Washington Post, Capital Business Article by Dan Beyers The entrepreneurs and venture capitalists at this year's Capital Connection conference put on by the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association tried their best to be nonchalant about the need to make deals.....But there was a palpable sense that interest is stirring in the investment world, particularly if a company has a track record and a gleam of revenue. And especially if the business happens to operate in either the for-profit education or cybersecurity sectors.

Capital Connection ’10, the annual flagship event for the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, concluded Thursday a program that featured presentations from over 55 companies and two dozen industry luminaries speaking on the latest technology and investment trends and strategies. A national audience of nearly 700 investors, advisors, government decision-makers, and entrepreneurs attended the two-day conference in Baltimore.

The Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) today announced that Joe Mecane, an Executive Vice President with NYSE Euronext, will deliver Thursday's keynote address...First Look Fast Pitch Companies announced

Howard Schmidt, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, will deliver a keynote address at Capital Connection ’10 on May 19. Schmidt, one of the world’s leading authorities on cybersecurity,is responsible for coordinating interagency cybersecurity policy development and implementation and is responsible for coordinating engagement with federal, state, local, international, and private sector cybersecurity partners.

MAVA today announced a stellar lineup of 11 later stage growth companies that will showcase their operations at its flagship technology, business and investment conference, Capital Connection ’10. The invited presenters will join the already announced programming that includes 40 early stage companies, and other keynote and featured speakers covering industry sectors such as software/IT, education innovation, cybersecurity, alternative energy, digital media/entertainment, and health services/IT.

MAVA names the 40 early and expansion stage technology companies that have been competitively selected to present at Capital Connection ’10. These companies will join later stage growth companies that will be showcased throughout the conference program.

Lt. General (Ret) USAF Kenneth A. Minihan, former director of the National Security Agency, has been named to lead the cybersecurity panel at Capital Connection ‘10. Joining Minihan on the panel are Kristin Lovejoy, Vice President, Security Strategy, IBM, and James Mobley, CEO, Neohapsis. Panel will focus on cybersecurity, information security, and risk management from national security, corporate, and personal perspectives.

Speakers and presenters from the key tech sectors of digital media/ entertainment, education, and cybersecurity will include John Eck, President, NBC Network and Media Works; Ron Packard, CEO, K12 Inc.; Scott Ferber, CEO, TidalTV; Martin Nisenholtz, Senior Vice President, The New York Times; and Kristin Lovejoy, Vice President, Security Strategy, IBM. These speakers will be joined by key industry, investment, and government leaders from alternative energy, health services/IT, and software/IT.

Registration for Capital Connection '10 to be held May 19 -20 at the Hilton Baltimore in Baltimore, MD is now open and applications from U.S. companies to speak and present are now being accepted.

This year's Capital Connection will showcase top companies from across the country to an audience of capital sources, technology entrepreneurs, and business and government leaders. John Burke of True Venture Partners, Carter Griffin of Updata Partners, Niloo Howe of Paladin Capital Group, and Jonathan Perl of Boulder Ventures have been named as conference co-chairs