VC Buzz – $800.93 Million in Today’s Deals


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New in the News



Abaton.com, Adero, Anila.org, Basis100, Bowstreet, ChangeMusic.com, eBags, ebaseOne, E.piphany, eSoft, Hartcourt Companies, Mambo.com, Metricom, Nexgenix, Panasonic Digital Concepts Center, PlexusNet Broadcasting, ReacTV, RedEnvelope Gifts Online, Senada.com, TechSmart.com, theDial, VentureWorx, webMethods, WiredEmpire, Yupi.com, ZipLip.com



 






Metricom Closes Equity Funding in $600 Million Deal



LOS GATOS, Calif.–Metricom Inc. (Nasdaq:MCOM), a provider of mobile data networking and technology, announced that its $600 million equity agreement with Vulcan Ventures Inc. and MCI WorldCom has been finalized. With each providing $300 million, the partners’ funding is expected to cover the initial rollout of its Ricochet 128 kbps mobile data service in major markets across the country, with the first wave of commercial availability scheduled for Summer 2000.

Under the terms of the deal, MCI WorldCom and Vulcan Ventures Inc. will purchase 60 million new convertible preferred shares of Metricom stock, priced at $10 per share. The new breakdown of Metricom ownership, as of Sept. 30, 1999 on a fully diluted basis, will include Vulcan Ventures Inc. at 46 percent, MCI WorldCom at 35 percent, with the remaining 19 percent ownership held by other current public shareholders. Metricom will remain a publicly traded company.


http://www.metricom.com


http://www.wcom.com


http://www.paulallen.com






Yupi.com Secures $67.4 Million Private Equity Investment



MIAMI BEACH, Fla.– Yupi.com, one of the leading Spanish-language networks of sites on the Internet, received a total of $67.4 million in private equity investment from J.&W. Seligman & Co. Inc., News Corp., Comcast Interactive Capital, Banc of America Equity Partners, the Latin America Enterprise Fund, Interprise Technology Partners, and other investors. Credit Suisse First Boston Technology Group acted as placement agent to Yupi.com on the convertible preferred stock transaction. This announcement comes on the heels of the recent investment in Yupi.com by Sony Corporation of America and two of its entertainment divisions, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment.


http://www.yupi.com






Adero Secures Additional $25 Million in Financing



BOSTON– Adero Inc., a global provider of high-quality Internet content and application distribution services, raised $25 million in second-round funding to finance its next stage of growth. Spectrum Equity, Fidelity Ventures, the venture capital arm of Fidelity Investments, and two private venture capital firms, M/C Venture Partners and Osborn Capital made the investment.


http://www.adero.com


http://www.fidelityventures.com


http://www.mcventurepartners.com


http://www.osborncapital.com


http://www.spectrumequity.com






Hartcourt Signed Agreement for $25 Million Equity Line Funding



LOS ANGELES– The Hartcourt Companies Inc. (OTCBB:HRCT) signed an agreement for a $25 million equity line funding with Swartz Private Equity LLC of Atlanta. The financial agreement calls for a private equity line for the purchase of common stock, subject to registration and certain other conditions and limited to a percentage of dollar trading volume. The financial agreement will help satisfy working capital requirements of Hartcourt for the year 2000 and will enable Hartcourt to make additional acquisitions of strategic Internet related operations. Hartcourt’s mission is to become the leading Internet company in Asia. Swartz Private Equity LLC is an investment entity focused on equity investments in Internet and other high technology companies.


http://www.hartcourt.com






Nexgenix Receives $20 Million Investment From Redpoint



IRVINE, Calif.– Nexgenix Inc., an e-business consultancy, received a $20 million investment from Redpoint Ventures, the new venture capital firm focused on broadband infrastructure, services and media opportunities for the next-generation Internet and television. This is one of the first companies to announce an investment from Redpoint, which last week announced a $600 million fund.


http://www.nexgenix.com






webMethods Closes $17 Million Round of Financing



FAIRFAX, Va.– webMethods Inc., a provider of software infrastructure for business-to-business e-commerce integration, completed a $17 million round of financing. This round of financing includes investments from Dell Computer Corp., Eastman Chemical Co., FDX Corp., KPMG LLP and SAP AG. To date, the company has raised more than $39 million in total financing. Earlier investors include Goldman Sachs, the Mayfield Fund and FBR Technology Venture Partners.


http://www.webMethods.com






TechSmart.com Raises $13 Million in First Round Financing



LAS VEGAS — TechSmart.com, a pioneer click and mortar B2B online auction house and superstore e-tailer of technology related off-lease and capital assets, received $13 million in first round financing. This first infusion of capital was led by Rho Management and included Soros Capital, Sculley Brothers and Boston Millennia.

