Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology Celebrates Graduation of Inaugural Class

Rigorous Two-Year Training Program Provides Ghanaian Students with Skills to Become Global Software Entrepreneurs

GHANA, ACCRA – February 4, 2010 – Meltwater Group, one of the world's leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies, today announced that the first class of trainees graduated from the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana. MEST was established by the company's non-profit charitable arm, the Meltwater Foundation, for the benefit of budding young software entrepreneurs. The Foundation opened the school in February 2008 to provide students with the skills to become successful software entrepreneurs in the global marketplace and to help create jobs and wealth locally in Accra, Ghana.

The Meltwater Foundation and MEST were created by Jorn Lyseggen, Meltwater Group's founder and CEO. "Entrepreneurs play an important role in economic development, creating jobs, wealth and progress," Lyseggen said. "MEST was established to create a place where talented young people can hone their entrepreneurial skills and build companies that will drive their local economies."

Through the Meltwater Foundation, trainees accepted into the MEST program receive hands-on training in software development, basic business fundamentals and entrepreneurship in a fast-paced, challenging, start-up environment. During their two years at MEST, the Entrepreneurs in Training (EITs) work with world-class executives from around the world to create their own software prototypes and ultimately start their own companies.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank each graduating student for the time shared with us at MEST," said Jorn Lyseggen at the MEST graduation in Ghana. "Everyone involved from the faculty, the administration and myself will look back at this time with fond memories. Thank you for two fantastic years. I hope that the training you received at MEST will prove valuable for the rest of your lives. I give you my warmest blessings and I wish for each of you success and prosperity in whatever endeavor you should pursue."

About Meltwater Foundation
The Meltwater Foundation is the non-profit, charitable arm of Meltwater Group, one of the world's leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies. The Foundation currently funds a two-year training program in Accra, Ghana, for budding software entrepreneurs (MEST) as well as an incubator for successful MEST graduates providing seed funding and mentoring. For more information, visit http://www.meltwater.org.

About MEST
The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana, is fully funded by Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit, charitable arm of the Meltwater Group. The school opened in February 2008 with the aim of creating jobs and wealth locally in Africa by training young Africans to become software entrepreneurs. During the school’s intensive two-year program, Entrepreneurs in Training (EITs) work with experienced business executives, recent college graduates and MBA consultants to develop software applications and prepare them for launch in the global marketplace. For more information, visit http://www.meltwater.org.

About Meltwater
The Meltwater Group is a privately held software company founded in Norway in 2001 with 50 offices located globally across North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. Meltwater is committed to challenging existing business models by introducing disruptive technologies.​ The Meltwater Group delivers B2B solutions based on search engine technology, cloud computing and talent management software. For more information, please visit www.meltwater.com.

Contacts:

Laura Ciekot
Allison & Partners for Meltwater
+1.415.277.4934
meltwater@allisonpr.com