======================================================
        VENTUREWIRE --- Friday, September 8, 2000
======================================================
           Private Company Business News
------ Published Daily by Technologic Partners -------
           http://technologicpartners.com
======================================================

Top Stories:

o CMGI Restructures, Scraps Plans For Hicks, Muse Fund
o Fiber Optics Firm Scion Photonics Launches with $25 Million
o DLJ Leads $217.6 Million for Louis Dreyfus Communications
o Merlin Ventures Closes Second Fund With $215 Million
o Houghton Mifflin, Others Form New Ed Site with $30 Million
o Marconi Invests $86.6 Million For 15% of Netdecisions

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Also in This Issue:

     New Money:
o E-business Services Firm Instantis Gets $15 Million
o Goldman Sachs Invests $20 Million in Eze Castle Software
o $6 Million Round One for Digital Media Tech Firm MedioStream
o Intelligence Distance Learning Raises $4.5 Million Round One
o Internship Matching Service Secures $168,000 in First Round
o Real Estate Software Firm Home-Link in $25 Million Round Two
o Streaming Media Firm Luxxon Closes $21 Million Second Round
o Username & Password Memory Service Catavault Gets Seed Money
o Community Site eCircle Secures $10.4 Million Second Round
o InfrastructureWorld.com Raises $10 Million
o Online Address Book Service Ukibi Gets $7 Million Round Two
o Wireless Software Firm NetSanity Raises $20 Million Series C
o Office Supply Retailer, officeXL, Gets $3.8 Million
o New Investors Named in EqualFooting $60 Million Round Two

     New Products:
o HoustonStreet Exchange Forms Energy Trading ASP with Conoco
o E-Partnerships Service Firm CyberAlliances Announces Launch
o Software Provider ElderVision Launches E-Service For Seniors
o USMoving.com Launches ERP System for Moving Companies
o Net Radio Services Firm WWW.Com Changes Name to OnAir.com

     M&A:
o SafetyTips.com Buys APBNews.com's Assets for $575,000
o Digital Media Firm Avid Buys Video Design Company Pluto Tech
o Space.com Acquires Space Business International Magazine
o AudioHighway.com Merges With Music Hub NicheMusic.com
o CT Holdings Takes 40% of Telephony ASP Perclick
o Dentalxchange Buys Practice Management Tech Firm Dentisoft
o Fairchild Buys KOTA and a Micro Linear Unit for $12 Million
o Healthcare Technology Firm MedContrax Acquires med-ecom
o Knowledge Networks Buys Consumer Research Firm PDI
o Web Network iBoost Announces Three Acquisitions

     New Directors:
o IP Unity Elects Cisco Systems Exec to Board
o Lawrence Livermore Exec Joins Maxoptix' Board of Directors
o Innovation Works Names New Chairman
o Interior Design Firm DesignCenter360 Names New Board Members

     New People:
o Speedcom Wireless Hires BreezeCOM Co-Founder as President
o Former Virtual Info Exec. Becomes Renaissance President
o Mutual Fund Analysis Site MAXfunds.com Names New President

     VC Fund News:
o Innovacom Secures $174 Million for Latest Investment Fund
o Deutsche Post World Net Launches $45 Million Venture Fund
o Northern Venture Managers Launches $28.9 Million Fund
o Headwaters Launches Bridge Loan Financing Division Kwai

     VC Personnel:
o Ex-Nabisco CEO Ellen Miram Joins North Castle Partners as GP
o BBA Group Chief Executive Joins Clayton, Dubelier & Rice

     VW Corrections:
o Peppers and Rogers Group

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

o CMGI Restructures, Scraps Plans For Hicks, Muse Fund

ANDOVER, Mass. -- CMGI said it will restructure
its 17 majority-owned operating companies and its
venture capital arm into six lines of business,
and will eventually reduce the number of its operating
companies from 17 to 5 to 10. The six lines of business
will consist of five operational disciplines--search
and portals, infrastructure and enabling technologies,
Internet professional services, electronic business
and fulfillment, and interactive marketing--and
a venture capital arm, CMGI @Ventures. The company
will report the returns generated by CMGI @Ventures
separately from the consolidated revenues generated
by its operating companies. CMGI also said it will
integrate its three existing venture capital funds--3/4
CMGI @Ventures IV, CMGI @Ventures B2B, and CMGI
@Ventures Technology 3/4--into a single evergreen
fund called CMGI @Ventures IV. In addition, CMGI
said it will not proceed with previously announced
plans to establish an international venture fund
with Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst and PCCW. The firms
will co-invest on a more informal basis.
http://www.cmgi.com/
_____________________________________________

