Research Triangle Park, September 27, 2002 - The Council for Entrepreneurial Development and Springboard Enterprises today announced they have selected Phoenix S&T, Inc. as one of the 16 women-led companies that will present their businesses at the first-ever southeastern regional Springboard: Southeast 2002, a venture capital forum showcasing women-led high growth businesses. The forum, hosted by Springboard Enterprises and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, is scheduled for September 27 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Finalists for the forum were selected by a committee of the area's leading venture capitalists and service providers from an impressive field of 100 candidates recruited from Florida to Maryland. The Southeast forum presenters join 214 past Springboard presenters from Silicon Valley, the Mid-Atlantic, New England, Mid-West and Southwest, who have raised more than $750 million dollars for their companies since January 2000.

"The women chosen to present at Springboard: Southeast 2002 represent the next wave of successful entrepreneurs in this fertile region," said Monica Doss, president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. "These forums provide women entrepreneurs with access to the 'who's who' within the investment community."

"I want to thank the organizers and the legion of volunteers who have invested so much of their time and expertise in making the Springboard Southeast 2002 experience so wonderful. Having five high-quality potential investors following up on us is another testimony of how effective and successful the Springboard team has made this forum.", said Sau Lan Tang Staats, the founder and president of Phoenix S&T, Inc., after the forum. Phoenix S&T, Inc is a presenting company from Maryland.

Phoenix S&T, Inc. (PST) is an early stage technology company developing and selling microscale, low-cost, disposable polymer tools for protein profiling, a major sector of the proteomics market. We serve pharmaceutical, biotech R&D and academic customers. PST's products are based on breakthrough proprietary three-dimensional microfluidic devices manufactured by microinjection molding of plastics (patents pending). Their first product, a nanospray interface chip for mass spectrometry of proteins will be launched in January, 2003.

The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (www.cednc.org), located in Research Triangle Park, N.C. is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. As one of the nation's oldest and largest entrepreneurial support organizations, CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs.

Springboard Enterprises is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization dedicated to increasing women-led high-growth enterprises' access to the equity markets. Springboard delivers its programs and services through local affiliate organizations and a national network of entrepreneurs, investors and business development professionals. Springboard's signature program is the Women's Venture Capital Forum, which is hosted in major markets throughout the United States. More information about Springboard Enterprises can be found at www.springboardenterprises.org.