VC Buzz – $469.19+ Million in Today’s Deals


New in the News



Acacia Research, Adaytum Software, AllRecipes.com, Arbinet Communications, BankZip.com, Canaan Partners, Casecentral.com, Central Media, Computer.com, Convene.com, eB2B Commerce, FindLaw, freightquote.com, Great Entertaining, Headhunter.net, HelpNetworks.com, HomeWarehouse.com, iBEAM Broadcasting, i-Incubator.com, Informative, insci-statements.com, internet.com, INTERVU, i.Way, Leisureplanet, M&A West, Modem Media Poppe Tyson, Network Engines, Orchestream, Patagon.com, PayForView.com, Petopia.com, RadView Software, Rainfinity, Redleaf Group, Star Struck, SubmitOrder.com, Telocity, TRADEX Technologies, VeriSign, VillageDoc.com, Web Capital Group, WorldRes.com



 






Telocity Inc. Secures $127.5 Million Investment



CUPERTINO, Calif.– Telocity Inc., a provider of high-velocity broadband Internet for the residential market, announced the completion of its latest round of private funding, a $127.5 million Series C convertible preferred stock private placement. Investors including NBCi (Nasdaq: NBCI), NBC, GE Equity Investments, ValueVision (Nasdaq: VVTV), Bessemer Holdings L.P., and Soros Private Equity Partners LLC led the financing. The financing also included all of Telocity’s existing institutional investors, including August Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Mohr, Davidow Ventures, RRE Investors, Comdisco, and Stanford University. Under the terms of the deal, NBCi, NBC, GE Equity and ValueVision will invest a combined $70.5 million in cash, television promotion and online marketing in exchange for a 19.5 percent stake in Telocity. Telocity will receive $37.5 million in cash and $33 million in NBCi and NBC television and online promotion. Additionally, Edmond Sanctis, NBCi’s president and COO has joined Telocity’s board of directors. Telocity’s total capital raised to approximately $150 million since its inception in 1997.


http://www.telocity.com


http://www.nbci.com


http://www.nbcmv.com






Silver Lake and The Barksdale Group Invest $75M in SubmitOrder.com



COLUMBUS, Ohio and MENLO PARK, Calif.– SubmitOrder.com, a provider of strategic e-fulfillment services, announced that Silver Lake Partners and The Barksdale Group have agreed to invest $75MM in the company to acquire a majority stake. The funding will be used to support rapid expansion of distribution centers and IT infrastructure in 2000. The company provides e-fulfillment customers with everything from website development to inventory management, order fulfillment and processing, “pick, pack and ship” services, and integrated call center services.


http://www.submitorder.com


http://www.slpartners.com


http://www.barksdalegroup.com






Patagon.com Receives $53 Millio

n in Second Round of Private Funding



NEW YORK– Patagon.com International Ltd., a leader in the management of personal finances over the Internet in Latin America, received US $53 million in private investment funds from several key partners in the United States and Latin America. The list of new partners is headed by J. P. Morgan Capital, the lead investor. The others include: Goldman Sachs, General Electric Capital, Reuters, Fenway Partners, Telmex, Inbursa-Mexico, Banco Santander, Quantum Dolphin (a George Soros fund), and GP Investimentos of Brazil. Patagon.com had received approximately $8 million from Chase Capital Partners and Flatiron earlier this year. Patagon.com offers a range of financial news, products and services in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, to individuals throughout Latin America.


http://www.patagon.com






eB2B Commerce Completes $33 Million Private Financing



NEW YORK and FAIRFIELD, N.J. — eB2B Commerce Inc. and DynamicWeb Enterprises Inc. (OTCBB: DWEB) announced that eB2B Commerce Inc. completed a $33 million private financing. The private financing was increased by eB2B from $15 million to $33 million. Previously, DynamicWeb announced that it had entered into a formal agreement to merge with eB2B. As a result of the private offering, and upon closing of the merger, DynamicWeb will issue the equivalent of approximately 40 million shares of its common stock, in exchange for all of the outstanding securities of eB2B. Also, upon completion of the merger DynamicWeb will change its name to eB2B Commerce Inc.


