PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 14, 2008 -- Innova Materials has been named a semi-finalist in the the Wharton Business Plan Competition (link) and has been selected to vie for a finalist title this April. The WBPC is among the leading global university-run business plan competitions, and reaching semi-finalist status means that Innova Materials's business model has met with favorable validation by a team of leading venture capitalists, professors, and business leaders. Innova Materials is a surface modification technology company whose patent-pending Innlay™ process offers a unique means of imparting plastic and rubber products with novel properties by embedding additive and other active materials into the products' surfaces.

The WBPC is a comprehensive, 7-month platform to help entrepreneurs and their teams launch their new business ideas. The WBPC is structured in three phases to help teams develop their plans in both a collaborative and competitive environment.

Innova Materials participated in WBPC's entrepreneurship workshops which feature entrepreneurship experts including Wharton entrepreneurship professors and Wharton graduates who have started their own businesses. The WBPC provides a network for brainstorming, feedback, and future business opportunities, which Innova Materials will leverage for future business development. Participating teams develop their ideas with guidance from top business leaders who serve as mentors and judges.