Press Releases

ONLINE CONCIERGE SERVICE SECURES FUNDING

VIPdesk Offers Personal Service Coordination for Individuals and Businesses

Washington, DC, January 20, 2000 – Concierge Club, Inc., the Internet's first concierge service, has secured $3 million in first round of institutional funding to launch its new online concierge services site, VIPdesk, in the first quarter. Mary Naylor, president of Concierge Club, Inc., made the announcement today. The service provides trained "live" concierge agents who are supported by a Web-enabled call center and who coordinate personal services and purchases for users on the Internet. The funding was led by Women's Growth Capital with support from Scripps Ventures, LP, The Dinner Club and other private investors.

"Mary Naylor is one of the country's leading concierge service providers. She and her team are now building the premier Web-based concierge service for brand name companies," said Patty Abramson, managing director of Women's Growth Capital. "We are excited to be an investor in this company."

"We are thrilled to have such quality venture capitalists endorsing our concept of delivering personal service on the Web," said Cal Simmons, chairman of VIPdesk. "With this round of financing, we will focus on establishing our company as the leader in online concierge services."

Leveraging 12 years of concierge service operating experience in the commercial office market, Naylor and her team will offer the new site as a 24-hour, Web-enabled personal coordination and fulfillment service supported by concierge agents based in home offices throughout the country. The Concierge Club, Inc., doing business as Concierge Club, has been utilizing its Web site and e-mail since 1996, building the business and providing services for a blue chip client list with a customer base of over two million. Naylor is now launching a new integrated, enhanced service – the first of its kind.

"The Internet enables us to fulfill our service objective – 'anything, anywhere' – better than ever," Naylor said. "Our new site will combine the personal touch with Internet speed and efficiency to provide a vast range of services for our clients. We also offer a tremendous employment opportunity for people from various backgrounds who want to work from their home and use their knowledge and expertise regarding specific geographic areas and regional content."

The company will expand its successful efforts to co-brand with corporations that are seeking ways to offer lifestyle benefits to employees and value-added services to end-user customers. In addition to e-commerce capabilities for buying flowers, gifts, event tickets, travel, restaurant reservations and reminder services, the new site processes unique requests ("Find someone to take down my Christmas tree lights…") and provides Web coordination of personal service delivery (i.e., car and home services).

"Scripps Ventures is delighted to be a part of Concierge Club at this stage in the company's evolution" said Benjamin Burditt, senior vice-president of Scripps Ventures. "We are impressed by Mary Naylor, her management team, and the company's unique strategy. We think they are well positioned to be a leader in the online customized services market."

"Concierge Club is a great company with a compelling product for large corporations," commented John May, a manager of The Dinner Club. "The new site is a quick-to-implement service that will provide the fulfillment function for corporations who know that better services mean happy customers."

About Scripps Ventures (www.scrippsventures.com)

Scripps Ventures, a $150 million venture fund created by The E.W. Scripps Company, finances early-stage Internet companies in well-defined consumer and business-to-business segments. Since its inception in 1996, the fund has invested in 25 companies focused primarily on e-commerce, content/community and Web-related education.

About the Women's Growth Capital Fund (www.womensgrowthcapital.com)

The Women's Growth Capital Fund, based in Washington, DC, invests equity capital primarily in early and expansion stage women-owned and/or managed businesses. The Fund has $30 million under management. In addition to Concierge Club, the fund has invested in six other e-commerce companies: womenCONNECT.com, Women.com, BuyerZone.com, Destiny, iDolls and Enfish.

About The Dinner Club (www.thedinnerclub.com)

The Dinner Club is an early-stage private equity investment club. It joined Silicon Valley's Band of Angels, North Carolina's Tri-State Investor Group and northern Virginia's Capital Investors Group, as non-traditional venture pools. The members of The Dinner Club are active "angel" investors. They range from netpreneuers to venture capitalists and lawyers.

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