Friday, August 25, 2000

Bits & Bytes -and- Shakers & Stirrers 8/25/00

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SHAKERS & STIRRERS
Send your announcements to: shakers@TheCyberScene.com
Check out the site for the latest in who's movin' and who's shakin'!
* For the whole scoop, go to: http://www.thecyberscene.com/ss/newyork/index.shtml

ORB NAMES CFO, VP-Client Services and Media Director Also Appointed

Iguana Interactive Hires Fortune 500 Executive as New VP of Sales

STS Hotel Net™ Management Team to Include Brad Gray, Pioneer in Mobile Internet Access for Travelers
BITS & BYTES
Send your news to: news@TheCyberScene.com
* For the whole story, go to: http://www.thecyberscene.com

Soliloquy Boosts Acer Sales By 21%

Digital Kids To Examine Impact of the Net on Teen Marketing

Bikini.com makes a splash w/Miss Teen USA

Exciting Change at eFusion

 

** FULL STORIES **

SHAKERS AND STIRRERS SHAKERS AND STIRRERS

SHAKERS AND STIRRERS

 

 

ORB NAMES CFO, VP-Client Services and Media Director Also Appointed

ORB, Inc. (www.orb.net), an Internet marketing and technology
services company that optimizes advertising and transactions in real
time, announces the hiring of a new CFO, VP/Director of Client
Services and Media Director. This is the next phase in ORB’s growth
plan following their recent round of funding from eVentures (OTC BB:
ENVT) and new appointments to the Board of Directors. Signing on as
CFO is Frank DeSimone, a veteran of over 20 years working with
emerging and high growth companies. Kathi S. Mendell is the new
VP/Client Services Director. Ms. Mendell brings over 20 years
experience in advertising. Also joining the ORB team is Cynthia
Miller, Media Director. Ms. Miller has over a decade of media
expertise, both traditional and online.

 

Iguana Interactive Hires Fortune 500 Executive as New VP of Sales

Iguana Interactive, Inc., a creator of high bandwidth, database-
driven multimedia software, announced the addition of James R.
Coleman as its new vice president of sales. Coleman comes to Iguana
Interactive with 17 years of sales, sales management and trade
marketing experience, and proven success working with companies such
as Oscar Mayer & Co., Pepsi-Cola Company, Philip Morris USA and
American Express. As the vice president & general manager for the
Middle Market Consulting Services Group of American Express
Corporate Services, Coleman was responsible for $18 billion in
corporate travel and entertainment volume, as well as for overseeing
a 40-person staff located both in-house and at remote offices
throughout the U.S.
STS Hotel Net™ Management Team to Include Brad Gray, Pioneer in Mobile Internet Access for Travelers
STS Hotel Net, LLC appointed Brad Gray, vice president of
business development for the nation’s fastest growing online
portal of content and services for the business traveler. At STS
Hotel Net™, Gray will enhance and broaden the appeal of the
proven Hotel Net Portal™ platform.  By working closely with
corporations and their mobile work forces, Gray and his team hope
to leverage STS Hotel Net’s expertise to significantly improve
efficiencies for the entire corporate travel experience.Gray is a
principal and co-founder of Wayport, Inc., an Austin, Texas based
company offering high-performance connectivity solutions for
mobile computer users.  He was instrumental in the early
development of products and services designed to bring the power
of the Internet to business travelers.
Loren Pomerantz joins environments.com
Loren Pomerantz, has recently left Middleberg and Asssociates to head the communications practice of incubator, environments.com.  She is beginning to work with many new and interesting companies. 
BITS AND BYTES BITS AND BYTES BITS AND BYTES BITS AND BYTES BITS AND BYTES

SOLILOQUY BOOSTS ACER SALES BY 21%

Soliloquy, Inc., a New-York-based e-commerce infrastructure company,
and Acer, the world's third-largest PC manufacturer, today released
the results of their five-month-long partnership. Soliloquy's
natural language understanding (NLU) technology has been providing
notebook sales support on Acer's website (www.shopAcer.com
) since February 2000.  Notebook Expert*
has had a significant impact on Acer's notebook sales, boosting them
by 21% over a five-month period.  In addition, 29% of shoppers using
Notebook Expert are clicking through to the Buy page, a significant
click-through rate for an online retailer.

Digital Kids To Examine Impact of the Net on Teen Marketing

Now entering its fifth year, Jupiter Communications, Inc (Nasdaq:
JPTR), the worldwide authority on Internet commerce, will host its
annual Digital Kids forum on September 12 and 13 in San Francisco.
Featuring speakers from MTV, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network and
Mattel, Digital Kids will focus on the emerging teen market and how
businesses can navigate the privacy, commerce and content needs of
this growing online population. Digital Kids will feature Bernard
Stolar, president, Mattel Interactive; Tom Kalinske, president,
Knowledge Universe and Betty Cohen, president, Cartoon Network
Worldwide as keynote speakers.

Bikini.com makes a splash w/Miss Teen USA

Bikini.com, the pop-hit website celebrating the beach lifestyle, has
signed with Backflips Inc. to create a line of Bikini.com branded
swimwear for girls and juniors, as announced today by Gail
Sonnenschein, President and CEO, Bikini.com and Bruce Waldman,
President, Backflips, Inc. Bikini.com Swimwear, the first swim line
launched by a popular, beach lifestyle brand born on the Internet,
is making a splash in the teen market as the official swimwear
sponsor for the nationally televised Miss Teen USA® Pageant. The
pageant will be broadcast on CBS Television Saturday, August 26,
2000.

Exciting Change at eFusion

On 7/26/00 the management of eFusion announced that eFusion has
agreed to be acquired by ITXC subject to a vote of eFusion
shareholders. ITXC is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: ITXC) based
in Princeton, NJ that manages ITXC.net the largest worldwide network
for voice on the Internet. With this acquisition, eFusion gains
access to a worldwide voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network
that enhances eFusion’s ability to deploy its Push to Talk and Suite
Adelinesm services on a Global scale.
Always-On, Inc. Launches New Headquarters in New York's Silicon Alley, creating world presence
Always-On, Inc. (www.Always-On.com), the first multi-language broadband subscription software service to address the business and lifestyle needs of consumers worldwide, has announced the opening of its worldwide headquarters in New York City. By opening an office in Silicon Alley, Always-On has made a strategic move to put a foothold in the U.S. to complement its global presence in Europe and the Middle East. Additionally, Always-On has established sales and marketing operations in San Francisco and Washington DC.
Grand Central Holdings Partners with Premier Provider of Instant Financing Services
 Grand Central Holdings has partnered with and purchased an equity interest in FreeDecision, a Silicon Alley-based company that brings instant purchase financing to the point of sale. Financial Technology Ventures, Woodhaven Venture Investments, and several prominent individual investors including Mort Myerson and Broadvision CEO Pehong Chen participated in the $4.5 Million round.
Silicon Alley License Plates Coming Soon?
Jonathan I. Ezor, director of Legal Affairs Mimeo.com is measuring the amount of interest in an official Silicon Alley-themed New York State license plate, as has been created for the upstate Tech Valley community. If you would be potentially interested in buying one of these plates, please add your e-mail address to the free eGroups list I've set up for this purpose. You may join by sending an e-mail message to SiliconAlleyPlatesubscribe@egroups.com.
RESFEST Digital Film Festival Launches "Net Cinema" Program
RES Media Group (RMG) has announced the launch of "Net Cinema" as a new screening component of RESFEST 2000. This year’s program will include short animated works that reflect the growing interest among digital filmmakers to create work exclusively for the Internet. RESFEST 2000 kicks-off in San Francisco on Thursday, September 7. In addition to the international touring schedule, RESFEST has dedicated Saturday, November 4th and Sunday, November 5th in Los Angeles for “Net Cinema 2000,” a special conference featuring exclusive screenings, panel discussions and seminars devoted to the topics of content creation and distribution over the Web.
Radical Zoo and ThrillRide! Join Forces
Alexander Westerman, Chairman and CEO of RadicalZoo, is happy make the following announcement: RadicalZoo has taken a 49% stake in the Internets premier amusement park site: ThrillRide!(http://www.thrillride.com/). This is a great opportunity for the Zoo and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Thrillride.
A Host of Stars Will Gather To Preview New Shelter for Animal Haven
A galaxy of stars is expected to turn out for the 2000 Building Fund Luncheon for Animal Haven (www.animalhavenshelter.org)on Sunday, September 24 at noon at the Sheraton LaGuardia East, 135-20 39th Avenue, Queens. The luncheon, which celebrates Animal Haven's 33rd year of saving and caring for abandoned animals, will include the unveiling of preliminary plans for the shelter's visionary new facility.