In this post-bubble web world, if you don't pay too much attention you might be under the impression that there aren't many startups anymore trying to invent the Next Big Thing online.  Or that venture capital, burned through like it was going out of style in the 90s, had dried up for good.  Well, if you think the party ended back in 2001, you'd be wrong.  It may have hit a slump, but the startup world seems to be alive and well, and more organized than ever.

Enter TechCrunch and the TechCrunch 40 2007 Conference.  The idea?  Assemble 40 of the hottest new technology startups and have them launch their products during a 2 day get-together, competing for all sorts of cash prizes and services to help get their idea off the ground.  Leading up to the conference, the identities of these 40 companies were closely guarded, but since kicking off this morning, the complete list has been published.

If you want to see where the Next Big Thing may be coming from, it's definitely worthwhile to hit up the conference site and keep an eye on all the news released from the conference.  It kicked off today and wraps up end of the day tomorrow.