Nanda Technologies raises 8m USD in a financing round led by DEWB and BrainsToVentures

- Innovative wafer inspection system for the semiconductor industry

- Largest Series B financing round to date of any company in the
portfolio of the High-Tech Gruenderfonds

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merger, acquisition and takeover/new investment

Jena/St. Gallen/Unterschleissheim/Munich/Bonn, May 8th, 2008 (euro
adhoc) - Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsgesellschaft AG
(DEWB) - Prime Standard, Securities No.: 804100 / ISIN: DE0008041005
- and BrainsToVentures AG (b-to-v), a business angel network,
participated in the Series B financing round of Nanda Technologies.
The lead investor DEWB jointly with the investors of b-to-v led by
Dr. Christian Reitberger is taking an active part in the further
growth of Nanda. The financing round has a total volume of 8m USD (5m
EUR). Other investors include the existing shareholders Ventegis
Capital AG and Bayern Kapital as well as the business angel Alexander
Bruehl. This transaction concludes the largest Series B financing
round to-date of any company in the portfolio of the High-Tech
Gruenderfonds.

Nanda was founded in 2006 to develop and manufacture optical,
non-contacting inspection systems for the process control in
semiconductor manufacturing. Semiconductor wafers are inspected for
"macro defects" such as scratches, particles or other contaminants
larger then 1 micron. Nanda uses a new optical design combined with
innovative image processing to drastically increase the speed of
inspection while maintaining high sensitivity. The result is a
10-fold decrease in inspection cost per wafer compared to existing
tools. This and the compact design of Nanda´s inspection system make
it attractive to integrate defect inspection directly into the
production process. An industry first, Nanda enables the real-time,
high sensitivity defect inspection of all wafers without reduction of
the production throughput. Fast error-feedback permits accelerated
process adjustments and thus increases process ramp-up speed, overall
yield and process tool uptime significantly. Nanda´s first generation
of inspection system is currently under evaluation with leading
semiconductor manufacturers.

"Nanda´s revolutionary system design convinced us. The integration of
its macro defect inspection directly into the semiconductor
production process flow promises significant performance and cost
improvements. Net savings for the manufacturers can be significant.
We see excellent growth potential based on Nanda´s technological
advantage and the experience of its management team. We expect good
results from the evaluation process with leading semiconductor
manufacturers and anticipate rapid market acceptance" comments Falk
Nuber, Member of the Management Board of DEWB.

"Nanda offers a large growth potential. With its innovative solution
Nanda addresses the fastest-growing segment within the wafer
inspection market. Our know-how and broad industry contacts will help
Nanda develop into a sustainable success story", says Dr. Christian
Reitberger who invested in Nanda together with nine other
co-investors of the b-to-v network and the b-to-v side fund.

"We are very pleased to have won DEWB, b-to-v and Alexander Bruehl as
new investors in Nanda. They bring to the table their broad
experience and important network within the semiconductor industry.
The new investors join our existing shareholders Ventegis, Bayern
Kapital and the High-Tech Gruenderfonds. We feel lucky to have a
first-rate circle of European investors that will benefit the
development of our company. Moreover, we feel reaffirmed in our
conscious decision to build Nanda in Germany, despite our
professional roots in the Silicon Valley" comments Dr. Lars Markwort,
CEO. Johannes von Borries, CFO, adds: "The secured financial
situation puts our market entry on solid grounds and provides us with
an advantage in the search for talents. For the extension of our team
we can offer potential candidates a very attractive package of an
exciting work environment and excellent career opportunities. We are
currently looking for experts in the area of optical and mechanical
engineering as well as software development."

About DEWB Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsgesellschaft AG
(DEWB AG, Prime Standard, Securities No.: 804100 / ISIN:
DE0008041005) is an investment company that specialises in young and
established medium-sized companies. The focus of our investments is
on strong growth companies from the areas of photonics and sensor
systems for which we provide support through shareholders' equity,
expertise in corporate development and our sector network. Our
regional focus lies in the German speaking countries (D, A, CH).
Since 1997 we have invested more than 300 million Euros in 55
companies and realized more than 400 million Euros through 35 exits,
eight of which were in the form of IPOs. The company is located in
Jena, one of the most successful technology and science regions in
Germany, with a long tradition in the field of optical technologies
and one of the most important European centres for photonics.