o Fiber Optics Firm Scion Photonics Launches with $25 Million

FREMONT, Calif. -- Optical component manufacturer
Read-Rite said it has formed Scion Photonics with
$25 million in initial funding from Tyco Ventures,
the lead investor, and Integral Capital Partners.
Read-Rite said it is contributing its wafer fabrication
facility in Milpitas, Calif., as well as technical
and management resources to the new company. The
company also said it is in discussions with several
other interested parties for further technology
and capital investment in Scion Photonics.
http://www.scionphotonics.com/
_____________________________________________

o DLJ Leads $217.6 Million for Louis Dreyfus Communications

LONDON -- Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette said it led
a EUR 250 million ($217.6 million) in Louis Dreyfus
Communications Networks. Louis Dreyfus Communications,
a subsidiary of the Louis Dreyfus Group, operates
a pan-European broadband network and provides broadband
and communications services. The company said it
will use the investment to expand its long haul
network, metropolitan rings, and data centers.
http://www.louisdreyfus.com/
http://www.dlj.com/
_____________________________________________

o Merlin Ventures Closes Second Fund With $215 Million

LONDON -- Merlin Ventures, which invests in life
sciences, biotechnology, and life science-focused
information technology companies, said it closed
a second fund with EUR 247 million ($215 million).
The fund will make investments in every stage of
a company's development, but will concentrate on
second through mezzanine funding rounds. Merlin
Ventures will typically invest as the lead investor
with an average investment size between $6 million
and $10.5 million. The fund will make investments
in companies developing new technologies in the
fields of proteomics, genomics, stem cell research,
as well as information technology companies integrating
products with traditional biotechnology applications.
The fund has backed five companies to date, investing
$6 million in Morphochem, $5.6 million in XTL Biopharmaceuticals,
$4.4 million in MicroScience, and $2.9 million in
both LiDCO and Arakis.
http://www.merlin-ventures.co.uk/
_____________________________________________

o Houghton Mifflin, Others Form New Ed Site with $30 Million

BOSTON -- Publicly traded book publisher Houghton
Mifflin, Sylvan Ventures, a subsidiary of  publicly
traded educational services firm Sylvan Learning
Systems, and venture capital firm Inception Capital
said they invested $30 million to form a joint venture,
Classwell Learning Group, an online provider of
educational resources. Sylvan Ventures provided
$15.9 million, Inception Capital invested $7.5 million,
and Houghton Mifflin contributed $7 million in cash
and additional assets valued at $8.8 million. Sylvan
Ventures and Houghton Mifflin will each take a 32%
equity stake in the company and Inception Capital
will take a 16% stake. George Logue and Ralph Sorenson
will represent Houghton Mifflin on the company's
board, which will also include David Burns of Inception
Capital, and principal Tim Daniels of Sylvan Ventures.
Classwell Learning Group will provide services,
content, and tools for student assessment, instruction,
and teacher training beginning in January of 2001.
http://www.classwell.com/
_____________________________________________

o Marconi Invests $86.6 Million For 15% of Netdecisions

LONDON -- Netdecisions Holdings, which provides
online application and development services for
traditional businesses, said it received a GBP 60
million ($86.6 million) investment from global communications
and information technology company Marconi. Following
the investment Marconi holds a 15% equity stake
in netdecisions, putting the company's value at
approximately $800 million. Marconi has also committed
to acquire additional shares resulting from the
exercise of employee stock options, the price of
which will be determined by the financial performance
of netdecisions. The investment is an extension
of the established business relationship between
the two companies. Netdecisions is a majority shareholder
of several joint ventures it undertook with partner
companies including TheFirstResort, madaboutwine.com,
and Produxion.com. The company received previous
investments from Charterhouse Development Capital
and London Merchant Securities Capital.
http://www.netdecisions.co.uk/

