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News About The Netpreneur Program

1. A HOME FOR THE BARONS
With over 200 registrations already, our upcoming June 12th Evening With The Barons is becoming another hit. The big news is that we have found a site suitable for our anticipated audience: the Mayflower Hotel at 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW in Washington, DC.

Meet four original pioneers of netpreneurship: 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.), during a two-hour, face-to-face dialogue. This is a chance to learn-- from people who have been there-- 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. The event, to be held on Thursday, June 12 from 6:30 - 9:00 pm, is co-sponsored by the Potomac KnowledgeWay Netpreneur Program and TechCapital magazine, 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).

2. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON EARLY STAGE FUNDING
Did you miss the Netpreneur Program's April 30 forum on Positioning Your Company for Early Stage Financing? Not to worry. We've made a transcript available at (http://netpreneur.org/funding/earlystage/transcript.html). You can read the transcripts online or download text or pdf versions. Once you've read the transcript, bring your opinions, questions or additional information to the Early Stage discussion group at (http://netpreneur.org/funding/earlystage/discuss.html) where the conversation continues.

3. NETPRENEURS AND EXPERTS ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
One place in particular where the Internet is challenging traditional practices is in intellectual property issues like copyrights, trademarks and patents. There's a lot of uncertainty about how the laws apply in cyberspace, but now you can catch up on current thinking through resources and discussion on intellectual property issues. The Intellectual Property Resource Center went live earlier today on the Netpreneur Exchange. At its core is an email-based discussion group where you can exchange info with other netpreneurs and practicing IP attorneys, and we've also packed these pages with articles, links, and a list of local IP practitioners. The Center is managed by Evan Smith, a partner with Sixbey, Friedman, Leedom & Ferguson, P.C. Jump over to (http://netpreneur.org/advisors/ip/).

Regional Netpreneurs

1. LOCALEYES LAUNCHES REGIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTORIES
(McLean, VA) LocalEyes Corp. launched its site (http://www.localeyes.com), a local search engine and business directory service created to enable consumers to locate information about businesses, products and services in more than 2,000 virtual business communities. These business communities are based on recognized geographic markets throughout the US. LocalEyes links business listings to Web addresses using five different proprietary GeoTopic technologies to find local business and filter out personal pages. At launch, more than 300,000 of the 11,000,000 listings within the directory will be linked to the related company home pages. Other city site networks typically focus on news and leisure, not local commerce, and most have announced plans which include only the top 30 metropolitan areas. Also unlike these sites, LocalEyes lets users locate and segment information based upon geographic preferences.

2. JRAD PRERELEASES JAVA DATABASE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
(Bethesda, MD) JRad Technologies, Inc. pre-released j.rad, a product the company calls the only enterprise-class, pure Java database development environment. It provides a transition to Java for developers accustomed to professional database development tools. j.rad enables programmers to create and extend highly interactive client applications with user experience and features on par with applications created with traditional native database development environments, including data modeling, repository, optionally tiered deployment and client application features. j.rad runs on Java-capable computing platforms and is fully integrated with popular Java development environments and GUI builders. It automatically creates a full-featured database client application which includes search, sort, import, and export dialogs, and automatically generates forms that follow the database relationships. j.rad 1.0 will ship Summer 1997 and will be based on the Sun Microsystems, Inc. Java Development Kit 1.1 and Java Beans. To download a free Preview Release of j.rad or read a complete guide to j.rad, visit (http://www.jrad.com).

3. ORGITECTURE FITS DYNAMIC WEB SITES INTO SMALLER BUDGETS
(Washington, DC) Interactive Applications Group says it has simplified the process of creating and maintaining association Web sites with the creation of Orgitecture, a simple, lower-cost system for dynamic sites. Orgitecture organizes database information into templates which automatically pull in content, eliminating the need to know HTML programming. An editor, for example, can cut and paste newsletter articles directly from a word processing program or upload photographs and the database and site are automatically updated. According to the company, an Orgitecture site can cost as little as $500, significantly less than current start-up costs for association Web sites. Pre-built, modular features include a calendar of events, a newsletter, a membership directory, a 'members only' section, and a product catalog. iapps also hosts the sites. Recent Orgitecture sites include the International Fresh-cut Produce Association (http://ifpa.iapps.com).

