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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Steve Arnold, co-founder of Massachusetts-based Polaris Venture Partners, kicks off the Fireside Chat series in Oregon State University's Austin Entrepreneurship Program.

He will speak at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Trysting Tree Conference Room (D-107) in Weatherford Hall on the OSU campus. This Fireside Chat is free and open to the public.

Arnold is a co-founder and managing general partner of Polaris Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that identifies and invests in information technology and life science businesses.

His OSU visit is part of the State Farm Visiting Fellows program. Every fall, winter and spring term, the Austin Entrepreneurship Program hosts approximately 24 visiting fellows who stay in the Weatherford Hall executive suites, visiting with students and sharing their experiences with up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Through a variety of forums from dinner in the boardroom, to the Fireside Chat in the Trysting Tree Conference Room, to coffee the following morning at Bing's Café, students have numerous opportunities to talk with these State Farm Visiting Fellows in small group settings.

For a list of this term's Visiting Fellows, go to www.bus.oregonstate.edu/aepfellows/listfellows.aspx

Along with Jon Flint and Terry McGuire, Arnold founded Polaris in 1996. Prior to starting Polaris, Arnold served as a special adviser to Burr, Egan, Deleage and Co. following more than 10 years in executive positions in the software industry. He served as vice president of Broadband Media Applications at Microsoft Corporation and as president and CEO of Continuum Productions, a private company founded by Bill Gates to pioneer the creation of large digital libraries for online distribution.

Before his stint at Continuum, Arnold served as vice president and general manager of LucasArts Games and Learning divisions, and vice president of the new media group at Lucasfilm Ltd. He continues to serve as vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

For more information, go to www.polarisventures.com