Clint Boulton

Internet incubator Internet Capital Group Wednesday did its part to keep the current B2B momentum going by taking a $25 million stake in a B2B marketplace focused on public education. Partially owned by former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander, Simplexis.com will act as a one-stop marketplace, connecting school officials with their approved suppliers to procure […]

In a week that has seen Yahoo! Inc. and America Online Inc. launch online marketplaces, FreeMarkets Inc. Wednesday made two more B2B purchases. FreeMarkets paid $18 million in cash for privately held firms, Surplus Record Inc. and SR Auction Inc. With the deal, FreeMarkets (FMKT) also gains an online surplus asset trade site for business […]

Computer retailer CompUSA Inc. this week absorbed its online store formerly known as Cozone.com and created a new e-commerce strategy that relies on a combination of clicks and bricks to cater to customers. “We were disappointed with its [Cozone.com’s] sales,” said Suzanne Shelton, director of public relations for CompUSA (CPU). “As a result of revaluations, […]

Nortel Networks continued the buying spree it began last week Tuesday, acquiring privately-held optical component firm CoreTek for $1.43 billion in stock. Based upon a Nortel Networks share price of $119.75, the optical Net firm will issue 8.9 million common shares on a fully diluted basis at closing. Up to an additional $361 million in […]

Following months of speculation, Amazon.com ended the suspense by taking a $60 million stake in Kozmo.com, an e-commerce firm that delivers movies, books and more to customers’ doorsteps within an hour. Also, in exchange for warrants to purchase additional shares in Kozmo.com, Amazon.com AMZN sealed a three-year strategic alliance with Kozmo.com, in which Amazon.com will […]

Yahoo! Inc. Monday rolled out a new business-to-business directory offering equipment and inventory from several leading B2B commerce sites. Yahoo! (YHOO) B2B Marketplace will initially include more than 48,000 items in more than 650 categories. Yahoo! B2B Marketplace launches with DoveBid Inc. as the featured sponsor and listing provider. DoveBid has more than 19 categories […]

Most people have heard the old cliche that asks what’s in a name, which implies that something should be recognized for what it is — not for what it is called. But on the Web, domains are considered intellectual property, something Monte Cahn took into serious consideration four years ago when he founded HitDomains.com, a […]

Microsoft Corp. Thursday tapped into the real estate sector by creating a new firm to quicken the pace and at which homes are bought and sold. Financial details were not revealed, but Microsoft (MSFT) said it would hold a majority stake in the new venture, with Chase.com, Chase Capital Partners, GMAC-RFC, Norwest Mortgage and Bank […]

Cisco Systems Inc. fortfied its ability to offer wireless voice services and appliances Thursday with its acquisition of privately-held firms InfoGear Technology Corp. and JetCell Inc. for a combined $501 million in stock. Cisco (CSCO) paid $301 million for InfoGear, with the remaining $200 million being spent on JetCell. The giant currently holds minority stakes […]

In a bid to boost its health supplement offerings, HealthCentral.com Thursday grabbed Vitamins.com for $103.5 million in stock. The number of shares to be issued will be based upon the average closing price of HealthCentral.com’s common stock for the 10 trading days prior to one day before the closing date. Based on HealthCentral.com’s recent trading […]

Network Solutions Inc. this week was slapped with a class-action lawsuit totalling about $1.7 billion by plaintiffs who argue that the firm’s practice of charging fees for domain names is unconstitutional. Eight plaintiffs were named in the suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The plaintiffs seek $800 million in domain-name registration […]

E-commerce software firm E.piphany Inc. Wednesday bought privately-held customer service software provider Octane Software Inc. for $3.2 billion in stock. E.piphany will issue approximately 12.8 million shares of its common stock to the shareholders of Octane, or approximately 26.5 percent of the combined company. E.piphany’s (EPNY) will use Octane’s technology to create the only Web-based […]