======================================================
        VENTUREWIRE --- Tuesday, November 14, 2000
======================================================
           Private Company Business News
------ Published Daily by Technologic Partners -------
           http://technologicpartners.com
======================================================

Top Stories:

o Apax Merges European and Israeli Units, Pledges $600 Million
o DSL Service Firm New Edge Networks Lays Off 135 Employees
o Consulting Firm KSolutions Gets $50 Million First Round
o Cisco Acquires Radiata, Wireless Chip Firm, For $295 Million

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Also in This Issue:

     New Money:
o Energy Site SmartEnergy Secures $15 Million in Series A
o Infrastructure Firm Cablesoft Gets $11.5 Million in Series A
o Wireless Firm Nitronex Lands $9.5 Million First Round
o Currency Services Firm E4X Completes $6 Million Round One
o Domain Name Service 1GlobalPlace Has $5 Million Round One
o NextGen Puts $1.3 Million in ASP ServiceBench.com's Series A
o Optical Systems Firm PhotonEx Lands $80 Million Second Round
o Streaming Music Provider Echo Networks Raises $5 Million
o Voice Tech Firm Webversa Gets $1 Million More in Series A
o Web Education Security Firm Vynamic Raises $1.2 Million Seed
o Wireless Software Firm Gearworks Closes Round One
o Workspace Tech Firm AgilQuest Raises $5 Million in Series A
o European Wireless Multimedia Firm Wiral Raises $1.7 Million
o Internet Recruiting Firm MBA Vision Raises First Round
o Network Storage Firm StorageApps Gets $50 Million Round Two
o Optical Networking Firm Blaze Gets $40 Million in Round Two
o Outsourced Management Firm Japan Infotech Raises Round
o Wireless Firm Telespree Closes $19 Million Second Round
o Art Marketplace Circline Closes Round Two at $13.2 Million
o Auction Site MyEZsale.com Raises $9.5 Million Round Two
o E-Learning Firm LearningFramework Gets $5 Million Series B
o Education Site iMind Gets Series B Funding
o Online Market LiquidPrice.com Closes $16 Million Series B
o Sizing Technology Firm RightSize Gets $1.4 Million Series B
o Supply Chain Info Firm SupplyEdge Has $11 Million Round Two
o Web Technology Provider Silicon Planet Closes Series B
o Avolo, Online Aviation Parts Marketplace, Raises $8 Million
o Broadband Firm Equator Lands $40 Million in Fourth Round
o EDS Takes Equity Stake in Business Software Firm MobileQ
o Manufacturng Tech Firm Datasweep Has $30 Million Round Three
o Applications Firm ThinkFree Closes $16 Million Series C
o Web App Firm Digital Creations Closes $12 Million Series C
o 3-D Screen Developer Deep Video Imaging Gets $1.9 Million
o T-Venture, Bonn-Innova Take Stake in B2B Platform Xmarket

     Bad News:
o Top Executives Quit Divine InterVentures Subsidiary Buzz MSP
o Professional Association Site Developer eSociety Closes
o Travel Site iExplore Lays Off Staff in Restructuring

     New Products:
o Web Consulting Firm Venture Studio Launches EstimatesOnline
o Dutch Mobile Services Provider Wapmagic Becomes AtoBe
o Radix Wireless Changes Name to BeamReach Networks
o Internet-Based Electronic Delivery Service NetEx Now Certia

     M&A:
o Acquisition Agreement Between Easi and Coventus Lapses
o iKnowMed Buys CancerSource.com, Resource Site On Cancer
o Streaming Media Firm Streampipe.com Acquires 4ward Logic
o Web M&A Service Firm USBX Acquires Listing Service BizQuest

     New Directors:
o Network Security Firm Names Ex-NSA Director to Board
o Research Firm FreeSamples Appoints Research Exec to Board
o Trade Site Visible Markets Names Former Bank Exec to Board
o Web Tool Firm 2Ce Appoints Software Firm Founder to Board
o eSupport Software Company Control-F1 Adds New Board Member

     New People:
o eOriginal Appoints Former Pepsi Exec. as its New CEO
o Former Pratt & Whitney Exec Named CEO of Codeon
o Finance Resourcer Lendx Taps Hewlett Packard Exec as CEO
o Agillion Names New Chief Executive Officer
o e-Commerce Software Firm Solution.com Names New CEO
o Switch & Data Facilites Names Former Alcoa Exec Pres and CEO

     VC Fund News:
o Murphree Venture Partners Has First Close of New Fund

     VC Personnel:
o Horizon Ventures Adds New Managing and Associate Directors
o New General Partner Joins St. Paul Venture Capital

