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News About The Netpreneur Program

1. SHOW ME THE MONEY? ... SHOW ME THE PLAN!
Susan Williams DeFife of the Women's Connection On Line, called it a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to get the information they need and to network with the people they need to know. Nearly 400 eager people from the Greater Washington, D.C. netpreneur community came together last night to learn what investors look for in deciding which start-up firms will attract their money. This forum on "Positioning Your Company for Early-Stage Financing" was put together by The Netpreneur Program , to create an interactive opportunity for netpreneurs to learn what to look for in an investor and how to position their business for successful investment and growth. Between extensive before-and after networking sessions, the evening offered insights from prominent figures in the region's netpreneur community, including David Gladstone, author of the Venture Capital Handbook and Venture Capital Investing; John Burton, Partner in Updata, Inc. and previous CEO of Legent Corporation; Charles Heller, Director of The Michael D. Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland; John May, founder and Executive Director of the Private Investor's Network (PIN); Mario Morino, co-founder of Morino Associates; Chuck Stein, former Chairman and CEO of Netrix; as well as special guests from area investment groups. Was it worthwhile? Chris Charuhas of Info. Design praised the meeting for making it clear what investors are looking for and saving him at least "two months of running around" to get the information he needed. Find out the whole story at (http://www.netpreneur.org/funding/earlystage/apr30.html).

2. EARLY STAGE FINANCING AT THE NETPRENEUR EXCHANGE
We've captured the excitement of last night's "Positioning Your Company for Early Stage Financing " event with a new section on the Netpreneur Exchange. Look up any of the 400+ attendees and read some great articles and resources. Even more, you can help keep the momentum going by participating in the early-stage discussion group. Share your views, questions, knowledge and experiences with colleagues in our netpreneur community. Visit (http://netpreneur.org/earlystage) for all the details and discussions. And there's more at the Exchange. Esther Smith, founder of Washington Technology, adds her own brand of insight in an exclusive review of Red Herring's Web Market West. Read her comments about the industry in general and financing in particular at: (http://netpreneur.org/funding/estherspeaks/wmw1.html).

3. AN EVENING WITH THE BARONS
Last night's "Positioning" event was just the beginning. On Thursday, June 12 you can meet the original netpreneurs: Jim Kimsey (founder of AOL), Bill Melton (founder of CyberCash), Mario Morino (founder of Legent Corp.), and Russ Ramsey (founder of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co.). They are the people TechCapital magazine has called, the "Barons of the Beltway" and they have helped pave the way for new digital age businesses. In "An Evening With The Barons" you can meet these four pioneers during a two-hour, face-to-face dialogue in Washington, DC. This interactive event is part of a series of discussions, sponsored by the Netpreneur Program, between area CEOs, netpreneurs and aspiring netpreneurs. It's a chance to learn about the expanding role of netpreneurs in the digital economy, to explore opportunities and to get answers to YOUR questions about starting and succeeding in a netpreneurial endeavor from the people who have been there. The evening is co-sponsored by the Netpreneur Program and TechCapital, the new publication on business and finance for Greater Washington's high-tech community. For more information, or to register, visit (http://netpreneur.org/barons) or email (barons@netpreneur.org). We'll continue to inform you about developments on this historic event.

4. IPO BREAKFAST COMING MAY 6
Still got some time on your hands? Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., Inc. (FBR) and the Netpreneur Program are sponsoring a breakfast seminar to discuss the IPO process. Also covered will be syndicate and market making, the importance of research coverage, the investor perspective, venture capital and pre-IPO financing and the CFO perspective. This breakfast seminar will be from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM on Tuesday, May 6, at the Hyatt Regency, Reston Town Center. Please RSVP to FBR by calling 703-312-9670 or contact (csouliotis@fbr.com) for more info.

5. ONE WITH PINK FROSTING AND SPRINKLES, PLEASE
Wait, there's more! Coopers & Lybrand LLP will host the next Netpreneur Program Coffee & DoughNets session on May 16th at 7:30 AM at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC. Coffee & DoughNets is an information and networking session for netpreneurs and the investment community which is regularly booked solid, so be sure to register quickly on the Netpreneur Exchange at (http://netpreneur.org/doughnets).

