Volume
7, Number 26, June 27, 2002
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This Week's Contents:
1) NEWS ABOUT THE PROGRAM
1.1 Growing (Into) Your Customer Base
1.2 Take It Out For A Spin
1.3 No News Next Neek, um Week
2) THE REGION'S NETPRENEURS
2.1 XtremeSpectrum's Ultra-Wideband Chipset
2.2 NextLinx's Trade Documents Solution
2.3 Wining About Yahoo!
2.4 DataDirect's .NET Connector
2.5 Blue Ridge Networks HIPAA VPN
2.6 Round-up: Quick Hits
...... news from BullMarket.com. Iridium,
MYSITE2GO,
........... Crunchy, Santeon, and Forum One
3) FUNDING & FINANCE NEWS
3.1 Dough Raise Me
...... $7.55M for 1 local entrepreneur
3.2 Life In The Food Chain
...... Ikimbo Acquires Redmind
...... SER Solutions Buys Itself
4) OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
4.1 The Ghosts Of Biz Plans Past
4.2 Tech Employment Does Better Locally
4.3 Study Shows Effect Of VC On The Economy
5) WHO'SWARE
...... news about people at
Digex, 4GL
School Solutions,
........... Realeum, and Sensytech, plus
the Boardwatch
CORRECTION: Last week, we said that a new website for the PBS TV
show Wall $treet Week with Fortune involved Louis Rukeyser. In fact,
the new show replaces Rukeyser's former PBS show.
|||||||||||||||||||| 1. News About The Program
||||||||||||||||||
1.1 GROWING (INTO) YOUR CUSTOMER BASE
Investors may be saying that it's all about revenue and customers
these days, but that's not the whole story. Any veteran entrepreneur
will tell you that what's most important is getting the right
customers at the right time. At July's Coffee & DoughNets we'll
actually ask a few veteran entrepreneurs when we discuss "A Question
Of Scale: Growing (Into) Your Customer Base." Even in the "early
stage," there are different phases you grow through from your first
beta customer to hiring your first outside salesperson. Our panelists will
address how young companies must anticipate and adapt their customer
acquisition strategies at each phase, including primary goals,
appropriate kinds of customers, significant challenges, and the best
things to do to smooth your transition to the next phase.
Sign up for C&D:
http://netpreneur.org/events/doughnets
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.2 TAKE IT OUT FOR A SPIN
Despite the dotcom bubble and the tech wreck, technology
entrepreneurship is still alive and kicking, and in some of the last
places you'd think to look, like big corporations. At yesterday's
C&D we explored the opportunities and pitfalls of spinning out
corporate technology with panelists who have done it successfully,
including Hal Kennedy of Lockheed Martin, Tom Gilbert of Blue Ridge
Networks, Jesko VonWindheim of CRONOS/JDS Uniphase, Randy Parker of
SpaceVest, and moderator Dave Sylvester of Hale & Dorr. Spinouts face
all the same challenges as other entrepreneurs, but have unique advantages
and disadvantages as well. Get an overview in the summary article
available now at the Netpreneur site, and look for the
transcript and video next week. And if you haven't subscribed to our
new email list, The Loop, yet, join now. Our speakers will be
supplying answers to additional questions beginning next week --
only in The Loop.
Summary: http://netpreneur.org/events/doughnets/020626/article.html
Subscribe to The Loop: http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/default.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.3 NO NEWS NEXT NEEK, UM WEEK
Netpreneur News will take a star-spangled break next week to
celebrate the fourth and barbeque a rib or two. Maybe say the Pledge
of Allegiance a few times. Look for us again on July 11.
|||||||||||||||||||| 2. Regional Netpreneurs
||||||||||||||||||
2.1 XTREMESPECTRUM'S CHIPSET
(Vienna, VA) XtremeSpectrum says that it is the first company to
deliver a commercial ultra-wideband solution that complies with the
FCC's new rules for unlicensed usage. Ultra-wideband is a wireless
technology that transmits an extremely low power signal over a wide
swath of radio spectrum. Achieving 100 Mbps data rates at low power
consumption levels, XtremeSpectrum's new Trinity product is a
wireless chipset targeted at multimedia-centric devices, such as
digital video recorders and cameras, allowing them to wirelessly
send and receive digital streams of audio and video. Comprised of
four chips, it is capable of transmitting two or more HD streams
simultaneously using a bi-phase modulation approach.
http://www.xtremespectrum.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.2 NEXTLINX'S TRADE DOCUMENTS
(Rockville, MD) NextLinx debuted Trade Documents, an automated
solution for preparing and filing the documents, licenses, and
permits required for international shipping. It incorporates all
business rules associated with each document at the time of
selection, provides user features controls, supports
customer-specific logos, and protects final document modes. It
supports multiple languages and provides access to international
trade document templates.
http://www.nextlinx.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.3 WINING ABOUT YAHOO!
