Hauppauge, New York, U.S.A. , 1996 NOV 12 — SOFTBANK Ventures Inc., Chase Capital Partners and Flatiron Partners today announced an aggregate $2.5 million investment in eShare Technologies, Inc., the first company to introduce easy-to-install, easy-to-use, live chat software for the World Wide Web sites and corporate intranets.

eShare Technologies, Inc., formerly Interactive Marketing Technologies, aims to elevate the interactivity level on the Internet by offering inexpensive, user-friendly software that gives any Web site the ability to offer full-featured live chat rooms. The software creates live action communication hubs that enable businesses to provide site-specific chat groups, remote training, customer service and support, online conferences, moderated discussions, as well as internal company communication and collaboration. These features enhance the ability of corporate Web sites to attract users and maintain traffic.

"Thousands of companies put up Web sites that are all basically the same — stagnant," said James Tito, chief executive and founder of eShare Technologies, Inc. "When users reach a site, they have to be involved in what's going on there, or they won't stay, let alone come back. Our software adds an element of interactivity to those sites by providing a forum for discussion specific to the company's product or service, right on their own site."

The company recently began shipping its first products, ChatWare 1.1, the first "out-of-the-box" Internet add-on tool to offer live chat and discussion forums to any Web site, and Net.Thread 96 which creates discussion areas organized by subject for public forums and within a corporate firewall,where users can compose, preview, post and respond to messages. Net.Thread 96, was recently purchased by eShare Technologies, Inc. from NetGenesis.

"Industry figures indicate that more then half of online users engage in chat," said Jerry Colonna, managing partner of Flatiron Partners. "eShare is well-positioned to become and industry leader in the field by making chat and discussion groups available to anyone on the Web. These products practically install themselves, are compatible with existing Web servers, and in less then an hour, are ready to go online to service thousands of users."

Both ChatWare and Net.Thread 96 differ from other chat and discussion group products because of their easy installation, scalability and customization. They require no client downloads or plug-ins. ChatWare can support from 25 to 1,000 simultaneous participants in multiple chat rooms, private events or private rooms. Owing to the popularity of chat and the ability to attract visitors, ChatWare offers Web sites the ability to display rotating banner ads in their chat rooms.

With Net.Thread 96, messages are sorted within each discussion group according to topic, so users can quickly find forums or interest. Messages can contain text, images, video and sound files to enhance the interactivity. For corporations, Net.Thread 96 can create an instant intranet GroupWare application, allowing employees to share information and cooperate on a team project. An e-mail feature allows intranet users to subscribe to specific discussion groups or topics.

SOFTBANK Ventures Inc. is the venture capital investment arm of SOFTBANK Corporation, the worlds largest publisher of computer-related magazines and books, and is the world's largest producer of technology-related trade shows and expositions. In Japan, SOFTBANK is the largest distributor or computer software, peripherals, and systems. SOFTBANK, whose stock is traded over-the-counter in Tokyo, had revenues of $1.6 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1996. SOFTBANK has approximately 6,500 employees worldwide.

Chase Capital Partners is a global private equity partnership with over $3.5 billion user management. It is a leading provider of private equity and has closed over 500 individual transactions since its inception in 1984. Chase Capital Partners' sole limited partner is The Chase Manhattan Corporation, the largest bank holding company in the United States with total assets of approximately $320 million.

Founded in August, 1996 as a joint venture of SOFTBANK Ventures and Chase Capital Partners, Flatiron Partners' mission is to become the leading Internet-focused, venture capital firm in New York and the East Coast.

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