http://www.eb2b.com


http://www.dynamicweb.com






Microsoft Invests $30 Million in Intervu to Accelerate Broadband Delivery Services



SAN DIEGO– INTERVU Inc. (Nasdaq: ITVU), a service provider for Internet audio and video delivery solutions, announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to expand its broadband streaming media network based on the Windows Media platform. INTERVU provides content providers and corporations with turnkey audio and video delivery services over a proprietary network built on the Internet. The companies also announced that Microsoft will invest $30 million in INTERVU. Microsoft will purchase shares of a new series of INTERVU senior convertible preferred stock for $30 million. The preferred stock may be converted into common stock at a conversion price of $90.00 per share, which represents a 27% premium over the previous 20-day average closing price of INTERVU’s common stock. The terms of the security specify an annual dividend rate of 6.5% payable quarterly in stock or cash. Microsoft will receive a five-year warrant to purchase 60,000 shares of INTERVU’s common stock with an exercise price of $90.00 per share.


http://www.intervu.net






Hotel Industry Leaders Invest in WorldRes.com



SAN MATEO, Calif.– Three companies in the hospitality industry — Sabre (NYSE:TSG), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), and MICROS Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:MCRS) — have established significant strategic relationships with WorldRes.com, a company that connects hotels to leisure travelers through the Web. They also participated in a new $29 million mezzanine financing round led by the venture capital firm New Millennium Partners. Worldview Technology Partners and WorldRes.com’s existing investors also participated.


http://www.worldres.com






Network Engines Receives $25 Million in Mezzanine Financing



RANDOLPH, Mass.– Network Engines Inc. received $25 million in mezzanine financing from HarbourVest Partners LLC, Canaan Partners and Landmark Partners, as well as its current group of investors. The company received $12.3 million in first- and second-round financing from MDT Advisers Inc., Egan-Managed Capital, Ascent Venture Management Inc. (formerly known as Pioneer Capital Corp.), Corning Technology Ventures LLP, and other investors. Network Engines manufactures and markets scalable Internet appliances. Designed for companies where space is often at a premium, Network Engines servers are just 1U (1.75 inches) high, enabling up to 42 servers to fit in a standard equipment rack.


http://www.networkengines.com






Leisureplanet Holdings Announces Investments



MIAMI– Leisureplanet Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: LPHL) announced that Warburg Dillon Read and UBS Capital, the investment banking and private equity divisions of UBS AG, have agreed to invest $20 million in LPHL. WDR will acquire 1,379,310 shares of LPHL common stock and UBS Capital will acquire options to purchase 459,770 Leisureplanet shares currently owned by LPHL. LPHL anticipates using the proceeds from this investment to exercise its option under the previously announced Europ@Web agreement to invest an additional $10 million into Leisureplanet, and for further investments in other Internet-related companies, including the continued development of hotelsupplygroup.com, the company’s business-to-business e-commerce joint venture.

In other news, the CNN News Group and Leisureplanet announced a strategic alliance under which the CNN News Group will take a $20 million equity stake in Leisureplanet. As part of the agreement, Leisureplanet will become the exclusive travel services provider for almost all CNN Web sites. The three-year agreement also calls for Leisureplanet to enhance and promote its branded travel services through a $30 million advertising campaign across CNN’s online and on-air properties. The campaign is expected to launch in early 2000 and will run for three years.


http://www.leisureplanet.com






Chemdex Makes Strategic $10 Million Investment in TRADEX



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Chemdex Corp. (Nasdaq: CMDX), a provider of business-to-business e-commerce solutions for industry-specific marketplaces, made a $10 million investment in TRADEX Technologies Inc., a provider of solutions for net markets. TRADEX is in the process of being acquired by Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA). Chemdex plans to use components of TRADEX technology in its procurement solutions and capitalize on its existing partnership with Ariba. Ariba is a member of the Chemdex MarketLink Program, an industry-wide program that enables vendors of enterprise procurement applications to integrate seamlessly with the Chemdex marketplace.