(Delaware, MD) USWineAuction.com (USWA), a licensed peer-to-peer
auction platform, has a new deal that makes it the sole seller of
wine on Yahoo!'s U.S. auction platform. In turn, Yahoo! Auctions
will provide USWA with distribution and promotion across the Yahoo!
Shopping network, the second largest eCommerce site on the Web
according to a recent Nielsen//NetRatings report. USWA hosts online
and offline auctions and has relationships with wineries, retailers,
wholesalers, and individual consignees. The company has offered
wines that include a 1961 Chateau Petrus priced at about $4,000.
http://www.uswineauction.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.4 BLUE RIDGE NETWORKS HIPAA VPN
(Chantilly, VA) Blue Ridge Networks released HIPAAGUARD, a Virtual
Private Network (VPN) that guarantees compliance with the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Healthcare
organizations must meet the HIPAA mandated security and privacy
standards by October, covering computerized patient data in transit.
Blue Ridge says that it will pay any HIPAA penalties that directly
result from failure of HIPAAGUARD. The company is also sponsoring a
new, online information portal to educate users about HIPAA
compliance issues.
http://www.blueridgenetworks.com
http://www.hipaainfo.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.5 DATADIRECT'S .NET CONNECTOR
(Rockville, MD) DataDirect Technologies introduced DataDirect
Connect for .NET, a set of data connectivity components that enable
software developers to access enterprise data using Microsoft's .NET
platform for building and deploying XML Web services and applications. The
common architecture provided by DataDirect Connect supports unique
database features implemented through a standard interface across multiple
data sources.
http://datadirect-technologies.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.6 ROUND-UP: QUICK HITS
(Washington, DC) BullMarket.com launched a new trading service
newsletter called The Bull Market Stock & Options Trader, in
conjunction with Larry McMillan, author of the best-selling book,
"Options As A Strategic Investment."
http://www.bullmarket.com
(Arlington, VA) Iridium Satellite LLC, which
bought the assets of
bankrupt Iridium LLC, announced distribution deals with three
Asia-Pacific Telcos: Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel),
Telstra Corporation, and Telikom Papua New Guinea.
http://www.iridium.com
eBusiness firm MYSITE2GO has shifted its
business focus to target
small businesses and associations seeking a Web presence. In
addition to strategy and Web development, they have developed a 3
days Quick Start guide to building websites.
http://www.mysite2go.com
(Arlington, VA) Crunchy Technologies released
version 4.1 of
PageScreamer and PageScreamer Spider, its products for making
websites usable by handicapped people. Enhancements include support
for W3C WCAG Guidelines and the ability to convert data tables into
accessible charts and graphs.
http://www.crunchy.com
(McLean, Virginia) Santeon released Version
3.0 of its Actis for
HIPAA, a product that helps healthcare administrators meet
government reporting deadlines. New features include a Test &
Validation Service and Code Engine.
http://www.santeon.com
(Alexandria, VA) Forum One Communications
created a new website for
the International AIDS Economics Network.
http://www.iaen.org
http://www.forumone.com
||||||||||||||||||||
3. Funding & Finance News ||||||||||||||||||
3.1 DOUGH RAISE ME
$7.55 million in a Series A round for Columbia-based Sourcefire, a
provider of network security solutions. The round was led by Sierra
Ventures and Core Capital Partners. The company was founded by the
creators of the open-source Snort Intrusion Detection System (IDS),
which forms the foundation for Sourcefire's product suite. The
company also announced the members of its board of directors,
including CEO Wayne Jackson, founder and CTO Martin Roesch, Tim
Guleri and Mark Fernandes of Sierra Ventures, Pascal Luck of Core
Capital, and Tim Webb of Inflection Point Ventures.
http://www.sourcefire.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3.2 LIFE IN THE FOOD CHAIN
-- Ikimbo Acquires Redmind
(Herndon, VA) Ikimbo has acquired CA-based Redmind, a developer of
enterprise applications based on instant messaging. Ikimbo plans to
integrate its business communication and collaboration solution with
Redmind's flagship product, Genius Archive, a solution that allows
enterprises to archive instant messaging communications and extract
business intelligence from the records. The intelligence can be
analyzed and used to monitor and initiate real-time notification and
alerts. Rahul Ballal, Redmind's CEO and President, joins Ikimbo as
Director of Business Development. Separately, Ikimbo also announced
that Glenn Rieger, President of Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, was
elected chairman of the board. Cross Atlantic is participating in
the Series D Round that Ikimbo expects to close next month.