Contact:
Marco Scheidler
DEWB AG
Leutragraben 1
Germany, 07743 Jena
Tel: +49 (0) 3641 573 3600
Fax: +49 (0) 3641 573 3610
E-Mail: ir@dewb-vc.com
www.dewb-vc.com

About Nanda Technologies Nanda Technologies offers its customers in
the semiconductor industry a high throughput, high sensitivity defect
inspection technology that can be directly integrated into process
equipment. This makes it possible to inspect every wafer at full
surface instead of just conducting statistical tests. The feedback
cycle for process faults is reduced significantly and process
equipment malfunctions are caught and identified at an early stage.
Nanda Technologies was founded in Munich by seasoned executives of
the capital metrology equipment industry and supplies to
semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

Contact
Johannes von Borries
Lise-Meitner-Str. 3
85716 Unterschleissheim
Tel: +49 89 4523558-21
Fax: +49 89 4523558-70
borries@nanda-tech.com
www.nanda-tech.com

About b-to-v BrainsToVentures AG (b-to-v) is headquartered in St.
Gallen, Switzerland. The company serves entrepreneurial private
investors who invest their capital, network and expertise in
fast-growing companies. By making this pool of capital, contacts and
expertise available to portfolio companies, b-to-v has established a
new business model in the venture capital and private equity
industry. With over 50 members, the b-to-v Investors Circle is the
most active club of entrepreneurial private investors in
German-speaking Europe. Based on the members´ expertise, b-to-v´s
scope of investment comprises more than 30 different industries. It
is the goal of the Investors Circle to create value for its portfolio
companies and generate significant profits from its investments.
b-to-v´s Investors Circle invests about EUR 20m per year in early and
expansion stage companies as well as buyout cases. At present, b-to-v
is invested in about forty companies. Investments vary between EUR
500k and 3m per deal. www.b-to-v.com

About High-Tech Gruenderfonds The High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests
venture capital in young technology companies with high prospects
that are transferring promising scientific research to business
enterprises. The seed financing shall result in a technical
prototype, a proof of concept or a market launch. High-Tech
Gründerfonds has access to a fund volume of around 272,0 million
Euro. Investors in this public-private partnership include the
Federal Ministry for Economy and Technology, the KfW Banking Group as
well as the six industry companies BASF, Robert Bosch, Carl Zeiss,
Daimler, Deutsche Telekom and Siemens. www.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de

About Seedfonds Bayern managed by Bayern Kapital The Seedfonds Bayern
was started in 2003. With a fund size of 22m EUR it is focused on
investments in early stage technology companies in Bavaria. The fund
is managed by Bayern Kapital which was founded in 1995 by the
Bavarian Government as part of the campaign "Initiative Bavarian
Future" and to provide young and innovated Bavarian companies with
venture capital. Up to date Bayern Kapital has invested in over 160
innovative high-tech companies with a total investment volume of
about 130m EUR. More information under: www.bayernkapital.de

About Ventegis Capital AG Ventegis Capital AG is a listed venture
capital company which invests nationally in high-growth companies
from the early to the expansion stage. The focus of its investments
lies in the areas of information and communication technology (ICT),
industrial technologies and life science. Ventegis also provides
advisory services in corporate finance. The main shareholder of the
company with ca. 94.3 % is the Berliner Effektengesellschaft AG,
which is listed on the official market (ISIN DE0005221303).
www.ventegis-capital.de

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsges. AG (DEWB)
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Marco Scheidler

Tel.: +49 (0) 3641 573-3600

E-Mail: marco.scheidler@dewb-vc.com

Branche: Financial & Business Services
ISIN: DE0008041005
WKN: 804100
Index: CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
Börsen: Börse Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Börse Berlin / free trade
Börse Stuttgart / free trade
Börse München / free trade


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