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Press Release

MicroMed Wins TiE50 Award

MicroMed Cardiovascular Inc. Named One of the Hottest and Most Promising Startups Globally

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – (May 13, 2010) – MicroMed Cardiovascular Inc. has been named a TiE50 Winner, as a leader in innovation, ingenuity, and management excellence. The TiE50 award is presented by TiE to the hottest and most promising startups in the world.

TiE is a global organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurs across its international network sponsored by top venture capital firms and Fortune 500 corporations. TiE is spread across 54 chapters in 13 countries, comprised of 1,800 experienced entrepreneurs and business executives as charter members, 12,000 aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals as members.

MicroMed is a pioneer in the field of Mechanical Circulatory Support. MicroMed makes a powerful, miniature, implantable electric LVAD or Left Ventricular Assist Device (the HeartAssist5®) that increases the cardiac output of a failing heart. The HeartAssist5® was originally developed by the world famous heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey in partnership with NASA.

The HeartAssist5® blood pump weighs 92 grams. Because of its miniature size, it is one of the few LVADs that can be implanted above the diaphragm, adjacent to the heart. It is the most technically advanced device among a small number of competitors in this field. The HeartAssist5® is the only LVAD with a precise, direct flow measurement system and internet home monitoring.

"We are honored to receive this award," said Bill Birdsall, MicroMed Chairman, President & CEO. "It is even more satisfactory to receive this award from such a strong panel of VC’s, industry experts, and investors. MicroMed is committed to becoming the world leader in Mechanical Circulatory Support; this recognition is a great testimony to the progress the company has made. We sincerely thank TiE and applaud all the great work that the organization does."

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TiEcon2010 and TiE50

TiEcon 2010 is, for the 17th year running, the largest conference in the world for entrepreneurs. Over 3,000 participants will attend, and engage in rich dialogue with a dynamic group of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, industry executives, and thought leaders over two full days of meetings. Conference attendees will get a sneak peek into the winning ideas behind the Tie50 winners and meet face to face with the entrepreneurs fueling the innovation behind these remarkable companies.

TiE50 is an annual showcase of 50 of the hottest and most promising startup companies in the technology industry. These fifty companies were selected from five segments: Internet, BioSciences, Cleantech, Wireless, and Software. TiE50 extends TiE's respected track record of nurturing the entrepreneurial ecosystem by spotlighting real-world examples of startups that are “doing it right”.

"The TiE50 represent the best in entrepreneurship -- risk-taking yet pragmatic, visionary but market-aware, and a passion to be the best," according to Vish Mishra, President of TiE Silicon Valley and Venture Director at Clearstone Venture Partners, with offices in Silicon Valley, Southern California and Mumbai. "We hold up these companies as role models for any enterprise, big or small, established or being incubated, which aspires to success in a dynamic and demanding marketplace. We fully expect that the TiE50 winners in 2010 will build on the success of winners in 2009 like Kazeon, Mimosa and Mint.com."

The TiE50 winners are diverse in terms of size, stage of company, type of funding and location, but they share a common thread of innovation, ingenuity, strong management teams and quality of ideas. These companies will be showcased at TiEcon 2010, the world's largest conference for entrepreneurs, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, May 14-15. TiEcon brings together world-class entrepreneurs and leaders from business, technology, venture capital, and media for two days of education, networking and business building. The theme of TiEcon 2010, "It's in your DNA," emphasizes the qualities inherent in all successful entrepreneurs.

"All of this year's winners have the potential to become industry leaders," said Ram Reddy, TiE50 Chair. "The judges were impressed by the quality of ideas and execution from each of the winners. These fifty companies represent the finest in entrepreneurship and investment opportunity in 2010."

“MicroMed received very high marks across the board from our panel of VC’s and industry experts," said Jai Rawat, content chair for TiEcon 2010. The TiE 50 judging process was designed with meticulous planning, screening and judging by a list of over sixty prominent entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, corporate executives and other domain experts.

TiE is also pleased to acknowledge the nominee companies and those who publicly voted from around the world who contributed to the TiE50 selection process. TiE50 winners will present their companies in a live showcase over the two days of TiEcon 2010, on May 14th and 15th in Santa Clara, CA.

About MicroMed

MicroMed Cardiovascular Inc. is an international medical device manufacturer specializing in the field of Mechanical Circulatory Support. More people die from heart failure than all forms of cancer combined. MicroMed gives these patients a second chance at life with the HeartAssist5®, a long term, reliable, implantable blood pump developed by NASA, Dr. DeBakey and Baylor College of Medicine. The device has been implanted in more than 450 patients and has commercial approval in Europe, Humanitarian Device approval for use in children in the US and is undergoing an adult clinical study in the U.S. MicroMed is also developing a Total Artificial Heart in partnership with Texas Heart Institute, Rice University and the University of Houston under the auspices of a grant from NIH. The company is headquartered in Houston Texas. For more information, please visit www.micromedcv.com

Media Contact:

Don Isaacs
Director of Communications
MicroMed Cardiovascular
Cell: (520) 955-0660

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