VC Buzz – $43.55+ Million in Today’s Deals


For the latest on cool Internet Start-Ups and their VC backers, point your browser to: http://www.internetVCwatch.com/



 


New in the News



Barksdale Group, Circline.com, DocSpace Company, Driveway Corp., ePhysician, HomeGrocer.com, i-Escrow, Internet Capital Group, iPrint.com, Lycos, pogo.com, ProduceOnline.com, Showstar Online.com



 






Lycos Japan Raises $32 Million, Adds New Joint Venture Partner



WALTHAM, Mass.– Lycos Inc. (NASDAQ:LCOS), a fast growing Internet portal and a large online community, announced that Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co. Ltd., a major Japanese media company, has become a 7.4% partner in the Lycos Japan joint venture with Lycos Inc., Sumitomo Corporation and Internet Initiative Japan. This latest round of financing results in an additional $32 million being contributed to the business.


http://www.lycos.com






Circline.com Raises $7 Million to Expand Online Art and Antique Marketplace



NEW YORK — Circline.com, an online marketplace for the world’s finest art and antiques, announced that it has raised over $7 million in first round funding. The investors include Bessemer Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures.


http://www.circline.com


http://www.trinityventures.com


http://www.bvp.com






ProduceOnline.com Receives $3 Million in New Round of Venture Capital Funding



PASADENA, Calif. — ProduceOnline.com, a business-to-business e-commerce Internet site for the global produce industry, announced it has received $3 million in venture capital funding from a group of strategic partners led by Altos Ventures. C. H. James & Company, one of the oldest family-owned enterprises in the nation, initially funded ProduceOnline.com.


http://www.ProduceOnline.com






Showstar Online.com Completes $1.55 Million Private Placement



SEATTLE — Showstar Online.com Inc. (OTCBB: ABID), developer of the art mega-site Artstar.com, announced that it has completed a $1.55 million private placement. This latest round of financing will be used towards a national advertising campaign for Artstar.com and for the Company’s general corporate purposes. The placement was concluded over the past 45 days and involved the issuance of 1,722,220 shares of the Company’s common stock. All of these new securities are restricted securities under Rule 144.


http://www.artstar.com






i-Escrow Receives Investments From Infinity Capital, U.S. Venture Partners and AIG Financial Products



REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., — i-Escrow Inc., a large provider of online escrow services, announced it has completed its first round of venture financing from a group led by Infinity Capital. U.S. Venture Partners, AIG Financial Products Corp., Red Rock Ventures and 7719 Ventures also participated in the round. Financial terms were not disclosed.


http://www.iescrow.com


http://www.infinityLLC.com


http://www.usvp.com


http://www.aig.com


http://www.redrockventures.com






DocSpace to be Acquired by Critical Path



MENLO PARK, Calif.– The DocSpace Company Inc., provider of guaranteed Web-based file management services, announced that Critical Path Inc. (Nasdaq:CPTH), a provider of business-to-business Internet messaging solutions for corporations, Web portals, Web hosts and ISPs, has signed a definitive acquisition agreement to acquire The DocSpace Company. DocSpace is a privately owned, venture-backed company based in Menlo Park, CA.


http://www.DocSpace.com


http://www.cp.net






ePhysician To Participate in New drugstore.com Certification Program For Electronic Prescriptions



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.– ePhysician, which develops Internet-based, mobile technology to help healthcare professionals improve the quality of care, announced that it has signed an agreement with drugstore.com (Nasdaq:DSCM) to become a participatory member in drugstore.com’s new certification program for electronic prescriptions. The certification program will help define the guidelines for receipt of electronic prescriptions by online pharmacies. ePhysician is funded by Benchmark Capital and Sierra Ventures.


http://www.ePhysician.com


http://www.drugstore.com






Atrieva Changes Name to Driveway



SAN FRANCISCO– Announcing its objective to be the unrivaled leader in personal online storage, Atrieva Corp. has changed the company’s name to Driveway Corp., reflecting the popularity of its new consumer file storage service, Driveway. Last month, after releasing its new personal Internet-based file storage service, Driveway membership surpassed the one-million mark. Driveway Corp. investors include VantagePoint Venture Partners and Battery Venture Partners, as well as a number of private investors.


http://www.driveway.com






iPrint.com Forms Strategic Alliances



REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–iPrint.com, an online print shop, announced strategic relationships with small business online destinations including allbizdepot.com (a one-stop solution center for the small business community), BizLand.com (a provider of free web-site hosting, business products, services and community content), and Just4Biz.com (creator of an I-marketing and sales model to connect industry-leading providers of office-related products and services with local and regional distributors). iPrint.com, a privately held company with strategic investments from SOFTBANK Technology Ventures, AT&T Ventures, Intel Corporation, Canaan Partners, and Information Technology Ventures, is a supplier of online kiosk systems to the commercial and quick printing industry.


http://www.iPrint.com


http://www.allbizdepot.com


http://www.BizLand.com


http://www.Just4Biz.com






Who’s Who & Where



 


Stephen Duckett and Matthias Allgaier Join Internet Capital



WAYNE, Pa.–Internet Capital Group (NASDAQ: ICGE), a business-to-business e-commerce company, announced that it established its European headquarters in London. Stephen Duckett and Matthias Allgaier have joined Internet Capital as Managing Directors, and will spearhead Internet Capital’s expansion into the European markets. Bothexecutives come to Internet Capital from Apax Partners, one of Europe’s largest venture firms.





Danny Rimer to Join The Barksdale Group as General Partner



SAN FRANCISCO and MENLO PARK, Calif. – Hambrecht & Quist (NYSE: HQ) and The Barksdale Group announced that Internet analyst Danny Rimer will join The Barksdale Group as a General Partner but will remain associated with Hambrecht & Quist as an Advisory Director. Hambrecht & Quist and Chase Capital Partners will also invest in The Barksdale Group’s venture capital fund, and work together on Internet companies of mutual interest.


http://www.barksdalegroup.com


http://www.hamquist.com






pogo.com Hires Nilesh Lakhani as CFO



SAN FRANCISCO — pogo.com, formerly known as Total Entertainment Network, and an Internet provider of family games, announced the appointment of Nilesh Lakhani to the position of chief financial officer. Lakhani most recently served as interim CFO for Purple Moon Media and previously was CFO of 401k Forum. pogo.com received its initial funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, with subsequent investors including Ameritech; Goldman Sachs; Invesco Private Capital; Liberty Digital; Nokia Ventures; Robertson, Stephens & Co.; Vertex Management; and Wasserstein Adelson Ventures.


http://www.pogo.com






HomeGrocer.com Hires Chief Financial Officer



KIRKLAND, Wash — HomeGrocer.com chief executive officer Mary Alice Taylor announced the appointment of Daniel R. Lee, former chief financial officer for Mirage Resorts Inc., to the position of chief financial officer. Recently the company secured $100 million in a strategic fourth round of financing from Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and The Barksdale Group.


http://www.homegrocer.com






 


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