4. PROTEUS BUILDS MDC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SITE
(Baltimore, MD) DC-based Proteus New Media (http://www.proteus1.com) recently completed a site for the Maryland Distribution Council (MDC) to attract distribution and logistics businesses to the state. The site supports MDC members as well as promoting Maryland as a distribution hub. MDC is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership with membership representing truckers, shipping lines, warehouses, state agencies, international law and accounting firms, and others engaged in consolidating and transporting goods.

5. TPN REGISTER OFFERS DATA-ENRICHED E-PAYMENT SERVICE
(Rockville, MD) TPN Register (http://www.tpn.geis.com) announced that they will offer an electronic commerce payment solution which will capture and transmit enhanced detail for purchasing card transactions. The new service, to be called TPNPayment Services, will allow EDI-enabled suppliers to receive authorization and settlement for purchasing card transactions via their existing EDI interface. TPN Register will electronically link suppliers to First Data Merchant Services (FDMS), the merchant processing arm of First Data Corporation, to transmit purchasing card data, including Level II enriched transaction information. FDMS will provide authorization, processing and financial settlement services through existing links to the Visa and MasterCard networks. This payment option will be offered as both a stand-alone service and as a component of TPNMart, the company's Web- based Indirect/MRO purchasing solution. TPN Register is a joint venture between GE Information Services and Thomas Publishing Company.

6. EROL'S INTERNET EXCEEDS 200,000 SUBSCRIBERS
(Springfield, VA), Erol's Internet (http://www.erols.com) is celebrating 200,000 subscribers and, according to founder Orhan Onaran, "... is well on its way to becoming the dominant ISP in all of the East Coast markets that we serve." Begun in 1963 as a TV repair shop, Erol's was the largest video rental chain in the US when it was sold in 1991 to Blockbuster Entertainment. The company became a regional ISP in September 1995 and now employs more than three hundred full-time personnel. In addition to access, Erol's provides Web development and hosting services in 8 major markets including Washington DC, Baltimore, New York and Boston.

7. TENFOUR RELEASES TFS GATEWAY 3
(Reston,VA) TenFour (http://www.tenfour.com) says its new TFS Gateway Release 3 provides unmatched security, transparency and connectivity to e-mail administrators and users. The product creates a Virtual Private Network (VPN) by securely connecting multiple TFS Gateways using Internet technology and protocols, and tunneling information between the gateways. Such VPNs are increasingly popular in today's intranet and extranet environment. Release 3 also offers seamless e-mail communication between LAN-based e-mail systems and the Internet, PCS phones, alphanumeric pagers, MCI Mail or another supported e-mail platform including Microsoft Mail, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, cc:Mail, Novell GroupWise and MHS. Packaged with the product are business tools to simplify e-mail administration, including a built-in TFS ListServer which supports maintained and subscribed mailing lists.

8. NETSTART ADDS E-ZINE TO CAREERBUILDER.COM
(Reston, VA) NetStart added a monthly online magazine, CareerBuilder Achieve, to its CareerBuilder site (http://www.careerbuilder.com). New topics are featured monthly, including articles about career advancement, workplace ethics and career/lifestyle balance. April's premiere issue covered salary increases -- what's fair?, boss/employee treatment, how to build healthy workplace relationships and what to consider when accepting a job. The May issue features balancing work/family, office ergonomics and how to help "drifters" get focused. Highlights can be delivered by e-mail. CareerBuilder offers career opportunities and job postings online in a variety of professional fields with personal search agents and job hunting tools. The company reports receiving over one million job seekers per month and over 35,000 registered personal search agents.

9. DIRECPC BRINGS BANDWIDTH TO THE ENTERPRISE
(Washington, DC) Hughes Network Systems, Inc. (HNS) (http://www.hns.com) announced a new addition to its DirecPC family, the DirecPC Enterprise Edition. The new offering is specifically designed to address the bandwidth needs of enterprise applications that are based on the Internet Protocol (IP), including high-speed delivery of intranet Web pages, software distribution, interactive TCP/IP transactions and digital video. DirecPC/EE supports three versions. One of these versions, IP-Advantage, provides up to 24 Mbps of shared or dedicated bandwidth for corporations. Applications can be delivered to all remote locations at speeds far greater than ISDN and most remote-office frame relay links. Using it, customers can send both multicast and unicast data to multiple remote locations.

