Volume 8, Number 5, February 6, 2003



This Week's Contents:

1) NEWS ABOUT NETPRENEUR
    1.1 And Now A Word For Our Sponsors
2) REGIONAL NETPRENEURS
    2.1 Online Training Programs From IceWEB
    2.2 IT Requirements Tool From SteelTrace
    2.3 Banquet Manager Software From EventRebels
    2.4 Round-up Quick Hits
    ......from IssueTrak, USi, Métier, ITspatial, epipeline, and AnnuityNet
3) FUNDING & FINANCE NEWS
    3.1 Life In The Food Chain
    ......EDO Acquires AERA
    ......ToadNet Acquires Radicus
    ......Blackboard Acquires SA Cash Assets
    ......SCB Acquires Remtech
    3.2 Walker Fund Gets $4 million For WV Investing
4) OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
    4.1 Nominations Sought For eGovernment Awards
5) WHO'SWARE
    ......news about people at Metrocall, Telkonet, and TCS

|||||||||||||||||||| 1. News About The Program ||||||||||||||||||

1.1 AND NOW A WORD FOR OUR SPONSORS
The new Coffee & DoughNets is turning into a real community effort. In addition to the partner organizations that have come together to host the pilot series of C&D events through April -- the Tech Council of Maryland, Northern Virginia Tech Council, DC Technology Council, and Virginia's CIT -- three organizations have signed on as sponsors for the series -- Comerica, Ernst & Young, and Fenwick & West. Thanks to their generosity and backing, events in the series will remain free to attendees. The pilot series starts on Tuesday, February 25, with "Building A Sales Organization" where a panel of entrepreneurs will explore issues ranging from hiring your first sales person to creating a comp plan. It starts at 7:00 AM at the Shady Grove Conference Center in Rockville, MD. Register now.

Register for C&D: http://netpreneur.org/events/doughnets
Comerica: http://comerica.com
Ernst & Young: http://www.ey.com
Fenwick & West: http://www.fenwick.com

|||||||||||||||||| 2. Regional Netpreneurs ||||||||||||||||||

2.1 ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMS FROM ICEWEB
(Herndon, VA) IceWEB launched LearningStream.com, a website that hosts video training programs for delivery over the Internet. Some of the first courses include "Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics for Business Professionals", Fred Pryor Seminars "Project Management," and CareerTrack's "How to Supervise People," as well as courses on using software applications. Many of the courses were created by IceWEB in conjunction with the original author and feature interactive elements designed by IceWEB. The courses use standard streaming video and audio technologies from Microsoft and Real Networks, so they can be used by anyone with Internet access and a standard Web browser over a telephone line or broadband connection. IceWEB is an eLearning company offering a variety of services for corporations, government, and associations.
http://www.learningstream.com
http://www.iceweb.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.2 IT REQUIREMENTS TOOL FROM STEELTRACE
(Washington, DC) SteelTrace released Catalyze LT, a software tool that models and captures requirements for IT and manufacturing projects. Part of the company's product line that also includes Professional and Enterprise editions, Catalyze LT is a lower cost tool designed for small projects comprised of a handful of core requirements. It is targeted at individuals who want to rapidly model and capture project requirements or processes for smaller projects and output simple, non-customized documentation.
http://www.steeltrace.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.3 BANQUET MANAGER SOFTWARE
(Ellicott City, MD) EventRebels.com, a provider of Web-based tools for meeting management, introduced Banquet Master, a software package that assembles tools for managing large banquets. Among other features, it provides online self-service pre-registration with secure credit card payment, automatic group or full-table registrations, processing of mail and FAX registrations, seat assignments, collection and reporting of attendee demographics, and automated production of invitations, confirmations, reminders, badges, and seating reports. EventRebels is also offering the option of a fully outsourced registration service in which the company will process all registrations and payments and provide staff and equipment for onsite registration and check-in of attendees.
http://www.eventrebels.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.4 ROUND-UP QUICK HITS

(Virginia Beach, VA) IssueTrak released Version 3.0 of its Web-based help desk and tracking program. The new version accepts data from other applications, exports information to Excel, and offers expanded flexibility for email notification and automatic issue assignment.

http://www.issuetrak.com

(Annapolis, MD) Applications service provider USi announced that it would begin offering outsourced processing of payroll and payroll taxes. The services were added to the company's portfolio as a result of its recent merger with Interpath.
http://www.usi.com

(Washington, DC) Métier introduced a synchronization module that allows its WorkLenz project management product to pull task-based data directly from Microsoft Outlook. It uses the application of natural language processing to make work performance statistically comparable across an enterprise.
http://www.metier.com

(McLean, VA) ITspatial will integrate its geospatial decision support tools with Canoga CA-based E Team's collaborative software products for emergency and event management. Targeted for the defense, public safety, and homeland security markets, the new software products will provide an overview of an incident or emergency site within a geospatially accurate 3D model.
http://www.itspatial.com
http://www.eteam.com

(Herndon, VA) epipeline and Atlanta, GA-based InsiderAdvantage announced a deal to co-market existing products and to develop an advanced procurement information system. The alliance will connect InsiderAdvantage's database of state and local government procurement opportunities in its GovernmentBids.com division with epipeline's federal contracting research capabilities.
http://www.epipeline.com
http://www.insideradvantage.com

