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Presence Online brings on top-tier investor in second-round VC funding

Announcement posted by Presence Online 29 Sep 2001

Global content management specialist secures $7 million in tough IT times
IBM/Lotus partner Presence Online has secured $7 million in a second round of venture capital funding, at a time when much investment is moving away from the IT arena. Presence Online is a global content management and integrated web solutions specialist.

First-round investors the Ericsson-Deutsche Technology Fund and the Deutsche Private Equity Fund, which jointly invested in the company in July 2000, have provided an additional $3.5 million, while Rothschild e-Fund has also come on board with $3.5 million.

Presence Onlines management team has proven its ability to deliver a superior product, with excellent service and global channel partner relationships, says Dr Megan Clark, CEO of Rothschild e-Fund. Our decision to invest in Presence Online is based on our belief that companies able to deliver products focused on the critical task of lowering the cost of web content management, while providing superior personalisation, dynamic content and integration capabilities, will be clear winners as this market consolidates.

Peter Dowding, Director, Ericsson-Deutsche Technology Fund and Deutsche Private Equity Fund, says: It was Presence Onlines strong business fundamentals that first attracted us to this investment last year. We have remained impressed with the companys growth strategy, including further development of the successful Aptrix suite of products and the opening of new offices around the globe.

Recent international wins for the companys Aptrix product suite include a comprehensive solution for German-based pharmaceutical group Schering and Fresenius Medical Care; British Airways and McDonalds, who have employed Aptrix for their intranets; leading Mexican financial services group BITAL; and the Ericsson-Deutsche Technology Fund.

Presence Online Director Jossel Ginsburg says the company is delighted to have attracted to its share register another globally acknowledged investment banking organisation at a time when many companies are unable to or are getting less funding than originally anticipated.

Our first round of funding was used to gear up our corporate infrastructure and to open new markets, says Mr Ginsburg. Now, our focus is on consolidating our gains and growing our international presence. In beefing up our marketing focus, we will concentrate more closely on further development for our Aptrix content management and integration solutions, using both Domino and Java (J2EE) software platforms, particularly in the US. Well also be focusing more closely on our strategic global alliance activities.

According to a recent META Group report, by 2003, 95 percent of G2000 firms will deploy a content management (CM) infrastructure to regain control of web content and associated costs.
The research firm explains that many Notes-orientated organisations have developed homegrown web content management (WCM) solutions on top of the Notes environment, but its research shows that many are beginning to exceed their internal capabilities, forcing a search for commercial offerings.

The Aptrix Multi-Platform web content management solution is a collection of databases allowing controlled and distributed production of personalised Internet, intranet, extranet and portal content. It is an integrated web suite built to operate on two distinct platforms Domino and Java (J2EE). A key component of the suite is AptrixConnect, which provides enterprise integration services as well as aggregation of data from multiple sources. Organisations can use their existing software packages to create customised web content.

The need for web content management solutions will increase not decrease, says Presence Onlines Tim Birdsall. The enterprise application integration market is also a hot software sector. Against this backdrop, Presence Online is well placed not only to make further global inroads, but also to pose a challenge to global giants with huge market capitalisations and well known and marketed brands.

A copy of META Groups report is available from carissa.andrew-smith@metagroup.com


About Presence Online
Presence Online is a global Internet solutions group that leads the field of distributed content management, application integration and personalisation. With a professional web solutions team, the premier application suite Aptrix, and a growing channel of business partners, the company has achieved global success in delivering award-winning Internet, intranet, extranet and portal solutions.

Presences international distribution infrastructure is supported by a network of alliances, most notably with IBM/Lotus, and offices in Boston, Los Angeles, London, Mexico and Sydney (where its R&D development arm is also based), and strategic operations in South East Asia. The companys Global 1000 client base attests to the quality of its solutions - clients include Alcatel, AMP, BITAL, British Airways, EnergyAustralia, Goodman Fielder, Linpac, McDonalds, Murdoch Media, Cable & Wireless Optus, Royal & Sun Alliance, Telstra, and Westpac.

Presence Onlines award-winning Aptrix suite has been checked by and received approval from the META Groups content management and web publishing research module division, SPEX. A leading Internet authority for enterprise and web-based software technology evaluations, SPEX provides comprehensive enterprise software evaluations via the Internet to help global companies quickly select critical business applications and IT solutions.

For more information, visit the companys websites at www.presenceusa.com and www.aptrix.com.

About Rothschild e-Fund
The Rothschild e-Fund is an A$53 million venture capital fund based in Australia, which seeks out and invests in Australian-based businesses with exceptional management teams who are developing and commercialising innovative, globally applicable technologies. The Fund focuses on the converging of telecommunications, information technology, multimedia and the Internet, and adds value to its portfolio companies through the use of the Rothschild global network and the networks of its corporate partners Nortel Networks, Cable & Wireless Optus, WMC Limited and the Toll Group.

About Ericsson-Deutsche Technology Fund/Deutsche Private Equity Fund
Managed by DB Capital Partners, the Ericsson-Deutsche Technology Fund is a joint venture between Deutsche Bank and Ericsson Australia. The fund offers investors the opportunity to access significant investment opportunities being created by the convergence of the IT and telecommunications industries and seeks to invest in Australian companies working in the IT and telecommunications field on early-stage products/services.

The Deutsche Private Equity Fund, also managed by DB Capital Partners, offers investors the opportunity to access a wide range of investment opportunities in the private equity market, principally in Australia and New Zealand.


About META Group
META Group is a leading research and consulting firm, focusing on information technology and business transformation strategies. Delivering objective, consistent, and actionable guidance, META
Group enables organisations to innovate more rapidly and effectively. Our unique collaborative models help clients succeed by building speed, agility and value into their IT and business systems and processes. Connect with metagroup.com for more details.