http://www.chemdex.com






HomeWarehouse.com Receives $9M in Funding



SAN MATEO, Calif.– HomeWarehouse.com closed a $9 million round of financing from Comdisco Ventures, a division of Comdisco Inc. HomeWarehouse.com focuses on the Do It Yourself community, filling the unmet needs of customers who seek convenience, readily available product and how-to information, and expert customer service, including free advice from Home Pros, HomeWarehouse.com’s on-staff building and remodeling experts. Previous investors include Accel Partners and Sequoia Capital.


http://www.homewarehouse.com


http://www.comdisco.com






Convene.com Closes $7.2 Million Mezzanine Funding Round



SAN FRANCISCO– Convene.com closed a $7.2 million mezzanine funding round led by New Enterprise Associates. Other participants include the Kensington Value Fund LLC, the investment vehicle for the Charles R. Schwab family, Podesta Education Investors LLC and Education Investors, LLC. Individual investors joining the round include Robert Ellis, publisher, lead investor and member of the board of directors of Xoom.com, who has joined the board of Convene.com. Convene.com is in the e-education business, having provided the technology behind online distance education programs.


http://www.convene.com


http://www.nea.com






Adaytum Software Secures $6.1 Million in Second-Round Venture Financing



MINNEAPOLIS — Adaytum Software, a supplier of business planning applications, secured a $6.1 million second-round venture capital financing investment led by St. Paul Venture Capital with additional participation from Hambrecht & Quist.

Recently, the company launched Adaytum e.Planning, its new flagship Web-based solution product that delivers business planning power throughout the enterprise.


http://www.adaytum.com


http://www.stpaulvc.com


http://www.hamquist.com






RadView Software Receives $6 Million Second Round Financing



LEXINGTON, Mass.– RadView Software Inc., a provider of e-business system testing and analysis solutions, received $6 million in a second round of venture financing. The investment was led by North Bridge Venture Partners of Waltham, MA, and includes current investors Formula Ventures, RAD Group, and Sadot Research and Development. North Bridge will take a seat on its Board of Directors.


http://www.radview.com


http://www.nbvp.com






Internet Start-up Computer.com Receives $5.8 Million Seed Funding



MAYNARD, Mass.– Computer.com, an online portal dedicated to providing information, products and services to novice computer users, received a $5.8 million seed round of funding from private investors. To generate awareness of computer.com and officially launch the site to household audiences, the company has invested more than $3 million of this funding in three, 30-second Super Bowl commercials scheduled to air during the game and in pre-game programming on January 30. Funding sources include Jeff Taylor, founder and CEO of Monster.com and Jed Smith, founder of Drugstore.com, as well as Saul Steinberg, a New York financier.


http://www.computer.com






BankZip.com Raises Additional Capital



POTTSTOWN, Pa.– BankZip.com announced that on Dec. 14, 1999, BankZip.com completed the sale of $5.44 million of common stock and convertible debentures in a private placement to individual investors and financial institution alliance partners. Along with the $5 million of initial capitalization provided by Patriot Bank Corp. (NASDAQ:PBIX), BankZip.com’s total capitalization has increased to $10.44 million. As a result, effective Dec. 14, 1999, BankZip.com is no longer owned by Patriot.


