Subject: Venture News, Monday, December 11, 2000
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Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 02:12:00 -0800 (PST)

ENW Ventures Portfolio News

Acta Announces Partnership With i2; i2 Customers Can Now Choose Acta's 
Rapid-to-Implement Data Integration Products to Collaborate Intelligently 
Across the Supply Chain

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2000--Acta Technology, Inc., 
the leader in business-to-business (B2B) data integration, today announced a 
technology partnership with i2 Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ITWO), the leading 
provider of marketplace solutions. 
The partnership enables i2's TradeMatrix(TM) customers to choose Acta's data 
platform, which is designed to package and speed the delivery of the 
back-office data essential for selling, buying and collaborating online. Acta 
will develop a number of data cache solutions (Acta eCaches(TM)) to provide 
rapidly deployable, pre-packaged data content and connectivity to the 
back-office systems that fuel TradeMatrix applications. 
i2's TradeMatrix allows businesses to create both private and public 
marketplaces, while improving the efficiencies of all participants with 
content and solutions to support decision optimization for key functions 
including design, buy, plan, sell, fulfill and service. The Acta eCaches for 
TradeMatrix will enable businesses to share key back-office data with their 
customers and trading partners and provide rapid-to-implement solutions for 
integrating key B2B data from operational systems across the entire extended 
enterprise. 
Industry leaders and analysts have recognized the need for packaged solutions 
for B2B data integration -- the linchpin in a rapidly growing number of B2B 
initiatives. 
"B2B data integration is rapidly emerging as a 'must-have' technology for all 
companies who do business online. As a leader in B2B data integration and 
caching, Acta enables i2's TradeMatrix customers to grant rapid access to 
detailed and accurate data from enterprise systems," said Acta CEO Carol 
Mills Baldwin. "Now TradeMatrix customers will be able to combine i2's 
industry leading technology with the most rapid data integration solution, 
essential for conducting business collaboration online." 
The Acta/i2 partnership provides further validation that B2B data caching is 
emerging as an important new category in B2B integration. Unlike other B2B 
integration solutions -- such as application integration and process 
integration -- Acta focuses on data integration as an essential component for 
allowing companies to do business online, either through direct commerce 
sites or in marketplaces. The Acta platform consists of ActaWorks 
RealTime(TM), an award-winning data movement-and-management server, and 
eCaches(TM), a suite of packaged data caches that speed the delivery of 
back-office data in specific subject areas of eCommerce and business 
intelligence. 
______________________________________________________

Other Venture News

o Bulk Goods Marketplace CheMatch.com Buys The Energy Group

HOUSTON -- CheMatch.com, an Internet-based marketplace
and information resource for buying and selling
bulk commodity chemicals, plastics and fuel products,
said it has acquired The Energy Group, a petrochemical
feedstock and gasoline components brokerage firm.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not released.
CheMatch.com is backed by YourEnergySource, Battery
Ventures, Bayer, Computer Sciences Corp., E.E. DuPont
de Nemours & Co., Methanex, Millennium Chemicals,
H. Muehlstein & Co., Reed Elsevier, Sprout Group,
Stolt-Nielsen, and TownsendTarnell.
http://www.chematch.com/
_____________________________________________

o Mohr, Davidow Ventures Closes $850 Million Seventh Fund

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Mohr, Davidow Ventures said
it raised $850 million for the firm's  seventh fund.
The new fund will target networking and communication
companies as well as enterprise software, semiconductor,
and Internet services firms. Mohr, Davidow Ventures
has offices in Menlo Park, Seattle, and McLean,
Va. The firm will begin investing the fund next year.
http://www.mdv.com/
_____________________________________________

o StarVest Partners Closes $150 Million Fund

NEW YORK -- StarVest Partners, a venture capital
fund that invests in Internet business services
and software companies, said it closed its $150
million fund. The fund, the largest VC firm in the
U.S. that is majority-owned by women, was founded
by Deborah A. Farrington, Jeanne M. Sullivan, Laura
B. Sachar, and John D. Miller. The company plans
to make investments of between $3 million and $7
million in the first and second rounds of approximately
25 companies. StarVest has committed $40 million
to its current portfolio of nine companies including
AudioBasket.com, Bluestreak, Broadbeam, NetEffect,
NetLedger, Servador, Tibersoft, Virtual Growth,
and WebMiles.com.
http://www.starvestpartners.com/
_____________________________________________

o IT Supply Chain Firm SingleSourceIT Shuts Down

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- SingleSource IT, a provider of
Internet-based IT supply chain services for large
companies, said it laid off all of its 55 employees
and shut down. Founder Randy Wilcox attributed the
closing to the fact that its main investor, the
Mayfield Fund, stopped its funding. The Mayfield
Fund did not return calls for comment. Mr. Wilcox
is also the founder of Sarcom, an information products
and services firm. SingleSourceIT's other investors
included McCown De Leeuw, which has an ownership
stake in Sarcom.
http://www.singlesourceit.com/
_____________________________________________

o American Express Invests $14.3 Million in Outsourcing Firm

CAMPBELL, Calif. -- Portera, which provides a portal
for outsourcing professional services, said it raised
$14.3 million from American Express. The company
said it will use the funding to expand its operations
globally and to develop business and information
technology operations. Following this recent funding
the company has raised over $100 million.
http://www.portera.com/
_____________________________________________

o Automation App Firm QuickArrow Raises $15 Million Round Two

AUSTIN, Texas -- QuickArrow, which develops professional
services automation software for technology companies,
said it has raised $15 million in its second round
of funding led by Koch Ventures. New investor Comdisco
Ventures and previous investors Austin Ventures,
Access Venture Partners, PM Operating Subsidiary,
and Hook Investments also participated. The company
said it will use the funds to develop its product,
to expand sales, and to increase staff.
http://www.quickarrow.com/
_____________________________________________

o Priceline Nixes Plan for Japan Service With Softbank

NORWALK, Conn. -- Priceline.com and Softbank E-Commerce
said they have discontinued discussions to introduce
a priceline.com service in Japan. The two companies
entered into a non-binding letter of intent in July
and a formation agreement in September to form the
new company, but said they could not reach definitive
agreements. The move came as priceline.com, a publicly
traded Internet-based pricing system, said it laid
off 48 employees, 11% of its staff, and trimmed
several business offerings under development in
a bid for profitability.
http://www.priceline.com/
__________________________________________________________

o Convergence Technology Consultant Vista Acquires Venimex

HERNDON, Va. -- Vista Information Technologies,
which provides businesses with technology consulting
services, said it signed an agreement to acquire
Venimex, also a technology consultancy. Terms of
the deal were not disclosed. Mark Bridges, CEO of
Venimex, will remain as part of the company's management
team. The company said the acquisition will expand
Vista to include the service provider and telecommunications
markets. Vista is backed by GTCR.
http://www.venimex.com/
http://www.vistait.com/
_________________________________________________________________

o Softbank Confirms Accelerator eVentures Halts Operations

NEW YORK -- Softbank, an Internet and technology
investor, said its U.K.-based eVentures Fund, set
up as a joint venture with ePartners, the venture
capital arm of News Corp., in mid-1999 to help U.S.
technology firms launch in Western Europe, has put
on hold all investments plans due to current market
conditions. A company spokeswoman said until market
conditions change, Softbank will refocus its resources
on making direct early stage investments through
Softbank UK Ventures and Softbank European Ventures.
eVentures is not the only Softbank-affiliated fund
that has been frozen. @Viso, a $344.5 million-joint
venture fund between Softbank and Vivendi, a global
utilities and communications company, has also halted
its investments plans.
http://www.softbank.com/