Volume 8, Number 20, May 22, 2003



This Week's Contents:

1) NEWS ABOUT NETPRENEUR
    1.1 Bring Your Jumper Cables
    1.2 Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?
2) REGIONAL NETPRENEURS
    2.1 New Tool to Win Government Bidness
    2.2 Frequent Eater Program
    2.3 Procurement And eCommerce Solution
    2.4 Software Support For Corporate Governance
    2.5 Round-up: Quick Hits
    ......news from Sourcefire, Systems Alliance, Brook Group,

    ............New Signature, and Bean Creative
3) FUNDING & FINANCE NEWS
    3.1 Dough Raise Me
    ......$10M for 2 local entrepreneurs
    3.2 Life In The Food Chain
    ......Luna Acquires Nascent
    ......InPhonic Acquires Avesair
    ......B2eMarkets Acquires Assets of Diligent Systems
    3.3 New Venture Fund For The Region
4) OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
    4.1 Whose Band Is Broadest?
5) WHO'SWARE
    ...... news about people at InteliData, Surety, and APCG


|||||||||||||||||||| 1. News About Netpreneur ||||||||||||||||||

1.1 BRING YOUR JUMPER CABLES
Why attend IGNITION, Netpreneur's mega-event coming June 4? If you've ever felt part of the Netpreneur community, started a business in Greater Washington (or just thought about it), worked with a startup, or helped make the community a better place to live and work, IGNITION is for (and about) you. As the Netpreneur community turns a new corner -- now run not just for entrepreneurs, but by them as well -- IGNITION will celebrate your achievements, the growth of the region's entrepreneurial community, and the spirit of innovation that has taken root all around us. IGNITION is also a chance for us to thank you for our shared success, and a chance to look into the future of Netpreneur, our community, and philanthropy. IGNITION will feature many of the stars who lit the flames of entrepreneurship in our region, including: Ted Leonsis, John Sidgmore, Caren DeWitt, Raul Fernandez, Jack Davies, Mark Walsh, Kathy Bushkin, and Netpreneur's own Mario Morino. IGNITION will be Wednesday, June 4, 6:00-10:00 PM, at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, and is sponsored by the Win-Win Strategies Foundation, Piper Rudnick, Blackboard, Ernst & Young, Silicon Valley Bank, and Spaulding & Slye. It's free, but you must register online at: http://netpreneur.org/events/ignition
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1.2 DID YOU EVER HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND?
On Friday, May 30, don't miss Coffee & DoughNets where we'll explore "Pulling the Trigger: The When's And How's Of Big Decisions." An exceptional panel of executive decision-makers will cover when (and how) to make the call on seeking outside capital, expanding your team, promoting your company, and engaging outside help, such as lawyers and accountants. Speakers include Phil Carrai of General Atlantic Partners; Michael Chasen, CEO of Blackboard; Ching-Ho Fung, Chairman of Parature; Deepak Hathiramani, President & CEO of Vistronix, and moderator Mark Frantz, Vice President of The Carlyle Group. C&D will be Friday, May 30, 7:00 AM, at the University of Maryland Shady Grove Campus Conference Center, and is sponsored by Comerica, Ernst & Young, and Fenwick & West. Register now. http://netpreneur.org/events/doughnets