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

o E-business Services Firm Instantis Gets $15 Million

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Instantis, a provider of services
that enable online businesses to add interactive
features to their Web sites, said it received $15
million in its first round of funding led by new
investor JK&B Capital with new investor Goldman
Sachs and individual seed-round investors Kanwal
Rekhi and BV Jagadeesh also participating. Instantis
will use the funds for product and business development
and sales and marketing. Tom Neustaetter, an executive
member of JK&B, will join Mr. Rekhi, Mr. Jagadeesh
and Instantis CEO Prasad Raje on the board of directors.
http://www.instantis.com/
_____________________________________________

o Goldman Sachs Invests $20 Million in Eze Castle Software

BOSTON -- Eze Castle Software, which develops software
products for the global investment management industry,
said it raised $20 million in its first outside
investment from Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs managing
director Duncan Miederauer will join the company's
board of directors. The company is majority-owned
by its management. Eze Castle Software will use
the funding to enhance its infrastructure in preparation
for further company expansion. The company plans
to open offices in Stamford, Conn. and London in
the fourth quarter of 2000.
http://www.ezecastlesoftware.com/
_____________________________________________

o $6 Million Round One for Digital Media Tech Firm MedioStream

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- MedioStream, which develops
digital media technologies, said it has raised $6
million in its first round of funding from ChinaVest.
The company offers open standard video compression
software for PC OEMs and Internet service providers
and develops host signal processing (HSP) technology
for real-time MPEG-2 and digital video codecs.
http://www.mediostream.com/
_____________________________________________

o Intelligence Distance Learning Raises $4.5 Million Round One

BOSTON -- I-Group HotBank NE, a Boston-based Internet
incubator and an affiliate of Softbank, said it
led the first round of funding for Intelligence
Distance Learning (iDL) Systems, a provider of Web-based
educational services. The total raised for the round
was $4.5 million, with additional investments from
Seed Capital Partners, the Intercontinental Group,
and individual investors Prakash Bhalerao and Desh
Deshpande, founder and chairman of Sycamore Networks.
http://www.i-group.com/
_____________________________________________

o Internship Matching Service Secures $168,000 in First Round

PITTSBURGH -- USInterns.com, an online resource
that matches students seeking internships with employers,
said it has secured $168,000 in venture capital
from Western Pennsylvania Adventure Capital Fund
(WPACF). USInterns said the investment will allow
the company to seek additional funding from WPACF's
approximately 180 shareholders. With this investment,
plus follow-on funding from shareholders and others,
USInterns said it expects that this investment round
will total between $500,000 and $1 million.
http://www.usinterns.com/
_____________________________________________

o Real Estate Software Firm Home-Link in $25 Million Round Two

SHELTON, Conn. -- Home-Link Services, a provider
of Internet-enabled software for residential real
estate brokers, said it has raised $25 million in
its second round of financing. The company said
the funds will be used to develop new products and
services, complete the development of a National
Call Center for small to medium-size brokers, and
hire the necessary support staff. The financing
was provided by Canaan Partners, Whitney & Co.,
and Trilon Inc. Home-Link raised a $12.5 million
round of initial funding late last year in which
Whitney & Co. was the sole investor.
http://www.home-link.com/
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Media Firm Luxxon Closes $21 Million Second Round

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Luxxon which provides universal
visual communications and streaming media, said
it  raised $21 million in its second round of funding
from Allen & Company, Cisco Systems, Ignite Group,
Luxmi Ventures, MKS Ventures, Sony Corporation of
America, Viventures, and Zodiac Ventures. Luxxon
said the funds will allow the company to complete
product research and development and expand staffing
to support the company's technical and sales and
marketing efforts.
http://www.luxxon.com/
_____________________________________________

o Username & Password Memory Service Catavault Gets Seed Money

PHILADELPHIA -- Catavault.com, whose service enables
Internet users to gain access to sites without having
to remember their usernames and passwords for each
one, said it closed on an undisclosed amount of
seed funding from Aegis Investment Resources, an
investment company with holdings in real estate
and retail. The funds will be used for service development
and strategic partnerships. The company's other
backers include Z Group, a marketing consultancy,
and individuals.
http://www.catavault.com/
_____________________________________________

