Atlanta-Based Pindrop Security Wins Prestigious Business Competition

Four companies competed for a combined $450,000 in cash and services. End Quote

Atlanta, GA (1888PressRelease) June 01, 2011 - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) today announced that Atlanta-based start-up company, Pindrop Security, has won the 2011 GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition and will receive $50,000 cash and over $200,000 in donated services from the Atlanta business community to help the company grow. Pindrop Security offers a unique Caller ID technology that authenticates callers through the "fingerprint" of the phone call making financial and other transactions over the phone more secure.

"The GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition gets more competitive every year and we applaud Pindrop Security for winning this year's competition," stated TAG president and CEO, Tino Mantella. "Georgia is one of the top states in the nation for entrepreneurism and we are pleased to support the growth of new business. Pindrop Security is a great example of the kind of innovation that makes Georgia a leader in financial technology and information security."

The other finalists Soket, AuditMyBooks and ViscidTech will split the remaining $200,000 in pro bono services, a first for the competition. Services include legal counsel, professional consulting, marketing, software and even real estate space. They have been donated to the final participants in a way to not only help ensure their success, but to assist in connecting the Atlanta entrepreneurial community with established businesses.

"It is exciting for us that all of the companies are able to walk away from the competition with a great experience and a package of services vital to a new company," stated Sid Elliott, director for the GRA. "This has always been a public, private partnership and this year's support and participation proved the strength of that partnership."

This year's event also featured a 'People's Choice Award.' The over 130 participants that took part in today's final competition voted using the TAG Entrepreneurs Mobile App for their favorite presentation. Soket, a company that focuses on online promotions that offer local organizations a place to manage, monitor and make sense of promotional efforts on the web, was the proud recipient of the first annual People's Choice Award.

Judges for the final round of the 2011 Competition included Ron Vern, former CEO of Sage Software; Allen Moseley, General Partner at Noro-Moseley Partners; Wayne Hunter, Managing Partner, Harbert Venture Partners (Roanoke, VA); John Glushik, Investment Team, InterSouth Partners (Durham, NC); and Tripp Rackley, Technology Entrepreneur and 2010 Inductee to the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame.

The competition, now in its sixth year, facilitates connections between the younger entrepreneurial community and the more seasoned entrepreneurs, with the initial applications being screened by an experienced panel of entrepreneurs, and the most promising applicants being assigned a mentor for the duration of the competition. Participants are also connected to the investor community, with out-of-state venture capital companies being represented among the judge's panel and a multitude of angel and venture capital investors in attendance at the event. For more information visit: http://www.tagonline.org/businesslaunch.php.

About Technology Association of Georgia
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is the leading technology industry association in the state, serving more than 13,000 members and hosting over 170 events each year. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 30 industry societies, each of which provides rich content for TAG constituents. TAG's mission is to educate, promote, and unite Georgia's technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances a tech-based economy. The association provides members with access to networking and educational programs; recognizes and promotes Georgia's technology leaders and companies; and advocates for legislative action that enhances the state's economic climate for technology. Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG's charitable arm) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at http://www.tagthink.com. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit http://www.tagedonline.org/.

About Georgia Research Alliance
A model public-private partnership of Georgia's research universities, business and state government, the Georgia Research Alliance helps build Georgia's technology-rich economy in three major ways: through attracting Eminent Scholars to Georgia's research universities; through helping create centers of research excellence and through converting research into products, services and jobs that drive the economy. To learn more about GRA, visit www.gra.org

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