10/09/2007: Press Release from Investors' Circle

From Worm Poop to Wal-Mart

Investors seek alternative investments addressing social & environmental issues

(CSRwire) October 9, 2007 - In 2001, Tom Szaky had a crazy idea to turn worm poop into plant food and package it in used soda bottles. And it worked. 6 years later, TerraCycle employs over 30 workers in their 20,000 square foot Trenton, NJ plant and they have a 2007 sales goal of well over $5 million. This year they are selling 9 products in many major, nationwide retailers, including Target, Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Whole Foods and others. Tom and TerraCycle have been featured everywhere from the Evening News with Dan Rather to the cover of Inc. Magazine.

TerraCycle got to this point with well over $4 million in angel investments and some of that investment came from a group called Investors' Circle, a nationwide network of investors who use private capital to promote the transition to a sustainable economy. TerraCycle's CEO, Tom Szaky said, "I owe endless gratitude to Investor's Circle. Without their programs and investors my young company may not have survived. They are probably the only investor group that focuses entirely on environmental and socially beneficial companies. They realize that there is much more to a company then a bottom line and a profit margin."

Investors' Circle hosts two venture fairs a year where companies like TerraCycle, who address a social or environmental issue, present to over 150 investors who are looking for socially responsible investments. Over the past 15 years, Investors' Circle members have invested over $112 million in 183 deals.

The next opportunity for companies like TerraCycle to present to Investors' Circle will be during the Investors' Circle 2007 Fall Conference & Venture Fair, taking place November 14-16 at the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston, MA.

The Venture Fair on November 15th, open to accredited investors only, will feature 20 early-stage for-profit companies and small funds working to solve social and environmental problems. The Education Day on November 16th is open to all who are interested in exploring effective ways to fund and nurture sustainable businesses. Engage with renowned speakers and panelists discussing the state of double bottom line investing and enterprise creation in the areas of energy & environment, food & organics, education & media, health & wellness, mission-related investing and community & international development.

About Investors' Circle:
Investors' Circle was founded in 1992 and is based on the idea of using venture capital — specifically from angel investors, foundations, and venture capitalists oriented toward sustainable businesses — as a powerful catalyst for creating sustainability worldwide. Over the last 15 years, the Investors' Circle network has invested more than $112 million in 183 companies, with even more investments pending since our Spring Conference in San Francisco last May.

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