Social entrepreneur student wins $10,000 for best small business idea in national...

Social entrepreneur student wins $10,000 for best small business idea in national ideablob.com* contest

Penn State student Aaron Fleishman wins for Mashavu, a student
project providing networked health solutions for children in third
world countries.
SPRING HOUSE, Pa.--(Business Wire)--
Advanta Corp. (NASDAQ:ADVNB; ADVNA) announced that Aaron Fleishman
of State College, PA has been named February's $10,000 ideablob.com
monthly contest winner for the best business idea.

Fleishman, a Lewistown, PA native, is a Penn State senior majoring
in chemical engineering. The concept for Mashavu came from a class
design project to develop a prototype cell phone-based system to help
victims in disaster situations and refugee camps. To pilot the
program, Fleishman and Penn State Senior Research Associate Khanjan
Mehta will lead a group of 14 students to Tanzania in June.

"The ideablob competition gave us a fantastic opportunity to
announce our new venture and receive validation and startup funding,"
explained Fleishman. "We have assembled an excellent
multi-disciplinary team of students and faculty to help make this
project successful. Our pilot test should give us great direction
towards developing Mashavu, implementing it effectively and making it
sustainable."

Fleishman plans to use the $10,000 contest prize towards continued
prototype development and component costs including additional
laptops, medical sensors, cell phones and web servers.

Ideablob.com is a vibrant and active community where small
business owners and entrepreneurs are sharing business ideas in
exchange for feedback, advice and votes from the community. Advanta,
one of the nation's largest credit card issuers (through Advanta Bank
Corp.) in the small business market, awards a $10,000 monthly prize to
the best eligible idea, as determined by the votes of the ideablob
community. To date, Advanta has paid out prize money to a
Chicago-based software developer, a Philadelphia-based non-profit
founder, and New York- and Boston-based social entrepreneurs.

"Aaron is the fourth social entrepreneur to win the contest as
voted on by the ideablob community," said Ami Kassar, Advanta's Chief
Innovation Officer. "We find it very encouraging that there are so
many good social entrepreneurial ideas out there, and even more
importantly, that thousands of ideablob community members are
supporting these ideas with their votes."

Fleishman was one of eight finalists competing for February's
$10,000 prize. The eight finalists who will compete for March's
$10,000 contest prize will be announced on ideablob.com on March 22,
and the ideablob community will have 10 days to vote for March's best
business idea. To review the ideas submitted by past ideablob winners,
please visit www.ideablob.com.

There is no purchase necessary to enter the ideablob.com contest.
Contest began on 9/24/07 at 12:00:00 am CT and ends on 9/30/08 at
11:59:59 pm CT. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C.
who are of the legal age of majority in their state of residence at
the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Official Rules are available
online at www.ideablob.com. Sponsored by Advanta Bank Corp., PO Box
30715, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0715.

* ideablob.com and ideablob are service marks owned by Advanta
Bank Corp.

About Advanta

Advanta is one of the nation's largest credit card issuers
(through Advanta Bank Corp.) in the small business market today.
Advanta's exclusive focus on this market, as well as its size,
experience and commitment to developing meaningful product offerings
and a high level of service tailored to the needs of small businesses,
differentiate the company from other issuers. Founded in 1951, Advanta
has long been an innovator in developing and introducing many of the
marketing techniques that are common in the financial services
industry today. Learn more about Advanta at www.advanta.com.

Advanta Corp.
David M. Goodman
Director, Communications
215-444-5073
dgoodman@advanta.com
or
Allison Clark
ideablob Public Relations
847-921-7417
allison@inktankpr.com
or
Matthew Vlahos
ideablob Public Relations
267-402-2001
mvlahos@redtettemer.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008