets World is exactly what we're doing," said Dara O'Rourke, CEO of GoodGuide, Inc. "The congregation of thought leaders who voted for us and their commitment to this year's theme, evidences that little startups like ours can truly change the world."

"It was a particularly difficult Launch Pad competition this year, with over 150 submissions from around the world. Six esteemed Bay Area venture capitalists reviewed applications and narrowed down their selection in five intense rounds," said John Battelle, Web 2.0 Summit Program Chair. "Each company has really demonstrated how they are working to improve the complex problems facing our world and outside industries. We'll be watching GoodGuide, Inc., as we anticipate great success and continued innovation from them."

The Launch Pad event is sponsored by Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV), New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA), Omidyar Network and Panorama Capital. VC judges include: Chris Albinson, Erik Straser, Mike Goguen, Patrick Chung, Todor Tashev, and Vinod Khosla. In conjunction with the Web Meets World theme of this years Web 2.0 Summit event, Launch Pad focused on startups in the fields of alternative energies, social entrepreneurialism, microfinance, developing economies, political action, renewable technologies, and other innovative areas. For more information visit: http://www.web2summit.com/.

About O'Reilly

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly has been a chronicler and catalyst of leading-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism. For more information, visit: http://www.oreilly.com/. O'Reilly is a registered trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. Other products mentioned may be trademarks of their respective companies.

About TechWeb

TechWeb, the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

  * 13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections

  About United Business Media Limited

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $1.6 billion

SOURCE: TechWeb

CONTACT: Natalia Wodecki, PR Manager, TechWeb, nwodecki@techweb.com, or
Maureen Jennings, Conferences Publicist, O'Reilly Media, Inc.,
maureen@oreilly.com

Web site: http://www.web2summit.com/