Agilent Technologies' Venture Unit Invests in Pintail Technologies'

    Business Editors

    PALO ALTO, Calif.A--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2005--Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:) today announced that Agilent Ventures has participated in the Series B Preferred Stock funding round for Pintail Technologies, a privately held company that develops products and technologies for improving semiconductor testing.
    Agilent Ventures' investment is part of a $7 million Series B funding round that includes Austin Ventures, Duchossois Technology Partners, IVF Ventures and STARTech Early Ventures. Pintail has developed several test-management solutions based on its patent-pending, platform-independent, real-time data acquisition technology aimed at reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of semiconductor test.
    "Agilent Ventures' investment in Pintail Technologies demonstrates our ongoing commitment to seek strategic partnerships with early-stage companies developing innovative technologies for test and measurement solutions," said Maximilian Schroeck, managing director for Agilent Ventures. "This also demonstrates Agilent's ongoing commitment to reduce the total cost of semiconductor test."
    "In partnership with our semiconductor test business, Agilent Labs, our company's central research organization, is always looking for new ways to increase the throughput and efficiency of semiconductor tests," said Charlie Rothschild, senior director of research and development for Agilent's Automated Test Group and member of Agilent Labs. "We are very excited about potential collaboration opportunities with Pintail to explore new semiconductor test solutions based on the company's real-time data-acquisition technology."
    "Agilent Ventures' participation in our Series B financing demonstrates Agilent's continued commitment to cutting-edge technologies in test and measurement," said Taylor Scanlon, chief executive officer of Pintail. "We look forward to working with Agilent to solve the semiconductor manufacturers' conflicting needs of higher quality and reduced cost of testing."

    About Pintail Technologies

    Pintail Technologies is a semiconductor test improvement company that provides breakthrough software to reduce the cost of test and increase production output and quality through existing test equipment and programs. Pintail has created the first test improvement solutions to combine real-time test process control capabilities with innovative analytical programs in an integrated software suite designed for speed and accuracy. In addition, Pintail solutions impact cost and quality of testing through advanced sampling and parts averaging. Fabless and integrated device manufacturers worldwide, in collaboration with leading test and assembly subcontractors and ATE vendors, use Pintail tools to increase their competitive advantage. More information on the company and its solutions is available at www.pintail.com.

    About Agilent Ventures

    Agilent Ventures is a business unit of Agilent Technologies Inc. dedicated to investing globally in groundbreaking, privately held, early-stage technology companies. Additional information about Agilent Ventures is available at www.agilentventures.com.

    About Agilent Technologies

    Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2004. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com

    NOTE TO EDITORS: Further technology, corporate citizenship and executive news is available on the Agilent news site at www.agilent.com/go/news.

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CONTACT: Agilent Ventures Maximilian Schroeck, 650-752-5592 maximilian_schroeck@agilent.com or Agilent Technologies Amy Flores, 650-752-5303 amy_flores@agilent.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE SOFTWARE MANUFACTURING SOURCE: Agilent Technologies

Copyright Business Wire 2005