London - Reuters, the global information and news group, has acquired 100 percent of the assets of VentureOne Corporation, one of the world's leading providers of information and research for the venture capital investment industry. VentureOne Corporation is based in San Francisco.

The purchase has been made through the Reuters new business development ‘greenhouse' programme, which invests in new technology and content companies and identifies new market opportunities for Reuters. The value of the net assets acquired and the costs of the acquisition are not material to Reuters.

VentureOne Corporation provides information and services that enable venture capital investors and related professionals quickly to identify venture capital investment opportunities. The company maintains a comprehensive database of detailed financial, management and business overview information on over 8,000 venture-backed companies, 18,000 financing transactions, 50,000 executives and board members of venture-backed companies, and 700 venture capital funds. VentureOne serves over 300 clients worldwide.

VentureOne will continue to operate independently, serving its established customer base of venture capitalists, corporate investors, investment bankers and entrepreneurs. It was founded in 1987 and employs a full-time staff of 40. Dave Witherow continues as President and CEO and will serve on the board. David Gleba, founder of VentureOne, also has agreed to serve on the VentureOne board and will remain involved in an advisory role.

John Taysom, Director, New Business Development for Reuters said: "VentureOne is a premier content provider of professional information on venture-backed companies which are driving growth in the US economy. Reuters has used VentureOne's database for its in-house corporate investment programme for several years."

Dave Witherow, President and CEO of VentureOne, said: "VentureOne clients will gain many advantages from this alliance as we draw upon the content, analytical, financial and technological strengths of Reuters to further enhance our information products. The venture capital community will continue to benefit from VentureOne's tradition of impartiality and independence."

David Gleba, founder and Chairman of VentureOne, added: "We are delighted with the business and management continuity this partnership enables. Reuters is the ideal partner to assist VentureOne in developing and delivering information for emerging venture capital markets worldwide."

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Contact:

Geoff Wicks
Director, Corporate Relations

Tel: 0171 542 8666
geoff.wicks@reuters.com

Adrian Duffield
Manager, Corporate Relations

Tel: 0171 542 4728
adrian.duffield@reuters.com

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Note to editors

VentureOne

VentureOne's proprietary database supports a suite of products and services that include online databases, print publications and reports, sponsored industry events and customised research. The company's flagship product,VentureSource, is a popular interface to the VentureOne database accessed via the Internet.

More information about VentureOne can be obtained at www.venture.com

Reuters

Reuters supplies the global financial markets and the news media with the widest range of information and news products including real-time financial data, collective investment data, numerical, textual, historical and graphical databases plus news, graphics, news video, and news pictures, reaching 457,000 users located in 57,200 organizations. Reuters designs and installs enterprise-wide information management and risk management systems for the financial markets as well as providing equity and foreign exchange transaction systems. It extensively uses internet technologies for wider distribution of information and news. The Group employed 16,699 staff in 215 cities in 91 countries at 30 June 1998.

Reuters is the world's largest news and television agency with 2,035 journalists, photographers and camera operators in 169 bureaus serving 163 countries. News is published in 25 languages.

For more details see www.reuters.com/aboutreuters/media.htm.

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