Bazaarvoice CEO Brett Hurt to Keynote Texas Funding Forum 2007

Serial entrepreneur and leading eCommerce expert to share advice on how start-ups can effectively raise and carefully use capital

Austin, TX,– April 26, 2007 –   Bazaarvoice, an innovator in helping brands use online word of mouth to build their businesses, today announced that Bazaarvoice CEO and founder Brett Hurt will give the keynote presentation at the upcoming 2007 Texas Funding Forum. Hurt will share practical advice on how to successfully attract the right investors to raise capital, as well as carefully use capital to create a large-scale, profitable business. The third annual Texas Funding Forum draws more than 250 venture investors and privately-held companies, and provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet angel investors and venture capitalists throughout Texas.

“I’m honored to be the keynote speaker at such a high-caliber event, and I look forward to sharing my experiences building successful companies,” said Hurt. “I’ve learned that getting the right investors on board is key for any entrepreneur committed to turning their vision into a successful, profitable company.”

The Texas Funding Forum, produced by the Texas Entrepreneurs Initiative, will take place April 27 at The Commons Center at Pickle Research Campus in Austin, Texas. Entrepreneurs who attend the event will walk away with a solid educational foundation for how to raise capital, as well as a roster of contacts in the investment community.  More information on the event can be found at http://www.TexasXL.com/

"Texas, and the Austin area in particular, is known for producing excellent early-stage companies led by seasoned entrepreneurs, and Brett is among the best of the best," said Christopher Sherman, executive director of the Texas Entrepreneurs Initiative. "We are very pleased to offer Texas Funding Forum attendees the chance to learn first hand from Brett how he has successfully led world-class companies from startup to profitable ventures."

Widely recognized in the online industry for turning groundbreaking ideas into leading businesses, Hurt is an expert in online marketing and eCommerce. Hurt is currently the Founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, where he is responsible for guiding the company's strategy and overseeing day-to-day operations. Prior to Bazaarvoice, Hurt founded Coremetrics in 1999 after spending 10 years developing Internet-based software. Brett helped grow Coremetrics into the leading marketing analytics solution for the eCommerce industry, servicing more than 1,000 brands. Prior to Coremetrics, Brett was the founder and CEO of Hurt Technology Consulting and BodyMatrix, an online retailer of sports nutrition products. Brett holds an M.B.A. in High-Tech Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.B.A. in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Austin. He also served on the Board of Directors of Shop.org, the leading non-profit industry association for retailers online, and serves as a Board of Advisors member to the non-profit Web Analytics Association and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Wharton School. Brett also actively advises or serves on the Board of several early-stage technology companies.

About Bazaarvoice
Based in Austin, Texas, Bazaarvoice offers outsourced technology, community management services, analytics, and syndication to encourage and harness word of mouth marketing, and bring it closer to a company’s brand and customer experience. The company’s flagship hosted and fully managed customer ratings and review service allows businesses to enable, encourage, and analyze customer ratings and reviews on their website. With Bazaarvoice, companies can empower their customers to share honest opinions and influence each other to make more informed and rewarding purchase decisions. Clients like Bass Pro Shops, CompUSA, Overstock.com, Macy’s, and PETCO benefit from a credible and reliable customer-to-customer community, without having to delve into complex IT work or the laborious process of community management. Bazaarvoice was named Marketing Innovation of the Year in the 2006 ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards and received a “Red Herring 100 North America” award by Red Herring magazine. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.bazaarvoice.com or email .

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