LaunchFuel Announces Alliance Network: Industry-leading Service Providers Complement LaunchFuel's Core Capabilities to Accelerate Startup Ventures

Herndon, VA, October 30, 2000 — LaunchFuel, Inc., a premier venture services provider that works closely with venture capitalists, angel investors and incubators to move Internet and technology startups more quickly and successfully to market, announced today the formal introduction of the LaunchFuel Alliance Network. Since the company was founded last year, LaunchFuel has developed alliances with leading industry experts that offer complementary services in a wide array of business services integral to the success of early-stage companies.

LaunchFuel assembled the Alliance Network to:

• Accelerate the startup's speed to market by pre-qualifying vendors,
• Mitigate risks that are associated with vendor selection,
• Reduce unnecessary costs, and
• Streamline the overall project management process.

The Alliance Network consists of organizations that complement LaunchFuel's expertise. LaunchFuel has secured relationships with over 35 service providers in areas such as: Web design and development, public relations, recruiting, accounting, advertising, creative and legal services.

A representative list of partners includes: CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG); Grant Thornton; Hill and Knowlton; Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP; The SheaHedges Group; and J Walter Thompson Technology.

"At LaunchFuel, we serve as an advocate for the startup venture and vendor selection is an important component to early success in a business," said Mary Knebel, president and chief executive officer for LaunchFuel, Inc. "LaunchFuel's Alliance Network is a critical part of our efforts to provide the most comprehensive support to early-stage companies," Knebel added.

"LaunchFuel and The SheaHedges Group share a focus on innovative technology companies as well as a reputation for creative strategy that generates rapid results," said Kristi Hedges, principal and co-founder of The SheaHedges Group. "LaunchFuel's expertise in taking emerging companies to a competitive level is a perfect complement to our core business of helping companies communicate their message and get on the public map."

Under the Alliance Network program, LaunchFuel maintains non-exclusive agreements with partners for the benefit of LaunchFuel's clients. The Alliance Network partners are chosen based on their proven ability to serve early-stage companies during periods of accelerated growth. As a tool to promote interaction and "deal flow," partners have access to the LaunchFuel AllianceNet^SM—a private extranet that offers LaunchFuel clients, partners, and investors an opportunity to learn about each other's core capabilities and a forum through which they can work together efficiently. LaunchFuel does not accept fees or compensation from referrals to Alliance Network partners and vendor recommendations are made strictly when it is clear that partner offerings will serve the interests of LaunchFuel clients.

About LaunchFuel, Inc.
LaunchFuel is a venture services provider that offers strategic guidance and operational expertise to startups in critical areas including Product Marketing and Marketing Communications, Technology, Channel Development, and Finance. The LaunchFuel team has years of hands-on experience working at companies such as AOL (NYSE:AOL), AppNet (NASDAQ:APNT), Ciena (NASDAQ:CIEN), MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR), Proxicom (NASDAQ:PXCM), PSINet (NASDAQ:PSIX), and Qwest (NYSE:Q). In addition, through its Alliance Network, LaunchFuel brings to bear expertise outside of its core competencies in areas that are also critical to Internet and technology start-ups. LaunchFuel was founded in September 1999 and is headquartered in Herndon, VA. For more information regarding LaunchFuel, please visit www.launchfuel.com or contact us directly via telephone at 703-736-0252 or via electronic message to info@launchfuel.com.