Follow-On Funds Dominate Fundraising Activity NEW YORK, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fifty-seven venture capital firms raised $6.3 billion in the first quarter of 2008 according to Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The number of funds raised in the first quarter of 2008 decreased by 31% from the same period in 2007 while the dollar value remained unchanged. Fundraising by Venture Funds, 2002-1Q 2008* Venture Capital Year/Quarter Number of Funds Venture Capital ($M) 2003 152 10,629.2 2004 211 19,144.3 2005 231 28,396.9 2006 233 31,757.1 2007 248 35,855.4 YTD 2008 57 6,264.5 1Q'06 75 6,584.8 2Q'06 79 14,245.2 3Q'06 68 5,390.3 4Q'06 67 5,536.8 1Q'07 83 6,214.7 2Q'07 84 9,136.1 3Q'07 79 8,810.5 4Q'07 79 11,694.1 1Q'08 57 6,264.5 Source: Thomson Financial & National Venture Capital Association *These figures take into account the subtractive effect of downsized funds "The interest by venture capitalists in capital intensive industries such as life sciences and clean technologies will likely drive fund sizes upwards for the foreseeable future," said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA. "The long term investment horizon coupled with the dollars required to bring these companies from the garage or lab to the market place will compel venture capital firms to raise larger funds or accelerate their fundraising cycle to sustain these promising companies. Yet, since many top tier firms have raised funds in the last few years, fundraising activity may actually slow in 2008. But there is no shortage of opportunities, nor is there a shortage of institutional investors interested in participating in the venture capital asset class." In the first quarter of 2008, 29 early stage focused funds raised $2.8 billion, 23 balanced stage focused funds raised $3.2 billion, and two later stage focused funds raised $119.8 million. Three expansion or seed stage focused funds raised $108.3 million. VC Funds: New vs. Follow-On No. of New No. of Follow-on Total 2003 37 115 152 2004 50 161 211 2005 56 175 231 2006 47 186 233 2007 58 190 248 YTD 2008 5 52 57 1Q'06 18 57 75 2Q'06 12 67 79 3Q'06 12 56 68 4Q'06 17 50 67 1Q'07 22 61 83 2Q'07 15 69 84 3Q'07 15 64 79 4Q'07 23 56 79 1Q'08 5 52 57 Source: Thomson Financial & National Venture Capital Association The ratio of follow-on to new funds was approximately 10-to-1 in the first quarter of 2008, compared to less than 3-to-1 in the first quarter of 2007. Five new funds and 52 follow-on funds were raised in the first quarter. The largest funds raised in the first quarter were Essex Woodlands Health Ventures Fund VIII, L.P. (balanced stage; $734 million), Clarus Lifesciences II, L.P. (balanced stage; $660 million), and Canaan VIII, L.P. (balanced stage; $650 million). Thomson Financial, with 2007 revenues of US$2.2 billion, is a provider of information and technology solutions to the worldwide financial community. Through the widest range of products and services in the industry, Thomson Financial helps clients in more than 70 countries make better decisions, be more productive and achieve superior results. Thomson Financial is part of The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com/), a global leader in providing essential electronic workflow solutions to business and professional customers. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) represents approximately 480 venture capital and private equity firms. 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 2007 Global Insight study, venture-backed companies accounted for 10 million jobs and $2.3 trillion in revenue in the United States in 2006. 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 http://www.nvca.org/. DATASOURCE: Thomson Financial and National Venture Capital Association CONTACT: Emily Mendell of NVCA, +1-610-565-3904, ; Matthew Toole, +1-646-822-7560, , or Sandy Anglin, +1-646-822-7334, , both of Thomson Financial Web site: http://www.thomsonfinancial.com/ http://www.nvca.org/

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