Mtech Technology Advancement Program Companies AccuStrata, TRX Systems, Zymetis Win...

Mtech Technology Advancement Program Companies AccuStrata, TRX Systems,
Zymetis Win Incubator Company of the Year Awards

COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AccuStrata Inc., TRX
Systems Inc. and Zymetis Inc., three early stage companies in the Maryland
Technology Enterprise Institute's (Mtech) Technology Advancement Program, each
took first place in their respective categories at the 2008 Maryland Incubator
Company of the Year Awards ceremony on June 10.

The companies were selected from 21 finalists in seven categories.

"All three are promising companies with innovative technologies," said Steve
Kozak, executive director of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council and a
member of the selection committee. "Each is on the path to greatness and the
State of Maryland is better for it."

AccuStrata Inc. (www.accustrata.com), winner in the Best New Incubator Company
category, features a patented technology that could make products such as
solar cells, flat panel displays and semiconductors less expensive for
consumers by improving the precision and yield of manufacturing processes. The
company offers a novel system that automatically detects and corrects errors
on the fly during the mass manufacturing of thin films. The increased
precision gained through AccuStrata's technology could help eliminate some of
the estimated $31 billion wasted annually when thin film products fail to meet
customer specifications and are scrapped. Thin films are widely used for
nanotechnology, optical, military, biomedical and telecommunications
applications.

TRX Systems Inc. (www.trxsystems.com), winner in the Best Homeland Security
Company category, could save the lives of firefighters and first responders
with its Firefighter Sentinel System, comprised of a highly advanced personal
tracking device, base station and software. The Firefighter Sentinel System
gives responders pinpoint and up-to-date locations of individuals deployed
inside a structure such as a burning building. It also functions as a health
monitor, detecting and alerting operators of personnel in distress. The system
automatically logs all data for replay, post-analysis and training.

The Sentinel research and development has been supported by the National
Science Foundation, Technology Support Working Group, Department of Homeland
Security, the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, the National Geospatial
Intelligence Agency, the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, the Center for
Fire Safety Research and Development, the Maryland Industrial Partnerships
Program and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO).

Zymetis Inc. (www.zymetis.com), winner in the Life Science Category, may hold
the key to inexpensive ethanol through an enzymatic process derived from a
bacterium found in the Chesapeake Bay. Zymetis' patent-pending technology,
developed at the University of Maryland, breaks down any substance consisting
of plant matter (cellulose) into its constituent sugars (which are then
fermented into ethanol) faster and cheaper than any available solution.
Zymetis is developing a pilot plant to convert non-recyclable municipal waste
into ethanol in conjunction with Lawrenceville, Va.-based Fiberight. In
addition to the Technology Advancement Program, Zymetis has also been actively
engaged in other Mtech programs for Maryland technology startups like the
VentureAccelerator program, Mtech's Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility, and Mtech's
Maryland Industrial Partnerships funding program.

The Maryland Incubator Company of the Year awards, sponsored by TEDCO, RSM
McGladrey, the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development and Saul
Ewing LLP, publicly recognize achievements by current clients and graduates of
Maryland incubators and provide a forum for the nominees to increase their
visibility in the business, technology and investment communities. Application
finalists and category award recipients are chosen by a cross-section of the
region's most prominent industry leaders and early-stage investors.

Selection criteria for a winning company included: success in achieving its
objectives, its technology or product development; growth in revenue or
earnings; number of customers and significant customers; technology transfer;
attraction of outside investors; and impact on the region. Award recipients
were chosen based on their nomination form, onsite visits, and interviews with
references.

For photos of the winners, please visit:
http://www.mtech.umd.edu/news/press_releases/ICOTYA_2008.html

About Mtech's Technology Advancement Program (TAP) (www.tap.umd.edu)
For over 20 years, TAP has helped entrepreneurs build some of the most
successful technology companies in the mid-Atlantic region. TAP's staff is
comprised of seasoned veterans of startups and venture capital firms who
provide business advice and support, market intelligence, introductions,
access to funding and other critical assistance that can accelerate the growth
of technology ventures. TAP offers furnished offices and flexible lab space as
well as a multitude of other benefits and services that can only be found at a
technology business incubator situated right on the campus of one of the
nation's top public universities, the University of Maryland. TAP was the
first technology business incubator in the state of Maryland and is the
birthplace of two of Maryland's billion dollar companies: Gaithersburg-based
Digene Corporation (now part of Qiagen) and Columbia-based Martek Biosciences.

About the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) (www.mtech.umd.edu)
The mission of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) is
tri-fold: educate the next generation of technology entrepreneurs; help
entrepreneurs create successful technology-based ventures; and connect
Maryland companies with university resources to help them succeed. Founded in
1983, Mtech has had a $17.02 billion impact on the Maryland economy through
its programs. Mtech is a unit of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at
the University of Maryland.

SOURCE Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute

Eric Schurr of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, +1-301-405-3889,
schurr@umd.edu