VentureWire Alert <http://alert.venturewire.com> 	 For Jeffrey Dasovich, Enron 	


VENTURE 
MARKET 
SUMMARY 

	Despite the difficulties encountered by many companies that set up VC funds over the past couple years, Nestle Group, the world's largest foods company, said it will launch a corporate venture fund of up to CHF 200 million ($121 million) for investment in science and technology, particularly in food and life sciences. The fund will be run by an independent management team and will also invest in packaging and other commercial applications. Investments will include acquisitions, minority stakes, licensing, and joint ventures.

Nine companies managed to hit paydirt, bringing home approximately $76 million. Riding the biotech wave, U3 Pharma, which focuses on therapeutic products that target key components of cellular signal transduction systems, raised EUR 5 million ($4.5 million) in its Series A. Alta Partner led the round with Medicis Venture Management. BioM and individuals also ponyed up.

Although most VCs are laying low and focusing more on their golf games than looking for new deals, not everyone has gone into sleep mode. Fresh off its first acquisition, mobile enterprise software provider ViaFone's is hungry for more and is in active acquisition talks. Meanwhile RiverVest Venture Partners said it completed fund-raising for RiverVest Venture Fund I, its new $89 million venture fund that will focus on seed and early-stage deals in medical devices, specialty pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and tools for drug discovery. - By John Fuller <mailto:fuller@technologicp.com>	


The complete text of the stories below, as well as 10 additional venture-capital and private-company stories, are available today exclusively to subscribers to our new, premium service, VentureWire Professional. Find out more. <http://professional.venturewire.com/m2_professional.asp> 

EXECUTIVE SUMMIT 
The Fairmont
San Jose, CA
November 6, 2001

Executive Summit <http://events.venturewire.com/summit/>Ann Winblad
General Partner
Hummer Winblad Venture Partners


Ann started her first company in her early 20s with $500 borrowed from her brother. She sold it seven years later for $15 million. Money magazine last year identified her as one of the 50 smartest women in business and Fortune in 1998 ranked her as one of America's 50 most powerful women. Co-founder of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, which has $850 million under management, Ann has backed such winners as Wind River and PowerSoft. But she's also struggled to make a real business out of the controversial music-sharing service Napster and placed bets on such now-defunct efforts as Biztravel.com, eHow, Homes.com, Rival Networks,and Pets.com of sock-puppet fame. At VentureWire?s Executive Summit she joins Chuck McMinn of Coavd and John Walshe Murray of Murray & Murray discussing what CEOs should do when the worst case scenario turns out, in fact to be your only scenario. Register today for one of the remaining ! places.  <http://events.venturewire.com/summitEvent.asp>	

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Technology is still the future. Be there.

Never before have startups been hit so hard.  Although
the longer term outlook remains bright, companies that
don't make the right moves now won't be around to enjoy
it. So VentureWire is calling together some of the
industry's most experienced executives, investors, and
experts for a one-day summit conference on private-
company leadership in these uncertain times. You'll get
practical advice from CEOs, COOs, and CFOs who've
managed venture-backed companies in crisis, as well as
straight talk from leading venture capitalists,
investment bankers, attorneys, and specialists in HR and
PR. Technology is cyclical, we all know that; think of
this as preparation for the coming upturn.

Managing in the Downturn:
Survival Strategies for 2002
A VentureWire Executive Summit
Fairmont Hotel, San Jose
November 6, 2001

	http://events.venturewire.com/summit/default.asp <http://venturewire.com/ads/ad.asp?id=1433>
 advertise <http://alert.venturewire.com/adv.asp>
 tell a friend <http://venturewire.gazooba.com/cid1201/tellafriend.html>

VENTUREWIRE INDEX <http://venturewire.com/index.asp> VentureWire Index <http://venturewire.com/index.asp>
501.0   -1.14% 	
NOTABLE DEALS