10. DISCOVERY AND KESMAI'S ARIES RELEASE CATCHWORD ONLINE!
(Bethesda, MD) Discovery Multimedia (http://multimedia.discovery.com) and Charlottesville, Virginia-based Kesmai's ARIES Online Games (http://www.areisgames.com) announced the release of the multiplayer online game CatchWord. Developed by Discovery and published by ARIES, the word game generates nearly two million hours of paid usage per month over its multiplayer games network through ARIES' distribution agreements with CompuServe, Prodigy and EarthLink. Michela English, president of Discovery Enterprises Worldwide, calls it "Scrabble, with twice the caffeine." CatchWord was created by Discovery's game designers Al Roireau and Evan Cooper who say there has been a nearly continuous CatchWord game in progress at Discovery for the last three months.

11. INTERNET KEYWORDS GIVE SHORTCUTS TO ONLINE RESOURCES
(Arlington, VA) As Web sites grow in number and size, Internet addresses are getting more complex and hard-to-remember. A new service called Netword promises to do for urls, what catchy phrases do for toll-free telephone numbers. Networds are memorable words or phrases, such as "Intel Annual Report" or "Chrysler Product Information," registered by individuals or organizations. Users enter Networds into their Web browser and are then taken directly to the information they want, whether it's a Web page, a file to download, or any other Internet resource. Networds are created by publishers, advertisers, companies and individuals looking to increase site traffic, especially among new visitors. Registered Networds can be edited any time and instantly made available to the Internet community. Netword holders pay a license fee. To support a high volume of Internet traffic, Netword LLC, the privately held company behind Networds, has created a scaleable, patent-pending architecture with redundant hardware and connectivity located at key Internet hubs. Networds can be reserved today by visiting (http://www.netword.com).

12. INTELSAT ANNOUNCES @INTELSAT INTERNET PRODUCTS
(Washington, DC) INTELSAT (http://www.intelsat.com) announced @intelsat, its suite of Internet products consisting of @intelsat.backbone, a high-capacity service for backbone connectivity between Network Access Points; @intelsat.access for ISPs establishing access to a backbone network point of presence; @intelsat.enterprise for connectivity requirements of corporations to ISPs as well as to support Intranet and Extranet applications; and @intelsat.multicast for Intranet/Extranet point-to-multipoint applications such as Web caching, UseNet newsgroups, digital audio/video multicasting, real time and database updates.

Partnerships

1. XYBERNAUT INKS MANUFACTURING DEAL WITH SIEMENS
(Fairfax, VA) Xybernaut Corporation (Nasdaq: XYBR) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG (Siemens) making Siemens a European manufacturing partner for Mobile Assistant, Xybernaut's (http://www.xybernaut.com) wearable product line. Mobile Assistant is a patented, two-pound, speech-activated wearable computer that consists of a body-worn processor unit, a VGA head-mounted display, and a light-weight, full-shift battery pack. It provides complete PC capabilities and allows hands-free access to local and remote computer information for applications such as maintenance, inspection, data collection, inventory control and training in many industries. Siemens is Europe's largest computer manufacturer, building products ranging from notebook PCs to supercomputers.

2. IRE AND U.S. ROBOTICS TO TEAM
(Baltimore, MD) Information Resource Engineering Inc. (IRE) (Nasdaq: IREG) has joined with U.S. Robotics to offer secure communications products. The relationship includes joint sales, distribution and marketing, as well as possible joint development in the future. Customers will be able to select from a menu of access and security products that let them customize their secure networks based on their needs. U.S. Robotics also plans to bundle IRE's SafeNet Soft security software with selected client modems to support electronic commerce applications. IRE (http://www.ire.com) is a provider of encryption-based enterprise network security systems. U.S. Robotics is the number one modem manufacturer.

Netpreneurs Recognized

1. TELOGY NETWORKS GETS 'BEST OF SHOW' AWARD
(Germantown, MD) Teleconnect Magazine awarded Telogy Networks Inc.'s Golden Gateway product suite with a "Best of CT Expo 97" award. According to Telogy (http://www.telogy.com), Golden Gateway is the first open, standards-based, voice-over-packet product suite to include voice and real-time fax processing, telephony signaling and connection management, packet network protocols and network management products, each of which is ready to embed in telecom and datacom equipment. Teleconnect's review said "Telogy isn't afraid to strut their stuff ... (its) voice codec is probably the fastest and cleanest-sounding we've heard -- really 'toll quality.' Switch makers: this is some nice technology." In the past two months, Computer Telephony Magazine and The Pulver Report also awarded Telogy "Best of Show" honors.