     VW Corrections:
o Patricof & Co. Ventures
o TenantDirect.com

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======= Top Stories =======

o Apax Merges European and Israeli Units, Pledges $600 Million

TEL AVIV -- Global private equity firm Apax Partners,
which includes Particof & Co. in the U.S., said
Apax Israel and Apax Partners in Europe will merge
and will invest $600 million in Israeli companies
over the next three years. The company said it would
focus its investments in Israel on companies in
the telecom, IT, and healthcare sectors. Apax Partners
said it invested $100 million in ten Israeli companies
within the last 6 months. The firm's portfolio companies
include CommTouch, FundTech, Compugen, EZChip Technologies,
and TdSoft.
http://www.apax.com/
_____________________________________________

o DSL Service Firm New Edge Networks Lays Off 135 Employees

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- New Edge Networks, which provides
wholesale DSL for small, midsize, and semi-rural
markets, said it is eliminating 135 jobs and is
consolidating its sales and regional offices. The
company is struggling to remain profitable and said
it is "stretching" a recent $140 million investment
through the next year. One hundred of the jobs eliminated
were in the company's headquarters and the rest
were throughout its U.S. offices. The company offered
laid off employees severance packages that included
severance pay, stock option vesting, job hunting
assistance, and counseling. New Edge is backed by
GS Capital Partners III, Accel Partners, Crosspoint
Venture Partners, Greylock, Intel, Meritech Capital
Partners, Comdisco Ventures, and Morgan Stanley
Dean Witter.
http://www.newedgenetworks.com/
_____________________________________________

o Consulting Firm KSolutions Gets $50 Million First Round

BOSTON -- KSolutions, a nationwide business consulting
firm that focuses on information management, said
it received $50 million in its first round of funding
from Great Hill Equity Partners. The company will
use the funds to expand its services and is targeting
strategic acquisitions. Steve Cranford, the company's
chief executive officer and co-founder, is also
founder of KPMG Consulting's Knowledge Management
Solutions, a business management firm.
http://www.ksolutionsinc.com/
_____________________________________________

o Cisco Acquires Radiata, Wireless Chip Firm, For $295 Million

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cisco Systems said it acquired
Radiata, a California and Sydney, Australia-based
company which develops chipsets for high-speed wireless
networks, for $295 million in stock. Cisco holds
an 11% stake in the company through a Series A investment
made in April. Broadcom also invested in Radiata.
The 53 employees that comprise Radiata's staff will
join a newly formed Cisco business unit, the wireless
networking business unit of the Ethernet access
group. Radiata's baseband processor and radio chip
products will be integrated into Cisco's family
of Aironet wireless LAN products.
http://www.cisco.com/
http://www.radiata.com/

======= New Money =======

o Energy Site SmartEnergy Secures $15 Million in Series A

BOSTON -- SmartEnergy, which sells and markets electricity
and natural gas, and operates a Web-based customer
services for its energy customers, said it has secured
$15 million in its Series A round of funding. The
funding was provided by Alliant Energy, WPS Resource
Corporation, Avian Securities, Dexia Ventures, KBC
bank, Trust Capital, Proseed Capital Holdings, Technoledge
Ventures, and individual investors. An unnamed asset
bank based in Belgium also participated in the round.
The company said it will use the funds for working
capital.
http://www.smartenergy.com/
_____________________________________________

o Infrastructure Firm Cablesoft Gets $11.5 Million in Series A

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Cablesoft Technologies, which develops
IT infrastructure management products for network
and communications managers, said it has secured
$11.5 million in its Series A round of funding from
Citadel Limited Partnerships and funds sponsored
by Jordan Industries, co-lead investors in the round.
The company said it will use the funds to expands
its corporate capacity and the roll out of its real-time
infrastructure tracking, reporting and asset control
system. Frank Blount of JI Ventures, a subsidiary
of Jordan, and David Dillon of Citadel have taken
seats on the company's board of directors. Cablesoft,
which began in 1986, previously received funding
from individuals.
http://www.itracs.com/
_____________________________________________

o Wireless Firm Nitronex Lands $9.5 Million First Round

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Nitronex, a creator of high-bandwidth
wireless communications infrastucture, said it received
$9.5 million in its first round of financing led
by Alliance Technology Ventures. VantagePoint Venture
Partners, Southeast Interactive Technology Funds,
Boston University's Community Technology Fund, and
individual investors David Norbury, president and
CEO of RF Micro Devices; John Marren, partner at
the Texas Pacific Group; and Joe Velk, a venture
capitalist with Contender Capital participated in
the round. The company said it will use the funding
to develop the first wireless components that incorporate
gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors created with
Nitronex's manufacturing process. Mr. Norbury will
join the company's board of directors.
http://www.nitronex.com/
_____________________________________________

o Currency Services Firm E4X Completes $6 Million Round One

NEW YORK -- E4X, a provider of services that enable
Internet merchants to sell online in multiple currencies,
said it completed a $6 million first round of financing
led by Polaris Venture Capital, along with Chase
Capital Partners. Delta-Ventures also participated
in the round. The company will use the new funds
to expand sales and marketing and recruitment.
http://www.e4x.com/
_____________________________________________

o Domain Name Service 1GlobalPlace Has $5 Million Round One

LOS ANGELES -- 1GlobalPlace, which secures, protects,
and manages global domain names, trademarks and
incorporations,  said it received $5 million in
its first round of funding from Reuters Venture
Capital and TFG Venture Capital. The company said
it will use the funds to expand its staff, Web site
features, and marketing.
http://www.1globalplace.com/
_____________________________________________

