Volume
7, Number 31, August 8, 2002
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This Week's Contents:
1) NEWS ABOUT NETPRENEUR
1.1 A One Mind Track
1.2 Recent Q&A's
2) REGIONAL NETPRENEURS
2.1 Forum One, PBS Launch
Kidsą Web Site
2.2 Infocruiser Becomes
Appfluent
2.3 Ibiquity Gets
Interactive Radio Technology
2.4 Round-up: Quick Hits
......news from Blackboard, Tutornet.com,
Amisys
3) FUNDING & FINANCE NEWS
3.1 Dough Raise Me
......$5 million for 2 local entrepreneurs
3.2 Life In The Food Chain
...... E-Z Data acquires LifeMarkets
...... Telesystems Acquires Paragea
...... INFe Takes Stake In Mobilepro
...... Thruport Buys Apprack
...... PlanetFeedback Buys Assets of Opion
4) OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES
4.1 Baltimore Incubator to
Double in Size
4.2 Virginia Tied at Top in
eCommerce Initiative
4.3 Spec Offers $5,000 for
Computing Benchmarks
4.4 Lawyers.com relaunches
site
5) WHO'SWARE
5.1 SureScript Gets CEO
|||||||||||||||||||| 1. News About The Program
||||||||||||||||||
1.1
A ONE MIND TRACK
You know what Will Rogers said, right? Even if you're on the right
track,
you'll get run over if you just stand there. Next week in The
Loop
we explore a new kind of special event, "Staying On
Track:
Success In Strategy & Execution." We all know that planning
and
targeting are essential to business success. After you've
composed
the plan, however, it's time to act, and that's where a lot
of
young firms get in trouble. The successful ones are those that
execute
well, in a focused way, on plan, and know when the plan has
to
change. Our guest in The Loop next Tuesday and Wednesday, August 13-14,
will be Larry Robertson. He will answer questions and share war stories
from his many years as an advisor to startups in areas including managing
growth, strategic planning, partnerships, and more. Larry founded
Lighthouse Consulting in 1992, and, before that,
filled
roles with the Walt Disney Company in strategic planning and
business
development; Robertson, Stephens & Company in investment
banking
and venture capital; and J.P. Morgan in financial analysis
and
currency trading. Pull out your real-time challenges and compare
notes
on planning and execution with Larry and other Loop
members.
The more minds, the better the solutions.
Robertson
event:
http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/larryrobertson.html
Subscribe:
http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/default.html
1.2
RECENT Q&A’s
And speaking of The Loop, we've mined the minds of subscribers to
capture
four discussions from our most recent special events. Now
available
are the collected conversations with SpaceVest's Ransom
Parker
on "Negotiating With VCs (And Others)" and Walker Venture's
Gina
Dubbe on "From Customer Strategy To Revenue Reality." Plus,
we've
collected the additional Q&A on sales strategy with our
panelists
from last month's C&D which occurred only in The Loop; and
a
very interesting discussion on "Negotiating & Bootstrapping"
that
preceded
Ransom Parker's appearance. Just figured we'd give you a
peek
at what you're missing if you haven't subscribed to The
Loop
yet.
Parker event: http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/parkerevent.html
Dubbe
event: http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/dubbeevent.html
Bootstrapping:
http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/negotiating.html
C&D
Q&A: http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/020724postevent.html
Subscribe:
http://netpreneur.org/connect/tl/default.html
|||||||||||||||||||| 2. Regional Netpreneurs
||||||||||||||||||
2.1 FORUM ONE AND PBS
LAUNCH KIDS’ WEBSITE
(Alexandria, VA) Forum One
Communications and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting launched
Backyard Jungle, a website for children to share and network with each
other about their local environments. The site encourages kids to explore
the natural world around them and report their findings online through
photos, drawings, and maps. Backyard Jungle's first tools enable users to
construct "backyards" featuring wildlife they can find in their
own neighborhoods. Users explore outside and add the plants, animals, and
anything else they find to their online backyards. Finding and sharing
these "discoveries" promotes learning and exploration in a fun,
kid-safe format. Forum One Communications is a Web strategy and
development firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, with the mission of
applying technology to social and environmental issues of importance.
