Wednesday, May 17, 2000

UPOCkets of FUN

As the new media networking reaches new heights of trendiness, launch parties are getting more exclusive and set in more unique settings. Take UPOCs launch party, for instance. It was at a FUN place, in a former garage, that has a blue awning with white letters. Other than knowing its physical address, it's pretty challenging to find. But never fear! We've been there a few times now, so I have it on our route. While UPOC is a stand-alone name (similar to eBay and Amazon), the name was derived from a burst of inspiration Gordon got while standing in front of a 1,000-year old Buddist temple while trekking through Nepal on his honeymoon with wife, Kira.

Among the guests that kicked off the VIP soiree were Donna Campbell of Eriksson, Stan Schuman, managing director and Toby Koppell of Allen & Company; Ariane de Bonvisin of Time Warner's venture fund; and David Eun of London Arts Alliance, (a big VC firm that invested in launch.com and spinner.net). Also there early, enjoying some sushi, were Peter Kelner of Global Bridge Ventures; Mark Caron, who co-founded Omnipoint and now is onto Mobile Spring, a wireless incubator; and Fred & Joanne Wilson of Flatiron Partners and MOUSE, respectively. Larry Lux, Troy Tyler of Smart Ray, Cherry Arnold of LC39, and noted screenwriter and editor for Michael Creighton, Michael Bakes, all came to congratulate the UPOC team and sip champagne.

Before the night ended, Melissa Ceria of Harper's Bazaar made a buzz with her photog as Paul Kim and Alison Poor played DJs. Other content and VC types mingled amidst the video displays on the walls, and felt cool for being in a place where Fiona Apple and Eminen have partied in the past.