More Than 24,000 Jobs Filled at Venture-Backed Start-Ups This Year; Employees Creatively Explain Draw to Emerging Companies

ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwire - November 20, 2009) - The efficiency of the venture-backed company job market was highlighted today as The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and the online job board StartUpHire revealed that 24,344 jobs listed on the site have been filled since January 2009. Combining the 11,000 jobs currently listed with those that have been filled, start-up companies have created more than 35,000 U.S. jobs this year.

"What is so compelling about the StartUpHire site is the positive churn that takes place. As one job is filled, another is added almost in tandem. These young companies, which are creating jobs in every state, across many industries, and at all functional levels, clearly add economic value to the local and national economies," said Mark Heesen, president of NVCA.

"It takes a certain personality to work at a start-up company," said Steve Roberson, general manager of StartUpHire. "These individuals are entrepreneurial, creative, resourceful and energetic. Nothing illustrates this more than the testimonials we received about start-up life from the employees who work at these growing companies."

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the NVCA and StartUpHire challenged start-up company employees to submit 140-character descriptions of the unique entrepreneurial culture that sets their company apart and inspires them to go to work each day. Submissions from more than 100 employees were received including the following compelling entries:

--  On the summit, down to the valley, and back on top again; and it's
    only Monday afternoon... Life is good.
    Ken Johnson, CEO, Solidica
    
--  Outing Web criminals & scammers in realtime -- and loving it. Think
    big. Think fast. Work smart. Have fun. Rinse. Repeat.
    Tom Grubb, VP, Marketing, ThreatMetrix
    
--  Efficient, competitive, easy going, that gives me gratitude and that
    makes me want to wake up on the morning...not my boyfriend, my company!
    Sarah Balazuc, Marketing Associate, Mplayit
    
--  Our goals are astronomical; But our burn is economical; We do what we
    must; Without any fuss, And our investor return is phenomenal.
    Bill Nelson, PhD, VP of Manufacturing, Limerick Biopharma
    
--  (Haiku) Our Coding is Great; Revolutionize Healthcare; Beats
    Unemployment
    Daniel Heffner, Implementation Engineering, Coderyte
    
--  Team-player attitude and the goal of upward trajectory: from taking
    clients out to a five-star restaurant to taking out the recycling.
    Christine Barbieri, Administrative Manager, Invite Media
    
--  Need a break? Do something else, it needs to be done, too. Waiting?
    Branch to executable code. Return. Want a change? Do something else.
    Rob Downing, Aloha Software
    
--  A bad thing about working for a startup is everyone sees what you do.
    A good thing about working for a startup is everyone sees what you do.
    Chris Farber, Albridge Solutions
    
--  Our CEO is wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt right now. At
    bulbstorm.com, we're too busy innovating to iron!
    Bart Steiner, CEO, Bulbstorm
    
--  Calling all entrepreneurial, insights-driven, A-HA! Seeking colleagues
    that enjoy adventure and strong coffee (Risk averse need not apply).
    Laurie Healy VP, Marketing Communications, Iconoculture
    

If these stories inspire you, read more at www.startuphire.com/stories.

The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) represents more than 400 venture capital firms in the United States. NVCA's mission is to foster greater understanding of the importance of venture capital to the U.S. economy, and support entrepreneurial activity and innovation. According to a 2009 Global Insight study, venture-backed companies accounted for 12.1 million jobs and $2.9 trillion in revenue in the U.S. in 2008. The NVCA represents the public policy interests of the venture capital community, strives to maintain high professional standards, provides reliable industry data, sponsors professional development, and facilitates interaction among its members. For more information about the NVCA, please visit www.nvca.org.

StartUpHire is the job search engine dedicated to recruiting exceptional talent to jobs at venture capital-backed companies. Our mission is to connect talented individuals to exciting career opportunities at venture-backed startups and to accelerate the team building process for companies and their investors. These are some of the most rewarding careers on the planet, but they historically have been difficult to identify. StartUpHire sponsors include Argy, Comerica, Calysto, Cooley, DLA, GlobalLogic, MMV Financial, Morrison Foerster, New Venture Communications, SIIA, and Sonnenschein. www.StartUpHire.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Channa Brooks Tenor Communications for NVCA 302-368-2345 Robin Bectel New Venture Communications for StartUpHire 571-312-1448