o NextGen Puts $1.3 Million in ASP ServiceBench.com's Series A

FAIRFAX, Va. -- NextGen Capital, a venture capital
firm which invests in early stage technology companies
in the mid-Atlantic region, said it made a $1.3
million investment in the Series A round of ServiceBench.com,
an application service provider for after-the-sale
business transactions between manufacturers and
their service channel partners. The Series A round
totaled $2.125 and included a $500,000 investment
from WomenAngels.net, $250,000 from Emblem Ventures,
and an additional $75,000 from individual investors.
The funds will be used to augment the company's
infrastructure and customer support functions, expand
sales and marketing, and increase product development.
ServiceBench.com added Bill Goodson, vice president
of CommerceOne and a NextGen investor; and Irving
Zaks, president of Optelecom, to its board of directors.
http://www.servicebench.com/
_____________________________________________

o Optical Systems Firm PhotonEx Lands $80 Million Second Round

BEDFORD, Mass. -- PhotonEx, which develops optical
backbone systems for the public telecommunications
market, said it raised $80 million in its second
round of funding. Investors included Oak Investment
Partners, Essex Investment Management, and previous
investors Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture
Partners. Intel Capital and the Photonics Fund also
participated as strategic investors. The company
will use the funds to expand its staff and develop
its manufacturing and professional services organizations.
http://www.photonex.com/
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Music Provider Echo Networks Raises $5 Million

SAN FRANCISCO -- Echo Networks, an interactive streaming
music community, said it secured $5 million in its
first round of funding from individuals, including
eBay co-founder, Jeff Skoll; former president of
Disney's Hollywood Records, Peter Paterno; and founder
and CEO of Wish.com, Michael Mo. Other participants
in the round included Revolution Ventures and Fundamental
Capital.
http://www.echo.com/
_____________________________________________

o Voice Tech Firm Webversa Gets $1 Million More in Series A

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Webversa, a provider of interactive
voice technology, said it received an additional
$1 million as part of its Series A round from the
Intel Communications Fund, closing the round at
$6.3 million. The company previously raised $5.3
million in September from the Redleaf Group, the
Capital Investors Group, and Avatar Capital. The
company will use the funds to expand its infrastructure.
http://www.webversa.com/
_____________________________________________

o Web Education Security Firm Vynamic Raises $1.2 Million Seed

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Vynamic, a Web security company
that focuses on student identification and intellectual
property protection for Web-based education sites,
said it has raised $1.2 million in its seed round
from undisclosed individual investors. The company
added that it will use the funds for sales and marketing.
http://www.vynamic.com/
_____________________________________________

o Wireless Software Firm Gearworks Closes Round One

MINNEAPOLIS -- Gearworks, a wireless software firm
developing infrastructure platforms to enable deployment
of mobile and wireless applications for vertical
industries, said it closed its first round of financing
led by BlueStream Ventures. Carlin Ventures also
participated in the round. The amount raised was
not disclosed. The company said it will use the
funding to expand its mobile application development
department and to introduce new wireless software.
Gearworks is focusing first on the transportation
industry. A representative from BlueStream will
receive a seat on the Gearworks board of directors.
The company has also received funding from Allaire
and DRW Venture Partners.
http://www.gearworks.com/
_____________________________________________

o Workspace Tech Firm AgilQuest Raises $5 Million in Series A

RICHMOND, Va. -- AgilQuest, a provider of Web-enabled
workspace reservations systems, completed its Seris
A round of financing with $5 million led by Baltimore-based
Cahill Warnock & Company. Carr America Realty, Carr
Capital, and Clark Enterprises also participated
in the round. The company said it will use the funds
for expansion with a focus on sales and product
development.
http://www.agilquest.com/
_____________________________________________

o European Wireless Multimedia Firm Wiral Raises $1.7 Million

HELSINKI, Finland -- Wiral, which develops wireless
multimedia software technology, said it raised EUR
2 million ($1.7 million) in its first round of funding.
The round was financed exclusively by Stratos Ventures,
a Finnish venture capital company. The company said
it will use the funding to increase product development
operations and company growth.
http://www.wiral.com/
_____________________________________________

o Internet Recruiting Firm MBA Vision Raises First Round

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- MBA Vision, an Internet
recruiting firm, said it raised an undisclosed amount
in its first round of funding from undisclosed private
individual investors. The company added that there
will be no board changes as a result of the investments
and that it will use the funds to increase staff
and marketing.
http://www.mbavision.com/
_____________________________________________

o Network Storage Firm StorageApps Gets $50 Million Round Two

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- StorageApps, a provider of
network storage appliances and software applications,
said it has raised $50 million in its second round
of funding led by Bowman Capital. Funding was also
provided by Bessemer Trust, Dell Ventures, Enron
Broadband Services, LSI Logic Storage Systems, and
StorageNetworks. StorageApps, which previously received
funding from The Blackstone Group and Soros, said
the round brings the total amount invested in the
company to $75 million. The new funds will go to
support general operating costs.
http://www.storageapps.com/
_____________________________________________

