WINGSPRING ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT IN AND FORMATION OF INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SITE -- PARTINI.COM

Partini.com Launches in Q3 to Become Ultimate Parts Connection on the Internet

PALO ALTO, CA (March 14, 2000) — Wingspring, a business-to-business "springboard" that allows Internet ventures to accelerate early-stage development and market success, today announced its funding and formation of Partini.com, an Internet-based business that facilitates the procurement of small production line parts. Partini.com becomes the second company in the Wingspring portfolio, which plans to have eight companies under its wing by year's end.

In addition to providing equity, Wingspring will incubate Partini.com at its 35,000 square foot Incubator and Technology Center in Pleasanton, CA. The Wingspring model allows the company to focus on its most critical business challenges, and provides Partini.com with the infrastructure and the facilities to accelerate time-to-market by 6-9 months.

"Wingspring affords Partini.com the benefits of a substantially reduced development period. We expect Partini.com to quickly establish itself as a leader in this category by virtue of our joint resources," said Dianne Snedaker, Wingspring General Partner, and Chairman of Partini.com.

Partini.com will be the definitive connection between parts distributors and parts suppliers on the Internet. The Partini.com offering is production-line parts known as C-class commodities, which include items such as screws, nuts, bolts, washers, springs and cable ties. The site will work to connect thousands of distributors with thousands of global sources of supply. Partini.com has a unique offering in that it is the first business-to-business site pursuing the market for production-line parts.

After managing a bricks-and-mortar C-class parts distribution business, it's very exciting to help revolutionize the way our industry conducts business. Our job is to make it easier for companies to procure parts — and we're able to do this more effectively with the support of Wingspring," said Larry Del Santo, President and CEO of Partini.com.

Partini.com key clientele will include industrial distributors as well as the suppliers of parts, and aims to launch by Q3, 2000. The focus of Partini.com is to take a rather traditional industry and make it more efficient and productive by using technology to benefit all participants.

About Wingspring

Wingspring is a Palo Alto-based "springboard" for new business-to-business Internet ventures. Founded in January 2000 by five Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Wingspring combines early stage investment with in-depth experience to accelerate business development and market success. Wingspring's team of Internet and e-commerce professionals offer support in all areas of business development, helping entrepreneurs develop a sustainable business model; create a powerful financial plan; develop scalable technology; create a strategic marketing program; recruit top talent; and, in general, optimize all opportunities facing a start-up business. Wingspring's state-of-the-art Incubator and Technology Center is located in Pleasanton, California.

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