Today’s Deals: Excite@Home and Chello to Take Europe By Storm

 Excite@Home (ATHM) to merge int’l operations with
chello broadband

  
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Amount:         $5.1
billion

  
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Terms:           
n/a

  
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Premium:        n/a

  
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Industry:       
Speed/Bandwidth

  
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Scorecard:      B+

LONDON, July 18–U.S.-based high speed Internet provider
Excite@Home and European cable operator
United Pan-Europe Communications NV (UPC) said
they would take an 86% chunk of new Web group Excite Chello, which
will be formed through the merger of UPC’s chello broadband subsidiary with Excite@Home’s international operations.
The merger will create a firm, operating in 15 countries, with more than
300,000 broadband Internet subscribers and is estimated to be worth about
$5.1 billion. Read analysis of this deal in Kelly Black’s
DealTracker.





 

 Global TeleSystems (GTS) acquires
CS-COMPEX

  
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Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
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Terms:           
n/a

  
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Premium:        n/a

  
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Industry:       
Speed/Bandwidth

  
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Scorecard:      B-

LONDON & PRAGUE, Czech Republic, July 18–Global TeleSystems
, a provider of e-business and borderless broadband
services across Europe, announced that it has acquired the Internet
division of CS-COMPEX a.s. The acquired assets include an Internet
services business and a metropolitan wireless local network in Brno, the
second largest city in the Czech Republic. The CS-COMPEX acquisition will enhance Global TeleSystems’ position as a major
Internet and telecommunications services provider across the Czech
Republic.




 

 PDS Financial (PDSF) acquires
CasinoSlotExchange.com

  
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Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
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Terms:           
n/a

  
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Premium:        n/a

  
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Industry:       
Content/Communities

  
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Scorecard:      C-

LAS VEGAS, July 18–PDS Financial Corporation , which finances, leases, sells, manufactures and refurbishes
gaming equipment for the casino industry, announced that it has acquired
CasinoSlotExchange.com, all customer lists and certain other assets
from CJ’s Slot Connection for an undisclosed price. CasinoSlotExchange.com
provides a virtual marketplace for the purchase and sale of used slot
equipment and will be integrated into Slot Source, the division of PDS
Financial Corporation that reconditions and sells used gaming devices to
the casino industry, expanding its distribution channels online.




 

 CraftClick.com (CTCK) acquires
Craftville.com

  
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Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
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Terms:           
n/a

  
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Premium:        n/a

  
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Industry:       
Content/Communities

  
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Scorecard:      C+

PLAYA DEL REY, July 18–CraftClick.com
announced the acquisition of Craftville.com, an Arts and Crafts
portal in the United Kingdom, that has been catering to professional
craftspeople and craft hobbyists for over three years. The addition of Craftville.com to the CraftClick.com network furthers
CraftClick.com’s mission to become the leading resource for crafters
throughout the world.




 

 Laredo Investment (LRDI) acquires Web Search
Technologies

  
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Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
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Terms:           
n/a

  
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Premium:        n/a

  
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Industry:       
Search/Portals

  
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Scorecard:      C

LAS VEGAS, July 18–Laredo Investment
announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase 100% of the issued
and outstanding shares of privately held Web Search Technologies and
its next generation Internet information search technologies. Web Search
Technologies, which was founded by Dr. Mengchi Liu, an influential
scientist in deductive databases (the core science that underlies the
foundation of the next generation Internet search engine operation), will
become a wholly owned subsidiary of Laredo and will operate independently
with its own Board of Directors and management team. Terms were not
disclosed.




 

 Internet Venture Group (ITVI) acquires
GeewhizUSA.com

  
* 
Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
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Terms:           
100% stock

  
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Premium:        n/a

  
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Industry:        E-commerce
enablers

  
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Scorecard:      C-

HOUSTON, July 18–Internet Venture Group
announced that it has finalized its acquisition of Houston, TX based
GeewhizUSA.com, a B2B exchange for fiber optic illuminated
promotional products, in a stock exchange transaction. The acquisition was
structured as a merger of interests, whereby the shares of GeewhizUSA were exchanged for shares
of Internet Venture Group. Further
details of the transaction were not disclosed.