SAN FRANCISCO, CA, June 11, 2012

Astia restates its commitment to create jobs in Michigan through the Astia program for women-led high-growth companies

Astia was proudly showcased as President Clinton hosted the second convening of Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)- America, an annual invitation-only event focused on finding solutions that promote economic recovery in the United States.

“Astia’s commitment to job growth and economic opportunity is key,” commented CGI’s Dan Goldberg. “We presented Astia at this year’s conference as an excellent example of a strong CGI commitment.”

“Astia is extremely committed to the goals and objectives of CGI America,” stated Catherine Berman, Senior Vice President Entrepreneur Programs at Astia. “We know from recent research that if female entrepreneurs had the same access to capital as their male counterparts, we would see six million new jobs in the next five years, two million in year one alone. This is the jobs recovery we all seek.”

About Astia

Astia is a global not-for-profit organization with a distinct focus and mission – to propel women’s full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth. Guided by a proven philosophy that gender diversity is an essential element of innovation, Astia works with startups around the world as they access capital, grow their businesses, and hone the leadership skills of their founding teams.

The Astia model of engaging a community of experts to the benefit of the select startups it serves has resulted in an exceptional success rate: since 2003, over 60 percent of companies that have participated in the Astia Investor Forums have secured funding or achieved an exit within one year of presenting, totalling more than $1 billion raised and 25 exits, including two IPOs.

Astia is generously supported by the following sponsors: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, The Three Guineas Fund, Fenwick & West, SNR Denton, Silicon Valley Bank, Moss Adams, Microsoft, SAP, Lowenstein Sandler, Cisco, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, AOL, Wells Fargo, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, The Althea Foundation, Gust, SalesForce, Citrin Cooperman, ideaSpace, Prolog Ventures, Golden Seeds, Illuminate Ventures, Alloy Ventures, Opus Capital, AOL Ventures, SAP Ventures, Asset Management, StarVest Partners as well as the generous support of individual donors. For more information, visit www.astia.org and follow the organization on LinkedIn and Facebook and follow us on twitter: @astiaglobal