CCBN Signs 2,000th Client for Web IR Service; Market Penetration of Online Investor Relations Services Now Exceeds 20 percent of Publicly Traded Companies.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2001

CCBN (www.ccbn.com), a leading provider of Internet-based shareholder communication services, announced today that it has surpassed 2,000 clients subscribing to the company's flagship IR Online service. Launched less than four years ago, CCBN now services more than 20 percent of all publicly traded companies and over 25 percent of the S&P 500.

"CCBN offers a powerful solution for public companies," says Brad Ellsworth, Manager of IR at Northwest Airlines, who recently became a CCBN client. "Our new Investor Relations site places Northwest at the top of our airline industry peer group and among the upper tier of companies outside the industry."

CCBN's IR Online service combines superior Internet technology and an innovative suite of tools to provide corporate investor relations Web site solutions. Since its first client signed on in 1997, CCBN has established a market leadership position by offering corporate IR professionals a comprehensive, cost-effective method of delivering investor relations information via the Web. Other subscribers include Akamai (Nasdaq:AKAM), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO), FleetBoston Financial (NYSE:FBF), Sears (NYSE:S), and Staples (Nasdaq:SPLS).

The mandate of fair disclosure outlined in the SEC's recently approved Regulation FD has increased interest in online Investor Relations tools and helped fuel CCBN's growth, particularly in the area of webcasting of quarterly earnings conference calls. "CCBN is all about connecting companies with their investors," added Rob Adler, President and co-founder of CCBN. "Our services are designed to help companies communicate their message to as broad an audience as possible, all in the spirit of Regulation FD."

CCBN announced in July that it had raised $24.8 million in equity financing, led by funds managed by Goldman, Sachs & Co. (NYSE: GS), HarbourVest Partners, LLC and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (NYSE: MWD) with America Online (NYSE: AOL) and Trident Capital continuing to support CCBN with additional investments.

"We're extremely pleased with the level of growth CCBN has shown. They are uniquely positioned to serve three distinct, yet inter-related audiences: public companies, institutional investors, and leading retail investment portals," said Philip A. Cooper, Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs & Co.'s Private Equity Group. "CCBN's business model allows them to fill a specific need of each audience and to secure solid revenue streams from each. It's what caught our eyes initially and what continues to make CCBN attractive as an investment."

This announcement regarding CCBN's 2,000th IR Online client comes on the heels of CCBN's recent signing of its 500th firm subscribing to the StreetEvents service, CCBN's institutional event management database.

CCBN is now the clear leader in a rapidly emerging industry supporting essential communications between public companies and the investment community over the Internet. The company's suite of Web-based communication services provides public companies with a customized, comprehensive and cost-effective Internet solution for Investor Relations. CCBN acts as a one-stop shop for companies, combining a total IR Web site solution - including Webcasting and IR Fulfillment Services - with a powerful Investor Distribution Network to assist companies in disseminating their message out to a broader audience.

About CCBN

Co-founded in 1997 by Jeffrey P. Parker, creator of First Call, and Robert Adler, CCBN is the global leader in enabling direct communications between public companies and the investment community over the Internet. CCBN builds, manages and hosts the Investor Relations sections of Web sites for more than 2,000 public companies, providing detailed shareholder information through interactive, multi-media solutions. In addition, CCBN hosts live and archived quarterly conference calls for more than 2,500 corporations each quarter.

Through its StreetEvents institutional event management database, (http://www.streetevents.com) and partnerships with leading retail financial portals, CCBN has created a revolutionary investor distribution network that delivers an unprecedented body of direct corporate information to the largest collective audience of institutional and individual investors in cyberspace.

Headquartered in Boston, Mass., CCBN has offices in San Francisco, Atlanta and London.