Forum One's clients include CPB, the World Bank, the World Health
Organization, and the U.S. Department of Education.
http://www.backyardjungle.org
http://www.forumone.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.2 INFOCRUISER
BECOMES APPFLUENT
(Arlington, VA.) InfoCruiser,
a two-year-old startup, changed its business focus, named a new CEO, and
got a new name: Appfluent Technology. Frank Gelbart, formerly
InfoCruiser's Vice President of Sales, now takes the helm from Paul
Conley, who remains chairman and assumes the role of chief technology
officer at Appfluent. The company had focused on software that improves
enterprise application performance. Now it is focusing on database-driven
applications. Last fall,
Appfluent Technology closed on $10.2 million Series B funding led by
Carlyle Venture Partners.
http://www.appfluent.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.3 IBIQUITY BUYS RIGHTS TO
INTERACTIVE RADIO TECHNOLOGY
(Columbia, MD) iBiquity
Digital, a developer of digital AM and FM broadcast technology, said that
it has acquired the exclusive rights to the interactive media technology
of California's Command Audio. The deal will allow radio broadcasters to
provide consumers content on-demand, from program selection via electronic
guide to scanning content to pausing or saving for later listening.
Advertisers will be able to develop new messages for consumers, and
content providers will have new tools with which to design innovative
programming. iBiquity has established a Redwood City, CA, office and has
hired the former software engineering employees of Command Audio.
http://www.ibiquity.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.4 QUICK HITS
(Washington) Blackboard Inc.,
a Internet infrastructure company for e-Education, and Techne, a provider
of academic management services in Brazil, formed a partnership to sell
the Blackboard Learning System in the Brazilian higher education market.
http://www.blackboard.com
(McLean, Va.) - Tutornet.com
Group Inc. and ePALS Classroom Exchange Inc. signed a strategic alliance
by which Tutornet will offer its online tutoring services to the ePALS
community of over 4.5 million educators and students.
http://www.epals.com
http://www.tutornet.com
(Rockville, MD) Amisys LLC, a provider
of payer applications to the health care industry, announced the
availability of AMISYS C/S Release 7.0, which offers several significant
enhancements to previous versions of the product. AMISYS C/S supports
HMOs, provider-based payers, employers, unions and carve-out entities with
a cost-effective health care payer information management solution. http://www.amisysllc.com/
|||||||||||||||||||| 3. Funding & Finance News
||||||||||||||||||
3.1 DOUGH RAISE ME
$3 million for MindShift Technologies Inc. in a round of funding that was
led by Columbia Capital of Alexandria. MindShift provides IT
infrastructure services to small and medium-sized businesses. The company
also announced the appointment of Cliff Chapman as CEO. Previously, he
served on the management team of AppNet, an internet professional services
and managed hosting company. In February, one of MindShift's founders and
its chief executive, Michael Wheeler, resigned and was replaced by Doug
Holladay, a venture partner at Columbia. Holladay will remain chairman of
the board.
http://www.mindshift.com
$2 million in a Series B round for
Reston-based LightStream Technologies, developer of an apparatus that
delivers pulsed ultraviolet light for water disinfection.
http://www.lightstreamuv.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3.2 LIFE IN THE FOOD
CHAIN
-- E-Z Data Acquires Lifemarkets
(Lynchburg, Va.) E-Z Data is
acquiring Lynchburg-based LifeMarkets, a provider of agency management
software and transaction services, from GE Financial. The combined firm
will serve more than 50% of the domestic brokerage general agencies and
over 80,000 insurance agents worldwide. E-Z Data, Inc., based in Pasadena,
CA, is a provider of front office systems for insurance companies,
broker-dealers, general agents, and investment advisors. LifeMarkets
serves over 100 general agencies and approximately 20 life and annuity
carriers. GE Financial will continue to be a customer of both companies.