o Community Site eCircle Secures $10.4 Million Second Round

MUNICH, Germany -- Wellington Partners said it participated
in a $10.4 million second round financing for eCircle,
which enables businesses to set up discussion forums,
mailing lists or newsletters. T-Ventures, the venture
capital arm of Deutsche Telekom, the W"ssner Family,
and BHF Bank also participated. The funds will be
used for product development.
http://www.ecircle-uk.com/
_____________________________________________

o InfrastructureWorld.com Raises $10 Million

WASHINGTON -- InfrastructureWorld.com, a neutral
business-to-business portal linking sponsors, developers,
and service providers of infrastructure products,
raised $10 million from the International Finance
Corp. The company asked the International Finance
Corp. to participate in the development of strategies
to improve the stndards and frameworks used to generate
infrastructure projects. The portal covers infrastructure
development for industries including information
technology, telecommunications, transportation,
energy, and electric power. The International Finance
Corp., the investment arm of the World Bank, will
have a representative sit on the company's board
of directors. The company received previous backing
from Bechtel Enterprises Holdings.
http://www.infrastructureworld.com/
_____________________________________________

o Online Address Book Service Ukibi Gets $7 Million Round Two

NEW YORK -- Ukibi, which provides a business-to-business
address book service online, said it raised $7 million
in its second round of funding. The round was led
by Europ@web, the industrial Internet arm of the
Arnault Group. Previous investor Mars Capital also
participated. The company said it will use the funding
to further develop its infrastructure and accelerate
the deployment of its technology. The company currently
produces English, French, and German versions of
its product, with Spanish and Italian versions in
development. As a result of the financing, Jean-David
Chamboredon, technology director for Europ@web,
will take a seat on the company's board of directors.
http://www.ukibi.com/
_____________________________________________

o Wireless Software Firm NetSanity Raises $20 Million Series C

REDWOOD, Calif. -- NetSanity, which develops software
for wireless telecommunications carriers, said it
has raised $20 million in its Series C funding,
led by Argo Global Capital and previous investor
Nokia Venture Partners. Pascal Tremblay, principal
at Argo, will join NetSanity's board of directors
as a result of the investment. The new funds will
go towards product engineering and marketing.
http://www.netsanity.com/
_____________________________________________

o Office Supply Retailer, officeXL, Gets $3.8 Million

MUNICH, Germany -- Wellington partners said it contributed
to Hamburg, Germany-based officeXL's $3.8 million
funding. French insurance group AGF also participated
in the financing. OfficeXL's platform makes it possible
for small and medium size businesses to order office
supplies via the Internet. The funds will be used
for product development and expansion.
http://www.officexl.de/
_____________________________________________

o New Investors Named in EqualFooting $60 Million Round Two

DULLES, Va. -- EqualFooting.com, a business-to-business
online marketplace that provides purchasing, financing,
and shipping services to small businesses in the
manufacturing and construction industries, said
Nextel Communications, NationsRent, and Thomas Publishing
were also participants in its $60 million second
round of funding. The company announced in July
that Textron, which invested $25 million, led the
round. Safeguard Scientifics, Women's Growth Capital
Fund, and Yahoo! all joined in the round, along
with New Enterprise Associates, Capital Investors,
FBR Technology Venture Partners, Draper Richards,
and former Federal Communications Commission chairman
Reed Hundt. The company, which has raised $70 million
to date, said it would use the funds for marketing
and to develop its products and infrastructure.
http://www.equalfooting.com/

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

o HoustonStreet Exchange Forms Energy Trading ASP with Conoco

HOUSTON -- HoustonStreet Exchange, a Web portal
for the trading of wholesale energy products, said
it has formed a new company with Conoco. The new
company, which has yet to be named, will use an
ASP model to provide companies in the energy industry
with a service designed to manage online trading.
The service will enable companies to manage contracting,
scheduling, and settling of wholesale crude oil
trades. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but,
for the time being, Conoco and HoustonStreet Exchange
are the new company's only backers. The two companies
are in the process of raising a Series A funding
round for the new venture. HoustonStreet Exchange,
which is majority owned by Bay Corp.,  has received
funding from Conoco, Equiva Trading, Williams Energy
Group, Vivendi, kRoad Ventures, Thomas H. Lee, Sithe
Energies, and Motiva.
http://www.houstonstreet.com/
_____________________________________________

