If you recall, an In The News post on April 21, 2011, announced Plastic Jungle’s selection as a finalist in the
TiE50 Awards Program.

Sure enough, Plastic Jungle was selected as one of the web’s most enterprising technology startups, which will be announced at TiE Silicon Valley’s annual flagship event, the TiEcon 2011 conference.

Of the 1,619 companies considered, only 289 were selected by an expert panel to compete as finalists, then the field narrowed to 50 Award Winners. The program’s sponsor, TiE Silicon Valley is the world’s largest not-for-profit network of entrepreneurs and professionals dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship.

See the complete list of TiE50 Award Winners and an overview of the program online  >>>

“Plastic Jungle was clearly ranked amongst the best of the breed by a team of 60 highly accomplished and experienced judges. These experts included globally recognized venture capitalists, CEOs, academia, and serial entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Vish Mishra, Chairman of TiEcon 2011 and President of TiE Silicon Valley. “Being recognized as a TiE50 winner is a true testament to their entrepreneurial spirit and world class caliber,” Mr. Mishra added.

Plastic Jungle is the web’s largest secured gift card exchange, giving consumers the choice and flexibility to convert their gift cards into other forms of spending power — including cash, online balances to use for purchases at the millions of merchants that accept PayPal, Facebook Credits, and more — and to stretch their shopping dollars at their favorite merchants.  Plastic Jungle’s patent-pending marketplace and payment applications aim to safely unlock the estimated $30 billion in unredeemed gift cards trapped in the economy for the benefit of consumers and merchants alike. Based in San Jose, California, the company is privately held, with venture backing from Shasta Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Jafco Ventures, First Round Capital, Bay Partners, Harrison Metal and Western Technology Investment.

“We are thrilled to be honored with a TiE50 Award at this year’s TiEcon,” said Bruce Bower, CEO of Plastic Jungle. “We’ve certainly seen a significant increase in consumer awareness for our secondary gift card market, and we’re very pleased to know that the TiE50 Award judges have also taken note of the value, choice and flexibility we bring to Plastic Jungle users.”

The TiEcon 2011 conference was held May 13-14th, 2011, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, in Santa Clara, California.

In the News:
Out of 1,619 tech startups in the running, Plastic Jungle is chosen as a
2011 TiE50 Finalist.

The TiE50 Awards Program acknowledges the web’s most enterprising technology startups, and is TiE Silicon Valley’s premier annual awards program acknowledging startups worldwide.

Of the 1,619 companies, only 289 were selected by an expert panel to compete as finalists. The final judging to pick winners will commence on April 20, 2011 and winners will be announced on April 30, 2011.

But first, if Plastic Jungle has impressed you with our ease in gift card selling or discount gift card purchasing power, TiE Silicon Valley invites you to VOTE for Plastic Jungle to gain additional recognition by its panel of experts in the Internet category.  Voting is easy: just enter your email address in the box provided and then scroll down to Plastic Jungle and click on the green  ’Like’ button.

As the web’s largest secured gift card exchange site, Plastic Jungle is the best way to sell, buy, exchange or donate gift cards on the Internet. We offer the most innovative, most convenient, and safest way to get the most out of gift cards. All transactions are guaranteed, and along with the best prices, Plastic Jungle offers industry-leading features such as donating the proceeds of the sale of your gift cards to charity, offering a number of payout options, and helping you to replace your gift cards in case they are lost or damaged. We also provide free shipping for all gift card sellers and buyers.

TiE Silicon Valley is the world’s largest not-for-profit network of entrepreneurs and professionals dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship. TiE provides a platform for mentoring, networking and education to over 14,000 members in 56 chapters across 13 countries.

TiE Silicon Valley’s annual flagship event, the TiEcon 2011 conference on May 13^th and May 14^th, will be held in Santa Clara, California.