Investor Browsing

Venture capital investors pump an estimated $20 billion a year into start-up businesses in this country, and the Internet is fast becoming a place where they can go shopping. One of the newest services looking to link entrepreneur and financial angels is ACE-Net, sponsored by the federal government’s Small Business Administration.

And the first company to use ACE-Net in a hunt for funding is Innovative Device Technologies Inc., a Newport Beach start-up. The company is developing a new device to make Web surfing easier for both computer and Web TV users.

The service (https:www.ace-net.sr.unh.edu) allows investors to scan and view securities offerings of small companies like Innovative online. It is limited to companies seeking investments of $250,000 to $5 million.

Innovative says it needs $2 million to develop and market its Internet Surfpad, which replaces the mouse for browsing the Internet or various corporate intranets. It has 20 programmable and preprogrammed keys that perform all of the normal point-and-click routines and other browser functions, said Innovative co-founder David G. Holey.

The company found Ace-Net through the Accelerate Technology Small Business Development Center at UC Irvine--a high-tech industry consulting operation jointly sponsored by the SBA, the state Trade and Commerce Agency and UC Irvine’s Graduate School of Management.

John O’Dell can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com