Top Technology and Digital Media Leaders Converge at Stanford to Discuss Downturn’s Impact

The 15th Stanford Accel Symposium Hosted by MediaX Will Feature Thought Leaders From WPP, eBay, Facebook, CNET, Yahoo! and LinkedIn

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Accel Partners and Stanford’s MediaX announced their 15th symposium, which will feature unfiltered industry insights and offer the unique opportunity to learn and discuss the impacts of 2008’s dramatic events on the world of digital media and technology. The Symposium brings together the Stanford research community, high-technology business leaders, and entrepreneurs who are collectively driving developments in this rapidly changing arena.

The Accel symposium is geared towards entrepreneurs, academic and industrial researchers, investors and executives to learn first-hand how to be better informed about new trends in digital media, advertising, and next generation media-oriented business models. Attendees will explore the future of information technologies and services, and will gain critical direction and insight to take back to their companies and help drive their strategic and operational decisions.

Topics will include:



1. The Obama Administration Impact on Innovation Sectors

2. Digital Media Advertiser & Technology Priorities in a Downsizing World

3. Trends in Datacenter Infrastructure and Cloud Computing

4. Will the Recession Strengthen Open Source or Destroy Profitability?

5. SaaS Crossing the Chasm: Are We There Yet?

“We are very excited to be hosting our 15th Symposium,” stated Kevin Efrusy from Accel Partners. “We have great panelists and speakers this year that will explore what 2008 has meant for us and how it will impact the future of technology. It is important to learn from each other what we’ve done right and what has hindered our growth during this economic crisis.”

Symposium participants will include the following key industry figures:

Keynotes:

* John Donahoe, CEO, eBay Inc.
* Sir Martin Sorrell, Chairman and CEO, WPP

Speakers and Panelists:

* Jeremy Allaire, CEO and Founder, Brightcove, Inc.
* Adam Bain, President of Audience Network, Fox
* Jim Bankoff, CEO, SB Nation
* Matthew Barzun, National Finance Team for Barack Obama and Former Chief Strategy Officer, CNET Networks, Inc
* John Battelle, Chairman and CEO, Federated Media
* Rob Bearden, Former President, Jboss; President, Springsource
* Dave Berman, President of Worldwide Sales and Service, WebEx
* Tim Cadogan, CEO, OpenX
* Duke Chung, CEO, Parature
* Scott Dietzen, SVP of Communications and Products, Yahoo!
* Curt Hecht, President, Vivaki Nerve Center
* Chris Hughes, Facebook, and Architect of Obama’s Digital Campaign Strategies
* Bob Muglia, President Server and Tools Business, Microsoft Corp.
* Raghu Ramakrishnan, Chief Scientist for Audience and Research Fellow at Yahoo, Inc.
* Mark Read, Strategy Director, WPP
* Mike Schroepfer, VP Engineering, Facebook
* Quincy Smith, CEO, CBS Interactive
* David Thompson, CEO, Genius Inc., Former CMO, WebEx
* Jayshree Ullal, President and CEO, Arista Networks
* Zack Urlocker, VP of Products, Sun Microsystems
* Maynard Webb, CEO, LiveOps; Former COO, eBay, Inc.
* Jeff Weiner, President, LinkedIn; Former EIR, Accel Partners

The 15th Stanford Accel Symposium hosted by MediaX is a one-of-its-kind gathering place for technology experts, stakeholders, leaders, and media. The one-day conference offers insider views and industry intelligence on the changing trends and leading-edge services and experiences in technology and digital media.

What: The 15th Stanford Accel Symposium – The Delta Conference: The Impact of 2008’s Dramatic Events on the World of Digital Media and Technology

Where: Arrillaga Alumni Center at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

When: February 25, 2009, 7:30 am to 3:45 pm

A full agenda can be accessed by visiting: http://www.accel.com/symposium/index.html

To register for the event please visit: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=171594&CFID=14396248&CFTOKEN=74742849.

About MediaX

In a world where industry increasingly seeks inspiration from sources outside its own corporate walls, and modern research universities move toward the integration across disciplines of ideas borne out of basic research that have true impact in the world, MediaX embodies a new model to facilitate these activities.

MediaX builds bridges among the best faculty and student scholars at Stanford and thought leaders from influential companies to address questions of real importance within both academia and industry. Our activities are driven by a steadfast belief in the inspiration that emerges at the intersection of industry need and academic research; at the intersection of various disciplines addressing the same question; and at the intersection of people and technology.

Fundamental to our vision is the belief that we serve two customers: industry partners that affiliate with our program, and the research community within Stanford University. MediaX puts in place the building blocks that make these interactions work and make possible new models of innovation.

About Accel Partners

Founded in 1983, Accel Partners has a long history of excellence and innovation in the venture capital business and is dedicated to partnering with outstanding entrepreneurs and management teams to build world-class businesses. Accel today invests globally using dedicated teams and market-specific strategies for local geographies, with offices in Palo Alto, California, London, UK, and Bangalore, India as well as in China via the IDG-Accel Partnership.

With over $4 billion under management, Accel has helped entrepreneurs build over 300 successful companies, many of which have defined their categories include Actuate, Acopia, Agile Software, Alfresco, AMCC, Arrowpoint, BBN, Brightcove, ComScore, Etsy, Facebook, Foundry Networks, GlamMedia, Imperva, Infinera, Interwoven, JBoss, Kayak, Macromedia, Maven Networks, metroPCS, Polycom/PictureTel, Portal Software, QlikTech, Rapt, Real Networks, Redback Networks, Riverbed, UUNet, Veritas, Walmart.com, Webroot, Wily Technology, XenSource and Zimbra. For more information, visit the Accel Partners web site at www.accel.com.