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Rocket Builders Names Top 25 IT Companies to the 2008 'Ready to Rocket 25' List

VANCOUVER, BC - January 15, 2008 - Rocket Builders today released its sixth annual 'Ready to Rocket 25' list naming 25 privately held BC companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the 2008 information technology trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers in the I.T. sector.

The annual 'Ready to Rocket 25' list provides accurate predictions of companies that will likely experience significant revenue growth, venture capital investment or acquisition by a major player in the coming year. The 'Ready to Rocket 25' list is the only predictive list of its kind in North America. Companies on the 2007 list far exceeded the performance of the I.T. sector as a whole (which grew at 5% to 6%) with a median revenue growth rate of 75% growth and a median employment growth of 22%. The twenty-five companies on the 2007 list hired over 300 new employees collectively.

The market for British Columbia's technology exports is clearly global. When Ready to Rocket companies were asked about geographic markets that were driving their revenue
growth:

* 68% reported the United States as the region driving most of their growth
* 20% reported Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as the region driving most of their growth
* 12% reported Canada as the region driving most of their growth

According to Dave Thomas, Senior Partner at Rocket Builders, "Many of the companies on the list have been attracting investors, both locally and from the United States. In terms of acquisitions, Club Penguin, was acquired last year for $800 million. These representative companies demonstrate that there is a depth and breadth of research and technology within British Columbia, and that our companies can compete on a world-class scale."

The Ready to Rocket list is viewed by investors from around the world. According to Kevin Cable, an Executive Vice President with Seattle-based Cascadia Capital, "When a BC company hits my radar I check to see if they are on the Ready to Rocket list. It helps me understand if they are a company I should get to know."

Rocket Builders can spot the potential of these companies since it spends a great deal of time analyzing the market trends. For 2008, Rocket Builders predicts continued growth for companies leveraging a wide variety of emerging technologies and business models. Among the technologies being watched for 2008 include new innovations in some well established technology areas including wireless, payment, business intelligence and Voice-over-IP (VOIP).

According to Geoffrey Hansen, Managing Partner at Rocket Builders, "Business models such as Software-as-a-Service and Web 2.0 will continue to have more accelerated growth than more traditional I.T. business models. Many of the technologies that emerged 5 years ago have now become proven and affordable enough to make them suitable for new applications and broader adoption - in other words, innovative companies can now really capitalize on the revenue potential."

Companies on the Ready to Rocket list for the first time include hyperWALLET Systems, Aquatic Informatics, Strangeloop Networks, Digital Payment Technologies, RFind Systems, Contigo Systems, Sutus, and Antarctica Digital Marketing.

To qualify for the 'Ready to Rocket 25' list, companies must have a fully commercialized technology and some customer traction with their products. Potential candidates for the list are then mapped against the key trends identified by Rocket Builders

For details on the 'Ready to Rocket 25" list, please visit http://www.readytorocket.com

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