Nestle Unwraps $121M Food and Life Sciences VC Fund	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=ILNNPOOLII>  	
VEVEY, SWITZERLAND -- Nestle Group, the world's largest foods company, said it will launch a corporate venture fund of up to CHF 200 million ($121 million) for investment in science and technology, particularly in food and life sciences. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.nestle.com> 	

BioPharm U3 Pharma Raises $4.5 Million in First Round	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=QJIHPKOLII>  	
MARTINSRIED, GERMANY -- U3 Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the creation of novel therapeutic products that target key components of cellular signal transduction systems, said it raised EUR 5 million ($4.5 million) in its Series A. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.u3pharma.com> 	

Mobile Enterprise Application Firm ViaFone Eyes Acquistions	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=LNQHPJMLII>  	
BRISBANE, CALIF. -- Fresh off its first acquisition, ViaFone, a provider of mobile enterprise software, said it is in active talks to make more, CEO Russell McMeekin told VentureWire. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.viafone.com> 	



Eluminant Technologies Raises $26M in Series A	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=QJIIMNOLII>  	
CHANTILLY, VA. -- NEC Eluminant Technologies, which develops applications to alleviate broadband delays using fiber optic technology, said it raised $26 million in its Series A. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.eluminant.com> 	

Ikanos Gets $5.1M More to Cap Series C at $30M	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=MJJKQIPLII>  	
FREMONT, CALIF. -- Ikanos Communications, a developer of broadband silicon chipsets, said it has raised an additional $5.1 million in Series C funding, bringing the round to a close at $30 million. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.ikanos.com> 	


Lighting the Path to Network Profitability

An unsteady economy cannot derail the promise of the
next generation of optical components and subsystems.
From switching technologies to DWDM components to
signal-conditioning devices to transport systems, up
to 100 companies will set the private equity platform
at VentureWire's Optical Portfolio.

Axsun Technologies, Bandwidth9, Lightchip, PhotonEx,
SpectraSwitch-just a handful of what to expect. Decide
for yourself which company has the best positioning in
the market, who is the most likely to succeed.  Register
today for one of the remaining places.

VentureWire Optical Portfolio, Boston Marriott Cambridge,
October 24 & 25, 2001
Register online at:

http://www.opticalportfolio.com <http://venturewire.com/ads/ad.asp?id=1434>

Digital Tech Firm Pinnacle Systems Acquires Fast Multimedia	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=LPPPIOOLII>  	
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. -- Pinnacle Systems, a publicly traded provider of digital technology to enable the creation, storage, distribution, and viewing of video programs, said it acquired Fast Multimedia, a Munich-based developer of Windows NT 2000-based software and hardware products for digital video editing. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.pinnaclesys.com> 
<http://www.fastmultimedia.com> 	

RiverVest Launches First Fund with $89 Million	  mail <http://alert.venturewire.com/o_mailer.asp?sid=NQQHNJPLII>  	
ST. LOUIS -- RiverVest Venture Partners said it completed fund-raising for RiverVest Venture Fund I, its new $89 million venture fund. [more.. <http://professional.venturewire.com/prostory.asp>]
<http://www.rivervest.com> 	



Unlocking the Promise of Good Science:
The Investor's Perspective

Good science does not always equate with a good
investment opportunity. Generations of investors have
been burned and rewarded for taking risks on the
potential of early-stage therapies.  The drug discovery
process is a complex combination of tests and hurdles
for young companies.  Where are the signposts for
investors?  James Reddoch of Banc America Securities
will moderate a special roundtable dedicated to drug
research and discovery at January's Healthcare Outlook
Conference.  The experience of the panelists reflects
the complex considerations of modern research and
development.  Mr. Reddoch is joined by Michael Grey of
Structural Genomix, Daniel Janney of Alta Partners,
Gary Zweiger of Agilent Technologies and Lowell Harmison,
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Department
of Health and Human Services.
Register today to guarantee your place.

Healthcare Outlook, January 22, 2002
San Francisco Airport Marriott, Burlingame, Calif.

	http://www.healthcareoutlook.com <http://venturewire.com/ads/ad.asp?id=1435>

To cancel, change, or update your subscription:
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