The producers of the 2nd annual Privacy Identity Innovation conference (pii2011), taking place May 19-20 in Silicon Valley, today announced the twelve start-ups that have been invited to demo on stage as part of the pii2011 Innovator Spotlight program.

The producers of the 2nd annual Privacy Identity Innovation conference (pii2011) announced the list of companies selected to participate in the pii2011 Innovator Spotlight start-up showcase. Over 200 leading executives, technologists, policy experts, academic researchers and journalists will gather at the Santa Clara Marriott hotel May 19-20 for the pii2011 conference, and one of the highlights will be the Innovator Spotlight on May 19 where 12 entrepreneurs from around the country will demo their technologies on stage.

The pii2011 conference will look at where innovation is heading and what it means for the future of digital privacy, identity, reputation and trust with speakers from over 50 companies and organizations, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, HP, Intuit, PrivacyChoice, Open ID Foundation and the ACLU.

The Innovator Spotlight, which is sponsored by Innovators Network, will offer participants a chance to hear firsthand from 12 start-up founders who are developing innovative new products and services that are changing the way that people create, collect and share personal information. “The goal is to showcase a range of technologies and we’re very excited about the start-ups that are participating because each one takes a unique approach to the problem it’s trying to address.” said Natalie Fonseca, co-founder and executive producer of pii2011.

The 12 companies selected for the 2011 Innovator Spotlight are:

• Bluelight – Founder Betsy Huigens developed the Bluelight safety app while in college as a simple way to privately notify friends and family when you don’t arrive at your destination. Based in Chicago. 
• BUMP.com – Founder and CEO Mitch Thrower created BUMP.com as a safety, marketing, membership and communications platform that allows users to connect online and offline via unique identifiers, including license plates, mobile phones and online profiles. Based in La Jolla, CA. 
• Connect.me – Co-founder Drummond Reed and the Connect.me team are in the process of launching the first social discovery network that works across all popular social networks, starting with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, enabling people to build their own personal trust networks by vouching for the people they respect most in the contexts they care about most. Based in San Francisco. 
• Disconnect – Founder Brian Kennish developed Disconnect to help people understand the data they share online by using simple tools to control this data. Based in San Francisco. 
• Everloop – Led by CEO Hilary DeCesare, the Everloop team is developing the next generation in online social community platforms designed specifically for kids and tweens under the age of 13 to connect with friends they know, express themselves, play games, collaborate on projects and discover talents. Based in Danville, CA. 
• FaceCash – FaceCash is a payment system developed by Aaron Greenspan that turns your phone (or a piece of paper if you don't have one) into a digital wallet. Based in Palo Alto, CA. •NeighborGoods – Micki Krimmel created NeighborGoods to help neighbors save money, live more sustainably and strengthen their local community by sharing goods and skills in a safe and fun community. Based in Los Angeles. 
• Passtouch – Founder and CEO Jason Boger is developing Passtouch, a quick and secure password alternative for touch screen devices. Based in Surf City, NC. 
• Personal – Co-founder and CEO Shane Green believes that people, not companies, should own their data and decide how it is used, and Personal is a Web and mobile platform that enables individuals to own, control and benefit from their data. Based in Washington, DC. 
• SecretSocial – Zubin Wadia founded SecretSocial as a real-time service for people to have authentic conversations on the social Web by letting the context dictate the degree of engagement and privacy. Based in New York City. 
• Tru.ly – Co-founder and CEO David Gordon and his team developed Tru.ly with the goal of making the Internet a safer, more secure and honest place by by providing users with a single, verified identity on the Internet. Based in Boston. 
• WanderID – Co-founder and CEO Mary Haskett and her partner Dr. Alex Kilpatrick developed WanderID to help identify young children and people with cognitive difficulties like Alzheimer's, autism, brain injury or Down syndrome who are often not able to identify themselves in an emergency. Based in Austin, TX.

Each company founder will give a five-minute presentation on stage, followed by a Q&A period hosted by Innovators Network executive director Mark Blafkin. Conference attendees will then select two Audience Choice Award winners, which will be announced on stage at pii2011 on the morning of May 20. Independently produced by SageScape, the creators of the annual Tech Policy Summit conference, pii2011 offers an open forum for spirited and participatory dialogue about the future of digital privacy and identity in an increasingly interconnected world. Information on how to register for the conference can be found online at http://pii2011.com.

Sponsors of the pii2011 conference include Google, TRUSTe, Innovators Network, TechAmerica, PrivacyCamp, Privacy by Design, Center for Democracy and Technology, Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies, Techdirt and Women 2.0.

About SageScape
Privacy Identity Innovation (pii2011) and pii Labs are independently produced by SageScape, a privately-held company that specializes in producing and promoting executive-level conferences and online communities for the high technology industry. Founded in 2003, SageScape is passionate about promoting innovation and exploring how technology impacts - and is shaped by - culture, policy and business. In addition to the annual Tech Policy Summit (TPS) and Privacy Identity Innovation conferences, SageScape works on leading industry events for a variety of clients -- ranging from early-stage start-ups to top global brands. To learn more, visit our sites at http://pii2011.com and http://TechPolicyCentral.com. You can also follow us on Twitter at @TechPolicy.

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