Grow America Unveils Strategic Vision

MarketStar Founder Alan Hall Announces National Organization Uniquely Designed
to Support Entrepreneurs
SALT LAKE CITY--(Business Wire)--
During today’s “Unleashing Ideas: Igniting High-Growth Entrepreneurship in Utah”
conference, Alan E. Hall, noted entrepreneur, venture capitalist, community
leader and philanthropist, unveiled Grow America, an organization dedicated to
helping entrepreneurs succeed across the United States.

Particularly in today’s turbulent economic climate, small business owners often
lack the knowledge, resources and time needed to build their businesses. Whether
the need is to build a marketing campaign to generate leads, create a
professional website, or secure a round of funding, Grow America will act as a
center for expertise, tools and education.

“The current financial crisis stresses the need for this type of national
organization - one that will focus on growing Main Street rather than Wall
Street,” said Grow America’s Chairman, Alan Hall. “Entrepreneurs and small
businesses will play a vital role in the recovery of our economy. We want to
help them succeed and grow as we pave the way for the next generation of
business leaders.”

Grow America was specifically designed to meet the business challenges of
entrepreneurs. In 2009, Grow America will begin rolling out its business model
across the country in select states, combining its national reach with a strong
local presence. The first instance of this model is in Utah, with Grow Utah
Ventures representing the local arm of Grow America.

The organization will offer localized business centers, online products and
services, one-on-one consulting, and trusted local affiliates with years of
proven experience. The initial product suite will specifically include:

* Local Business Resources – We provide a wide array of services to local
entrepreneurs in key regions across the country. These services include:
entrepreneur training, effective networking, high-level mentoring, start-up
business support, funding assessment, and Speedpitching events, which connect
entrepreneurs with dozens of qualified investors.
* Funding Services – FundingUniverse will lend its expertise to successfully
train, prepare and enable entrepreneurs to obtain funding.
* Marketing Services – Sprout Marketing, a next-generation marketing firm, will
provide a special product line for Grow America, designed to help companies
generate awareness, improve customer retention and increase revenue.
* Web Services – Grow America will provide professional web services designed to
help companies generate new business leads, sell products, provide customer
support and build partnerships on the Internet.

For more information please visit www.growamericaventures.com.

About Grow America

Founded in 2008, Grow America is an organization that provides entrepreneurs
with the services and support they need to grow their businesses. Grow America
was created by Alan E. Hall, one of the most influential business, community and
philanthropic leaders in the Western United States. Combining national reach
with local impact, Grow America has brought together Grow Utah Ventures as well
as expertise from FundingUniverse and Sprout Marketing to deliver affordable
tools to entrepreneurs. The firm will provide affordable online products and
services, one-on-one consulting, and resources from trusted local affiliates
with years of proven experience. For more information visit
www.growamericaventures.com.

About Grow Utah Ventures

Grow Utah Ventures, is a privately funded not-for-profit organization dedicated
to stimulate, unlock and develop the entrepreneurial talent and early stage
business opportunities for value creation across Utah. Comprised of a team of
successful and experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders and private
investors, Grow Utah Ventures accomplishes its mission by 1) Identifying,
selecting and recognizing accomplished and promising Utah entrepreneurs, 2)
Building a statewide community of outstanding entrepreneurs and those interested
in promoting entrepreneurial development, 3) Partnering with organizations,
companies and investors seeking to support Utah’s best entrepreneurs, 4)
Rallying community leadership and financial resources to support entrepreneurial
development.

For more information about Grow Utah Ventures, visit www.growutahventures.com.

About FundingUniverse

FundingUniverse connects qualified entrepreneurs with active angels, VCs, and
lenders across the United States. We provide services that make entrepreneurs
Deal-Ready™. Prepare your company for investor scrutiny with our Funding
Bootcamp, our lender ScoreCard, or our Venture Consulting Services. Once
prepared, these entrepreneurs are introduced to the appropriate financing
source: a network of active investors & lenders who rely on FundingUniverse to
save them time by bringing them qualified business deals. Through
FundingUniverse, investors have access to pre-screened dealflow organized to
their personal investment preferences and can request a pitch from an
entrepreneur virtually or in person. www.fundinguniverse.com.

About Sprout Marketing

Sprout Marketing is an outsourced marketing department for hire, employing a
seasoned team of marketing experts who focus on growing client revenues using
proven marketing strategies. Sprout’s innovative approach allows clients to get
the experience of an integrated marketing team without having to hire full-time
resources. For tactical marketing, Sprout uses a trusted network of vendors who
provide copywriting, design, web programming, and a host of other services.
Since 2002, Sprout has helped launch more than 100 companies and 400 different
products. For more information, please visit www.sproutmarketing.com.

Sprout Marketing
Alex Koritz, 801-641-3808
alex@sproutmarketing.com

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