TechSmart.com also announced that John Sculley has become the latest addition to its board of directors. Sculley is an active investor in TechSmart.com and is working with the company on all levels, including branding and marketing plans.


http://www.TechSmart.com






Basis100 Completes a $12 Million Special Warrant Financing



TORONTO– Basis100 Inc.(TSE:BAS), an Internet-based e-commerce services provider currently operating a specialized national network for the mortgage industry in Canada, announced the completion of a $12 million special warrant financing. On Oct. 27, 1999, six million special warrant subscriptions were issued at $2 each, with each special warrant exercisable for one common share for no further consideration. This financing, together with the previous private placement of $3.9 million, will provide working capital for the development of Basis100’s business. Each financing was negotiated prior to Basis100’s amalgamation with Autrex Inc., and the listing of Basis100 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Lehman Brothers, as part of its global mortgage-related e-commerce activities, has made a strategic investment in the newly listed company.


http://www.basis100.com






ReacTV Raises $10 Million



SAN FRANCISCO– ReacTV Inc. closed a second round of venture funding — bringing the total raised by the company to $10 million. The funding comes from The E. W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP); Media General Inc.(AMEX:MEGa); Institutional Venture Partners; Brentwood Venture Capital; Odyssey Capital; and KPE Ventures a division of KPE. ReacTV works with local television stations to create Web sites with in-depth interactive newscasts.


http://www.reactv.com






RedEnvelope Gifts Online Closes $10 Million Round of Financing



SAN FRANCISCO — RedEnvelope Gifts Online, an Internet gift site, received an additional $10 million in financing from Weston Presidio and Phillips-Smith, bringing the total raised since August 1999 to $31 million. Formerly 911Gifts.com, RedEnvelope closed on a $21 million round of financing in August led by Sequoia Capital.


http://www.redenvelopegiftsonline.com






ebaseOne Secures $9 Million Equity Investment



HOUSTON– ebaseOne Corp. (OTCBB: EBAS), an Application Service Provider for small and medium sized business, announced that a technology investment group arranged by Cardinal Securities LLC has agreed to invest $9 Million in ebaseOne in exchange for common stock and warrants.


http://www.ebaseOne.com






PNBC Receives $4.53M in OffRoad’s First Deal



SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.– OffRoad Capital, the first online private capital marketplace, completed its first private placement funding with nearly 100 investors from 23 states. The company funded was PNBC which received $4.53 million financing for PlexusNet Broadcasting Corp. PNBC produces online Web environments for trade shows, conferences, and seminars. The deal was fully subscribed in 19 days by 97 investors in 23 states through OffRoad’s proprietary network of high net worth individuals.


http://www.plexusnet.net


http://www.offroadcapital.com






ZipLip.com Closes First Round Financing



MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.– ZipLip.com Inc., a provider of secure Web-based e-mail on the Internet, closed its first round of $2.4 million in private financing, led by Itochu Corp. of Japan. . The funds enable ZipLip to scale up operations, broaden its product lines and expand marketing efforts.


http://www.ziplip.com


http://www.itochu.co.jp






Wasatch Venture Funds Delivers Funding to theDial.com



SALT LAKE CITY– Wasatch Venture Fund, a venture capital firm specializing in Internet start-up companies, announced the funding of theDial, a new online audio service that enables large Web properties to offer their own, privately-branded, revenue-generating, Internet audio entertainment. Financial details were not disclosed. Wasatch Venture Fund is the Salt Lake City affiliate office of the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson.


http://www.thedial.com


http://www.wasatchvc.com






Senada.com Closes Private Equity Investment Round



SEATTLE– Senada.com, an Internet’s site for Event Greetings, closed a private equity investment round from several venture capital and angel investors, led by Cascadia Capital and including Madrona Investment Group, eFund LLC, and Alchemy Partners. The company’s service helps individuals and organizations handle the process of creating, sending, and managing announcements and invitations for all types of events.


http://www.senada.com






eSoft Receives Intel Investment



BROOMFIELD, Colo. — eSoft Inc. (Nasdaq: ESFT), the company that develops and markets the TEAM Internet Linux software suite for small businesses, announced that Intel Corp. has made an investment in the company. eSoft also announced a software development agreement in which Intel will work with the company to develop applications for Intel architecture-based Internet infrastructure appliances. Terms were not disclosed.


http://www.esoft.com






eBags Sees Cash Infusion in Second Round of Funding



DENVER — eBags, a large online retailer of bags and accessories for all lifestyles, secured significant investments in its second round of funding. Terms were not disclosed. The cash infusion comes from Technology Crossover Ventures, Amerindo, Mitsubishi and Benchmark Capital as well as private investors, including baseball legend Reggie Jackson.


http://www.ebags.com







Internet Fact of the Day



Internet shoppers spent an estimated $222 million online last week, a study by Goldman Sachs and PC Data Online disclosed. While this amounts to a $21 million increase in online purchasing over last week, most buyers indicated in the study that their purchases were not intended as gifts. Only buyers of flowers and toys cited a majority of purchases were intended as gifts.