http://www.ikimbo.com
-- SER Solutions Buys Itself
(Dulles, VA) SER Solutions, a provider of knowledge management
solutions, completed a management buyout (MBO) which includes all of
the US-based SER operations and those of SER Technology Deutschland GmbH,
based in Germany. The entirety of both organizations were acquired from
the German parent company, SER Systems AG. The transaction was initiated
by the US management team and led by Carl Mergele, CEO of SER Solutions.
http://www.ser.com
||||||||||||||||||||
4. Opportunities & Resources ||||||||||||||||||
4.1 THE GHOSTS OF BIZ PLANS PAST
(College Park, MD) Time to dig out that old presentation for an
online rodeo clown matching service, or the eCommerce site for
antique troll dolls. The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith
School of Business and Webmergers.com have launched the Business
Plan Archive (BPA), a Web-based initiative to create a permanent
record of the dotcom era, part of a research project on the boom and
bust period of the late 1990s. The site will collect business
planning documents that entrepreneurs and researchers can use to
learn from past successes and failures. Former executives,
employees, investors, and customers can submit business plans,
marketing plans, technical plans, venture presentations, and other
business documents from failed and successful Internet startups.
Webmergers.com, a San Francisco-based research firm, will contribute
data and analysis from its database of information on technology
mergers and acquisitions and dotcom shutdowns and bankruptcies.
http://www.businessplanarchive.org
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu
http://www.webmergers.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.2 TECH EMPLOYMENT DOES BETTER LOCALLY
(Washington, DC) It may not seem like it if you're out looking, but
despite the economic downturn, Virginia added 4,300 new tech jobs
last year, helping it climb to number six nationally with a total of
228,900 tech jobs in 2001, according to the annual Cyberstates
report from the American Electronics Association (AeA). Maryland
added 2,400 tech jobs and DC added 200 in 2001. For Virginia, that's
a 2% growth, down sharply from the 14% jump in 2000. Part of
Virginia's success is that it ranked ninth nationally in VC money at
$953 million for 2001. Maryland was the 11th fastest growing
cyberstate with 119,100 tech jobs. Nationally, the report shows that
high-tech industry employment grew by just 1% in 2001, moving from
5.5 million to 5.6 million. For lots more stats, visit
http://www.aeanet.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.3 STUDY SHOWS EFFECT OF VC
(Washington, DC) Venture capital is one of the most powerful growth
engines of the US economy, according to a new report from economic
consulting firm DRI-WEFA and the National Venture Capital
organization. From 1970-2000, venture-backed companies had
approximately twice the sales, paid almost three times the federal
taxes, generated almost twice the exports, and invested almost three
times as much in R&D as the average non-venture-backed public
company, per each $1,000 of assets. Earlier phases of the study
showed that 11% of US GDP and one-out-of-every nine jobs in 2000 was
generated by an originally venture-backed enterprise. Other findings
show that state-by-state in the US, more than half the nation's VC
disbursements are concentrated in the top five states -- California,
Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Colorado. Virginia comes in at
number seven on the list, Maryland at number 10, and DC at 16. The
study shows a strong correlation among a state's venture capital
activity and its gross state product and average annual wages. For
more results visit the NVCA website.
http://nvca.org
http://www.dri-wefa.com
||||||||||||||||||||
5. Who'sware ||||||||||||||||||
(Laurel, MD) Digex named George Kerns, former SVP of
Operations, as its President and CEO, succeeding Mark Shull.
http://www.digex.com
(Towson, MD) 4GL School Solutions, a provider
of Special Education
management software and services, named Dinesh Gambhir as CTO. He was
formerly Senior Manager for Global Outsourcing at Deloitte
Consulting.
http://www.4glschools.com
(Alexandria, VA) Realeum, a provider of
software solutions for the
property management industry, named its President and CEO, Socrates
Verses, to the additional position of chairman of the board. He
succeeds Thomas Sargeant, CFO of AvalonBay, who retires as chairman but
remains on the board.
http://www.realeum.com
(Newington, VA) Sensytech, a defense and
communications systems
solutions provider, named David Smith as President and COO,
replacing S. Kent Rockwell who will continue in his positions as CEO
and Chairman.
http://www.sensytech.com
BOARDWATCH: Joining the board . . .
. . . at iPlicity, former IBM and MCI executive Richard Liebhaber.
http://www.iplicity.com
. . . at Megisto Systems, George Schmitt,
former President of
Omnipoint Communications. http://www.megisto.com
Thanks for your interest in and support of the Morino Institute's netpreneur.org.
Netpreneur News is copyright 2002, Morino Institute, all rights reserved. The information contained here has been obtained from
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