2. UUCOM RECOGNIZED BY THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA
(Alexandria, VA) UUcom, Inc. (http://www.uucom.com), an Internet engineering firm was selected as one of five finalists for the 1st Annual Alexandria Technology Achievement Award. UUcom's achievements include broadcasting the first State of the Union address and the first live performance from the Kennedy Center over the Internet. In addition, the company engineered the first Internet World's Fair, the SEC Edgar Database and the US Trademark Database.

3. REGION'S HIGH-TECH STARS ARE HONORED
Some 900 members of the high-tech community gathered to honor "the Industry Elite" at the Greater Washington Region High Tech Awards. The 1997 Community Leadership Award went to Mario M. Morino for his substantial time commitment and contribution to the overall development of the Greater Washington Region and the high technology community. The KPMG Peat Marwick LLP High-Tech Entrepreneur Award, which honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of technology, was awarded to Raul Fernandez, founder and CEO of Proxicom; William M. Gibson, President, CEO and Chairman of Manugistics, Inc.; and John J. McDonnell, Jr., President and CEO of Transaction Network Services, Inc. The Association for Corporate Growth's Technificence Award went to UUNet Technologies, Inc. for their growing stature in technology-related industries. Robert G. Templin, Jr., President of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, was recognized for his significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of the technology business community in Northern Virginia with the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Earle C. Williams Leadership in Technology Award. The High Technology Council of Maryland Leadership in Technology Award was given to Noel Buterbaugh, President and CEO of BioWhittaker, Inc., for his contributions to the growth and prosperity of the technology business community in the State of Maryland.

1. IBG STARTS MENTORING PROGRAM FOR NETPRENEURS
(Herndon, VA) Venture incubator International Business Group (IBG), has begun a netpreneur mentoring service, nicknamed CliNETS, aimed at helping net-related businesses get started and grow. Netpreneurs selected for the first CliNETS sessions are Paul Albert, CEO, Routelink; Simon Carter, Global Golf; Ben Cruz, CEO, CitySavvy; and Ann Shack, CEO, Mapsys-- all based here in the Greater Washington region. CliNET sessions involve four, two-hour meetings of the group, with the first session beginning later this month. Each session is limited to four CEO's of existing companies. Qualified companies must already exist, have a "product" to market, have a business plan and be prepared to answer a qualifying IBG questionnaire. They may or may not be seeking or have sought venture capital. The mentoring service helps netpreneurs put their business plans in perspective, explore alternatives to venture funding, discuss strategic partnership possibilities, define gaps in the plans, share experiences with other netpreneurs and, possibly, prepare them for venture funding. For IBG, the free service is a way to do preliminary due diligence, build a relationship prior to possible seed funding and stay abreast of netpreneurial ventures. To receive a questionnaire, or obtain more information about CliNET sessions, contact (tcarter@intbusgrp.com).

Quick Hits

1. FREE DATABASE OF 45,000 HIGH TECH COMPANIES
(Woburn, MA) CorpTech launched a new Web site (http://www.corptech.com) that provides free access to 45,000 US high technology company information capsules, including demographic, employment and product analysis. Also offered are a range of analysis tools and industry statistics previously available only through proprietary CD-ROM and print products. The information is collected through annual company interviews conducted by CorpTech and includes defining technologies used by these companies to a level 20 times deeper than the Standard Industry Codes (SIC). According to CorpTech, more than 90% of the technology companies in the US are either privately held or owned by parent companies, private and public. "Most people are surprised to find such large numbers of startups, small firms, and venture backed companies, and to find details on normally hidden operating units, divisions, and subsidiaries of larger companies which are treated separately in the CorpTech database."

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 13---Women's Business Speakers Series
May 16---Netpreneur Program Coffee & DoughNets
May 16---Making the Deal: Win-Win Negotiating
May 18---Rehabilitation Technology Assoc. Training Symposium
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
June 3-----New Media Society CyberSuds
June 4-----Successful Entrepreneurs' Secrets to Success: What Worked For Us
June 10---Introduction to Business Ownership
June 10---Politics Online Conference '97
June 10---Law and Technology Conference
June 12---An Evening with the Barons
June 12---Medical Information Security Conference
June 15---1997 Capital Region Technology Investor Conference