New OC Tech Group Forms; Firstsource Teams With Ernst & Young
ThinkTank.com, the Internet company incubator created by Orange County entrepreneur Scott Blum and funded by Japanese holding firm Softbank Inc., has unveiled its newest hatchling, eJets.com.
The startup is positioning itself as an online travel site for the moneyed crowd,like Travelocity.com or Microsoft Corp.’s Expedia, but with flights on private executive jets instead of crowded, commercial airliners.
Company officials claim to have access to a fleet of 1,000 aircraft and promise their online system will make chartering private jets as easy as booking a coach-class commercial airline seat.
Though its offerings are more pricey than those of Priceline or the slew of other online travel sites, eJets caters to the money-is-no-object set and also says it will make flying more convenient and cost-effective for a wide range of business travelers. The company is pushing its ability to bypass crowded commercial hubs and bend to fliers’ schedules.
President and co-founder Rick Robinson has raised about $2 million so far. But considering the cost of catering to high-end clientele, you can bet he’ll be looking for more money soon.
For more: www.ejets.com.
OC Spawns New Tech Group
Internet-based businesses might be dropping out of sight by the day, but the number of industry groups focused on Orange County’s dot-com sector is growing by one.
The founder of the OC chapter of the Society for Internet Advancement is forming a new group called WebEvents, which will host similar networking gatherings beginning with a 6 p.m. mixer July 13 at Tommy Bahama, 854 Avocado Ave. in Newport Beach.
Organizer Lisa Rubenstein insists there was no falling out with SIA-OC, but she said the older group “was in a rut” and its organizational structure made it too hard to try new things.
Along with regular, informal get-togethers, WebEvents will offer a member directory, job board and opportunities to provide Internet access to low-income people.
Rubenstein also hopes to put together a program recognizing companies for top-notch Web sites, called “eWards.” The group will accept nominations July 15 through Sept. 15.
For more: www.webevents.com.
Firstsource Snags E & Y;
Santa Ana-based firstsource Corp. has scored a deal with Ernst & Young Technologies Inc., the reseller arm of the accounting firm’s consulting practice.
Under the deal, Ernst & Young will use firstsource’s Internet-based procurement system, which allows companies to offer firstsource’s 1.2 million-product catalog on their own Web sites. Buyers browse and select items such as computer hardware, software, telecommunications, office equipment and supplies as if they were buying from client Web sites. But firstsource handles everything from billing to fulfillment. Clients also can use the online catalog for internal supply needs.
Officials with firstsource said they couldn’t estimate what the deal will mean in revenue, but called it a “significant” development for the company.
For more: www.firstsource.com.
Good Memory
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Cahners In-Stat Group confirmed what several OC companies have been saying for months: the computer memory market has rebounded in a big way from its three-year funk.
According to the market research firm, worldwide sales of dynamic random access memory jumped 47.8% in 1999 from the previous year, surging to $20.7 billion. And that growth is likely to continue through at least this year, In-Stat said.
Strong computer sales, memory-hungry software and a new wave of digital consumer electronics have boosted demand, while consolidation has helped alleviate oversupply.
Several local memory sellers have been reporting a turnaround from the late 1990s slowdown, including Kingston Technology Co., Viking Components Inc. and Simple Technology Inc.
Now You See It
Here’s a handy little product from a Tustin company: eSynch Corp. has released a $20 software utility that will make any folder on a computer desktop vanish, allowing users to hide sensitive files from prying eyes.
Like a high-tech genie, the folders reappear when users hit a secret key and enter a password. The program is available only for Windows 95 and 98, leaving out business PCs that run Windows NT and 2000.
For more: www.invisiblefolders.com.
Bits:
EMC Corp. qualified fibre-channel adapters from Aliso Viejo-based QLogic Corp. for EMC’s line of storage networks … ReadyScript Inc., Newport Beach, announced a five-year agreement with Facey Medical Group, a Los Angeles healthcare group that represents more than 385 physicians. Facey will test and use ReadyScript’s handheld wireless prescription management system. The commercial release is set for August … Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Irvine, has launched three new laptops: the Satellite 2775XDVD and two incarnations of its budget-minded Satellite 1600 … TheSupplyChain.com, Newport Beach, has launched a version of its inventory and distribution management system geared toward small businesses, called Small Business Express, or SBX.
