For more information, please contact:

SC Launch!
Reed Bolton Byrum, APR
Byrum Innovation Group, Inc.
864.567.7468
r.byrum@att.net

:

CHARLESTON’S CIVISONLINE, KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY START-UP, RECEIVES SC LAUNCH! PROGRAM FUNDING TO FUEL GROWTH

Interactive Media Company to Expand With $75,000 Capital Infusion

(Charleston, SC) February 23, 2007— CIVISonline, Inc, software and services company that offers tools and technology for major news media to enhance audience interactivity and “citizen journalism,” has been accepted by SC Launch! and has received $75,000 to expand the company.

“We are thankful to be a part of the SC Launch! program and will wisely use the financial support to grow our business by enhancing operations and marketing,” CIVISonline Chairman and founder Phil Noble, a global and public affairs veteran, said. “We look forward to building a global enterprise that will bring pride to all South Carolinians.”

CIVISonline, formed by Noble’s PoliticsOnline (POL), has already deployed its technology, developed during a period of four years, to more than 60 media partners, most notably the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) in its “Global Conversation Project”. It has promoted the use of its technology among thousands of end-users in 175 countries and in 32 languages.

SC Launch!, an SCRA® collaboration with Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina as partners, accelerates entrepreneurial growth of technology startups by delivering key tools for success.

The emergence of CIVISonline is relevant to South Carolina’s Knowledge Economy because this burgeoning company has the opportunity to seize a global market opportunity and thus create Knowledge Economy jobs in South Carolina, SC Launch! Director and Senior Vice President of Operations of SCRA’s SC Public Interest Research Sector Dave McNamara said.

“CIVISonline represents proven technology applications that will help distinguish itself and South Carolina and that will support development of a high-impact company,” McNamara said. “SC Launch! not only provides funding to companies like CIVISonline in South Carolina that have this potential, but also collaborates with organizations that are willing to help create an ecosystem of support to maximize the likelihood of success.”

CIVISonline’s marketplace is among the 13,500 daily newspapers and television station that stretch across the United States and the world.

“The global news and journalism business is desperately attempting to restructure its business models to deal with marketplace distributions generated by new online content deliver and advertising models. Through CIVISonline, we provide these media outlets with tools to promote a new interactive model, a civic ‘MySpace,’ if you will, that can change the global media market,” Noble said. Participants become part of online conversations about news and public issues via media company distribution.

The CIVISonline announcement follows a series of others by SC Launch! In recent months, more than a dozen companies have received financial commitments by SC Launch! Other portfolio companies include Argolyn Bioscience of Charleston, Advanced Automation Consulting of Columbia, Sabal Medical of Charleston and DigitalSmiths of Beaufort.

About CIVISonline:

CIVISonline, Inc, is a software and services company that provides tools and technology to support the news media’s “citizen journalism” marketspace by enabling local and global interactive conversations among media users through the news media partner.

About SC Launch!:

SC Launch!, an SCRA collaboration, accelerates entrepreneurial growth of technology start-ups by delivering key tools for success, creating high-paying jobs and building equity in the future for all South Carolina. SC Launch! is a partnership among Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina and SCRA. For more information, please visit www.sclaunch.org/.

About SCRA

SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with offices in Anderson, Charleston, and Columbia. SCRA collaborates to advance technology with research universities like Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina. For more information please visit www.scra.org.

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SC Launch! is a trademark™ of SC Launch!, Inc. SCRA® is a registered trademark® of SCRA.


 

SC Launch! Fact Sheet  

Background:

SC Launch!, an SCRA collaboration, accelerates entrepreneurial growth of technology start-ups by delivering key tools for success, creating high-paying jobs and building equity in the future for all of South Carolina. SC Launch!, leveraging SCRA’s dynamic resources, drives development of high-growth technology companies to build equity in the future by generating Knowledge Economy jobs, by enhancing the state's quality of life, and by providing strong prospects for all South Carolinians in the new economy.

What SC Launch! Does for South Carolina’s New Knowledge Economy

Primary to SC Launch! is the understanding among state key economic and political leaders for the need to build a competitive, dynamic Knowledge Economy that will invigorate S.C. business :

  • SC Launch! will attract entities ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups, industry and university collaboratives to corporate “landing parties.”
  • SC Launch! will supply entrepreneurs and researchers with key tools for success by supplying high-potential companies with a mix of management counsel, facilities, seed money of up to $200,000 in loans or equity investments, and mentoring.

How to Receive Information, Apply to be a Client Company or Navigator

SC Launch’s Home Page, www.sclaunch.org, contains more information about the programs and an application to become a Client Company or a Resource Partner

SC Launch!

SC Launch!, an SCRA collaboration, accelerates entrepreneurial growth of technology start-ups by delivering key tools for success, creating high-paying jobs and building equity in the future for all South Carolina. SC Launch! is a partnership among Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, and SCRA. For more information, please visit www.sclaunch.org.

SCRA

SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with offices in Anderson, Charleston, and Columbia. SCRA collaborates to advance technology with research universities like Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina. For more information please visit www.scra.org.

Who Leads the Program

Key executives include:

For more information, please visit www.scra.org or www.sclaunch.org.