PALO ALTO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 10/22/12 -- VC Taskforce™ today announced that international law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP will be one of the key sponsors for the 4th Annual Innovation Catalyst Awards Gala to be held October 30, 2012, at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club in Palo Alto, CA. This year's awards gala will honor three generations of the Draper family.

"For over 100 years Dorsey has been working to help entrepreneurial companies grow and succeed, and with VC Taskforce's philosophy in line with ours, this is a perfect pairing," said Adrian Rich, corporate partner in Dorsey & Whitney's Palo Alto office. "We're proud to be able to pay tribute to those in the venture community, such as the Drapers, who are at once the investors, coaches and allies of the entrepreneurs."

As part of its support, Dorsey & Whitney is sponsoring honoree Bill Draper's 2011 book "The Startup Game: Inside the Partnership between Venture Capitalists and Entrepreneur." The book is the first up-close look at how the relationship between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs is critical to enhancing the success of any economy.

In the forward to "The Startup Game," Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt says, "Whether you've experienced the joys and pains of Silicon Valley directly or just want to learn from those who have, you can't do better than this firsthand account of the storied three generations of Drapers. Bill has done a huge favor for those of us who are passionate about technology and innovation by chronicling their experiences. Theirs is a tale worth knowing."

Each person attending the ICA Event will receive a signed copy of the book.

Dorsey & Whitney was founded 100 years ago and today is one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States. The firm has more than 550 attorneys across 19 offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Dorsey is a leader in mergers and acquisitions, ranking among the top 10 law firms for its number of U.S. M&A deals completed. In addition, Dorsey is a leader in international capital markets, M&A and securities work throughout the world, including Canada, India, China Hong Kong and Europe.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Dorsey & Whitney's Palo Alto office serves a wide variety of clients, from start-ups to established regional, national and international businesses. Dorsey's Palo Alto attorneys provide exceptional service to their clients at all stages of their life cycle and work hard at collaborating and exceeding expectations in order to become their clients' trusted advisors. The Palo Alto office includes specialists in multiple practice areas, including corporate law, life sciences and healthcare, venture capital, mergers & acquisitions, tax, patent, business and commercial litigation and labor & employment. The Palo Alto office also serves as a gateway to Dorsey's specialists in over 60 practice areas throughout its worldwide platform.

Keynote speakers for this year's Innovation Catalyst Awards event include Kiva CEO Matt Flannery, Asset Management Founder "Pitch" Johnson and Draper Fisher Jurvetson MD Steve Jurvetson. In addition, Emcee Ellice Papp, senior vice president for investments at UBS Financial Services, Inc., will host honorees Bill and Timothy Draper in a fireside chat at the VC Taskforce awards dinner.

Over three generations, the Draper family has invested in hundreds of start-up companies, many of which have become household names, such as Activision, Hotmail and Skype. General William Draper Jr.'s son, Bill, left his father's firm to co-found Draper and Johnson Investment Company and later to found Sutter Hill Ventures. He has also founded several companies over the years. Bill's son, Timothy, founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

Rick Brounstein, Managing Director of the Emmes Group and this year's Chairman of the 2012 ICA Award Gala, commented, "So much of what makes the ICA Gala one of the premier events in Silicon Valley is not only the recognition of highly deserving honorees, but also the continued support of key influencers such as Dorsey & Whitney."

Sponsors for the 2012 ICA event can be found at: http://vctaskforce.com/content/view/965/

About Dorsey & Whitney

Dorsey & Whitney LLP is an international law firm with more than 550 attorneys and 19 offices across the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia-Pacific. The firm specializes in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing, complex business litigation, labor and employment, taxation, and intellectual property, among other practice areas. Dorsey represents start-up companies, publicly-traded corporations, and investors operating in a variety of industries including life science and healthcare, technology, energy, consumer products, retail, food and beverage, banking, hospitality, and automotive, among other industry segments. Dorsey is frequently recognized for its expertise and client service by Chambers and Partners, U.S. News-Best Lawyers and Thomson Reuters. To learn more about Dorsey, visit www.dorsey.com/paloalto.

About the Innovation Catalyst Award

VC Taskforce established the Innovation Catalyst Award in 2009 to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by visionary leaders in the investment community. The 2011 honoree was Reid Hoffman, partner at Greylock Partners and co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn. In 2010, Richard Kramlich, chairman and co-founder of New Enterprise Associates and one of the venture community's financial architects, was honored. The 2009 honoree was Franklin "Pitch" Johnson.

About VC Taskforce

VC Taskforce provides forums for real-time information exchange and dialogue through a series of networking events, panels, workshops and roundtable meetings conducted by business and industry experts that assist venture capitalists, institutional investors and venture-backed company executives in managing their businesses for maximum success. Visionary thinking, uncensored questions and opinionated discussions around pressing issues that face members are the hallmark of events. Today, more than 14,000 members and participants have been actively involved in VC Taskforce. www.vctaskforce.com