o Optical Networking Firm Blaze Gets $40 Million in Round Two

DUBLIN, Calif. -- Blaze Network Products, an optical
networking firm that develops WDM technologies for
gigabit Ethernet applications, said it raised $40
million in its second round of funding. Investors
were: Sands Brothers & Co., Kalkhoven, Pettit and
Levin Ventures, Crown Advisors, GTG Ventures, Oppenheimer
Fund, Pyramid Technology Investors, SOG Group, the
Wit SoundView Photonics Fund, and Wit SoundView
Ventures. Previous investors Dynafund Ventures,
Intel Capital, Vanguard Venture Partners and Wasserstein
Adelson Ventures also participated. General partners
from Sands Brothers & Co., and Kalkhoven, Pettit
and Levin will join the board of directors. The
company will use the funds to expand its manufacturing
capability.
http://www.blazenp.com/
_____________________________________________

o Outsourced Management Firm Japan Infotech Raises Round

TOKYO -- Japan InfoTech, a Tokyo-based outsourced
management firm that launches Japanese subsidiaries
of U.S. companies, said it raised $1.5 million in
its first round of funding. The round was led by
VC International. Japan InfoTech said it will use
the funding for hiring, to develop additional office
space in Tokyo, and to open a sales office in Silicon
Valley. Ralph McCluskey, managing director of VC
International, will take a seat on the company's
board of directors.
http://www.japaninfotech.com/
http://www.vcinternational.com/
_____________________________________________

o Wireless Firm Telespree Closes $19 Million Second Round

SAN FRANCISCO -- Telespree, which develops prepaid
wireless platforms for wireless carriers, said it
has raised $19 million in its second round of financing.
The round was led by previous investor Lucent Venture
Partners. Newbury Ventures and Koor Venture Capital
along with previous investors Stanford University,
London Merchant Securities, and Thompson Clive International
Venture Capital also participated. Hassan Parsa,
a partner at Lucent Venture Partners, will join
Telespree's board as its fifth member. Telespree
said it will use the funds to expand technology
development and for marketing.
http://www.telespree.com/
_____________________________________________

o Art Marketplace Circline Closes Round Two at $13.2 Million

NEW YORK -- Circline, an online marketplace for
fine art and antiques, completed its second round
of financing with $13.2 million from new investors
including Brand Equity Ventures, Aberdare Ventures,
Scripps Ventures, and Private Equity Ventures. Previous
investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Trinity
Ventures also contributed to the funding. Circline
said it will use the funds for general growth and
expansion.
http://www.circline.com/
_____________________________________________

o Auction Site MyEZsale.com Raises $9.5 Million Round Two

BOSTON -- MyEZsale.com, an auction Web site for
businesses, organizations and consumers, said it
raised a $7.6 million second round of financing
and announced the official launch of the company
from stealth mode. The round was led by investors
JAFCO Ventures with a $4 million investment, General
Catalyst with $2 million and I-Group Hotbank as
a $1 million investor. The company has raised $9.5
million to date.
http://www.myezsale.com/
_____________________________________________

o E-Learning Firm LearningFramework Gets $5 Million Series B

ORLANDO, Fla. -- LearningFramework, which provides
technology for learning and knowledge management,
said it raised $5 million in its Series B round
of funding from undisclosed individual investors.
The company will use the funds to expand its platform
and staff. LearningFramework was founded in April
2000 and has raised $8 million to date.
http://www.learningframework.com/
_____________________________________________

o Education Site iMind Gets Series B Funding

CORTE MADERA, Calif. -- iMind Education Systems,
a developer of Internet-based education applications
for K-12 students, said it received an undisclosed
amount of funding in its Series B round, bringing
the total amount raised to $15 million. Antares
Capital and Banc of America Securities led the round,
which also included individual investors. The company
will use the funds for launching its product and
building its sales team.
http://www.imind.com/
_____________________________________________

o Online Market LiquidPrice.com Closes $16 Million Series B

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- LiquidPrice.com, an online
marketplace where retailers bid for consumers' business,
said it closed its Series B round of funding with
an undisclosed amount of additional investments
from individual investors including KB Chandrasekhar,
co-founder, CEO and chairman of the board of Jamcracker,
an ASP aggregator; and Virginia Turezyn, co-founder
and managing director at Infinity Capital. Earlier
this year, Jafco America Ventures provided the bulk
of the $16 million round of Series B financing.
http://www.liquidprice.com/
_____________________________________________

o Sizing Technology Firm RightSize Gets $1.4 Million Series B

BURLINGAME, Calif. -- TheRightSize, developer of
a universal size translation application for online
clothing retailers, said it closed its Series B
round at $1.4 million with investments from lead
investor Paradise Internet Capital and from Retail
Options, Kristbjorg Associates, Coast Pacific Asset
Management, and other Series A investors. The company
said it will use the funds to integrate its product
with online retail technology, to attract clients,
and to develop partnerships.
http://www.therightsize.com/
_____________________________________________

o Supply Chain Info Firm SupplyEdge Has $11 Million Round Two

LOS ANGELES -- SupplyEdge, a supply chain information
services, said it has secured $11 million in its
second round of funding from AsiaTech Ventures and
Lucent Ventures Partners. Previous investors Investment
Group of Santa Barbara and Carlifornia Technology
Ventures also joined round. The company said it
will use the funds to continue corporate development.
Peter Chu of AsiaTech and Maureen Lawrence of Lucent
Venture Partners will take seats on the company's
board.
http://www.supplyedge.com/
_____________________________________________