Terms were not disclosed.
http://www.ez-data.com
http://www.gefinancial.com
-- TeleSystems
Acquires Paragea Assets
(Gaithersburg, MD) TeleSystems
International, a satellite network company, has acquired the assets and
product lines of ParaGea Communications, a maker
of satellite systems and terrestrial communications products. TSI
will continue to manufacture, market, and support all product lines
acquired from ParaGea, which has a global
customer base in over 30 countries.
http://www.paragea.com
-- INFe Takes Stake
In Mobilepro
(Falls Church, VA) INFe, a
provider of investment banking and business advisory services to emerging
technology firms, took a minority stake in Rockville-based Mobilepro,
which aims to launch third generation (3G) wireless modem solutions. It
took the stake in exchange
for its lead advisory role in the recent merger between Mobilepro and
Neoreach. The deal, a "reverse merger," let Neoreach, a private
company, become a public company by combining with the shell company
Mobilepro. INFe also arranged a $10 million equity line of credit for the
company through a New Jersey-based domestic investment fund.
http://www.infe.com
-- Thruport Buys
AppRack
(Alexandria, VA.) Thruport
Technologies Inc., a Web-hosting and Internet advertising company, has
acquired the assets of AppRack LLC, a Web-hosting firm. AppRack has
focused on the Sun and Linux platforms and brings a number of local and
national enterprise clients to Thruport's growing Managed Hosting
division. As part of the transaction, AppRack and its principals will
become non-exclusive agents for Thruport's broad range of hosted services,
primarily serving the mid-Atlantic region.
http://www.thruport.com
--
PlanetFeedback Buys Assets Of Opion
(Cincinnati) PlanetFeedback acquired certain technology and intellectual
property assets of Opion Inc. Opion's technology turns Internet "buzz"
into scientific, consumer trending data, helping companies make informed
decisions faster. Opion, once headquartered in Herndon, VA, was founded by
David Holtzmann, former chief technology officer of Network Solutions, in
March 2000.
http://www.planetfeedback.com
|||||||||||||||||||| 4. Opportunities & Resources
||||||||||||||||||
4.1 BALTIMORE
INCUBATOR TO DOUBLE IN SIZE
(Baltimore) The Emerging Technology Centers announced plans to nearly
double its size with the addition of the Emerging Technology Center @
Johns Hopkins Eastern. The
new 45,000 square feet center will be housed on the third floor of the
former Eastern High School, a building now owned by Johns Hopkins
University (JHU). The ETC is
a nonprofit business incubator program geared toward growing early stage
technology-based companies in Baltimore City. As part of the Baltimore
Development Corp., it provides these companies with business, technical,
and networking connections.
http://www.etcbaltimore.com
4.2 VIRGINIA TIED AT
TOP IN eCOMMERCE
(Richmond) Virginia tied for No. 1 in the nation with its e-commerce
initiative, eVa, according to a new survey by the national Center for
Digital Government. Virginia moved from eighth place and tied with
Washington for first place in the "e-commerce and business
regulation" category, one of three categories rating state
governments and their efforts to apply information technology to
democracy, the economy, and the effective management of regional and
statewide institutions.
http://www.centerdigitalgov.com
http://www.eva.state.va.us
4.3 SPEC OFFERS $5,000 FOR
COMPUTING BENCHMARKS
(Warrenton, VA) The
non-profit Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) is offering
rewards of up to $5,000 and a free benchmark license for application code
and datasets accepted under its SPEC CPU2004 Benchmark Search
Program. SPEC CPU benchmarks are used to measure
computing power. They are quoted in new computer announcements and used to
evaluate design alternatives for new hardware and software technologies.
The benchmarks provide performance metrics for comparing systems, with
emphasis on the system's processor, memory hierarchy and compiler.
Proposals for new SPEC CPU2004 benchmarks will be accepted from now until
December 31, 2002. For more information on the program and an entry form,
visit SPEC's web site.
http://www.spec.org/cpu2004/
4.4 LAWYERS.COM
RELAUNCHES SITE
(New Providence, N.J.) Martindale-Hubbell has unveiled a new version of
lawyers.com, a lawyer directory and legal information site for consumers
and small businesses. A new "Business Needs" section on the site
helps small business owners navigate legal topics, including information
on starting businesses. It also offers a new way to search relevant
practice areas.
http://www.lawyers.com
|||||||||||||||||||| 5. WHO'SWARE ||||||||||||||||||
(Alexandria, VA) -
SureScript Systems Inc., an electronic prescribing venture backed by the
nation's independent and chain community pharmacies, appointed Kevin
Hutchinson as its chief executive officer. Hutchinson has nearly 20 years of leadership
experience in the technology industry. Previously,
he was Chief Operating Officer for MedicaLogic/Medscape Inc.
http://www.surescript.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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