Cluster Computing:

SIEMENS' MODVIZ, INC. SECURES $2.8 MILLION SERIES A FUNDING

ModViz Inc., a software company developing products to enable high performance 3D visualization on computing clusters, secured $2.8 million Series A funding from Selby Venture Partners, LMS Capital, Atrium Capital, Halo Fund II and the Angel Forum. Siemens Technology-to-Business Center (Siemens TTB), an indirect subsidiary of Siemens AG, provided the initial capital for ModViz. The company was launched in Siemens' innovation center in Berkeley, California in October 2002. With seed funding and hands-on support from Siemens TTB the company developed its technology and attracted world-known customers and visual computing partners.

ModViz's core product, Virtual Graphics Platform(TM) (VGP(TM)), provides to customers, independent software vendors, cluster computing manufacturers and application developers a common, standard-based 3D graphics computing platform that delivers supercomputing level visualization with extreme data size and scalability on high-performance clusters of lower-cost computing nodes. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its product and market development activities.

"We saw the potential of this technology very early and so invested in ModViz which has become a leading standard-based software company," said Stefan Heuser, CFO, Siemens TTB. "ModViz's Virtual Graphics Platform enables a high- performance and scalable infrastructure that is easy to maintain and upgrade and low cost which are meaningful attributes to Siemens and its customers. ModViz exemplifies the innovation and entrepreneurship that Siemens values."

Siemens TTB provides more than seed-funding. Tom Coull, CEO of ModViz Inc., noted, "Our close relationship with Siemens TTB gave us access to a wealth of corporate resources that an early-stage company would not have had. We were able to validate the market for our technology and use the expertise and services of Siemens TTB's experienced management team. We look forward to growing the company and adding value to Siemens and its customers."