SAN JOSE, Calif., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SDForum, Silicon Valley's leading source of information and education in the technology community, today announced speakers for the Next Generation Tech: Teens Plugged In! Conference to be held Wednesday, May 23, 2007 from 9am-2pm at the Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto.

One keynote speaker is 19-year-old Ben Casnocha, who is the author of My Start-Up Life and serves on the board of Comcate, Inc., the leading e- government technology firm he founded six years ago. BusinessWeek named him one of America's best young entrepreneurs last year and PoliticsOnline ranked him among the "25 most influential people in the world of Internet and politics" in 2004. Daniel Kafie, co-founder of Vostu.com, will be a keynote speaker as well.

"For teens there was no life before the Internet," said Ben Casnocha, Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur. "This event provides an excellent forum to discuss how companies can better design and market their products to the next generation of users."

With today's tech savvy youth culture seemingly always online and contributing to innovation, hearing what teens have to say is crucial for Silicon Valley's entrepreneurs, investors, business strategists and product managers.

"I believe age is not a factor when it comes to creating a product," said Anshul Samar, 13-year-old CEO of Elementeo. "A dream backed up with determination is all you need. Why wait around for large companies to create technology, when I can put my own creation out there; it's a business if enough people like it, and if they don't -- hey, I'm in it for the fun!"

Teens are immersed in technology, while having the time and desire to test and experiment with products and ideas. The Generation Tech event is designed specifically for them to express themselves about social networking, digital music, gaming, sharing video, etc on the public stage.

"More and more of today's innovations are starting in the consumer space and migrating their way into the enterprise. From Social Networking to Virtual Worlds, the line between home, school and work are blurring," said Debbie Brackeen, senior director, Strategic Initiatives, HP. "HP is proud to be a part of this important event that puts the spotlight on the teen segment, who are helping shape the newest wave of technology innovations and the future of IT."

Multi-player gaming, social networking and other online group activities are modern versions of going to the mall or arcade. Whether it's MySpace, Facebook or Second Life, teens are an integral part of the online community and their opinions are invaluable to start-ups or multi-nationals that expect to design products and services for use by the younger generation.

"Teens bring a unique and refreshing perspective on technology product and services," said Susan Lucas-Conwell, executive director of SDForum. "The event will offer a great opportunity for an exchange of ideas to inspire all those in attendance."

Some speakers include: Ben Casnocha, Silicon Valley-based Entrepreneur Jasmine France, CNET Liz Gannes, GigaOM.com Chi-Hua Chien, Accel Josh Jaffe, The Deal Daniel Kafie, Vostu.com Tim Kendall, Facebook Alina Libova, Mountain View High School Student Anshul Samar, Elementeo Kalvin Wang, Gumball Capital Ross Dakin, SCU Engineering and Business Alliance Event: Next Generation Tech: Teens Plugged In! Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 Time: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Registration: 8:30 AM) Location: Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto, CA Press Registration: Media are invited to attend the event. For media registration, please contact Bianca Panlasigue at SDForum@fortythreepr.com. About SDForum

SDForum has been instrumental in setting the high tech industry agenda for more than 22 years. As a high-tech non-profit dedicated to educating and creating relationships within the technology community, SDForum provides the latest insights on emerging technology trends and best business practices through events, specialized services and resources. The SDForum reaches 12,000 software professionals annually, through more than 20 programs a month that promote emerging technologies and business practices. Long-standing relationships in Silicon Valley include software companies such as HP, IBM, Microsoft, SAP and Sun Microsystems. In addition, SDForum has support from the City of San Jose, and sponsorship from over 30 venture capital firms, financial institutions, multinational enterprises, international trade organizations and service providers. For more information, visit http://www.sdforum.org/.

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Media Contact: Bianca Panlasigue FortyThree, Inc. 831.621.3773 SDForum@fortythreepr.com

CONTACT: Bianca Panlasigue of FortyThree, Inc., +1-831-621-3773,
SDForum@fortythreepr.com, for SDForum