Subject: Venture News, Monday, December 4, 2000
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Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 01:43:00 -0800 (PST)

CheMatch.com continues auction growth
Dec 04, 2000 10:12 AM ET 
	HOUSTON, Dec. 4 (LocalBusiness.com) -- CheMatch.com said more than 95,000 
metric tons of chemicals were traded in November through its private auction 
system -- a volume equal to more than half of the total trades since the 
auction's inception last summer. 
	In a written statement, Ed Moody, CheMatch.com's vice president of auctions 
said the private auction system uses real-time pricing feedback and can be 
tailored to the needs of each user. 
	Since CheMatch.com started the private auctions, about 50 companies have 
traded more than 175,000 metric tons of products including chemicals, 
polymers and fuel products. The average value of completed transactions is 
about $800,000. 
	In addition to auctions, CheMatch.com also operates a commodity chemicals, 
polymers and fuel products exchange on which more than 1 million metric tons 
of product has been transacted. 
	CheMatch has recently completed a restructuring that included layoffs, and 
early last month it withdrew a planned initial public offering. 
	Clay Jeansonne, CheMatch.com spokesman, told LocalBusiness.com last week the 
company currently has 85 employees down from 93 and that CheMatch expects to 
bring in new funding from venture capital and technology companies by the end 
of the year. 
	Privately held CheMatch.com is an Internet-based marketplace for the buyers 
and sellers of bulk commodity chemicals, plastics and fuel products. Its 
investors currently include Battery Ventures, Bayer AG (NYSE: BAYZY), 
Computer Sciences Corp. (NYSE: CSC), DuPont (NYSE: DD), GE (NYSE: GE) and 
Millennium Chemicals (NYSE: MCH). 
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o Online Marketing Firm iChoose Shuts Down

DALLAS -- iChoose, a developer of e-commerce marketing
systems, said it has shut down due to lack of funding.
In the past couple of months, the company has struggled
to stay alive by seeking out additional funding,
and even signed a letter of intent to be acquired.
That  acquisition fell through and the company said
it had no other choice than to close. iChoose was
unable to disclose the would-be-acquirer due to
legal restrictions. On its Web site, the company
posted a message with uninstall instructions for
its software and a final farewell to its customers.
iChoose was backed by Sevin Rosen.
http://www.ichoose.com/
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o Web Security Firm @Stake Gets $26 Million in Second Round

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- @stake, a provider of Internet
security services, said it raised $26 million in
its second round of funding. Investors included
Madison Dearborn Partners and previous investor
Battery Ventures. Individual investors in the round
included Bruce Claflin, president and COO of 3Com;
Paul Sagan, president of Akamai Technologies; William
Cadogan, chairman, president, and CEO of ADC Telecom;
Bob Palmer, former chairman, president and CEO of
Digital Equipment; Eckard Pfieffer, chairman of
Intershop and former CEO of Compaq Computer; Morgan
O'Brien, co-founder of Nextel Communications; and
Robert J. Davis, CEO of Terra-Lycos. The company
will use the funding toward research and new marketing
programs.
http://www.atstake.com/

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o Commerce Software Firm Momenta Gets $5 Million Round One

AUSTIN, Texas -- Momenta, a software company providing
collaborative commerce applications and services
for electronic marketplaces, said it has raised $5
million in its first round of funding. Authosisa,
a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, led the
round, which also included American Pacific Technology
Group and several individual Asian and American
investors. The company said it will use the funds
for marketing and product development.
http://www.momenta.com/
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