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HOW2.COM RECEIVES $36.5 MILLION IN PRIVATE EQUITY LED BY TH LEE.PUTNAM INTERNET PARTNERS, WITH CO-INVESTORS DAIN RAUSCHER WESSELS, WATERSHED CAPITAL AND SEABOARD VENTURES Capital Infusion and Strategic Relationships to Fuel
Accelerated Expansion of First B2B Software Solution for Post-Purchase
Customer Care How2.com is the first and only fully integrated B2B provider of online post-purchase technology for rebate processing, extended warranties and product manuals and information. Its technology will, for the first time, allow retailers, manufacturers and service organizations to optimize and improve an important element of supply chain management: increasing customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and revenue enhancement after the purchase has been made. How2.com currently provides its online rebate solution to more than 125 clients, including such nationally-known companies as Staples and Microtek. How2.com also has a multi-year contract with GE Warranty to provide an online sales channel for extended warranties. Steve Solomon, chairman and chief executive officer of How2.com, said, "How2.com has seen terrific momentum in the first quarter of 2000. Transactions will almost double those in the fourth quarter of 1999 as we continue to increase the number of rebate promotions we manage. Our patent pending online technology allows us to reinvent post-purchase processes, making them more efficient and enabling them to provide value-added byproducts such as data mining, customer loyalty and new revenue opportunities. We are committed to providing leading edge technology to offer a revolutionary product offering to our clients." "Post purchase customer care is rapidly emerging as a key market opportunity," said Douglas Hsieh, vice president of THLi. "We’re excited to be investing in a market leader with a strong first-mover advantage. How2.com is positioned to dominate a critical part of the e-business infrastructure." David Lundeen, managing partner of Watershed Capital and a How2.com director, commented, "How2.com applies Internet technology to solve a real business problem. Their full solution will lower costs, increase revenue and rapidly generate goodwill among customers. The How2.com model can dramatically and favorably change the relationship between retailers, manufacturers, service organizations and their customers." "Based on current positive business developments, How2.com has
also decided to withdraw its current S-1 filing with the Securities
and Exchange Commission and plans to refile," Solomon added. About How2.com How2.com (), a subsidiary of CT Holdings, Inc.
(NASDAQ: CITN), was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Dallas
with offices in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles. It has approximately
340 employees. How2.com is a provider of online, outsourced
post-purchase customer care services. The company seeks to enable retailers, manufacturers and service organizations to enhance their
customer relationships through its post-purchase customer care
services, which include rebate processing, extended warranty sales,
data mining, and other related services. Through its online services,
the company seeks to create additional revenue opportunities, greater brand loyalty, as well as lower marketing
and operating expenditures, for its business clients. TH Lee.Putnam Internet Partners, L.P. (THLi) is a private equity
fund that invests in Internet-related businesses with high-growth
strategies in e-commerce and Internet services, with a focus on B2B,
B2C, distribution/logistics, and commerce-enabling technologies. THLi’s
portfolio companies include FaceTime Communications, HomePoint.com,
Krause’s Furniture, Submarino.com, WhatsHotNow.com, and Wine.com.
Headquartered in New York with offices in San Francisco, Boston and
London, THLi’s owners include Thomas H. Lee Company, one of the most
successful private investment firms in the U.S., and Putnam
Investments, a leading money management firm. About Watershed Capital Watershed Capital is a private equity firm that actively invests
and participates in technology-enabled companies with special emphasis
in the areas of networking, IT services, wireless technology and
e-commerce. Watershed’s portfolio companies include Netpliance,
Mercata, @mobile, Agillon, Angaros, Epic Realm and Foodtrader.com. The
company conducts business internationally through its principal
offices in Mountain View, California; Austin, Texas; and Seattle,
Washington. About Dain Rauscher Dain Rauscher Wessels Investors LLC is a Delaware limited liability
company that is affiliated with Dain Rauscher Incorporated, securities
broker-dealer. Through its Dain Rauscher Wessels division, Dain
Rauscher Incorporated provides investment banking services and equity
research, trading, and sales to a large number of corporate and
investing clients, focused primarily on five industry sectors,
consumer, energy, financial services, health care and technology. About Seaboard Ventures Founded in 1992, Seaboard & Co. provides private equity and
asset management. With offices in Charleston, SC and Baltimore, MD,
Seaboard Ventures, LLC invests private equity in a host of industries,
including finance and Internet-based and other technology-related
businesses. Having a number of successful firms in its portfolio,
Seaboard Ventures is focused on selective long-term investing and the
alignment of interests with entrepreneurs and growth companies.
Seaboard & Co., through its constituent funds, manages fixed
income investments for both U.S. and international institutions. About CT Holdings CT Holdings is an incubator for early stage B2B companies (www.ct-holdings.com ). CT Holdings' Internet subsidiary How2.com (www.how2.com ) provides online, outsourced post-purchase customer care solutions.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual events and results will not be materially different than the anticipated results described in the forward-looking statement. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. These factors include uncertainties related to the closing of the proposed financing, integration of the business and operations of acquired companies; and the availability of capital on terms acceptable to the Company. Investors are also directed to consider other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CT Holdings undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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