o E-Partnerships Service Firm CyberAlliances Announces Launch

NEW YORK -- CyberAlliances, an Internet hub that
provides partnering services for small to medium-size
technology and communications businesses, said it
has launched its site, cyberalliances.com. The site
provides a global, online alliance exchange and
an integrated suite of collaborative and information
management tools for facilitating online partnerships
among members of the exchange. The company has received
funding from individuals from Diamond Technology
Partners, Geodesic Ventures, and MasterCard International.
CyberAlliances founder Deepak Kanungo is chairman
of Geodesic Ventures. The company is raising its
first round of funding.
http://www.cyberalliances.com/
_____________________________________________

o Software Provider ElderVision Launches E-Service For Seniors

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- ElderVision, a software and electronic
services company focusing on the senior market,
has launched its new interactive TouchTown service.
The service enables seniors to shop, e-mail, and
access news and information on the Web without having
to use a traditional mouse and keyboard computer.
The company is conducting field trials with three
established Pittsburgh retirement communities, with
a group of seniors ranging in age from 70 to 82.
The company hopes to encourage increased Internet
use among seniors unaccustomed to point-and-click
navigation and Web surfing through its software
and Internet touch-screen. Initial funding in ElderVision
was obtained from individual investors.
http://www.eldervision.net/
_____________________________________________

o USMoving.com Launches ERP System for Moving Companies

NEW YORK -- USMoving.com, which operates an online
resource and exchange for the moving industry, said
it launched its first, core product, an ASP-delivered
ERP system and marketplace. The new product enables
moving companies to manage logistics, operations,
and sales and provide pricing information, planning,
and tracking services online. The new product will
be used by the company's network of partners. USMoving.com
is backed by individual investors.
http://www.usmoving.com/
_____________________________________________

o Net Radio Services Firm WWW.Com Changes Name to OnAir.com

LOS ANGELES -- WWW.Com, a provider of online radio
programming and content encoding infrastructure
services, said it changed its name to OnAir Streaming
Networks. The company plans to partner with an as-yet
undetermined company to use the www.com URL for
a new service. OnAir.com completed its third round
of funding in May with $30.1 million from Carlton
Communications, Synapse Capital and Transamerica
Business Credit.
http://www.onair.com/

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

o SafetyTips.com Buys APBNews.com's Assets for $575,000

WALTHAM, Mass. -- New APB News, a wholly owned subsidiary
of SafetyTips.com, said it purchased the assets
of APBnews.com, the crime, criminal justice, and
safety news site operated by APB Online, in an auction
held by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for $575,000.
Last month, SafetyTips.com, which provides companies
and individual users with safety information, withdrew
an earlier offer to buy APBnews.com for $950,000
when the company's creditors, owed an estimated
$7 million, reportedly criticized the price as too
low. APBnews.com, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection for the last two months, was backed Storie
Partners, Galleon Partners, and J&W Seligman. SafetyTips.com
is backed by Rare Medium Group and Apollo Management.
http://www.apbnews.com/
http://www.safetytips.com/
_____________________________________________

o Digital Media Firm Avid Buys Video Design Company Pluto Tech

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands -- Publicly traded Avid
Technology, a provider of digital media creation
and distribution services, said it has acquired
the assets of Pluto Technologies International,
a provider of video storage and networking solutions
for broadcast news, post-production, and other bandwidth-intensive
markets. Financial terms of the transaction were
not disclosed. Avid said that Pluto's staff will
remain in Boulder, Colorado. Prior to the acquisition,
Pluto received funding from the Centennial Funds,
Asia-Pacific Ventures, Awida Ventures, Microsoft,
and Roser Ventures.
http://www.avid.com/
http://www.plutotech.com/
_____________________________________________