Regional Netpreneurs

1. ADFINITY ENHANCES INTERNET DIRECT MARKETING
(Alexandria, VA) Intelligent Interactions (http://www.adinfinity.com) released Adfinity, a product for managing and delivering high-volume direct marketing campaigns on the Internet. Designed for the needs of large, sophisticated Web sites, the company says Adfinity can target, deliver and track tens of thousands of direct marketing messages across millions of Internet viewers without slowing down a large site's performance. Already in use by Web sites including The Motley Fool and E*Drive, Adfinity is capable of delivering any type of multimedia content and generates comprehensive demographic profiles by matching information against an advertiser's and/or third-party databases.

2. OUTREACH PROVIDES COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCING
(Columbia, MD) OutReach Technologies (http://www.outreachtech.com), a provider of real-time collaborative conferencing solutions, announced shipment of CONFERease 100, a conferencing server package based on Microsoft NetMeeting 2.0. The product is a Windows NT Server-based application that simplifies scheduling, participation and application sharing for voice and PC conferences. The NetMeeting 2.0 application-sharing component enables CONFERease participants to view and edit each other's applications during online conferences. OutReach Technologies is a division of Communication Systems Technology, Inc. (CSTI), a developer of wide-area audio conferencing, audio/data switching and remote radio control systems for the federal marketplace.

3. N-GAGE BRINGS CONSUMER INCENTIVES TO INTERNET MARKETING
(Washington, DC) Emaginet, Inc. (http://www.emaginet.com) released N-GAGE, a technology designed to create and distribute multiple targeted incentives (e-centives) such as discounts, rebates and award points. The N-GAGE Server and its associated e-centives Activator enables companies to identify qualified customers, motivate purchases and build customer loyalty. "All aspects of an e-centives campaign are tracked and measured, from the initial launch to the actual sale of the product or service, creating the first closed loop marketing system on the Internet." says Emaginet Executive VP, Dadi Akhavan. Consumers download the e-centives Activator and register their profiles. They can select to receive e-centives for various categories such as travel, computers and entertainment, and subcategories like vacation packages to the Caribbean, notebook PCs and local dining. E-centives can be collected by visiting participating Web sites, clicking on banner ads enabled with the e-centives technology, through various push technologies or other methods. They can be electronically redeemed at the site or used off the Internet by printing out savings certificates or promotional coupons. Development is in progress to enable e-centives to be electronically downloaded onto smart cards or linked to credit cards.

4. FIND FEDERAL CONTRACT PARTNERS AT GOVCON
(Rockville, MD) GovCon, Inc. introduced a new service to help businesses find appropriate teaming partners and subcontractors called Contractor Profiles. Embedded in GovCon's (http://www.govcon.com) Web site display of announcements from Commerce Business Daily (CBD), a daily publication which contains bidding information for every large federal procurement opportunity, is a Teaming/Subcontracting button. Clicking on that button shows a list of companies that provide products and/or services specifically for that announcement. Clicking on a company's name displays their corporate resume including capabilities, business opportunities sought, major clients and contracts and a corporate snapshot with contact information. Partners can also be found through GovCon's online search by entering an SIC code, geographic location, minority or small business status or other criteria.

5. GET TO POTOMAC MILLS IN UNDER 30 SECONDS
(Reston, VA) Nascent Technologies, Inc. and Digital City-Washington have launched a redesigned Web site for Potomac Mills Mall , the number one tourist destination in the State of Virginia. Potomac Mills will use its site to increase traffic and sales for the Mall. Nascent Technologies created and implemented the site to be a seamless, informational composite about the Mall and its stores. Nascent Technologies (http://www.nascent.com) provides life-cycle Internet development and strategic consulting services with a strong focus on graphically appealing and highly functional Web sites.

6. TELEGRAFIX RELEASES RIPtel VISUAL TELNET BROWSERS
(Winchester, VA) TeleGrafix Communications Inc. is now shipping the commercial version of RIPtel Visual Telnet, an Internet browser that graphically accesses Telnet sites. The company says that the technology eliminates the need to convert information from legacy mainframe systems to Web format, thus potentially saving millions of dollars in data conversion and intranet costs. RIPtel is compatible with Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and NT and can be launched from within Web browsers or as a stand-alone Telnet browser. RIPtel is based on RIPscrip technology that has become the de facto graphical imaging standard of the computer bulletin board industry. It supports graphics and animation at significantly smaller file sizes. TeleGrafix soon will release RIPscrip plug-ins for Netscape and Microsoft Web browsers that permit the viewing of inline RIPscrip images embedded into Web pages as a substitute for slower GIF images. A free 60-day trial version of RIPtel can be downloaded from TeleGrafix's Web site at (http://www.telegrafix.com).