o Web Technology Provider Silicon Planet Closes Series B

LOS ANGELES -- Silicon Planet, a provider of Web
site development and communication software for
non-profit organizations, said it raised an undisclosed
amount of Series B funding. Group One Ventures,
which led the round, bought a 15% stake in the company.
Gary Sparks, managing director of Group One, will
join the company's board of directors. Previous
investors Selby Ventures, Garage.com, and ERMG,
also participated. The company will use the funds
for sales and marketing.
http://www.siliconplanet.com/
_____________________________________________

o Avolo, Online Aviation Parts Marketplace, Raises $8 Million

SEATTLE -- Avolo, which provides an online parts
and services marketplace for the aviation industry,
said it raised $8 million in its second round of
funding. The round was led by New York venture capital
firm East River Ventures. Additional investors in
the round include Citicorp, Kirnaf, Cedar Grove
Investments, and Riverside Management Group. The
company raised its initial capital from Cedar Grove
Investments, Riverside Management Group, Cascadia
Capital, Allen & Co., and private investors.
http://www.avolo.com/
_____________________________________________

o Broadband Firm Equator Lands $40 Million in Fourth Round

CAMPBELL, Calif. -- Equator Technologies, which
provides programmable broadband signal processors,
said it has raised over $40 million in its fourth
round of funding led by Ironside Venture Partners.
The round also included MMC Capital, Orix USA, and
Quest Management. Previous investors Jafco America
Ventures, InveStar Capital, and Nomura International
also participated in the round. Equator Technologies
said it expects a second closing within the next
few weeks to conclude a total of more than $50 million
for the round. The company said it will use the
funds to accelerate new product development and
increase its investments in global operations, infrastructure,
technology development, sales and marketing, and
customer support.
http://www.equator.com/
_____________________________________________

o EDS Takes Equity Stake in Business Software Firm MobileQ

LAS VEGAS -- Publicly-traded EDS said it made an
undisclosed equity investment in MobileQ, a developer
of enterprise software that mobilizes business applications.
As part of the deal, EDS will offer MobileQ's software,
XMLEdge, to its customers and MobileQ will use EDS
as one of its preferred systems integrators. MobileQ
has received funding from Pequot Capital Management,
Clarity Capital, and Bell Mobility.
http://www.mobileq.com/
_____________________________________________

o Manufacturng Tech Firm Datasweep Has $30 Million Round Three

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Datasweep, which develops and
markets real-time collaborative manufacturing technology,
said it has secured $30 million in its third round
of funding led by Integral Capital Partners. Previous
investors Mohr, Davidow Ventures and Accel Partners
also participated in the round. Datasweep said it
will use the funding to expand its operations globally.
http://www.datasweep.com/
_____________________________________________

o Applications Firm ThinkFree Closes $16 Million Series C

LAS VEGAS -- ThinkFree, developer of Web-based cross
platform office applications, said it closed its
Series C round of financing with $16 million from
lead investor Prism Venture Partners and from other
investors including the Teachers Insurance and Annuity
Association of America, McAfee, and Tredegar Investments.
ThinkFree added that there will be no board changes
as a result of the round and that it will use the
funds to expand distribution and services to partner
ASPs.
http://www.thinkfree.com/
_____________________________________________

o Web App Firm Digital Creations Closes $12 Million Series C

NEW YORK -- Digital Creations, an open source Web
application server firm, said it closed its Series
C round of financing with $12 million from lead
Whitney & Co and from other investors including
Intel 64 Fund and Opticality Ventures I. Jeff Jay,
a partner at Whitney & Co., will join Digital Creation's
board. The company said it will use the funds to
build strategic partnerships.
http://www.digicool.com/
_____________________________________________

o 3-D Screen Developer Deep Video Imaging Gets $1.9 Million

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Deep Video Imaging, which
develops 3-D monitors, said it raised NZ $5 million
($1.9 million) in its latest round of financing.
Investors in the round included Stephen Tindall
and IT Capital, an Australian venture catalyst.
The company said it will use the funding to further
develop its sales and marketing and research and
development programs. IT Capital secured an initial
40% stake in the company earlier in the year.
http://www.actualdepth.com/
_____________________________________________

o T-Venture, Bonn-Innova Take Stake in B2B Platform Xmarket

BONN, Germany -- T-Venture, a subsidiary of Deutsche
Telekom, and Bonn-Innova, a T-Venture affiliate,
said they have a combined 25.4% stake in Xmarket,
a German business-to-business purchasing platform
for industrial products. Further details of the
deal were not disclosed. Xmarket provides online
auctions, market research, and requests for tender
on its Web site free of charge.
http://www.x-market.net/