o Space.com Acquires Space Business International Magazine

NEW YORK -- Space.com, a provider of space exploration
and astronomy content, news and educational information,
said it has acquired the business-to- business space
publication, Space Business International. The companies
did not disclose financial details on the transaction.
Space.com, which also acquired its rival SpaceWatch.com,
is backed by Blue Chip Venture, Greylock, PaineWebber,
SpaceVest, Venrock Associates, and NBC.
http://www.space.com/
_____________________________________________

o AudioHighway.com Merges With Music Hub NicheMusic.com

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- AudioHighway.com, a publicly
traded information and entertainment Internet company,
said it has signed a letter of intent to merge with
privately-held NicheMusic.com, a music hub specializing
in world music. Under the terms of the transaction,
audiohighway.com will merge with nicheMusic.com
and its online and offline properties in an all-stock
transaction. Financial details of the deal were
not disclosed. The merger is subject to shareholder
approval and is slated for completion by the end
of the year. NicheMusic.com is backed by Pinnacle
Systems, Great Eagle Limited, and individual investors.
http://www.nichemusic.com/
http://www.audiohighway.com/
_____________________________________________

o CT Holdings Takes 40% of Telephony ASP Perclick

DALLAS -- CT Holdings, an incubator of early stage
Internet services companies, today announced that
it will acquire approximately 40% of Perclick.com,
an application service provider that provides network,
customer, and financial management services for
the Internet Protocol telephony market. The companies
did not disclose financial terms of the deal but
said they expect to close the transaction within
the next 30 days. Perclick will maintain facilities
in Omaha and Dallas. The Perclick board will include
three designees of CT Holdings: Steve Solomon, Larry
Lacerte, and Phil Romano. Additional directors will
be announced later.
http://www.perclick.com/
http://www.ct-holdings.com/
_____________________________________________

o Dentalxchange Buys Practice Management Tech Firm Dentisoft

IRVINE, Calif. -- Dentalxchange.com, a provider
of Internet-based tools and e-commerce technology
for dentists, said it acquired Dentisoft, a dental
practice management software company, for an undisclosed
amount of cash and stocks. The acquisition is Dentalxchange.com's
second; the first was Dental Connect in November
1999. Dentalxchange will continue to sell Dentisoft's
desktop management system of the same name. Dentisoft's
president, Samir Kothari, is now vice president
of practice management applications for Dentalxchange.
Dentalxchange is backed by J.H. Whiney & Co. and
Bessemer Venture Partners.
http://www.dentisoft.com/
http://www.dentalxchange.com/
_____________________________________________

o Fairchild Buys KOTA and a Micro Linear Unit for $12 Million

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine -- Fairchild Semiconductor
International announced it has acquired KOTA Microcircuits,
which designs and markets high-speed amplifiers
and the power management division of analog technology
firm Micro Linear, for a total of $21 million in
cash and stocks. Fairchild, which focuses on designing,
manufacturing, and marketing high performance semiconductors
for multiple end market use, said the acquisitions
strengthen its analog business. KOTA is backed by
individual investors.
http://www.fairchildsemi.com/
_____________________________________________

o Healthcare Technology Firm MedContrax Acquires med-ecom

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- MedContrax, a provider of healthcare
information and network software and services, said
it acquired all of the assets of med-ecom, which
provides transaction processing and reporting services
to the healthcare industry, for an undisclosed amount
of cash and stocks. Most of the employees have been
retained and med-ecom will function as a wholly-owned
subsidiary, MedContrax said. MedContrax's investors
include Salix Ventures, Pacific Venture Group, Cardinal
Partners, and Oxford Biosciences. Backers for med-ecom
include Salix Ventures, Acacia Partners, and Prism
Venture Partners.
http://www.medcontrax.com/
_____________________________________________

o Knowledge Networks Buys Consumer Research Firm PDI

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Knowledge Networks, a marketing
information firm, said it has acquired Promotions
Decisions (PDI), a consumer purchase tracking company,
for an undisclosed amount. Knowledge Network said
the acquisition, its third in six months, gives
it access to  PDI's consumer database and its relationships
with nationwide retailers. Knowledge Networks is
backed by Oak Investment Partners, Alloy Ventures,
Meritech Capital Partners, Oak Hill Partners, Stanford
University, and the Washington Post.
http://www.knowledgenetworks.com/
_____________________________________________

o Web Network iBoost Announces Three Acquisitions

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- iBoost, which operates
a network of Web sites that provide vertical content
channels with news, information, products and Web
development tools, said it acquired FitnessLink.com,
an online fitness publication; Associate-It.com,
a portal for associate programs; and W3Nation.com,
a site for Web developers. iBoost did not disclose
financial terms of the deals. The three Web sites
will provide iBoost with content. iBoost has received
funding from Softbank Venture Capital.
http://www.iboost.com/