E.piphany to Acquire RightPoint



SAN MATEO, Calif. — E.piphany Inc. (Nasdaq: EPNY), a provider of software solutions that enable companies to get, keep and grow customer relationships, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held RightPoint, a provider of real-time personalization solutions. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, E.piphany will issue approximately 3.5 million shares of its common stock to the shareholders of RightPoint, or approximately 10.5% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The transaction will be accounted for as a purchase. RightPoint investors include Atlas Venture, Brentwood Venture Capital, Canaan Partners, Draper Fisher, Edify, and Sequoia Capital.


http://www.rightpoint.com






McKessonHBOC Acquires Abaton.com



SAN FRANCISCO– McKesson HBOC Inc. (NYSE:MCK), a supply management and healthcare information technology company, acquired Minneapolis-based Abaton.com Inc., a privately held developer of Internet-based clinical applications for use by clinicians in ambulatory settings. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Abaton is backed by Acacia Ventures, Accel Partners, InterWest Partners and Intel Corp.


http://www.abaton.com






Panasonic Digital Concepts Center Opens Incubator



CUPERTINO, Calif.– Panasonic Digital Concepts Center announced that five early-stage, rapidly growing Internet and E-commerce start-ups have joined its Internet Incubator. 2Roam Inc. provides translation solutions to deliver Web-based content, commerce, and services to handheld wireless devices; Dynaptics Corp. develops online impulse buying software; eMentoring.com Inc. provides high quality online business learning for global business skills; Fort Nocs Inc. is an Internet applications development and hosting company; and MagicBeanStalk.com Inc. is a meeting place for participants in the dot com revolution. Panasonic’s new Internet incubator was recently created by the Panasonic Digital Concepts Center, a division of Panasonic Technologies Inc.


http://www.vc.panasonic.com






Anila Announces Full Service ‘Venture Incubator’



PALO ALTO, Calif.– Anila Corp. announced Anila.org, a full service “Venture Incubator.” Anila.org is focused on incubating early stage companies associated with wireless communications and Internet enabled “business to business” commerce. Anila.org will provide “seed” capital to the incubated firms via the Anila Fund, which has been specifically formed for this purpose. A minimum of 10 companies are expected to be incubated at the current Palo Alto location. The company plans to add additional facilities in Palo Alto and has the ability to incubate additional companies in its Minneapolis, Minn., location.


http://www.anila.com or http://www.anila.org






New Internet Incubator Launches



CHARLOTTE, N.C.– A new breed of Internet incubator was announced by Bill Smith, founder of both Addison Whitney, an international brand consultancy and Stanford Keene, an information technology mergers & acquisitions firm. VentureWorx, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is an operational incubator for starting and developing internet content, e-commerce and infrastructure businesses. The strategic partnership established with Addison Whitney provides an important differentiator with other incubators. Addison Whitney will be providing market research assessment and strategy analysis for each of the newly developed internet companies prior to launch.


http://www.ventureworx.com






CMJ and ChangeMusic.com Merge



NEW YORK — CMJ, for 20 years a respected sources for information on the best in new music, and ChangeMusic.com, a subsidiary of Rare Medium Group Inc. (Nasdaq: RRRR) and a top online music network, announced the completion of their merger. The new company will be known as the ChangeMusic Network


http://www.cmj.com


http://www.changemusic.com







Who’s Who & Where



WiredEmpire Adds Key Professionals



BURLINGTON, Mass.– WiredEmpire, an Internet marketing company specializing in customer acquisition, retention and care using agent technology, announced the addition of two seasoned professionals to its management team. Joining the company as marketing director is Karen McVeigh, former director of marketing at Whistler Corp. of Chelmsford, MA, and Jill M.C. Buckley as director of human resources, previously director of human resources for ScanSoft Inc. WiredEmpire, based in Burlington, MA, is a subsidiary of MSGI, (NASDAQ: MSGI). Major stockholders in WiredEmpire’s parent company, MSGI include GE Capital and CMGI Inc.


http://www.wiredempire.com






Technology Executives Join Mambo.com



MENLO PARK, Calif.– Mambo.com, an online marketplace for planning and promoting real world activities and events, announces the appointment of its executive team — Madeline Schroeder as CEO and David Beckwith as vice president of business development and advertising sales. Co-founders Greg Richards and Chris Grandi will serve as vice president of strategy and director of business development, respectively. Mambo.com has received funding from Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and angel investors.


http://www.mambo.com






Lotus Veteran Tim Dempsey Joins Bowstreet



PORTSMOUTH, N.H.– Bowstreet, a leader in mass customization of business-to-business e-commerce, hired 12-year Lotus/IBM veteran Tim Dempsey as vice president and chief marketing officer. Bowstreet has raised $27.6 million from Charles River Ventures, Integral Capital Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Matrix Partners and Pequot Capital Management.


http://www.bowstreet.com







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