Economic Troubles Could Impact Returns in 2008 NEW YORK, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Venture capital performance showed positive returns across all investment horizons ending September 30, 2007, according to Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association. The one-year private equity performance index (PEPI) showed the greatest increase from the period ending Q2 2007, with an 8.8 point increase to 32.3% in Q3 2007. Oftentimes, short-term horizons show significant fluctuations quarter over quarter based on large exits impacting the return. The next largest increase from Q2 2007 to Q3 2007 occurred in the five-year time horizon where PEPI increased by 1.9 points quarter over quarter. Ten year performance, the time horizon with the largest period over period decline, showed a decrease from 19.3% to 17.9% in Q3 2007. Three-year and twenty-year performance figures remained virtually unchanged at 10.4% and 16.4%, respectively. The 10 and 20 year time horizons continue to significantly out-perform the public markets across all venture capital fund types. "The third quarter 2007 performance numbers are consistent with an asset class that benefited from improving exit markets during the year, but still had to contend with losses earlier in the decade," said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA. "We expect these numbers to continue to trend positive for at least the next quarter as this past year saw some strong IPO's and acquisitions that will support higher returns in the short run. We continue to keep our eye on the economy in 2008 as the threat of a recession could stall the venture capital exit market -- and that could impact returns negatively." Thomson Financials' US Private Equity Performance Index (PEPI) Investment Horizon Performance through 9/30/2007 Fund Type 1 Yr 3 Yr 5 Yr 10 Yr 20 Yr Early/Seed VC 23.6 6.8 3.1 34.5 20.8 Balanced VC 38.0 14.4 9.9 15.1 14.3 Later Stage VC 41.4 10.5 8.4 8.3 13.8 All Venture 32.3 10.4 6.7 17.9 16.4 NASDAQ 14.2 12.2 17.9 4.8 9.4 S&P 500 10.8 10.7 13.1 4.9 8.1 All Venture (through 6/30/2007) 23.5 10.5 4.8 19.3 16.4 All Venture (through 9/30/2006) 8.2 9.3 -1.0 20.8 16.6 Source: Thomson Financial/National Venture Capital Association *The Private Equity Performance Index is based on the latest quarterly statistics from Thomson Financials' Private Equity Performance Database analyzing the cashflows and returns for over 1860 US venture capital and private equity partnerships with a capitalization of $678 billion. Sources are financial documents and schedules from Limited Partner investors and General Partners. All returns are calculated by Thomson Financial from the underlying financial cashflows. Returns are net to investor after management fees and carried interest. Thomson Financial, with 2006 revenues of US$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 10.4 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; National Venture Capital Association CONTACT: Emily Mendell of NVCA, +1-610-565-3904, ; or 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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