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

o IP Unity Elects Cisco Systems Exec to Board

MILPITAS, Calif. -- IP Unity, a provider of voice
infrastructure products that enable voice, data,
and Web integration services for next generation
networks, said it has elected Jayshree Ullal to
its board of directors. Ms. Ullal, a vice president
and general manager at Cisco Systems, was elected
due to her experience in the integration of voice,
data, and Web-based technologies and services. Ms.
Allul becomes the fifth member on IP Unity's board
of directors. IP Unity recently closed its Series
B round of funding with $12 million. The company
is backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Battery
Ventures, and New Enterprise Associates.
http://www.ipunity.com/
_____________________________________________

o Lawrence Livermore Exec Joins Maxoptix' Board of Directors

FREMONT, Calif. -- Maxoptix, a developer of optical
data storage technology, said it has appointed Spiros
Dimolitsas to its board of directors. Mr. Dimolitsas
is the senior engineering executive at Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory. There are now seven
members on Maxoptix' board. Maxoptix recently raised
a $16 million second round and has raised a total
of $26 million. Investors in Maxoptix include Smart
Technology Ventures, the company's lead backer;
Hunt Ventures, the venture capital unit of Hunt
Oil; Lakefield Ventures; Odyssey Capital; and individual
investor H.T. Ardinger Jr.
http://www.maxoptix.com/
_____________________________________________

o Innovation Works Names New Chairman

PITTSBURGH -- Innovation Works, a nonprofit, community-funded
investment organization that invests in firms which
develop technology products for high-growth markets,
said it appointed Sandy Ferguson to succeed William
Hulley as its chairman of the board. Mr. Ferguson
was previously the president and COO of Solutions
Consulting.  Mr. Hulley, principal with Adams Capital
Management, served as Innovation Works chairman
since January 1999. Companies funded by Innovation
Works include computer hardware company Transvision,
computer software firm Mobot, and IT companies Digital
MC, Discovery 123, and Wireless Data Edge.
http://www.innovationworks.org/
_____________________________________________

o Interior Design Firm DesignCenter360 Names New Board Members

NEW YORK -- DesignCenter360, an online service provider
for the interior design trade industry, said it
appointed two new members to its board of directors:
Nextel Communications founder Christopher Rogers,
and James Carpenter, the managing general partner
of Riverside Management Group. Backers for DesignCenter360
include Riverside Management Group and individual
investors.
http://www.dc360.com/

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

o Speedcom Wireless Hires BreezeCOM Co-Founder as President

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Speedcom Wireless, a manufacturer
of broadband wireless products, said it has appointed
Bruce Sanguinetti as its first president. Prior
to joining Speedcom, Mr. Sanguinetti co-founded
and served as president of BreezeCOM, a developer
and manufacturer of wireless Internet, networking,
and data communication products. Prior to his involvement
with BreezeCOM, Mr. Sanguinetti served as vice president
of sales and marketing with Solectek Corporation,
a wireless equipment manufacturer. Speedcom is backed
by 160 individual investors.
http://www.speedlan.com/
_____________________________________________

o Former Virtual Info Exec. Becomes Renaissance President

ATLANTA -- Renaissance Interactive Holding, a provider
of strategic Internet services, said it named Keith
Sturges as president. Mr. Surges assumes the position
from company founder Rich Cannon, who will remain
chairman and CEO. Mr. Sturges previously served
as vice president of sales and operations at Virtual
Information Systems, a Web design training development
company. Renaissance recently received $16 million
in its first round of funding. The company is backed
Winston Partners, Thayer Capital, Robinson Humphrey,
EGL Holdings, and individual investors.
http://www.ricommunity.com/
_____________________________________________

o Mutual Fund Analysis Site MAXfunds.com Names New President

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Mutual funds analysis site MAXfunds.com
said it named Jim Atkinson, former managing director
of Investec Asset Management US Limited, as president.
Investors for MAXfunds.com include Arbor Partners
and EDF Ventures. MAXfunds launched in February
2000.
http://www.maxfunds.com/