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

2.1 NEW TOOL TO WIN GOVERNMENT BIDNESS
(Vienna, VA) Lufex launched Gmarketplace.com, a new government procurement website that tracks nearly $3 trillion in bids from federal, state, and local governments as well as international agencies. Subscribers get access to approximately three million public procurement opportunities per year, and a daily email notification system filters new bid information according to subscriber preferences, forwarding only what relates to their business or to targeted government organizations. Subscribers can also access bid history on more than 300,000 contractors, view vendor profiles, research past federal government contracts recorded at the GSA, and obtain profiles of government procurement officers. Gmarketplace consolidates and builds upon the company's three existing government procurement sites: Bidmain.com, Firstgovcontract.com, and B2Gplace.com.
http://gmarketplace.com
http://www.lufex.com
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2.2 FREQUENT EATER PROGRAM
(Alexandria, VA) Fishbowl and Orlando, FL-based JTECH are partnering to jointly deploy HostAlert Loyalty, a guest loyalty service that recognizes members when they enter a restaurant, helping operators offer more personalized service. It combines JTECH's HostAlert Guest Management system for table and wait list management, developed in partnership with San Diego-based Ameranth Wireless, with Fishbowl's database-driven email marketing Guest Loyalty program. When guests identify themselves as program members, the system can determine the guest's frequency level, then a rules-based pager notifies managers and service staff of VIP, frequent diner, or other guest types. Outside the restaurant, personalized, automated loyalty email communications can be sent to each guest. The system will be piloted with several restaurant chains this year.
http://www.fishbowl.com
http://www.jtech.com
http://www.ameranth.com
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2.3 PROCUREMENT AND eCOMMERCE SOLUTION
(Vienna, VA) Appian introduced Appian Procurement, a J2EE compliant procurement solution with eCommerce, collaborative workflow, and document management features. It enables centralized purchasing control and end-to-end procurement lifecycle support, from RFP development and publication, to award and contract management. The product is based on Appian's technology platform, which features enterprise portal, document and content management, personalization, and identity management technology. Optional extensions for transaction reconciliation and data extraction, transformation, and loading are also available. http://www.appiancorp.com
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2.4 SOFTWARE SUPPORT FOR CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
(Vienna, VA) Approva officially debuted BizRights, its flagship solution for continuous monitoring and auditing of enterprise business processes, including ERP, CRM, supply chain, and database applications. By managing the internal control process within and across applications, auditors can ensure ongoing visibility into business controls and compliance with rules and regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The BizRights suite includes BizRights Role Monitor, BizRights Transaction Monitor, and BizRights Configuration Monitor.
http://www.approva.net
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2.5 ROUND-UP: QUICK HITS

(Columbia, MD) Sourcefire announced that Infosec will offer its customers a managed security service based on Sourcefire's Intrusion Management System. Infosec is a joint venture between Mitsubishi, SAIC and Alexandria, VA-based Riptech targeting the Japanese managed security market.
http://www.sourcefire.com
http://www.infosec.co.jp

(Sparks, MD) Systems Alliance has a partnership to combine its Site Executive Web content management system with syndicated health information from Atlanta-based Greystone.Net, offering an integrated product for the websites of healthcare organizations.
http://www.siteexecutive.com
http://greystone.net

(Ellicott City, MD) Brook Group built the website for Annapolis-based Chesapeake Innovation Center, a business incubator targeting technology commercialization in homeland security, communications, and IT sectors in Anne Arundel County, MD.
http://www.cic-tech.org
http://www.brookgroup.com

(Washington, DC) New Signature created the website for GregoryEdwards, a litigation support company.
http://www.gregoryedwardsllc.com
http://www.newsignature.com

(Alexandria, VA) Bean Creative launched the website for the American Red Cross Save A Life Tour, designed to raise awareness of the need for blood donations.
http://www.givelife.org
http://www.beancreative.com


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

3.1 DOUGH RAISE ME

$2.5 million closes a Series A round for Columbia-based Advanced BioNutrition (ABN), a developer of nutritional products in the fields of aquaculture and agriculture. Added to the $3.5 million raised previously, the new funding brings the round total to $6 million, led by Sherbrooke Capital and including Eastbourne Capital Management, the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, angel investors, and the company founder. The money will help ABN complete development of a protein production system that has implications for the human health area, including the rapid production of new vaccines. ABN was formed in 2001 by Dr. David J. Kyle, a co-founder of Martek Biosciences. http://www.advancedbionutrition.com

$7.5 million for Rockville-based NFR Security, a developer of network intrusion management solutions. The round was led by Lazard Technology Partners, with participation by Digital Bandwidth, Allen & Company, and Intel. NFR supports over 500 customers with products that monitor network traffic in real time for suspicious activity misuse, abuse, attacks, anomalous behavior, and previously undiscovered attacks. The company also announced that it has named Neil Selvin as President and CEO. He was most recently Chairman and CEO of Pivia and was formerly President and CEO of OneWorld Systems and Global Village Communication.
http://www.nfr.com
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3.2 LIFE IN THE FOOD CHAIN

-- Luna Acquires Nascent
(Blacksburg, VA) Luna Innovations, a company that specializes in developing and commercializing basic research, announced the acquisition of Yorktown, VA-based Nascent Technology Solutions. Using technologies licensed from NASA Langley, Nascent develops instruments for non-destructive evaluation, enabling difficult structural evaluations to be performed efficiently without damage or disassembly. Nascent's products can be used in applications ranging from inspection of microelectronics to ship hulls, and are of particular interest to the aerospace, marine, medical, utility, and electronics industries. Luna Innovations has launched five companies in the past three years, including two that are now totally independent: Luna Technologies, a developer of fiber optic component test equipment, and Luna Energy, a developer of sensors for the oil and gas industry. With the Nascent acquisition, Luna forms Luna Hampton Roads which it plans to use to develop partnerships with the universities and government agencies in the Hampton Roads area, much as it has done with its "branch" location in Charlottesville, VA, where it is developing relationships at the University of Virginia in medical and corrosion services.
http://www.lunainnovations.com
http://www.nascentnde.com

