Mtech Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2003

Former Washington Post Company Vice President and Publisher Joins UM Incubator Company

COLLEGE PARK, Md.—Valerie M. Voci, a former vice president and publisher for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, has joined DataStream Conversion Services, a company in the University of Maryland's technology incubator, as the vice president for business development.

DataStream, an emerging leader in XML data conversion and validation, is the incubator's fastest-growing company, adding 14 employees this year, $2 million in revenue, and customers such as the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, Congressional Quarterly, GuideStar, and Lexis-Nexis.

"Our growth over the past year has been explosive," said Mark Anstey, CEO of DSCS. "Our revenues spiked from a projected $1 million to a $3 million run rate in a matter of months, and there are big opportunities right at our door. It became rapidly clear we needed to bring in a successful, experienced executive to lead our sales and marketing efforts. Voci was the perfect match."

Voci is an internationally known dot-com innovator--one of a handful of people who created successful technology brands on the Internet. She led the development of TechNews.com, Washtech.com, and the Newsbytes News Network--each part of the Washington Post Company.

While at the Post, Voci managed a group of over 20 journalists, as well as sales executives, marketing staff, designers, and technical personnel. She secured partnerships with the Financial Times and Associated Press, advertising accounts with IBM, Verizon, Microsoft, Intel and Computer Associates, and led over a thousand percent increase in audience at a web site with national relevance.

"I am thrilled to be with DataStream," said Voci. "We've completed numerous projects with some of the biggest names in online data information collection, and there's a reason--our product is solid for mission-critical work. We're accurate and timely. If you've haven't heard of us yet, you will soon."

Prior to joining the Washington Post Company, Voci was Director of Sales at Telecommunications Reports International, and founded both a small businesses consulting firm and a Georgetown-based retail store.

"Valerie's reputation in the information technology industry, as well as her deep roots in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Region, make her an ideal fit for DSCS," said Anstey. "She has a history of introducing new and profitable products, managing vibrant and successful teams, and bringing fresh perspectives to high-potential businesses. We will benefit greatly from her expertise, leadership skills, and contact network in the commercial and government information technology community."

Voci plans to build a sales and marketing organization to ensure and support the growth of DataStream's web services business. "We've got brilliant and creative technical and management teams at DSCS," said Voci. "The key to our success now will be establishing awareness within specific markets to grow our client base and revenue."

About DataStream

Located in the Technology Advancement Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, DataStream Conversion Services specializes in the capture and transformation of complex and disparate data into standard formats--on a timely and cost effective basis. DSCS's service applies programmatic solutions to the extraction, enhancement and distribution of clients' vital information--including sensitive legislative, financial and legal documentation. The company's ability to deal with complex data conversion requirements has been demonstrated on projects involving legislative information for the United States Congress, the Canadian and French governments, as well as for companies such as Congressional Quarterly, Lexis-Nexis, GuideStar, the Bureau of National Affairs, and National Geographic. More info: www.dscs.com

About the Technology Advancement Program

The Technology Advancement Program (TAP) helps early stage companies advance towards maturation by providing technical assistance, business guidance, access to key relationships, and low-cost infrastructure. The first incubator in the State of Maryland, TAP has a proven track record for supporting successful ventures, with companies such as biotech powerhouses Martek Biosciences and Digene Corporation, as well as business information provider Powerize.com (now part of Hoover's) among its 45 graduates. TAP companies have bolstered the Maryland economy by creating more than 1,000 jobs and acquiring $300 million in private equity, More info: www.tap.umd.edu.

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