(Herndon, VA) AnnuityNet has a partnership to make Beacon Research's fixed annuity data research and analysis available via AnnuityNet's annuity automation platform. Combining the data with annuity products will enable financial advisors and others to determine which products best meet their clients' needs and complete purchases in an online, automated process.
http://www.annuitynet.com
http://www.annuitynexus.com

|||||||||||||||||| 3. Funding & Finance News ||||||||||||||||||

3.1 LIFE IN THE FOOD CHAIN

-- EDO Acquires AERA
(Alexandria, VA) NYC-based EDO Corporation announced that it has acquired IT services provider Advanced Engineering and Research Associates (AERA) for $38 million in cash, subject to adjustment based on AERA's net worth as of the closing date. Among its projects, AERA is a first-tier subcontractor to Electronic Data Systems for the multi-year Navy Marine Corps Intranet Total Enterprise Solution and has long-term prime contracts with NAVSEA's Seaport program, the Marine Corps' Commercial Enterprise Omnibus Support Services (CEOSS) and the Coast Guard's Deepwater program. AERA, which had revenues of approximately $50 million in 2002, will become a part of EDO's Systems and Analysis Group. EDO supplies highly engineered products for governments and industry, including electronic, electromechanical, and information systems and engineered materials.
http://www.edocorp.com

-- ToadNet Acquires Radicus
(Severna Park, MD) ToadNet, one of Maryland's largest, privately-owned ISPs, has acquired Radicus Internet, a Baltimore-based ISP. The deal expands ToadNet's reach into the Mid-Atlantic market through Radicus' more than 1,300 business and residential customers. Radicus was founded as pcbank.net in 1996 as an online banking company and a business unit of a Baltimore-based bank. Regulatory changes prevented capitalizing on the original business plan, and the business was spun off as a ISP in November 2000, so ToadNet will also acquire the pcbank.net brand name. ToadNet currently serves more than 29,000 business and residential customers in the Mid-Atlantic region, with a high concentration of customers in the Baltimore-DC corridor.
http://www.toad.net

-- Blackboard Acquires SA Cash Assets
(Washington, DC) Blackboard, a provider of eLearning solutions, has purchased he majority of the assets of SA Cash from Boston-based Student Advantage, a provider of higher education-oriented eCommerce services, for $4.5 million in cash. Student Advantage works with more than 1,000 colleges, universities and campus organizations, and more than 15,000 merchants to develop products and services that enable students to make purchases less expensively and more conveniently on and around campus. As part of the agreement, Student Advantage will become the exclusive provider of membership and rewards programs to Blackboard's client base. In addition, Blackboard and Student Advantage entered into a limited licensing agreement in which Student Advantage will continue to offer the SA Cash product line to a set of designated colleges and universities.
http://www.blackboard.com
http://www.studentadvantage.com

-- SCB Acquires Remtech
(Newport News, VA) Remtech Services, a provider of IT and technical services to the federal government, has been acquired by Memphis, TN-based SCB Computer Technology, a provider of solutions to state and local governments. Remtech provides services in four areas: IT systems development, IT systems operations & maintenance, information services, and training support. The acquisition provides SCB with an entrance to the federal market. Rockville, MD-based Aronson Capital Partners, an M&A advisor to the federal IT and professional services industry, initiated the transaction and acted as the financial advisor to Remtech.
http://www.remtech.com
http://www.scb.com
http://www.aronsoncompany.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.2 WALKER FUND GETS $4 MILLION FOR WV INVESTING
(Glenwood, MD) Venture capital firm Walker Ventures announced that the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA) invested $4 million in Walker Investment Fund II SBIC, LP, a Small Business Investment Corporation licensee. With the available leverage, the WVEDA money provides the fund with $12 million in new capital available for deployment. In addition to the WVEDA investment, the firm has opened an office in Shepherdstown, WV and hired Eric Lewis to be the Executive Director of the firm's new operation in the state. Lewis was formerly CFO of Butterfly.net and Ultraprise. The investment is part of a $25 million pool of capital that West Virginia intends to invest in select venture capital managers. Walker was one of the first four managers selected to receive the investment.
http://www.walkerventures.com


|||||||||||||||||| 4. Opportunities & Resources ||||||||||||||||||

4.1 NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR eGOVERNMENT AWARDS
(Washington, DC) Accenture and the MIT School of Architecture & Planning are seeking nominees for the fourth annual Digital Government Awards, which honor outstanding achievements in using the Internet and other technologies to deliver innovative government services. The awards will be presented in federal, state, and local government categories for government-to-citizen, government-to-business, and government- to-government services delivered via the Internet. Awards also will be given in higher education and in recognition of the most innovative pilot or prototype program. The Agent of Change award recognizes an individual from federal, state, or local government or from academia who has used creativity and taken the initiative to motivate others in the transformation of services. Nominations are being accepted through March 27. Winners will be recognized in June at the 2003 E-Gov Conference in DC.
http://www.digitalgovawards.org


|||||||||||||||||| 5.Who'sWare ||||||||||||||||||

(Alexandria, VA) Metrocall, a provider of narrowband wireless data and messaging services, named Vincent Kelly as President and CEO and Royce Yudkoff as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Kelly has served in a variety of roles at the company since 1987, including COO and CFO. Yudkoff, who is Managing Partner of private equity investment firm ABRY Partners, has been a member of Metrocall's board of directors since 1997. In related moves Stan Sech was named COO and George Moratis was named CFO.
http://www.metrocall.com

(Annapolis, MD) Telkonet, a provider of Internet connectivity over existing electrical wiring, named Howard Lubert as CEO. He was formerly with Safeguard Scientifics and was Professor of Entrepreneurship at Temple University. Ronald Pickett, President and Interim CEO, will remain as President.
http://www.telkonet.com

(Annapolis, MD) TeleCommunication Systems, a provider of location and messaging software and services for wireless carriers, named Michael Patrick as VP for Network Solutions. He was previously Executive Director for Federal Markets at Telcordia Technologies.
http://www.telecomsys.com

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