Choate, Hall & Stewart to Present Session at BIO International on "Raising Venture Capital in the U.S."

ATLANTA--(Business Wire)--
Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP will present a session at the BIO 2009 International
Convention on "Raising Venture Capital in the U.S.: A Practical Road Map for
Foreign Companies to the World`s Largest Venture Capital Pool." Well-known
venture capital attorney Steve Hurwitz from Choate will moderate a panel
discussion that will include partners from some of the most distinguished VC
firms in the U.S. The session will take place at 4:00 p.m. on May 20 at the
World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The session will provide valuable insight for foreign life sciences and biotech
companies on securing venture capital in challenging economic times. Covered
issues include: identifying the right venture capitalists for your company;
positioning your company for a winning proposal; the pros and cons of taking
venture capital; understanding the value-add of U.S. venture capital;
negotiating the investment successfully; and working with venture capitalists
over the long term.

"Even though the U.S. has the largest pool of venture capital in the world, 2009
will be a difficult year for emerging foreign companies seeking to raise venture
capital," said Mr. Hurwitz. "The best companies will get funding, provided they
can distinguish themselves in a very competitive environment. Some of the
greatest success stories have been investments made during a recession."

Leading venture capitalists that will serve as co-panelists include: David
Berry, M.D., Ph.D., a partner at Flagship Ventures, which focuses on investing
in and founding early stage life science and cleantech ventures; Peter Glick, a
general partner at Ampersand, which has over 70 years of private equity
experience; Peter McWilliams, Ph.D., principal at Sanderling Ventures, which
focuses on seed/early-stage biomedical companies; and Scott Requadt, J.D.,
M.B.A., a transactional partner at Clarus, where he identifies unique investment
opportunities and shepherds them to maturity.

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP is a leading Boston law firm with a nationally
recognized life sciences practice. The firm represents well-known life sciences
companies and institutions in IP protection, strategies, transactions, and
corporate work. Choate also has nationally regarded practices in private equity,
intellectual property, business and technology, litigation, wealth management,
and insurance/reinsurance. The firm`s clients range from Fortune 100 companies
to leading venture capital and buyout funds to technology startups.

Choate, Hall & Stewart
Betsy Huntley, (617) 248-4798

Copyright Business Wire 2009