MEMS Industry Group Announces MEMS Business and Management "Short Course" for Entrepreneurs, Intrapreneurs, Investors

PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwire - April 30, 2008) - From entrepreneurs looking to bring commercial MEMS technology to market, intrapreneurs considering the launch of a MEMS business unit within a larger company, and venture capitalists hoping to invest profitably in an innovative industry, interest in MEMS -- or microelectromechanical systems -- has never been so high. Responding to this emergent demand, MEMS Industry Group (MIG), the leading trade association of the MEMS and microstructures industries, today announced "MEMS Education Series - MEMS Business and Management."

MEMS Business and Management is a one-day course exploring strategic and tactical business factors for MEMS opportunities in a wide range of markets including automotive, industrial, consumer, telecom and biomedical industries.

The content for MEMS Business and Management is based on the experiences of industry luminaries who have shared their insights with MIG over its seven-year history. Drs. Jim Knutti and Alissa Fitzgerald are co-presenters of the course, and have drawn upon data and case studies provided by MIG member companies -- as well as their own extensive backgrounds -- to relate real-world experiences from the MEMS industry to course attendees.

"During the 30-year history of the MEMS industry, huge investments in MEMS have spawned mixed results," said Dr. Jim Knutti, co-founder and President/CEO of Acuity Incorporated. "In offering this course, we will explore some of these classic missteps to gain a better understanding of how to avoid them. Course attendees can expect a discussion about critical elements required for successful commercialization -- from market size and timing to competitive landscape and core technology developments."

Dr. Alissa Fitzgerald, founder and Managing Member of A.M. Fitzgerald & Associates, LLC, talked about the importance of understanding and analyzing the full commercial environment early in the business planning process: "You need more than a technically superior product to achieve commercial success in MEMS. You need a realistic understanding of manufacturability, supply chain, and maintaining margins to achieve commercial viability. This often overlooked aspect of taking a product to market is one that we will explore."

MEMS and Business Management is the first offering in MIG's MEMS Education Series. Karen Lightman, managing director of MEMS Industry Group, discussed the impetus for the Series: "Most entrepreneurs at technology start-ups, as well as intrapreneurs at larger corporations, possess a strong core competence in the technical aspects of bringing a product to market. We have discovered, however, that many of them need help in refining their business acumen in commercializing their products. Targeted squarely at these audiences, this MEMS Business and Management short course provides the foundational business education needed to make informed decisions about MEMS."

Ms. Lightman added: "During the next twelve months, we plan to roll out other courses in our MEMS Education Series. This type of practical education is in keeping with our mission to promote the commercialization of MEMS. It benefits in discernible ways those who want to gain a deeper understanding of making successful investments in time, resources and/or money as they pertain to the business of MEMS."

For More Information

MEMS Business and Management will be offered May 9, 2008 from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh; for more information on the May 9th course, please visit: www.memseducationseries.com. The course will be offered a second time, in conjunction with SEMICON West on July 18, 2008 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco; for more information on the July 18th course, please visit: www.semiconwest.org/ProgramsandEvents/ShortCoursesandWorkshops.

About MEMS Industry Group

MEMS Industry Group is the trade association representing the MEMS and microstructures industries. The Association enables the exchange of non-proprietary information among members; provides reliable industry data that furthers the development of technology; and works toward the greater commercial development and use of MEMS and MEMS-enabled devices. MIG is comprised of more than 80 member companies, including Analog Devices, Bosch, Freescale Semiconductor, GE Global Research, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Okmetic, OMRON, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments. For more information, please contact MIG via phone: 412/390-1644, email: info@memsindustrygroup.org or visit www.memsindustrygroup.org.

Contact Information: PRESS CONTACTS: MEMS Industry Group Karen Lightman Phone: 412/390-1644 Email: Vetrano Communications Maria Vetrano Phone: 617/876-2770 Email: