|
|
Enron Mail |
ENW VENTURES PORTFOLIO NEWS
Acta's New B2B Data Server Now Available for Multiple Operating Platforms; ActaWorks 4.4 Significantly Expands Support for Industry-Leading Data Integration Solutions NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000--Acta Technology, Inc., the leader in business-to-business (B2B) data integration, announced today the general availability of ActaWorks 4.4, the latest version of its award winning enterprise data server. ActaWorks 4.4 provides recent product and performance enhancements that previously were available only for Windows NT (under ActaWorks 4.3). Acta made the announcement at the eBusiness Conference and Expo in New York City. The new product significantly expands support for the industry-leading provider of B2B data integration. With ActaWorks 4.4, businesses with Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Unix environments (HP-UX, Sun Solaris, and IBM AIX) can all employ Acta's new enhancements for packaging and delivering the data essential for B2B eCommerce and business intelligence. Among the new features is a repository architecture that enables centralized metadata management and multi-user development. As businesses implement a data platform to support both internal and external access to enterprise data, the need to manage metadata from external and internal sources becomes critical -- and the need for multiple users increases. The addition of these new enhancements further solidifies Acta's leadership position in B2B data integration, a rapidly emerging component of B2B integration. Industry analysts have sized the data integration market at $15B (cumulative) by 2005 -- a market that is being driven by the growing need to provide information-rich data both inside and outside the extended enterprise. _________________________________________________________ OTHER NEWS o Myutility Raises $3.5 Million, Buys Utility Business NEW YORK -- Myutility, an energy services marketplace and information provider for businesses, said it bought the Teldata Solutions automated meter reading systems (AMR) and revenue cycle services (RCS) business from National Grid Group, which simultaneously invested $3.5 million in Myutility. National Grid purchased Teldata, a data acquisition products and services firm, last year. Myutility said it will use the funding to expand its services and for operations and is still seeking additional funding. Myutility raised an undisclosed amount of seed capital from TSG Equity Partners in September. http://www.myutility.com/ _____________________________________________ o Managed ASP Cosential Raises $1.8 Million in Funding WILTON, Conn. -- Cosential, a managed ASP for architecture, construction, and engineering companies, said it raised $1.8 million in financing. Silicon Alley Venture Partners led the round, which included Milestone Venture Partners and Venture Quest. The company will use the funding to launch a new ASP service. Cosential said its enhanced ASP product will be available in the first quarter of 2001. http://www.cosential.com/ _____________________________________________ AQUILA ENERGY CORPORATION (*TBA*) Files for $425.00 Million Initial Public Offering http://www.ipo.com/ipoinfo/profile.asp?p=IPO&;c=0001128032 Aquila Energy Corporation is a wholesale energy merchant that provides comprehensive energy solutions to clients in North America, the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Lead Managed By: Lehman Brothers ________________________________________________________________________ Trade-Ranger integrates multiple buying programs HOUSTON, Dec. 13 -- Trade-Ranger, an Internet marketplace for the procurement of supplies by the energy industry, has integrated another type of software into its site to eliminate barriers to its customers and to help build liquidity. Allen May, interim co-CEO, told LocalBusiness.com the site has added another buying tool, iPlanet BuyerXpert software, at the request of one of its founding partners. Trade-Ranger already had Oracle Corp.'s iProcurement and Commerce One's e-procurement programs. "Our members are transacting, we have integrated multiple buying tools to the Commerce One platform, and we are continuing our effort to build the most efficient content hub in the industry," May said. "We will adopt the best-of-breed technology," he said. Houston-based Trade-Ranger was incorporated in August. Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) is based in Redwood City, Calif., while Commerce One (Nasdaq: CMRC) is based in Pleasanton, Calif. Meanwhile, iPlanet is a product of iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions, a Sun-Netscape Alliance. Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) is based in Palo Alto, Calif. Trade-Ranger is building its membership, and no numbers were immediately available, May said. Technology can be a barrier to liquidity growth, May said. Some marketplaces simply tell customers they must adopt that marketplace's technology, he said. "We definitely have an open policy," May said. He added that Trade-Ranger has made a significant investment in technology, although he was unwilling to disclose the amount spent. Formerly the Energy and Petrochemical Exchange, the Houston-based exchange announced its formation on April 11. The exchange describes itself as "created by the industry for the industry." Membership is available to all companies, buyers and sellers, in the upstream, downstream, retail and petrochemical sectors. Upstream refers to oil and gas producers, while downstream refers to the refining section of the business. The original 14 founding partners are Royal Dutch/Shell, BP, TotalFinaElf, The Dow Chemical Co., Conoco Inc., Motiva Enterprises, Occidental Petroleum, Equilon Enterprises, Phillips Petroleum, Mitsubishi Corp., Repsol, YPF, Statoil, Unocal and Tosco. The collective annual purchasing budgets of the founding partners exceeds $125 billion worldwide. ____________________________________________________________ GM, Ford take $1.26-billion US stake in Commerce One software company 12/12/2000 The Canadian Press Copyright © 2000 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved. DETROIT (AP) _ Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. will take a combined $1.26-billion US stake in Commerce One, making the business-to-business software company a technology partner in the automakers' Covisint online exchange. Pleasanton, Calif.-based Commerce One said it will issue to GM and Ford 14.4 million shares apiece, with each stake valued at about $631.8 million, based on Commerce One's close Tuesday of $43.88 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The combined number of shares represents a 14 per cent interest in Commerce One. Half the shares for each company will be held in escrow until 2002, and will be released to Ford and GM upon satisfaction of certain conditions. If conditions are not met, the shares will be released to the two automakers in mid-2004. Commerce One said it will undergo a corporate restructuring into a holding company and get a two per cent equity interest in Covisint, the Internet exchange started by Ford, GM and three other automakers. Covisint incorporated for business Monday. Commerce One's stake in Covisint will be held in escrow until the completion of the restructuring, on which Commerce One shareholders are to vote next year. Commerce One will be entitled to a share of the revenue generated by the Covisint exchange for an expected 10-year term, as well as be paid for consulting services it provides to Covisint. ``We look forward to continuing our efforts with Covisint to deliver a global e-marketplace platform for the automotive industry,'' Mark Hoffman, Commerce One's chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. ``Covisint is an excellent example of Commerce One's business model and reflects our commitment to moving the world's business commerce onto the Web.'' In addition to Ford and GM, Covisint's backers include DaimlerChrysler AG, Nissan and Renault, as well as Commerce One and fellow software firm Oracle. Covisint is supposed to act as an Internet marketplace for the auto industry, allowing suppliers and automakers to swap information and conduct business far more quickly and cheaply than they have in the past. Detroit's automakers have said Covisint should be able to route their purchases of $250 billion a year in goods and services. Covisint said it has more than 250 customers on two continents already using its services, including catalogues, auctions, quote management and collaborative design. ______________________________________________ o Compaq Adds $100 Million to Storage Investment Fund HOUSTON -- Compaq Computer said it is expanding its storage investment fund with an additional $100 million in 2001. The company's investment program focuses on accelerating the development and adoption of storage hardware, software, and utility provider technology. Compaq has invested in storage firms such as HighGround Systems, Prisa Networks, and StorageNetworks. http://www.compaq.com/ _____________________________________________ o Remote Net Access Firm iPass Adds $20 Million to Round Four REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. -- iPass, a provider of global remote Internet access services, said it has closed its fourth, Series F round with an additional $20 million, bringing in Cisco as a new investor. Total funding for the round was $50 million. As reported in September, Crosspoint Ventures, Accel Partners, Comdisco, Equant, Rogers Communications and Sand Hill Capital also contributed to the round. iPass said it will use the funds to extend the development of its settlement and authentication technologies. http://www.ipass.com/ _____________________________________________ o Securant Technologies Lands $31 Million in Series C SAN FRANCISCO -- Securant Technologies, which provides access management software and services for Internet business security, said it raised $31 million in its Series C round of funding. Oak Investment Partners led the round, which included Merrill Lynch and individual investors. Oak Investment Partners general partner Fred Harman and Richard Pierce, senior vice president and COO of Inktomi, will sit on the company's board of directors. The company will use the funding for product development, sales and marketing, and for international operating expenses. http://www.securant.com/ _____________________________________________ o FIS Gets Funds from Autodesk; Autodesk Invest in Two Others CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Facility Information Systems, a provider of enterprise software for facility management and corporate infrastructure resource management, said it received funding from Autodesk Ventures. Financial details were not disclosed. Separately, Autodesk said it also invested in Alchemedia, a developer of technology that protects against unauthorized use of digital images, and Izoic, a software firm focused on managing underground infrastructure maintenance. Autodesk said the three investments totalled $3 million. Alchemedia also received funding in that round from Carlyle Venture Partners and Hollinger Capital. Izoic received funds from Insight Capital Partners and Bechtel Ventures as well as Autodesk. http://www.fisinc.com/ http://www.autodesk.com/ _____________________________________________ o App Infrastructure Firm Exenet Has $35 Million First Round NEW YORK -- Exenet Technologies, an application infrastructure provider, said it closed its $35 million initial round of funding. Telecom Partners and CIBC Capital Partners participated in the round. Exenet will use the funding to expand its outsourced infrastructure service for ASPs, independent software vendors, value added resellers (VARs), Regional Bell operating companies, local exchange carriers, and other corporations. Exenet provides lT outsourcing and application infrastructure services, including directory services, management services, storage services, database management, and bandwidth provisioning services. http://www.exenet.com/
|