======= Bad News =======

o Top Executives Quit Divine InterVentures Subsidiary Buzz MSP

CHICAGO -- Buzz MSP, a marketing services provider
that is 80% owned by troubled incubator divine interVentures,
said that four of its top executives have left within
the last few weeks. The company's founder, president,
and CEO Karen Andre was the first to go, followed
about a week later by vice president of business
development Thomas Bush, vice president of marketing
services Mike Thompson, and HR director Kris Lonsway.
The company would not comment on the reasons for
the resignations. The resignations come as Buzz
MSP is nearing a final agreement with divine interVentures
over the relationship between the two companies,
which it expects to announce soon. Divine interVentures
laid off 43% of its development group staff last
week. The incubator said it was shifting its focus
to supporting its existing portfolio companies.
Buzz MSP said it would not rule out seeking investors
outside of divine as it seeks to grow and expand.
Divine interVentures is also one of the firm's clients.
Aluminium.com, bid4real.com, eFiltration, FiNetrics,
MeetHead, Spirian Technologies, and uBid are also
Buzz MSP clients.
http://www.buzzmsp.com/
_____________________________________________

o Professional Association Site Developer eSociety Closes

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- eSociety, a company that created
and managed Web sites and portals for trade and
professional associations, has shut down. A statement
on the company's Web site confirms the company ceased
operations, but no reason was given. The company
and its investors, Comdisco and Technology Crossover
Ventures, could not be reached for comment. The
company's closure was first reported by LocalBusiness.com.
eSociety raised second round finacing of $15.5 million
from Comdisco, individual investors, and Technology
Crossover Ventures in June.
http://www.esociety.com/
_____________________________________________

o Travel Site iExplore Lays Off Staff in Restructuring

CHICAGO -- iExplore, an online adventure travel
service, said it cut an undisclosed number of jobs
in a company restructuring. The company said jobs
that overlapped with partner National Geographic
were cut and picked up by National Geographic. The
company also said that this was a minor internal
restructuring and that reports of large and significant
layoffs were inaccurate. National Geographic holds
a 30% equity stake in iExplore. iExplore is currently
raising its third round of funding, which it said
will include all previous investors and new investors.
The company is backed by Bear Ventures, Madison
Dearborn Partners, Soros Private Equity Partners,
and Tribune Ventures. iExplore enables travelers
to do research, purchase gear, and communicate with
one another about trips around the world.
http://www.iexplore.com/

======= New Products =======

o Web Consulting Firm Venture Studio Launches EstimatesOnline

WASHINGTON -- Venture Studio, a Web consulting firm,
said it has launched EstimatesOnline, a Web-based
price quote and estimates software application for
service businesses. The company is backed by Next
Step Capital and Element 23 Studios.
http://www.venturestudio.com/
_____________________________________________

o Dutch Mobile Services Provider Wapmagic Becomes AtoBe

HAARLEM, The Netherlands -- Wapmagic, which provides
products and services for  mobile carrier networks
and devices, said it changed its name to AtoBe.
The company said it was changing its name to emphasize
a new company strategy of increasing personal independent
mobility. The company recently closed a second round
of funding for EUR 12 million ($10.3 million), bringing
its total funding raised to approximately $13 million.
The latest round was led by new investor ABN AMRO
and included Advent International and previous investor
Gilde IT Fund. AtoBe's services include strategic
consulting, applications development, hosting, and
deployment services.
http://www.atobemobile.com/
_____________________________________________

o Radix Wireless Changes Name to BeamReach Networks

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Radix Wireless, a wireless
technology firm, said it has changed its name to
BeamBeach Networks to reflect the company's development
of new broadband technologies for network service
providers. The company received $13 million in its
first round of funding from Goldman Sachs, Verizon
Communications, the Walden International Investment
Group, Sofinnova Ventures, Mitsui Private Equity,and
Siemens Mustang Ventures in March of this year.
http://www.radixwireless.com/
_____________________________________________

o Internet-Based Electronic Delivery Service NetEx Now Certia

HERNDON, Va. -- NetEx, a provider of an Internet-based
electronic delivery service, said it has changed
its name to Certia. Backers for the company include
ABS Ventures, Advantage Capital Partners, and Mina
Multimedia Telecommunications.
http://www.certia.com/

======= M&A =======

o Acquisition Agreement Between Easi and Coventus Lapses

KANATA, Ontario -- Coventus, which provides Web-based
applications and remote access services for business
travelers, said its agreement to be acquired by
U.K.-based hotel technology provider easi Solutions
has lapsed. The company said that time ran out in
final negotions on the deal, which would have seen
Coventus retain all of its employees and become
the North American division for easi Solutions.
Coventus said it was still working with easi Solutions
to put together a new acquisition agreement. Easi
Solutions, formerly PCC, is backed by Aether, Alcatel,
Market Capital, and individual investors. Coventus
is backed by Celtic House International, Hollinger
Digital, PSINet, and individual investors.
http://www.coventus.com/
http://www.easico.com/
_____________________________________________

o iKnowMed Buys CancerSource.com, Resource Site On Cancer

BERKELEY, Calif. -- iKnowMed, an electronic resource
for physicians, patients, and pharmaceutical companies,
said it has acquired CancerSource.com, an online
source for cancer information and services. The
financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
iKnowMed said it will integrate CancerSource.com
into its product suite, which provides information
and decision support to oncology healthcare professionals.
iKnowMed has received funding fromTyco Ventures,
Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, The Internet Health
Group, W.I. Harper, The Mayfield Fund, and Johnson
and Johnson Development.
http://www.iknowmed.com/
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Media Firm Streampipe.com Acquires 4ward Logic