-- InPhonic Acquires Avesair
(Washington, DC) InPhonic, provider of wireless voice and data communication solutions, has completed its acquisition of Avesair, a mobile marketing and media services company based in Research Triangle Park, NC. The move strengthens InPhonic's position in the wireless market by adding SMS and MMS mobile marketing technology to its services portfolio, as well as allowing it to leverage Avesair's customers and investor relationships. Avesair's WindCaster platform enables wireless providers, media firms, and consumer product companies to create, target, and deliver opt-in advertising, surveys, and entertainment campaigns to cell phones, PDAs, and other mobile devices. It sent 56 million targeted messages to mobile subscribers in 2002 for customers including AT&T, MSN, and USA Today.
http://www.inphonic.com

-- B2eMarkets Gets Assets of Diligent Systems
(Rockville, MD) B2eMarkets, a provider of sourcing and performance management solutions for procurement, has a definitive agreement to purchase the technology assets of Santa Clara, CA-based Diligent Systems. With the addition of Diligent's Contract Management product, B2eMarkets can offer an end-to-end sourcing platform and will immediately begin offering a standalone version of the former Diligent product to be branded as B2eMarkets Contract Manager. It will later be integrated with other modules in B2eMarkets' Supply Management Solution Suite.
http://www.b2emarkets.com
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3.3 NEW VENTURE FUND FOR THE REGION
(College Park, MD) The New Markets Growth Fund (NMGF) has closed a $20 million venture capital fund to invest in early and expansion stage companies, primarily located in economically distressed sections of Maryland, Virginia, and DC. The fund was initiated through the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, whose MBA students will support the fund's professional managers. The NMGF will leverage its investment dollars with funds available through the Small Business Administration's New Markets Venture Capital program. NMGF expects to invest in approximately 20 companies with individual investment amounts ranging from $200,000 to $2 million. The fund targets both existing small businesses seeking growth capital and early stage companies with developed products based on break-through technologies. The fund's investors include: CapCity Ventures, M&T Bank, Capital One, Chevy Chase Bank, MBNA, Farmers & Mechanics Banks, Sandy Spring Bank, Empower Baltimore, the Calvert Group, National Cooperative Bank, Baltimore Development Corporation, the State of Maryland, the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business, and several of the region's angel investors.
http://www.newmarketsfund.com


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

4.1 WHOSE BAND IS BROADEST?
(Washington, DC) "Broadband In The States 2003" is a new study from the AeA, a high-tech trade association, that examines national and state-by-state broadband trends, broadband technology subscriptions, and broadband technology preferences from December 1999 through June 2002. Defining broadband as a connection to the home or business faster than 200 kilobits per second in at least one direction, the report says that subscriptions are up 488% nationally, jumping from 2.8 million in December 1999 to 16.2 million in June 2002. In local numbers, DC ranked 4th nationwide in subscribers per household and 41st in total numbers, with 55,200 subscribers. That's a 28% increase between December 2001 and June 2002, just above the national average of 27%. Virginia had 361,000 broadband subscribers in June 2002, ranking 14th overall and 25th per household for a 23% growth rate. Cable is by far the technology choice for Virginians with 238,300 subscribers. Maryland had 317,000 broadband subscribers in June 2002, ranking it 15th both overall and per household for a 21% increase. Cable was again the dominant technology, although by a smaller margin than in Virginia (181,900 for cable; 95,400 for DSL in Maryland). The report, which is based on the most current US government data, can be purchased online as a PDF file at $45 for AeA members, $90 for non-members.
http://www.aeanet.org


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

(Reston, VA) InteliData Technologies, a provider of Internet banking and electronic billing technologies, promoted Michael Jennings from EVP of Product Management & Payment Solutions to President and COO.
http://www.intelidata.com

(Herndon, VA) Surety, a provider of data integrity services, named Jim O'Connor as VP of Engineering. He was most recently VP of Engineering at TruSecure.
http://www.surety.com

(Washington, DC) At a ceremony in Tysons Corner, Women in Technology gave its Entrepreneur Leadership Award to Kimberly McCabe, co-founder, President, and CEO of Advanced Performance Consulting Group (APCG), a provider of performance management, change management, strategic communications, and eGovernment services. The annual awards recognize women for their outstanding accomplishments in mentoring, entrepreneurship, and technology.
http://www.apcg.com
http://www.womenintechnology.org

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