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Technology Stocks : Internet Capital Group Inc. (ICGE) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: $Mogul who wrote (220)	8/7/1999 7:08:00 PM
From: mact	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4187

high for now, but its difficult to predict how many verticalnets they have incubating right now versus duds...wish the float and outstanding shares was lower, but what can u do...personally, im banking more on the B2B e-commerce sector rather than this company specifically...cause individually, it does seem over-valued and risky ....according to IDC, the B2B sector in 1998 was a $35B industry, by 2003 it will be approx. $1.1T...this is what im banking on...mary meeker sees analogies in this sector to what see saw in mid-90's with browser sector...now if it would just go down for me so i can get in...lol. mact

To: $Mogul who wrote (220)	8/9/1999 10:24:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Respond to of 4187

IBM takes $45 million stake in ICGE Say Mogul: Check this out,is it worth couple of bucks you think?? ======================== IBM invests in e-business firms through Internet Capital By Bloomberg News Special to CNET News.com August 6, 1999, 10:20 a.m. PT IBM made its first investment in early-stage e-business companies through the purchase of a $45 million stake in Internet Capital. Internet Capital, based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is an incubator for e-business companies, providing them with capital and expertise in areas such as recruiting, marketing, and sales. Internet Capital completed an initial public offering earlier this week and its shares began trading yesterday. In conjunction with the stock sale, Armonk, New York-based IBM purchased 3.75 million Internet Capital shares at the initial offering price of $12 each. The investment will enable IBM to profit from emerging technologies used to provide Internet-related services to businesses, a field that the world's largest computer maker is already staking out. IBM "views this as a window into what is happening at the grass roots level in terms of the business-to-business e-commerce market," said Walter Buckley, Internet Capital's chief executive. "They are a big believer in e-business and that is what we are all about." In fact, IBM currently derives about 25 percent of its revenue from e-business, defined by the computer maker as helping other companies with all facets of doing business online. In contrast, e-commerce is usually limited to buying and selling transactions. Online start-ups Nevertheless, the computer manufacturer hasn't invested in any outside emerging e-business companies to date, according to spokesman John Bukovinsky. In the meantime, IBM's competitors have been actively taking stakes in online start-ups. Dell Computer, for example, has created an Internet investment unit that holds stakes in companies such as DrKoop.com, an Internet provider of consumer healthcare information cofounded by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Compag Computer had purchased Internet Capital shares prior to the IPO. Investing in Internet Capital spares IBM the time and expense of tracking down emerging technologies on its own. Instead, IBM can simply rely on Internet Capital's expertise in selecting and nurturing Internet start-ups, according to one analyst. "In a sense, you could look at IBM as outsourcing their venture capital investing," said Joseph Garner of Emerald Research in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Internet Capital, formed by Safeguard Scientifics to invest in Internet start-ups, now holds stakes in about 35 business-to-business e-commerce companies, which it refers to as partners. These include "market makers," who bring buyers and sellers together by creating Internet-based markets for the exchange of goods and services; and infrastructure service providers who sell software and services to businesses engaged in e-commerce. In tandem with its investment, IBM has agreed to provide Internet Capital's start-ups with price breaks on its hardware, Software, and services, according to a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, IBM will appoint a manager to help the companies tap IBM's technical and financial expertise. Ron Hovsepian, an IBM vice president of business development, is going to serve on Internet Capital's advisory board. Internet Capital sold 14.9 million shares--not counting the stock bought by IBM--through its IPO this week. The shares were offered at 12 and began trading yesterday, rising as high as 27 before closing at 24.44. After reaching a high of 33 earlier today, the shares traded at 27.81, up 3.38. news.com