http://www.bankzip.com


http://www.patriotbank.com






AllRecipes.Com on the Move with Hiring of CEO, Additional Capital Funding



SEATTLE– AllRecipes.com, a community-based recipe web site, announced the recent hiring of a chief executive officer and more than $2.5 million in new investment funding from industry investors. Bill Moore comes to the comp

any from previous stints as president of won.net and vice president of marketing for Sierra Online. AllRecipes.com’s latest round of investors include: Fred Warren, a founding partner of Brentwood,who is also taking a seat on AllRecipes.com’s board of directors; Lawrence P. Murphy, former chief strategy officer of The Walt Disney Company; Tom Davin, chief operating officer of Taco Bell; Scott Flanders, former president of Macmillan Publishing and current chief executive officer of CDNow/Columbia House; Richard Nanula, CEO of Broadband Sports; Dr. Eric Golin, chief technology officer of Broadvision; ; Robert B. Goergen, chairman and chief executive officer of Blyth Industries; Todd Goergen, managing member ROPART Investments LLC, a private technology investment concern; and John Jacobs, managing director of the US Bancorp Piper Jaffray.


http://www.allrecipes.com






insci-statements.com Announces $2.4 Million Private Placement



WESTBOROUGH, Mass.– insci-statements.com (Nasdaq: INSI), a provider of Internet-based and on-site solutions for statement/bill presentment services and digital document storage, workflow, and electronic commerce, completed the sale of 803,000 shares of the company’s common stock in a private equity financing for a total of approximately $2.4 million. The shares were purchased by a single investor, The Tail Wind Fund Ltd., an investor worldwide in emerging growth companies. The transaction included the issuance of 281,000 warrants priced at a 44 percent premium to the purchase price of the common stock.


http://www.insci.com






i-Incubator.com Acquires 1.5 Million Shares of WealthHound.com



MIAMI– i-Incubator.com Inc. (OTCBB: INQU) acquired 1.5 million shares of WealthHound.com Inc. (NQB:WLTH) from Quentin Road Productions in exchange for 1.5 million shares of i-Incubator.com Inc. The swap is valued at $2.25 million. WealthHound owns and operates the WealthHound.com personal finance web portal. The position in WealthHound.com, Inc. is the second investment by i-Incubator.com since announcing its new name and capabilities as an internet incubator.


http://www.i-incubator.com


http://www.wealthhound.com






internet.com Venture Fund II Invests in B2BExplorer.com and LawBooks.com



DARIEN, Conn.– internet.com Venture Fund II, part of the affiliated venture arm of internet.com Corp. (Nasdaq: INTM), publisher of this website, announced the closing of investments in B2BExplorer.com and LawBooks.com. The investments are part of internet.com Venture Fund II’s expanding portfolio of early-stage investments in Internet content properties. internet.com, with its venture capital arm, has invested in 20 Internet properties to date.

B2BExplorer.com (http://www.b2bexplorer.com) is a highly specialized search engine and worldwide directory for business professionals and offers a robust database of detailed business listings and profiles. The portal features online resources for the business community including discussion rooms, business news, tradeshow information and a career center among others. The company recently received an investment from Michael A. Liberty through Cambridge Associates Holdings.

LawBooks.com (http://www.lawbooks.com) seeks to become the first Web site to offer a one-stop resource for all law-related e-commerce needs for professionals within the legal industry as well as consumers of legal services. Through a combination of top-quality content and cost-effective e-commerce options, the site seeks to become a leading provider of law books and other legal information products.


http://www.internet.com






VillageDoc.com Receives Initial Round of Funding



LAKE FOREST, Calif.– VillageDoc.com, an on-line health care community, received its initial round of funding to be used for development purposes. VillageDoc.com is a portal that provides comprehensive content on health and fitness and medical resources, including a database of more than 300,000 physicians. The site is scheduled to officially launch in mid-January 2000.


http://www.villagedoc.com







HelpNetworks.com Receives First Round of Equity Financing



NASHVILLE, Tenn. — HelpNetworks.com, an on-line fundraising tool for schools and non-profits, received the first round of funding from eConception, an Internet business incubator, that recently closed its initial round of more than $7.5 million in private equity fundraising. The funding will be used to position HelpNetworks.com for additional growth and continue signing shopping destinations for their fundraising clients.