7. BTG WILL LINK GOVERNMENT TO CYBERSPACE
(Fairfax, VA) BTG, Inc. (Nasdaq: BTGI) announced that it has been selected by the US General Services Administration (GSA) for the $600 million CINEMA program to acquire Internet access, electronic mail and electronic commerce services for the entire federal government. The contract, which was awarded to BTG and one other contractor, IBM's Advantis, has a contract base period of two years with options to extend the contract for an additional three years. BTG (http://www.btg.com) estimates potential revenue to the company at $200 million over five years. The company said its subcontractors on the program include UUNet, which will provide Internet access; and Sterling Commerce, which will work on e-mail and electronic commerce services. CINEMA (Electronic Commerce, INternet, and Electronic Mail Access Services) is a program of the Federal Telecommunications Service (FTS), which provides technology to Federal agencies.

8. DISCOVERY LAUNCHES PLANET EXPLORER SITE
(Bethesda, MD) Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI) is launching the Planet Explorer Web site (http://www.planetexplorer.com) as the cornerstone of a new Planet Explorer entertainment line. The line will incorporate CD-ROM, online, television and retail to bring the world's exotic places to consumers. The site features S?lam: The Secret Language, a game of revenge and intrigue in six episodes, with a new episode premiering monthly. The first mission is to travel to Istanbul, Turkey, assuming the character of a courier who handles high-risk delivery assignments. In addition to the game, the site features a comprehensive reference section providing artwork and background information on the culture, history and geography of featured locations. Planet Explorer's first TV feature will be an original production called Intrigue in Istanbul premiering in October.

Partnerships

1. BT, MCI AND SCITEX TO BUILD GLOBAL GRAPHIC ARTS NETWORK
(Washington, DC) BT, MCI (Nasdaq: MCIC) and Scitex Corporation (Nasdaq: SCIFX) announced an alliance to develop and test a range of advanced network-based applications for the global graphic arts and printing industries. The companies are intensifying a joint development program to explore major business opportunities in the sector. The core of the proposed new service is a secure, high capacity, managed communications platform -- the Digital Graphic Network (DGN). Based on the existing BT/MCI global backbone, DGN will support a variety of specialized applications covering key stages of the graphic arts digital workflow, from image capture to printing. Applications currently being considered for early introduction include remote file transfer, advertisement delivery, remote proofing, distributed printing and high resolution image access and transfer. International coverage will be a major feature. Pilot service, planned for later this year, will connect users in the UK, France, Germany and the US and eventually will be extended to the remainder of Western Europe, the Far East and Australasia. Full rollout is planned for early 1998.

1. HALIFAX RECOGNIZED FOR WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
(Alexandria, VA) Halifax Interactive Group, an element of Halifax Corp., received a merit award at the Richmond Ad Club's Richmond Show for its interactive design and development of Ukrop's Super Markets Web site (http://www.ukrops.com). The awards are presented annually for exemplary work in advertising design and media. The Ukrop's site uses original illustrations, interactive Java, and dynamic posting. Its primary purpose is to provide customers with information on store activities and new services.

Funding & Finance News

1. I-CAP INTRODUCES ONLINE STOCK TRADING
(Tampa, FL) Scheduled to open today, I-CAP (http://www.i-cap.com) claims to be "the first company to offer publicly traded companies the opportunity for their stockholders to buy and sell their shares via the Internet." Due to recent rule changes from the SEC, stock can be bought and sold over the Internet without a broker. Real Goods Trading Corp., (http://www.realgoods.com) is the first company on board, and I-CAP says 19 other companies will begin trading stock on opening day.

