Glen Bressner to Join Originate Growth Fund as a Managing Partner

Originate Ventures has announced that Glen Bressner will join Originate Growth Fund as a Managing Partner and Fred Beste has agreed to serve on the Fund's Advisory Board.

Bressner and Beste are co-founders of the Bethlehem-based Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds (MAVF) which, collectively, has been one of the most active investors in early stage businesses located in the Mid-Atlantic region over the past 20 years. Since its founding in 1985, MAVF I-IV has invested more than $179 million in 72 Mid-Atlantic-based companies, and 88 companies in total.

Bressner, a venture capitalist for his entire 22-year career, joins Originate as a Managing Partner. He has been a general partner of MAVF I-IV, and currently serves on the boards of geoVue, TapRoot, CorePROFIT and RealWinWin. In 2000, he received the Entrepreneurial Advocate Award from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. He has been a chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group and is on the Investment Advisory Committee for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Beste brings his 40 years of experience as a venture capitalist to serve Originate as an Advisory Board member. He has sat on the boards of directors of more than 40 growth companies, and is currently the vice-chair of the Board of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Beste is passionate about the venture capital industry, and continues to lecture, consult and regularly publish on venture capital, entrepreneurship and strategic planning.

"As we considered raising MAVF V, focusing on our Funds I & II strategy of investing in early stage companies primarily located in Eastern Pennsylvania, we identified the need to either add Partners or combine with an existing fund," said Glen. "We came to the realization that Originate Ventures had a nearly identical strategy and geographic focus. By combining forces and resources, we have a much stronger platform against a common vision. Our anchor investors were very supportive, too," he concluded.

"We are really excited about the addition to our leadership team," said Mike Gausling, Originate's co-founder and a Managing Partner. "Collectively, we have a deep and diverse experience set. This includes a proven track record of success as venture capitalists, technology entrepreneurs, business owners, and management consultants. We look forward to using our unique combination of skills to manage, grow and brand early stage product companies."

Originate leverages its extensive referral network to identify investment opportunities for Originate. It then develops brand strategies and applies its early stage investment experience to screen those investment opportunities. Once invested, Originate expects to apply its broad and complementary skill sets to help the Fund's portfolio companies implement accretive business strategies and to help manage growth from investment until exit.

About Originate Ventures (www.OriginateVentures.com)

Originate Ventures was co-founded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 2007 by Mike Gausling and Eric Arnson. Originate seeks to make venture capital investments of $500,000 to $4 million in a broad range of early stage and emerging growth oriented companies located in eastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding area.

Mike Gausling has strong ties to eastern Pennsylvania, stemming from his 19 years as a successful entrepreneur, business owner, and community leader in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Mike was a co-founder and former CEO of OraSure Technologies (NASDAQ: OSUR). He led the company from start-up to a Russell 2000 company, with a 70x return to his original angel investors. His financial, operational, and deal-making experience in growing early stage companies is expected to enhance the portfolio companies' performances from investment through exit.

Eric Arnson was a Partner at McKinsey and Company. Prior to McKinsey, Eric founded and was managing partner of ENVISION, a consulting firm to many Fortune 500 clients that developed and guided new growth and stronger brand equity strategies for a broad range of products and market segments both domestically and globally. His clients represented some of the most widely recognized brand names in the world, including, Nike, Gatorade, The Weather Channel, Snapple, Allstate and Kinko's. Eric brings world-class business strategy and brand equity development expertise to the Fund.

Media interviews are available with the managing partners by contacting Shannon Morin at (610) 866.5588 or Shannon.Morin@OriginateVentures.com.

Contacts:

Originate Ventures
Shannon Morin, 610-866-5588
Shannon.Morin@OriginateVentures.com
www.OriginateVentures.com