[Selected "Connected Innovators" to show their stuff at Supernova 2006 Conference to begin June 21st in San Francisco.]

San Francisco -- The Supernova Group has teamed with Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.com to select an elite group of start-up companies as "Connected Innovators." The Connected Innovators who will present at the Supernova 2006 Conference are: Attensa, Ether, LifeIO, Netvibes, PROTOMOBL, PostApp, Sharpcast, SoonR, StumbleUpon, Vpod.tv, Webaroo, and ZiXXo. Each company was handpicked for its potential to create new markets and define the connected future. The Supernova 2006 Conference, co-produced with The Wharton School, will be held in San Francisco from June 21-23, at Wharton West and the Palace Hotel.

A highlight of the Supernova Conference, the Connected Innovators program brings together the creators of exciting emerging technologies -- many launching for the first time -- with the industry's top technology and business influencers. Each company will present its technology to a live audience on June 22 at 6:00PM. For the first time, Connected Innovators' presentations will also be video-streamed into a special Supernova Lounge, hosted by Yahoo! in Linden Lab's Second Life, the explosive 3-D virtual world. Custom presentation tools provided by developer, Electric Sheep Company, will provide Second Life residents a parallel virtual conference experience.

"The next phase of innovation has clearly begun and, as always, Supernova is shining light on what's in store for the technology world. These 12 innovators were selected from scores of promising ventures as epitomizing how the world will expect to be -- and need to be -- connected," said Kevin Werbach, Supernova founder and assistant professor at Wharton. "Bringing this group together with Supernova's esteemed participants will only help drive the development and impact of technology's next big wave. This is what Supernova is all about."

As the sponsor of the Connected Innovators program, Yahoo! will be featuring new innovations in a standalone on-site demo pavilion. Among the services displayed will be Yahoo! Photos -- incorporating advanced Ajax technology for a true desktop-oriented interface; Yahoo! Messenger with Voice -- enabling consumers to stay connected to one another through text IM, PC-based calling, e-mail, video and mobile text messaging; and, Yahoo! Video -- offering the power of search with new upload, browse and community features, providing video publishers and consumers a comprehensive video entertainment platform.

"Everyday, I communicate with people through my blog. By showing the Connected Innovators event in Second Life, we are combining social interaction and real-time product analysis in a very unique way," said Michael Arrington of TechCrunch. "For the first time, people around the world will view the winners' presentations and interact with me and other participants, to ask questions, make comments, or get a closer look at what is being presented at the program. This is bringing technology reviews to a place they've never been before."

Supernova 2006 will commence on June 21st, with a series of workshops and an opening networking reception and technology showcase at Wharton's West Coast campus. These workshops are intended to provide hands-on exposure to the latest business tools and trends through interactive seminars. The general conference sessions, including highly interactive discussions on this year's theme: "Making Connections in a Complex World," will follow on June 22-23, at the Palace Hotel.

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