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Streampipe.com, a provider of
streaming media production and broadcasting services
to businesses worldwide, said it has acquired 4ward
Logic, which provides customized streaming media
applications. The financial terms of the acquisition
were not disclosed. Streampipe is backed by ATC
Teleports, PSINet, Young & Rubicam and Burson-Marsteller.
http://www.streampipe.com/
http://www.4wardlogic.com/
_____________________________________________

o Web M&A Service Firm USBX Acquires Listing Service BizQuest

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- U.S. Business Exchange (USBX),
a provider of merger and acquisition services to
small and medium sized businesses, said it acquired
BizQuest, an online listing service of business
buyers, sellers, and intermediaries, for an undisclosed
amount. Fred Zirkle, chief executive officer of
BizQuest, will not remain with the new company to
focus on his other company Industrypro.com, the
parent company of BizQuest. One employee from BizQuest
is staying with the combined company, while the
other five will work full-time for Industrypro.
The acquisition brings USBX's listings to more than
13,000. USBX is funded by Carlyle Venture Partners,
Evercore Venture Partners, eCompanies Venture Group,
Jolson Merchant Partners, and Sunflower Capital.
BizQuest was self-funded.
http://www.usbx.com/

======= New Directors =======

o Network Security Firm Names Ex-NSA Director to Board

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Computer network security company
KnowledgeSentry said it named Hamilton J.M. (Mike)
McConnell, former National Security Agency  director
and current vice president of Booz-Allen, to the
company's board of directors. Mr. McConnell spent
twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy and also served
as intelligence officer for the chairman of the
joint chiefs of staff during the dissolution of
the Soviet Union and Operation Desert Storm. KnowledgeSentry
is an outsourced security services provider of real-time
network monitoring, IT security consulting, and
electronic private investigation and forensic evidence
collection. The company is backed by individual
investors and is currently raising its first round
of funding.
http://www.knowledgesentry.com/
_____________________________________________

o Research Firm FreeSamples Appoints Research Exec to Board

SAN FRANCISCO -- FreeSamples, an Internet market
research firm, said it has appointed Gregory Ellis,
vice president and general manager of Research at
online ad agnecy DoubleClick and former executive
at Opinion Research Corp. and A. C. Nielsen, to
its board as its ninth member. FreeSamples raised
$15 million in its second round of funding led by
CondeNet in April.
http://www.freesamples.com/
_____________________________________________

o Trade Site Visible Markets Names Former Bank Exec to Board

BOSTON -- Visible Markets, an online bond marketplace,
said it has named Robert P. Henderson, former chairman
of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank, to its board
as its fifth member. Visible Markets raised $12
million in its first round of funding from Greylock
Management and CEO Brian Robertson in April.
http://www.visiblemarkets.com/
_____________________________________________

o Web Tool Firm 2Ce Appoints Software Firm Founder to Board

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. -- 2Ce, a Web tool and software
firm, said it has appointed Mel Baiada, founder
of Bluestone Software and CEO of Sengen, a consulting
firm, to its board as its fourth member. 2Ce raised
its $2.75 million Series A from individual investors
in September.
http://www.2ce.com/
_____________________________________________

o eSupport Software Company Control-F1 Adds New Board Member

CALGARY, Alberta -- Control-F1, which designs technical
support delivery systems for software vendors, resellers,
outsourced support providers, and corporate help
desks, said it appointed Craig D. Goldman to its
board of directors. Mr. Goldman who is president
and CEO of Cyber Consulting Services. Backers for
Control-F1 include Launchworks.
http://www.control-f1.com/

======= New People =======

o eOriginal Appoints Former Pepsi Exec. as its New CEO

BALTIMORE -- eOriginal, which develops technology
that enables electronic creation, transmission,
storage, and retrieval of unalterable documents,
said it appointed Craig D. Jung to the position
of chief executive officer. Mr. Jung, who served
as the chief operating officer of the Pepsi Bottling
Group prior to his appointment, will be replacing
Michael H. Jordan, who will continue as chairman.
Backers for eOriginal include eWhiteBread Partners
2000, The Caroline Hunt Trust Estate, Renaissance
Capital Growth & Income Fund, Intel, GE Capital,
Hat Creek Partners, and Rosewood.
http://www.eoriginal.com/
_____________________________________________

o Former Pratt & Whitney Exec Named CEO of Codeon

COLUMBIA, Md. -- Codeon, which manufactures high-speed
optical components for the fiber optic telecommunications
industry,  said it named Robert H. Harvey as its
first chief executive officer. Mr. Harvey was senior
vice president of operations at Pratt & Whitney,
a division of United Technologies that manufactures
aircraft engines, gas turbines, and space propulsion
systems. Codeon is funded by Boulder Ventures, Grosvenor
Funds, Kinetic Ventures, New Enterprise Associates,
and Optical Capital Group.
http://www.codeoncorp.com/
_____________________________________________

o Finance Resourcer Lendx Taps Hewlett Packard Exec as CEO

SAN FRANCISCO -- Lendx, which operates a Web-based
equipment finance marketplace for corporations,
said it has appointed Craig White, former president
of Hewlett Packard Credit Corp., Hewlett Packard's
equipment finance division, as president and CEO.
He replaces interim CEO Bob Frick, who remains on
the board of directors. Lendx raised $12.5 million
in its first round of funding from Angel Investors;
Mohr, Davidow Venture Partners; and New Enterprise
Associates in April.
http://www.lendx.com/
_____________________________________________