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

o Innovacom Secures $174 Million for Latest Investment Fund

PARIS -- Innovacom, the venture capital division
of publicly traded France Telecom, said it secured
EUR 200 million ($174 million) for Innovacom 4,
its latest investment fund. The new fund will invest
in spin-offs from telecommunication companies' research
and development laboratories and will increase the
firm's focus on wireless Internet products and services
beyond companies associated with France Telecom.
France Telecom subscribed 15% of the new fund, with
85% taken by international investors AGF Private
Equity, CDC/Fondinvest, CIC, GIC, Societe Generale/SGAM,
and Vontobel Private Equity.
http://www.francetelecom.com/
_____________________________________________

o Deutsche Post World Net Launches $45 Million Venture Fund

BONN -- Deutsche Post World Net, a German logistics
concern, said it launched a DM 100 million ($45
million) venture fund. The fund, called Deutsche
Post Ventures, will make investments in startup
companies in the information technology and online
logistics services industries. The company said
the fund was a strategic maneuver to establish contacts
with e-businesses that could become future partners
in the industry. The fund has not named a managing
director, but will appoint one by December.
http://www.postag.de/
_____________________________________________

o Northern Venture Managers Launches $28.9 Million Fund

EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Northern Venture Managers,
an private equity investor, said it launched a new
$28.9 million venture capital trust. The trust will
invest in AIM new issues, pre-flotation placements,
and later-stage venture capital investments. The
company will manage the proceeds of the issue through
Edinburgh Fund Managers, which acquired Northern
Venture Managers in June. Northern Venture Managers
has two previous venture capital trusts, Northern
Venture Trust and Northern 2 VCT. The fund will
make investments of less than $7.2 million. Telephone
44-131-260-1000.
_____________________________________________

o Headwaters Launches Bridge Loan Financing Division Kwai

LEHI, Utah -- Headwaters, a publicly traded company
that operates a synthetic fuel business and an accelerator
business, said it launched Kwai Financial, a provider
of bridge loans to early-stage technology firms.
The loans normally mature within 90 to 180 days
and will focus on technology and infrastructure
companies between seed and first or second rounds
of funding. Kwai will specialize in companies related
to application services, Internet commerce, infrastructure
services, networking equipment, and software. Kwai
has so far initiated five loans, ranging from $200,000
to $500,000, and was a co-lender and an investor
in bridge loan fund Venture Bridge. Telephone 310-451-7181.


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

o Ex-Nabisco CEO Ellen Miram Joins North Castle Partners as GP

GREENWICH, Conn. -- North Castle Partners, a private
equity firm focused in investing in the healthy
living and aging sectors, said Ellen R. Miram, former
president and CEO of Tropicana and Nabisco Biscuit
Company, joined the firm as a general partner. Prior
to joining North Castle, Ms. Miram briefly served
as the president of a startup business-to-business
exchange for the food and beverage industry.
http://www.northcastlepartners.com/
_____________________________________________

o BBA Group Chief Executive Joins Clayton, Dubelier & Rice

NEW YORK -- Clayton, Dubelier & Rice, a global private
equity investor, said Roberto Quarta, chief executive
officer of the BBA Group, will join the firm early
next year. Mr. Quarta has served as the chief executive
of BBA since 1993. In addition to his management
position with BBA, Mr. Quarta also sits on the boards
of PowerGen and Equant. Clayton, Dubelier & Rice
has committed over $1 billion in equity since 1998.
The company's portfolio includes Italtel, ICO-Teledesic,
Fairchild Dornier Corp., and Schulte GmbH.
http://www.cdr-inc.com/

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

o Peppers and Rogers Group

NEW YORK -- An item in yesterday's VentureWire about
the new CEO of Peppers and Rogers Group, a management
consulting firm that founded a venture capital group,
1 to 1 Venture Partners, incorrectly listed the
relationship between the company and 1 to 1 Venture
Partners. The venture group is now managed independently.


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