http://www.HelpNetworks.com






Orchestream Receives Funding from Intel



LONDON– Orchestream, a developer of policy-based service management software, announced that Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) has taken a minority shareholding in the company. Orchestream’s software manages the performance of traffic on IP data networks, such as virtual private networks as well as corporate data networks.


http://www.orchestream.com






i.Way Receives Strategic Investment from Synapse Capital Fund



NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–i.Way Corp., which provides integrated ordering, picking, shipping

, electronic couponing, and secured payment service for e-commerce to established retailers and manufacturers, received an equity investment from a fund managed by Synapse Capital LLC, a Fountain Valley, Calif.-based angel investor and full-service financial adviser to entrepreneurs.


http://www.iwy.com






iBEAM Broadcasting Receives Investment From Sony Corporation of America



SUNNYVALE, Calif.– iBEAM Broadcasting, a provider of low cost, high quality, massively scalable Internet audio and video distribution, announced a strategic investment from Sony Corporation of America. iBEAM Broadcasting has an advanced network designed to deliver high quality streaming media to hundreds of thousands of Internet users simultaneously. The company recently closed a third round of financing.


http://www.ibeam.com


http://www.world.sony.com






M&A West Invests in Online Music Entertainment Company



SAN BRUNO, Calif.– M&A West Inc. (OTCBB:MAWI), a company that develops, invests in and operates Internet and technology-related companies, announced that it owns a 15% stake with an option to purchase an additional 20% stake of Bay Area-based music company, Ronlan Entertainment (www.ronlan.com). This latest investment by M&A West, Inc. is the company’s first venture into the entertainment industry. Terms were not disclosed.


http://www.mawest.com


http://www.ronlan.com






Freightquote.Com Secures Financing



OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — freightquote.com, an internet-based freight transportation company, compleed an equity financing package with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Venture Partners and Menlo Ventures. Launched in May 1999, freightquote.com is a transportation software, service and logistics company offering less-than-load and truckload service to commercial businesses.


http://www.freightquote.com






Internet Fact of the Day



The number of U.S. households shopping online will nearly triple over the next five years from 17 million in 1999 to 49 million in 2004, according to Forrester Research. Average online spending per household is expected to increase from $1,167 in 1999 to $3,738 in 2004.






VeriSign Acquires Signio, Thawte Consulting for $1.3 Billion



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — VeriSign Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), a provider of Internet trust services, signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Signio Inc., a provider of payment-services connecting online merchants, B2B exchanges, payment processors and financial institutions on the Internet. VeriSign will issue approximately 5.6 million shares, of VeriSign common stock for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Signio and will assume Signio’s outstanding employee stock options. The acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase transaction. The deal is worth about $725 million. Signio’s investors include Intuit, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

VeriSign is also acquiring privately held Thawte Consulting of South Africa, the world’s second largest provider of digital certificates to websites and software developers. The stock VeriSign will issue in this transaction will have an aggregate market value of $575 million. The exact number of shares will be determined based on the trading price of VeriSign common stock prior to the closing date. The acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase transaction.


http://www.verisign.com






FindLaw Acquires lawyermarketing.com



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.– FindLaw Inc., a Web portal focused on law and government, acquired lawyermarketing.com and integrated it into FindLaw Lawyer Marketing (http://marketing.findlaw.com). FindLaw Lawyer Marketing provides a comprehensive guide to marketing legal services. FindLaw Lawyer Marketing makes it easy and convenient for legal professionals to find information online on a wide range of marketing topics. FindLaw is backed by @Ventures, the affiliated venture capital arm of CMGI Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI). Other investors include Amicus Investments, Angel Investors LP, Arba Seed Investment Group and Glasser Legal Works.


http://www.findlaw.com






Acacia Research Acquires Interest in Mediaconnex Communications



PASADENA, Calif.– Acacia Research Corp. (Nasdaq:ACRI) acquired a 31% interest in Mediaconnex Communications, a business-to-business e-commerce company focused on the $90 billion advertising market. Acacia Research was the lead investor in a $3 million first round financing that included the Volpe Brown Whelan Raptor Fund.


