@Ventures, VC Arm of CMGI, Funds HotLinks — New Alternative for Internet Navigation; Company Promises Better Search Results by Taking a Personal Approach

Business Wire, August 17, 1999

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 17, 1999--

HotLinks, a new Internet navigation service that helps people find, save, access and share favorite web sites, has successfully completed its first round of funding with an investment from @Ventures, the affiliated venture capital arm of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI).

HotLinks (www.hotlinks.com) is building a better way to navigate the Internet by focusing on the personal interests, collective knowledge and favorite web sites of its members. The company's approach presents an exciting alternative to typical search engines by helping people to capture and revisit great personal web experiences and share recommendations with others.

"The big search engines have lost sight of what's really important to consumers: finding the information they want," said Jonathan Abrams, founder of HotLinks. "HotLinks is creating a place where people can share their knowledge of the web with family, friends, colleagues and people with similar interests."

A key element of the HotLinks vision is giving people independence from their primary computer -- members can access favorite web sites from work, home, school, vacation spots, libraries or Internet cafes, using any Internet-connected device.

"HotLinks uses an empowering and democratic model that lets users decide which sites are best suited to a given purpose and then enables people to access those favorite sites from anywhere, anytime," said Jon Callaghan. "HotLinks has pushed the utility of search into a far more refined, personalized tool and we see this as an important sector poised for dynamic growth as Web users continue to seek more elegant solutions."

About HotLinks

HotLinks delivers a better way to navigate the Internet by focusing on the personal interests, collective knowledge and favorite web sites of its members. The company was founded by Jonathan Abrams in 1998, to help people find, save, access and share favorite web sites from any computer anywhere. HotLinks is based in Mountain View, Calif. and is backed by CMGI @Ventures, the venture capital firm behind high profile Internet companies such as Lycos, Raging Bull, Furniture.com, and many more.

About CMGI and @Ventures

A recognized leader in the Internet economy, CMGI (Nasdaq:CMGI) has built a substantial base of Internet operating companies and, through its @Ventures affiliates, has invested in a growing portfolio of synergistic Internet enterprises which enhance the value of its core holdings. This unique method of generating equity for its shareholders is what CMGI calls "creating net value". Microsoft, Intel and Sumitomo hold minority positions in CMGI.

CMGI's majority-owned subsidiaries include Engage (Nasdaq:ENGA), Activerse, Adsmart, iCast, Magnitude Network, NaviSite, NaviNet, Planet Direct and ZineZone. The Company's @Ventures affiliates have ownership interests in Lycos, Inc. (Nasdaq:LCOS), Critical Path (Nasdaq:CPTH), Silknet (Nasdaq:SILK), Chemdex (Nasdaq:CMDX), Advoco.com, Ancestry.com, Asimba, AuctionWatch, Aureate Media, blaxxun, BizBuyer.com, buyingedge.com, CarParts.com, eCircles.com, Furniture.com, HotLinks, KOZ.com, MotherNature.com, NextMonet.com, NextPlanetOver.com, OneCore.com, ONElist, Productopia, Promedix.com, Raging Bull, Softway Systems, Speech Machines, ThingWorld.com, Universal Learning Technology, Vicinity, Virtual Ink and Visto.

CMGI is also the majority-owner of SalesLink, InSolutions and On-Demand Solutions, leaders in direct marketing, fulfillment and turnkey arenas. CMGI Corporate headquarters is located at 100 Brickstone Square, Andover, MA 01810. Telephone: 978/684-3600. Fax:978/684-3814. Additional information is available on the company's Web site at http://www.cmgi.com.