line56 Forms New Media Group for B2B Marketplace

Posted on April 14, 2000

Line56, a B2B e-commerce Internet media group, has announced that Adrian Mello, editor-in-chief of Upside, has joined the company as editor-in-chief and executive vice president of content. He will be responsible for shaping, managing and developing the company's two primary media properties, line56.com and line56 Magazine. line56 also announced that Howard Baldwin, former features editor at Upside and senior editor of CIO and Macworld, has joined the company as executive editor of line56 Magazine, and that Eric Knorr, former executive editor of CNET, has joined the company as executive producer of the company's website.

line56's chairman and chief executive officer, Mike Jefferies, commented, ``We are absolutely ecstatic about these appointments. Adrian has an excellent track record with startups and turnarounds. Upside is one of the four media properties we admire most -- along with Business 2.0, Industry Standard and Red Herring -- that do a great job of covering the exploding space at the intersection of Internet, technology, finance and business.''

Adrian Mello remarked, ``It's very exciting to join an Internet media company that is completely focused on international B2B e-commerce, which is the pivotal market shaping the new economy. The line56.com site is already up and running and I'm working with Eric Knorr to expand the creative content and services. Howard Baldwin will help me build the editorial staff and shape the content for an early summer launch of our new magazine which will profile B2B's key companies and emerging trends.''

line56 also announced this week that it has closed its first-round financing after securing $4 million. The round was lead by Palo Alto based technology and Internet business accelerator and venture capital firm, EnterVentures and the Zurick based Swiss Investment Group, Argos. The company plans to have over 50 staff on board by 3rd quarter 2000, including associates at line56's offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, London, and Sydney.

line56 plans to be the world's leading Internet portal for the emerging international business-to-business industry. Traffic is being driven to the website through various on- and off-line initiatives, including the July launch of line56 magazine and the 4th quarter, 2000, launch of ``line56Live'' international B2B e-commerce conferences in London and Sydney. The company, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, was founded in January 2000 by Michael Jefferies, Ben Macpherson, and Paul Higgins.