http://www.acaciaresearch.com






Star Struck Acquires At the Yard



BETHEL, Conn. — Star Struck Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Star Struck Ltd. (Amex: KAP), a cataloger and on-line retailer of licensed sports apparel and collectibles announced its acquisition of At the Yard. Star Struck, the official print and online catalog of minor league baseball and At the Yard will develop a comprehensive minor league community at starstruck.com. The new minor league community is scheduled to be ready for spring training 2000. At the Yard is a Minor League web

site that gives fans an in-depth look at minor league baseball. Terms were not disclosed.


http://www.starstruck.com


http://www.attheyard.com






PayForView.com Sells 70 Percent Stake of Street Solid Records



NEW YORK– PayForView.com (OTCBB:PAYV) completed a deal for the sale of a 70 percent equity stake of Los Angeles-based subsidiary Street Solid Records to New York-based Inculab Inc. Inculab is a private company in the business of investing in and nurturing start-up companies in the Internet, entertainment and publishing industries. The deal allows PayForView.com to maintain a 30 percent interest in Street Solid, with an option to buy back a controlling interest, and will free up capital for PayForView.com to concentrate on its Internet, film and content-related businesses. The company recently completed a private placement of restricted shares.


http://www.payforview.com






Modem Media Acquires vivid



Norwalk, CT — Modem Media Poppe Tyson (NASDAQ: MMPT) a builder and marketer of customer-focused e-businesses, announced a definitive acquisition agreement with privately-held vivid for approximately $64 million in common stock and cash. Based in San Francisco with 100 employees, vivid is a premier e-commerce developer focused on strategic online ventures. The transaction is expected to close in January 2000, at which time vivid will be integrated with Modem Media’s San Francisco office. The transaction consideration consists of approximately 227,000 shares of Modem Media stock, the assumption of 605,000 options and $10.4 million in cash.


http://www.modemmedia.com


http://www.vivid.com






Headhunter.net Agrees to Buy All In One Submit



ATLANTA — Headhunter.net (Nasdaq: HHNT), an Internet recruiting site, announced its first acquisition with the purchase of All In One Submit, an Illinois-based Internet job-posting service, for a sum in excess of $1 million. Under the purchase agreement, AIOS will continue to provide its customers the ability to post jobs on a growing number of free job-related Internet sites. In addition, Headhunter.net will introduce a new service that will allow its customers to cross-post their job listings on the extensive AIOS network of sites.


http://headhunter.net






Canaan Partners Launches $500 Million Equity Fund



MENLO PARK, Calif.– Canaan Partners, a national venture capital investment firm, closed an equity fund in the amount of $500 million. Called Canaan Equity II, the fund is Canaan’s fifth to date. With this fund, Canaan now manages $1.2 billion in capital, while its portfolio companies have generated approximately $50 billion of market capitalization. Investors comprise a diverse international cross-section of corporations, pension funds, institutional investors, and high net-worth families. Investors include General Motors Pension, Citigroup Investments, First Union, and the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. The fund also includes individual investments from CEOs and prominent entrepreneurs.


http://www.canaan.com






Redleaf Attracts Investments



SARATOGA, Calif. — Redleaf Group LLC, an Internet operating company with a model for developing seed stage business-to-business e-commerce firms, is securing initial capitalization of $150 million from several e-commerce companies and institutional investors to fund Redleaf’s launch in five strategic locations. Redleaf will use the capital to establish its operations in key “NetHub” locations to guide seed stage business-to-business e-commerce companies into category leaders. The largest equity holders include Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE), $60 million, and Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL), $20 million. Others include The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; affiliates of The Hillman Company; Residentie Investments, The Netherlands; Venture Bank@PNC; Mellon Ventures Inc.; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; and private investors, including Bill Melton, chairman of CyberCash (Nasdaq: CYCH), and Milan Mandaric.


