|
|
Enron Mail |
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/
|