Blue Star Regulatory News (BLU)

17 Jun 2005 07:00

Blue Star Capital plc17 June 2005 For immediate release 17 June 2005 BLUE STAR CAPITAL PLC ("Blue Star" or "the Company") Investment in Medcenter Holdings Inc. Blue Star Capital plc (AIM: BLU), the company created to provide seed capitalfor early stage companies, is pleased to announce it has taken a minority stakein Medcenter Holdings Inc. ("Medcenter"), a leading provider of e-marketingintelligence and relationship marketing solutions to the pharmaceuticalindustry. Medcenter's clients include a number of the world's top five pharmaceuticalcompanies, in addition to other well-known multi-national pharmaceutical groups. Medcenter focuses on improving communication between the pharmaceutical industryand the medical community with emphasis on increasing the knowledge ofphysicians and clinicians about the use of pharmaceutical products and abouttreatments and disease management. Medcenter's solutions comprise programs that augment the marketing activities ofpharmaceutical companies by making intensive use of business intelligence,allowing pharmaceutical companies to reach hundreds of thousands of physicians,one at a time in a highly targeted manner. Medcenter is chaired by Michael Fitzgerald who was co-founder and chairman ofGemini Genomics plc, prior to its merger with Sequenom Inc. Michael is alsoco-founder and chairman of Block Shield Corporation plc. Medcenter operates in more than 10 countries in Latin America, and hassubsidiaries in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Australia. Blue Star is investing $462,000 in Medcenter, a private company, in return for aminority stake. ENDS For further information: Blue Star Capital plc Tel: 020 7070 7283Nigel Robertson, ChairmanHaresh Kanabar, Chief Executive Panmure Gordon & Co Tel: 020 7459 3600Jonathan RetterKatherine Roe Buchanan Communications Tel: 020 7466 5000Mark CourtElly Williamson Notes for editors About Blue Star Capital plc Blue Star Capital plc was formed in 2004 as a vehicle to provide initial seedcapital for the development of early stage companies. The Company joined the AIMmarket of the London Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol BLU, in October2004 and has since made significant investments in four newly formed companies:India Outsourcing Services plc, Black Raven Properties plc, Gordian plc andGasol plc. All of these companies have been admitted to the AIM market andhighlight the Company's strategy of making investments across a variety ofsectors. Blue Star has a highly capable Board, led by Executive Chairman Nigel Robertson,with significant experience of identifying, evaluating and securing businessopportunities and of forming, funding and floating companies. Blue Star intends to achieve capital appreciation from a portfolio of quoted andunquoted investments in businesses that offer strong growth prospects and adefined timeframe to exit. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange