Sky Dayton is well aware of the pressure to speed up launching new Internet companies. So that’s one of the focal points of his new Santa Monica incubator, eCompanies.
“Our whole concept is to accelerate a start-up from the idea stage to a real company in a 90 to 180 days,” said the founder of EarthLink Network Inc., who created eCompanies in June along with former chairman of Walt Disney Co.’s Buena Vista Internet Group Jake Winebaum. “It’s obviously working for us.”
Less than 120 days old, eCompanies already has raised a $130 million fund. And in the last couple of weeks, the company’s venture arm has made its first two investments: San Francisco-based eWork, an online exchange for Internet-related professionals, and L.A.-based eHobbies, which runs a site where hobbyists can buy and trade.
More announcements are forthcoming. Dayton said the company received roughly 1,000 business plans over the last two weeks, but since he still has time to go surfing (in the ocean) a couple mornings a week, he’s not too stressed.
Football foray
The second time was the charm for Disney’s foray into “enhanced television” for football, in which Web sites supplement game telecasts with player statistics and game information.
Disney’s first attempt last January was a public debacle, as a flood of visitors swamped the site to the extent that the game announcers had to beg people not to check it out.
This time around, the company was ready. During a Sept. 12 NFL broadcast on ESPN (owned by Disney) and Sept. 13 NFL broadcast on ABC (also owned by Disney), ESPN.com (yet again owned by Disney) handled up to 150,000 simultaneous visitors without a problem.
Spokesman Eric Handler said the Buena Vista Internet Group intends to offer enhanced Web programming for the 39 NFL games being televised this season.
Now the real question is, how many people will schlep their computer into the same room as their television?
Sound news
The nascent Internet radio market will have a new entrant this month when Pasadena-based incubator Acacia Research unleashes its latest creation, Soundbreak.com.
Soundbreak will hit the virtual airwaves by the end of September as a 24/7 radio station based in Hollywood, complete with wisecracking DJs and a range of musical genres. Because the station intends to play both signed and unsigned artists conceivably helping an unknown band make it big Soundbreak has attracted the keen attention of music-industry insiders.
“This is very different than what I consider to the be the first-generation Internet radio sites, which are either just simulcasts from big local radio stations or just streaming generic background music similar to Musak,” said Acacia CEO and co-creator of Soundbreak, Paul Ryan.
Recording veterans David Kronemyer and Walter Lee (both Capitol Records alums) are at the company’s creative helm and have hired a retinue of music directors and more than 50 DJs.
The site will feature visual entertainment and a DJ song-request chat hotline. Arguably the most attractive feature is that a listener will be able to stay tuned into the station while exploring other parts of the Web or working on the computer.
Predictably, the main source of revenue will be e-commerce. Before the end of the year, a listener will be able to click on the site to buy a desired song or album, either via digital download or through conventional postal delivery.
News and notes
Calabasas-based THQ Inc., which was ranked No. 3 on Fortune magazine’s annual list of America’s fastest-growing companies, has jumped on the Sega Dreamcast console system bandwagon. The game maker announced it will release its first title specifically for the new Dreamcast system in 2000. (When the new Dreamcast video game system debuted Sept. 9, Sega generated sales of $97 million in 24 hours handily beating any one-day sales record in the history of the entertainment industry.)
Event411.com Inc. has moved into GeoCities’ former office space in Marina del Rey, with Event411’s Chairman and Chief Executive Steven R. Koltai joking about good karma. The space is three times the size of Event411’s former digs in Culver City made necessary by plans to quadruple the number of employees to more than 100 by year end. The company has found a successful niche in business-to-business sales of its online event-planning software tools, with major clients including the Washington Post and the Boston Globe
Yet another Disney alum has flown the coop. Tom Looby, who cut his Internet chops at Disney Online, has landed at Hollywood.com as vice president of studio operations. The Santa Monica online company is dedicated to movie-related news and information.
Sara Fisher writes a weekly technology column for the Business Journal. She can be reached at [email protected].
Site of the Week wirebreak.com
Entertainment-seekers on a quick coffee break or with a short attention span might want to check out Venice-based WireBreak Entertainment’s new offering, www.wirebreak.com. Irreverent, hip and escapist, this site is one of the best examples of new media.
Video, animation and audio seamlessly blend to provide an experience similar to watching television, except that the viewer chooses what’s on be it original, 10-minute shows or a news program with headlines tailored to the viewer’s preferences. The sole catch is that a fast Internet connection is needed to enjoy the site without getting frustrated.
