Today’s Deals: GoAmerica Snatches up Hotpaper.com

 Lastminute.com acquires Degriftour
Group

  
* 
Amount:         $88.6
million

  
* 
Terms:           
19.7 million shares/$40.6 million cash

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:        E-tailers

  
* 
Scorecard:      B

LONDON, Aug 14–UK-based online retailer Lastminute.com plc
said it was buying French rival Degriftour Group
for $88.6 million in cash and shares, saving itself years of growing pains
in a key market. Degriftour is
France’s largest e-travel company with a 50% market share. Lastminute.com will issue 19.7 million
new shares and pay 27.1 million pounds in cash, or $40.6 million USD.




 

 GoAmerica (GOAM) to acquire
Hotpaper.com

  
* 
Amount:         $10
million

  
* 
Terms:           
$9.25 million in stock/$750,000 cash

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:        Performance
software

  
* 
Scorecard:      B-

HACKENSACK, N.J., Aug. 14–GoAmerica , a
nationwide wireless Internet services provider, announced it has signed an
agreement to acquire Hotpaper.com, a Web-based infrastructure
company dedicated to the automated creation and delivery of business
documents. The acquisition will integrate GoAmerica’s Go.Web technology with Hotpaper.com’s choose-customize-deliver
platform, enabling mobile professionals to create customized Microsoft Word
and Adobe PDF documents from wireless devices and transmit them “on the
fly” via fax or email. The anticipated purchase price consists of $9.25
million in restricted GoAmerica stock and cash of $750,000.




 

 Datalink.net (XLNK) to acquire
Simkin

  
* 
Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
* 
Terms:           

n/a

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:        Internet
services

  
* 
Scorecard:      B-

SAN JOSE, Aug. 14–Datalink.net , a
leading wireless application service provider with patented technology,
announced a definitive agreement to acquire Simkin, a data
management and decision support provider for the medical community. Datalink.net’s wireless information
technology will leverage Simkin’s software to revolutionize the use of
wireless technology for the healthcare industry. Terms of the transaction
were not disclosed.




 

 Breakaway Solutions (BWAY) acquires
norSEC

  
* 
Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
* 
Terms:           
n/a

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:        Security

  
* 
Scorecard:      B+

BOSTON, Aug. 14–Breakaway Solutions , a
full service provider of integrated strategy, e-business implementation,
and application hosting solutions for growing enterprises, announced the
acquisition of norSEC, a Norwood, Mass.-based provider of outsourced
network security solutions. The norSEC
acquisition adds a team of network security experts who will augment Breakaway’s existing ASP security team
to provide advanced security services. Terms of the agreement were not
disclosed.




 

 Red Hat (RHAT) to acquire C2Net

  
* 
Amount:         $40
million

  
* 
Terms:           
1.99 million shares

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:        Performance
software

  
* 
Scorecard:      A-

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, Aug. 14–Red Hat ,
a provider of open source Internet infrastructure solutions, announced that
it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase privately held C2Net
Software. C2Net Software is the
developer of the Apache-based Stronghold secure Web server, available in
several versions of Linux and other UNIX platforms. With the acquisition,
Red Hat adds security to its growing
capabilities of OS development, tools and e-commerce. Under the terms of
the agreement, Red Hat will issue 1,992,883 shares of Red Hat common stock
in exchange for all of the outstanding securities of Oakland,
California-based C2Net.




 

 Aether Systems (AETH) acquires Cerulean
Technology

  
* 
Amount:         $150
million

  
* 
Terms:           
cash and stock

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:       
Content/Communities

  
* 
Scorecard:      B-

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Aug. 14–Aether Systems , a provider of wireless data products and services, announced
that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Cerulean
Technology, provider of wireless mobile software in the public sector.
The Cerulean acquisition allows Aether to enter new vertical
markets in the public sector by delivering advanced wireless products and
services to the rapidly expanding mobile government marketplace. The letter
of intent provides for a purchase price of $150 million, up to 50 percent
of which may be payable in Aether stock.




 

 SilverStream Software (SSSW) acquires Excelnet
Systems Limited

  
* 
Amount:        
Undisclosed

  
* 
Terms:           
n/a

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:        Performance
software

  
* 
Scorecard:      C+

BILLERICA, Mass., Aug. 14–SilverStream Software announced that it has acquired Excelnet Systems
Limited, a UK-based e-business services company. The addition of Excelnet will expand SilverStream’s ability to meet
worldwide demand for comprehensive e-business solutions generated by the
availability of the SilverStream eBusiness Platform. Financial terms were
not disclosed.




 

 Broadcom (BRCM) to acquire NewPort
Communications

  
* 
Amount:         $1.2
billion

  
* 
Terms:           
5.5 million shares

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:       
Speed/Bandwidth

  
* 
Scorecard:      A

IRVINE, Aug. 14–Broadcom , a provider of
integrated circuits enabling high speed broadband communications, announced
tha

t it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NewPort
Communications, a privately held company based in Irvine, California.
NewPort Communications develops
high-performance optical communications chips, which enable the rapid build
out and bandwidth expansion of the fiber-optic infrastructure necessary to
support the explosive growth of the Internet. In connection with the
acquisition, Broadcom will issue in
aggregate about 5.5 million shares.




 

 Gilat Communications (GICOF) acquires Aris (ARSC)
e-learning unit

  
* 
Amount:         $12
million

  
* 
Terms:           
cash and stock

  
* 
Premium:        n/a

  
* 
Industry:       
Content/Communities

  
* 
Scorecard:      C+

PETACH-TIKVA, Israel, Aug. 14–John Bryce Training, a Gilat
Communications Ltd training and e-learning
company, announced that it has acquired Aris Education’s assets and
business activities in the U.K. and Europe from Aris Corporation
in exchange for cash and Gilat Communications shares for a total
consideration of $12.0 million. John Bryce Training is the leading IT
training company and blended e-learning training provider in Israel. The
addition of Aris Education’s business in
the U.K. strengthens John Bryce Training’s ability to offer complete
training solutions in the U.K. and throughout Europe.