o Agillion Names New Chief Executive Officer

AUSTIN, Texas -- Agillion, which provides online
customer acquisition and retention services, named
James M. Travers as its president and CEO and also
added him to the company's board of directors. Co-founder
Steve Papermaster will continue as chairman. Mr.
Travers was formerly president and CEO of Atlanta-based
Harbinger. Agillion's backers include Cisco Systems,
Goldman Sachs, Hambrecht & Quist, Integral Capital
Partners, Morgan Stanley, MSD Capital, Austin Ventures,
Comdisco Ventures, Insight Capital, and Watershed
Capital Pivotal Asset Management.
http://www.agillion.com/
_____________________________________________

o e-Commerce Software Firm Solution.com Names New CEO

MALVERN, Pa. -- Solution.com, a software technology
company for Internet marketplaces and e-commerce
infrastructures, said it appointed Stephen Zarrilli
as chief executive officer, replacing Christopher
Dallas-Feeney, who is no longer with the company.
Mr. Zarrilli formerly served as head of U.S. Interactive,
an Internet business professional services company.
Solution.com is backed by Emerging Growth Equities
and individual investors. The company is in the
process of finalizing its Series B round of financing.
http://www.solution.com/
_____________________________________________

o Switch & Data Facilites Names Former Alcoa Exec Pres and CEO

TAMPA, Fla. -- Switch & Data Facilities, a company
which operates an international network of carrier-neutral,
telco-grade convergent network centers, said it
named Patricia L. Higgins as president and CEO,
replacing Stephen B. Kelly, a founding investor
and board member, who will remain involved with
the company. Ms. Higgins' previous positions include
CIO and corporate vice president of Alcoa, chairman
and CEO of The Research Board, and executive vice
president of Gartner Group. She serves on the boards
of The Williams Companies, Fleet Bank, and Barnes
& Noble.com.   Switch & Data's investors include
Seaport Capital, Summit Capital Group, BancBoston
Capital, Deutsche Bank subsidiary DB Capital, A.G.
Edwards, American General Financial Group, Union
Bank, and the Tisch family.  Telephone 813-281-2831.


======= VC Fund News =======

o Murphree Venture Partners Has First Close of New Fund

HOUSTON -- Murphree Venture Partners, a venture
capital firm, said it has closed the first round
of its fifth fund, which is expected to have a final
close of $150 million to $200 million when it closes
in the second quarter of 2001. Murphree, which focuses
on investments in the Southwest, said the new fund
will be used to invest in early stage and seed-stage
companies.
http://www.murphreeventures.com/

======= VC Personnel =======

o Horizon Ventures Adds New Managing and Associate Directors

LOS ALTOS, Calif. -- Horizon Ventures, an early
stage venture capital investment firm, said it named
former vice president of marketing at Precept Software,
Douglas W. Tsui, as managing director. As an individual
investor, Mr. Tsui has also funded companies including
AudioTalk, Vertex Networks, Rapidsteam, Amplify.net,
Centrum, and m-Diversity. Horizon also said it appointed
Takashi Kameda, a former planning executive with
experience at Sun Microsystems, CRC Research Institute,
and Itochu, as an associate director.
http://www.horizonvc.com/
_____________________________________________

o New General Partner Joins St. Paul Venture Capital

MINNEAPOLIS -- St. Paul Venture Capital, an early
stage venture capital firm, said it has named David
Stassen as a general partner in the company. Mr.
Stassen was previously general partner with Upper
Lake Growth Capital, an early-stage venture fund
affiliated with St. Paul Venture Capital. Upper
Lake specializes in medical technology, information
technology and business services investments. At
St. Paul Venture Capital, Mr. Stassen will lead
the company's investments in medical technology
and healthcare companies.
http://www.stpaulvc.com/

======= VW Corrections =======

o Patricof & Co. Ventures

NEW YORK -- A story in Monday's VentureWire on the
naming of two new venture partners at Patricof &
Co. Ventures, omitted the first name of one of the
partners. His full name is Ronald F.E. Weissman.

_____________________________________________

o TenantDirect.com

NEW YORK -- An item in yesterday's VentureWire about
TenantDirect.com's second round of funding contained
a misspelled URL. The correct URL is www.tenantdirect.com.


|||||||||||||||||||| Advertisement ||||||||||||||||||||

P2P OR NOT P2P?

We've heard distributed computing and peer-to-peer networks
will change computing. But how? Dozens of companies are
making bids for pieces of the P2P pie. Some of them will
succeed, but many will fail. Industry Futures,one of five
expert panels at Technology Outlook 2000, will examine the
business plans and challenges in distributed computing:

David P. Anderson, CTO, United Devices
Shishir Mehrotra, President & CEO, Centrata
Andreas Stavropoulos, Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Steve Stephansen, President & CEO, WebV2

Only at Technology Outlook 2000:
The Future of Pervasive Computing
December 4 and 5, San Francisco
A VentureWire investment conference.
http://www.tpsite.com/tp/conf/to2000/?vw=200011143


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