``Nameless...'' Design Software Company Gives Resellers a Chance to Own a Piece of the Pie.

The Company Formerly Known as Cad.Lab Makes Pre-IPO Shares

Available to Top-Performing Resellers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 1998--

First, The Company Formerly Known As Cad.Lab (TCFKAC) kicked off the first-ever company-naming promotion distributed via the World Wide Web. Simultaneously, this "nameless" venture landed $17.5 million in second-round financing. Now, TCFKAC is charting another industry-first course by offering top-performing resellers of the company's state-of-the-art 3-D software a chance to own part of this upstart design software company. TCFKAC makes software that lets people design everyday physical objects, including home appliances and custom luxury automobiles.

"With TCFKAC's target market and price point goals, a robust, highly motivated indirect channel is essential," said Charles Foundyller, president of market research firm, Daratech. "This program represents the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that's required to attract the best partners in today's market. It's the type of approach I would expect from a Joe Costello-led company."

Partnership The Name of the Game

Headed up by Silicon Valley icon, Joe Costello, 45, former CEO of Cadence Design Systems Inc. -- one of the world's largest software companies -- TCFKAC's innovative resellers equity program is designed to help rapidly build a strong indirect sales channel worldwide. The company's industry-first equity program will operate in a similar fashion to employee stock option plans, but will be governed by sales performance.

According to Richard Cuneo, 57, TCFKAC's newly appointed vice president of sales, "We've taken partnership to a whole new level in terms of how a company should work with its channel. We want our partners to think of themselves as part of the company. Offering them a chance to own piece of the firm provides an added incentive on top of some already aggressive marketing and sales strategies that make our products the best solutions for mechanical designers."

Program Eligibility; Comprehensive Reseller Program Support

For a limited time, under terms of the program, reseller partners who sign on with TCFKAC and who commit to sell at least 100 seats of software in 1999 are eligible to participate. There is no restriction on the number of shares resellers can purchase. Shares are purchased from TCFKAC at the then-current valuation of the company.

A key element of TCFKAC's reseller program is comprehensive support for helping mechanical designers migrate from 2-D design to 3-D, which is at the core of the company's strategy. Resellers will be provided with total sales cycle support, including innovative lead-generation activities, an aggressive and flexible market development funds program, the most comprehensive and easy-to-use Web-based channel support in the industry, and a targeted reseller SWAT team that will provide assistance regarding strategic sales opportunities.

It's a 3-D World -- Why Design in 2-D?

Under Costello's CEO direction, TCFKAC has set out to launch a global revolution in 3-D design by making powerful, affordable 3-D design software that is easy-to-learn available to millions of designers currently using 2-D products such as AutoCAD from AutoDesk (NASDAQ: ADSK). To help capture this market, Costello is architecting a new kind of MCAD company with a different approach to all aspects of its business. Reference the company's unique approach to finding a new company name.

In one of the World Wide Web's largest naming promotions ever, Web "surfers" were invited to submit name proposals to set TCFKAC's new corporate image and brand. The award for submitting the best proposal for the most creative and appropriate name for the company is $50,000. The promotion ended Nov. 30, yielding more than 40,000 entries. (The company will unveil its new name -- and the person who submitted it -- in late December).

About The Company Formerly Known as Cad.Lab

The Company Formerly Known as Cad.Lab (TCFKAC) is a privately held upstart company that produces software for designing common, everyday physical objects, including home appliances, children's safety products and engine parts, as well as boutique home accessories and custom cars, to name a few. The company's MCAD software products are sold through a growing worldwide network of distributors and VARs. Among the company's top customers are Alessi, Buell Motorcycles (a division of Harley-Davidson), Candy/Hoover, Dinan, Mercedes, and Peugeot Societe' Anonime (PSA). TCFKAC is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with engineering centered in Bologna, Italy.

About TCFKAC's Products

TCFKAC's Windows-native product line offers the functionality of higher-priced 3-D packages from suppliers such as Dassault Systems (NASDAQ: DASTY), Parametric Technology Corp. (NASDAQ: PMTC) and Structural Dynamics Research Corp. (NASDAQ: SDRC) -- all at prices competitive with traditional low-end, 2-D vendors such as AutoDesk, Inc. To make it easy for the large installed base of MCAD designers using 2-D design tools, such as AutoCAD from AutoDesk, to move to 3-D design, the company is taking a multi-faceted approach:

-- Provide a full-blown 3-D software product that's powerful,

flexible and easy-to-learn. Give it to designers at no price

premium over current 2-D software products.

-- Make it novel and entertaining to learn.

-- Totally commit to an indirect sales channel with innovative,

comprehensive programs that make the product easy to sell and

support.

For more information, see the company's Web site at www.cadlab.com.