http://www.redleaf.com






Web Capital Group Launches Internet Incubator Subsidiary 3wVentures.com



MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — Web Capital Group Inc. (OTCBB: WBCG), announced the official launch of the company’s newest comprehensive Internet incubator subsidiary 3wVentures.com Inc. The company will combine the operations of 3wVentures.com with its existing SaraOnline.com incubator unit in creating a new subsidiary that will operate under the name 3wVentures.com Inc. 3wVentures.com capitalized with an initial $30 million in assets is currently raising a $21 million second round financing and is planning for its IPO in the second quarter of 2000.


http://www.WebCapitalGroup.com






Who’s Who & Where



Arbinet Names Anthony L. Craig Chairman and CEO



NEW YORK– Arbinet

Communications Inc. — an exchange for trading and delivering telecommunications capacity — announced that Anthony L. Craig has been named the company’s chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer. Alex Mashinsky, the founder of Arbinet will assume the title of vice-chairman. The company recently closed a second round of financing. Most recently, Craig was president and CEO of Global Knowledge Network.


http://www.arbinet.com






Hewlett-Packard Exec Named Rainfinity CEO



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.– Rainfinity, which provides scalable software solutions that improve the end-to-end reliability and performance of Internet infrastructure and applications, announced the appointment of Olivier Helleboid as CEO. Helleboid has over 20 years experience in the networking and server industry, most recently as vice president and general manager of Hewlett-Packard’s OpenView Software business unit. Rainfinity recently completed a $15 million second round of venture capital financing.


http://www.rainfinity.com






Casecentral.com Names Jeff Blanc VP of Marketing



SAN FRANCISCO — Casecentral.com, a leader in litigation information management, appointed Jeff Blanc, a former vice president at the Cartoon Network, to the position of vice president of marketing. Prior to joining casecentral.com, Blanc worked as an independent consultant with such clients as Infogrames Entertainment, USWeb/CKS, Carol H. Williams Advertising, and Citron, Hagilman, Bedecarre. Casecentral.com recently closed its first round of funding.


http://www.casecentral.com






CMI Hires Key Marketing and Sales Execs



SEATTLE — Central Media Inc., owner and operator of SpotTaxi.com, a new Internet-based radio advertising distribution system, announced the appointment of key marketing and sales executives. The marketing team will be headed by George Lange, vice president of marketing, and the sales team will be headed by Keith LaHonta, vice president of national sales. SpotTaxi.com’s integrated software package incorporates the specific needs of the advertising agency, the production facility and radio station to deliver radio advertising using the Internet. The company received financing from private investors and The Ackerley Group Inc. (NYSE: AK). SpotTaxi is scheduled to launch in January 2000.


http://www.spottaxi.com






Great Entertaining Names VP

of Business Development



SAN FRANCISCO — – Great Entertaining Inc., an online party supplies and entertaining ideas company, recently profiled on VC Watch, named Julie Carman vice president of business development. Prior to joining the company, Carman held executive business development positions at Garden.com and Sun Microsystems. The company is backed by Benchmark Capital and Technology Crossover Ventures.


http://www.greatentertaining.com






Informative Appoints Vice President of Sales



SAN FRANCISCO — Informative Inc., a provider of Web-based, real-time information solutions, expanded its sales operations by appointing Paul Gordon as vice president of sales and opening a New York sales office. Gordon joins Informative from Spyrus Corp., where he instituted a national sales training program and was responsible for hiring and training the company’s technical teams. Informative recently received funding from Nokia Ventures.


http://www.informative.com






Petopia.com Appoints VP of Internet Site Strategy and Development



SAN FRANCISCO– Petopia.com, an online pet store, announced the appointment of Roger Smith as vice president of Internet site strategy and development. Smith was formerly the creative director and vice president of Sony Online Entertainment. Petopia.com recently received $35 million in its latest round.


http://www.petopia.com






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