Reflecting the contributions of Peter Bell and Richard de Silva, and the firm’s continued efforts in strengthening its investment team.

Lexington, MA & Menlo Park, CA – December 7, 2007 – Highland Capital Partners, a leading venture capital firm focused on helping great people build great companies, today announced that Peter Bell and Richard de Silva have been promoted to the position of General Partner.

"We’re committed to delivering exceptional value to Highland-backed companies that are driving innovation and creating the next generation of market leaders,” stated Dan Nova, Managing General Partner with Highland. “Peter and Richard represent the next generation of leadership as we continue to build our partnership to better serve the best entrepreneurs worldwide.”

“Both Peter and Richard bring deep industry knowledge and an active, hands-on approach to working with founders and management teams,” added Bob Davis, Managing General Partner with Highland. “They have consistently brought value to their portfolio companies and their promotions reflect these accomplishments.”

Peter Bell joined Highland in 2006 as a Venture Partner and specializes in technology investments across all stages of company growth. As an industry veteran, Bell has worked with and invested in companies in the information security, e-commerce, data center infrastructure, enterprise software and communications industries. Bell serves on the boards of Desktone, ExaGrid Systems and Ocarina Networks.

“Peter represents the type of experienced and active investor that is essential for assisting breakthrough companies establish market leadership,” said Murli Thirumale, co-founder and CEO of Ocarina Networks, a San Jose-based provider of application-aware storage optimization solutions. “With his deep industry background and extensive network, he is a trusted advisor and true partner.”

Based in Highland’s Menlo Park office, Richard de Silva is focused on digital media investments with specific experience and interest in online advertising, online media properties, and consumer media technologies and infrastructure. He invests in early and later stage opportunities, including growth equity, venture buyouts, spin-outs and recapitalizations. De Silva serves on the boards of Metacafe, NameMedia and US Search, and is or has been actively involved in Highland's investments in Fastclick (IPO; sold to ValueClick), Quigo and Turbine.

"Richard’s early involvement and ongoing support at Quigo was instrumental in getting our business to where it is today,” stated Mike Yavonditte, CEO of Quigo. “Richard brings a level of domain expertise and guidance that has proven invaluable for companies at all stages of growth.”

More About Peter Bell
Prior to joining Highland Capital Partners, Bell was Managing Director and founder of Stowe Capital, LLC, which specialized in providing capital and management expertise to emerging growth companies. Prior to establishing Stowe Capital in 2002, Bell was the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of StorageNetworks, an information storage software and services company. Under his leadership, Bell took the company from pioneering concept to over $120 million in annual revenue in three years and closed six rounds of equity capital financing, totaling over $700 million, including a successful IPO in June 2000. Bell began his career at EMC Corporation, where he held positions in marketing, operations and sales and played a key role in building and managing the Open Storage Group, a major growth engine for the company.

Bell earned a B.S. in Accounting from Boston College's Carroll School of Management (summa cum laude), an MBA from Harvard Business School and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Babson College. He is on the Board of Trustees of Boston College and also currently serves as a Distinguished Executive in Residence at The Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

More About Richard de Silva
Before joining Highland in 2003, de Silva was co-founder and President of SiteBurst Inc., a channel marketing software company. Prior to SiteBurst, de Silva was part of the team that founded IronPlanet.com, a venture-backed marketplace for used heavy equipment. Previously, de Silva was an Engagement Manager at Mercer Management Consulting, where he led strategic initiatives for clients including IBM, Tribune and Leo Burnett. Earlier in his career, de Silva worked extensively in the cable television industry as a consultant to Scientific Atlanta and as a product manager at the @Home Network. He has also worked at Apax Partners, and as a reporter for Newsweek magazine and the Washington Post.

De Silva earned an A.B. in History from Harvard College (magna cum laude), an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.