2. VCs LIKE NET TOOL AND APPLICATION MAKERS
Companies providing tools and services that ease and enhance use of the Internet have become prized targets for IT venture capitalists. As high-technology users run into various difficulties and snares, they need offerings that can help the much-vaunted technologies they're using live up to their billing. The makers of such problem-solving technologies are the tech companies venture capitalists currently view with the most promise, according to an InformationWeek (4-14-97) (http://www.informationweek.com) report. The Internet represents a key technology area in which the trend is quite visible. According to a national venture-capital survey by Price Waterhouse LLP (http://www.pw.com/vc), VCs funded 88 Net-related deals in the fourth quarter of last year, compared with only four at the beginning of 1995. The actual funding figures for that time, according to the survey, rose to $332.2 million, versus the earlier $7.6 million. Price Waterhouse further notes that funding has slowed for the once-popular content companies in the Net market. Now, the firm says, businesses that focus on tools and applications for the Net are the ones catching investors' eyes. One hot segment appears to be the market for tools that can help companies migrate from client-server setups to intranets. Marimba (http://www.marimba.com), which makes technology for distributing and automatically updating software, is one tool maker targeting the segment. Marimba has received $4 million in backing from the Java Fund of Kleiner Perkins Byers & Caufield. Another Java Fund company is Netiva (http://www.netiva.com), which concentrates on Java-based application tools. Actuate Software, which has received backing from several investment sources, is working on a report-generation system for client-server and intranet systems. Companies that make tools for measuring and analyzing Web use are also high on VC lists. NetGravity (http://www.netgravity.com), which develops software for managing ad delivery to Web sites, has been backed by Hummer Winblad Venture Partners (http://www.humwin.com). Accrue Software (http://www.gauge.com), which is working on enhancing the analysis of Web site use, has received funding from CKS Group Inc. Also, Firefly Network Inc., which monitors Web activity and then reports on it to marketers, has secured more than $18 million in funding from various investors. (Copyright Information, Inc. courtesy MCI)

Quick Hits

1. THE BUSINESS OF NETWORKED ECONOMIES AND COMMUNITIES
The Digital Insight program (June 1-2 in Atlanta, GA) offers a blend of technical insight, entrepreneurial daring, design aesthetics, biology, sociology, community psychology and business sense. They have assembled an impressive array of discussions, speakers and presentations, including sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson, who will talk about the relationship between business decision-making and the lessons of sociobiology; architect and sustainable design innovator William McDonough; and business strategists James Moore ("The Death of Competition") and John Hagel ("Net Gain"). Sessions include chat and community entrepreneurs on "The Metrics of the Networked Business" and "Making Rules: Networked Spaces as Work and Marketplaces." Network culture builders, from dating service Match.com and Net Noir (the "soul of the Web" community for African-Americans) will explain the decisions that led to successful, tightly-bonded customer relationships. Creators of community technologies, like Mark Pesce, co-creator of VRML; Peter Yoakum of eChannel; and Mike Templeman of netPodium will explain the aesthetics and practical issues that led to their inventions. Complete conference program and registration information is at . Conference organizers are offering Netpreneur News subscribers a discount of $200 off the regular registration price of $1,495. To receive the discount, register by calling 617-433-1650 and be sure to identify yourself as "a friend of Digital Insight." Digital Insight is associated with Spring COMDEX (June 1-5), so registration includes carte blanche access to everything at COMDEX including The Upside Investors Conference; Windows World; the Summer Consumer Electronics Show; EXPO COMM USA and the conferences associated with each trade show.

2. AL GORE'S TECHNOLOGY CZAR TO SPEAK MAY 6
Greg Simon, Vice President Gore's former chief domestic policy advisor on economic, science and technology issues, will give a talk titled "INTERgeNETics: Forces Evolving the Net." He will discuss the "DNA" of the Internet--the basic "genetic" factors that have defined the Internet from its birth, and how they are evolving, focusing on education, regulation, commerce and culture. Co-sponsored by the New Media Society of Washington and the American Marketing Association, details are available at (http://sylph.com/temp/may.htm)

Upcoming Events

For more information on these and other regional events of interest to netpreneurs and funders, visit the Netpreneur Exchange calendar at (http://netpreneur.org/calendar/calendar.htm).

May 2----NVTC Capital Region Technology Investor Conference Breakfast Panel
May 6----CyberSuds -- New Media Society
May 6----INTERgeNETics: Forces Evolving the Net
May 6----FBR-PKW IPO Breakfast Seminar
May 7----Protecting Intellectual Property and Profiting from Licensing
May 7----THE BOTTOM LINE- Free Brown Bag Briefing
May 7----The Entrepreneur on the Internet
May 13---Financial Management Strategies for Small Businesses
May 13---Women's Business Speaker Series Event
May 17---Seminar - PC Security
May 18---Rehabilitation Technology Assoc. Training Symposium
May 20---Introduction to Business Ownership
May 21---Debt & Equity: Striking The Perfect Balance
May 28---DCIDA Meeting: Netscape's Palomar
May 28---Introduction to Business Ownership
May 30---Internet Training: Basic Principles of Web Page Design