SAN FRANCISCO (Map) - SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With large media companies, scrappy start-ups and everyday consumers enthusiastically embracing Web 2.0, hundreds of the sector's leading investors and innovators are to convene for two days of top-notch networking, learning, and emerging company presentations at Web Ventures 2008, hosted by Dow Jones VentureWire on March 18 and 19 at the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City, CA.

In just its second year, Web Ventures is already renowned for its market- shifting impact. Last year's inaugural event featured a foreshadowing keynote by Oxygen Media, which was recently purchased by NBC for $875 million, as well as company presentations from AdECN (acquired by Microsoft) and Kaboodle (acquired by Hearst). This year's conference builds on this foundation with an impressive roster of keynote speakers and panelists, as well as CEO presentations from 80 of the best emerging Web companies, as selected by VentureWire.

It all kicks off with the public announcement of the latest Web investment figures from Dow Jones VentureSource, the most accurate source for data on global venture capital activity.

Keynotes for Web Ventures 2008 include: -- Magid Abraham, Co-founder, President & CEO, comScore - comScore is the preeminent tracker of Web user behavior and attitudes and, during his keynote address, Mr. Abraham will offer metrics insights and a clear picture of whether or not we're in the midst of a "consumer click slowdown." -- Parker Harris, Co-founder & EVP, Technology, Salesforce.com - Mr. Harris has long been a digital pioneer, first with SaaS and now with development platforms. Salesforce.com is now equipping customers with an SDK to create their own applications for its platform. Is this the inevitable future of software development? -- Reid Hoffman, Co-founder, Chairman & President, Products, LinkedIn - Arguably one of the most connected people in Silicon Valley, Mr. Hoffman is to shed light on his plans for growing LinkedIn as well as what he thinks of emerging Web technologies. And, of course, there's the elephant in the room: The possibility of a $1+ billion acquisition? -- Max Mancini, Senior Director, Platform & Disruptive Innovation, eBay - Charged with heading off threats posed by new technologies, Mr. Mancini has also helped foster eBay's growth with initiatives like classified ad site Kijiji. Find out what else is in store for eBay users.

Over two days of in-depth panel discussions, attendees will get a clear picture of the opportunities and challenges in areas such as open source and online advertising, as well as how start-ups can see their own handsome profit by nipping off a percentage point or two of Google's dominant market share. Offering insights on these topics will be senior professionals from Accel Partners, Amazon.com, Bear Stearns, Facebook, Gartner, IBM, JP Morgan, Mozilla, Sequoia Capital, The Wall Street Journal, Velocity Interactive Group and others.

Web Ventures will also include "From the Boardroom," a popular daily closing panel featuring some of the sector's leading venture capitalists detailing their odds-on favorites among the 80 presenting companies. Filling out the "Board" this year are partners from August Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, InterWest Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Venrock.

The gold sponsor of Web Ventures 2008 is Sun Microsystems. The silver sponsor this year is Friendster.

For more information or to register, visit http://webventures.dowjones.com. Full-time journalists and members of traditional media can request a press pass for the conference, or ask to receive the Dow Jones VentureSource Web investment report on March 18, by contacting Adam Wade at 415-439-6666 or adam.wade@dowjones.com.

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