PARIS, March 24 /PRNewswire/ --

- Private Equity International Award recognizes Sofinnova's investment leadership in promising start-ups; 2009 off to strong start in portfolio company MA

Sofinnova Partners (http://www.sofinnova.fr), a Paris-based venture capital firm, announced today that it has been awarded the 2008 European Venture Capital Firm of the Year by the publication Private Equity International (PEI) and its on-line version, Private Equity Online (PEO). The award recognizes Sofinnova's investment expertise and leadership in Western Europe's technology and life sciences industries throughout 2008.

BONN, Germany, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Training for African Executives in Development Research and Criminal Justice

NEW YORK, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Acclaimed ensemble embark on orchestra tour of China this spring

REDWOOD CITY, California, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Global leader's support represents mobile payments milestone

Obopay, Inc., the pioneering service provider for payments via mobile phones, today announced an investment from Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications. This investment is a resounding endorsement for Obopay's ongoing innovation in mobile money technology.

This investment is a landmark in the evolution of mobile payments. It underscores the global potential of mobile money by providing convenient access to money anytime, anywhere. Given Nokia's position as the leader in mobile communications, we could not have asked for a better investor, commented Obopay CEO Carol Realini.

LONDON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

The Frost Sullivan 2009 European Mobile Phone Based Navigation Market Leadership Award, is presented to Appello. The company's innovative strategies have enabled it to emerge a leader in the highly competitive mobile phone based navigation market.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

Appello has grown steadily since 2003 to its current position as the leading provider of complete mobile phone based navigation solutions, notes Frost Sullivan Research Analyst Vishnu Muralidharan. Wisepilot, a customer-centric mobile navigation service solution launched in 2004, has been backed by superior account management and perceptive strategies, supporting the organic growth of the company.

LONDON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Publisher of Over 70 White Pages in Germany Joins the .tel Community

Telnic Limited (http://www.telnic.org), the registry operator for the new .tel top level domain (TLD), today announced that, pending final approval of its ICANN-accredited Registrar status, iWelt, part of the Krick group, a publisher of over 70 white pages titles of Das Telefonbuch and Das Ortliche throughout Germany, is to become a .tel Accredited Registrar. The deal, the first of its kind in Germany, has the potential to radically alter the existing domain name registration business and democratize the traditional index industry. iWelt has more than eight million clients and presents a huge potential for Telnic.

NEW YORK, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- The rapid growth of Shutterstock's footage collection has company poised to capitalize on the global surge in video use

Shutterstock, the world's largest subscription-based online stock image agency, just announced that Shutterstock Footage has added its 100,000th clip to its rapidly expanding online library of high quality royalty-free stock footage.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/shutterstock/37593/

ESPOO, Finland, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Basware Connectivity Enables Suppliers and Buyers to Eliminate Paper From Purchase to pay Processes, Reduce Cost per Transaction, Speed up Time to Payment and Communicate Better With Trading Partners

GUANGZHOU, China, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

The path goods take to reach a buyer is often long. From thousands of raw materials to hundreds of parts, parts to a final product, to a buyer -- it's a road only possible because of the vision of entrepreneurs who see a computer in a piece of silicon, a car in a piece of rubber, a house in a table lamp, or a business in a case of printer's ink.

AMSTERDAM, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Innovation Explorers Unites 300 Researchers From 69 Countries

Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the launch of Innovation Explorers, an online community of 300 researchers from 69 countries. Through online activities ranging from facilitated chats to one-on-one interviews, the members will help Elsevier identify, design and deliver relevant products and services that resonate with and inspire research scientists around the world.