First Tuesday Launches Mobile Wednesdays Forum Hosted by Emerging Technology Thought Leaders in Chicago.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2001

First Tuesday, a global meeting place for start-ups, is partnering with Motorola, Centerpost, Sun Microsystems, Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting), Expanets and Fleishman-Hillard to produce and host "Mobile Wednesdays," a monthly forum designed for more than 500 executives, entrepreneurs, investors and consultants to meet and to discuss emerging technologies and the future of the Wireless Internet as a disruptive technology.

Each month, the hosts will provide a speaker and/or panel in the order they are listed above. The purpose of the new wireless focus is to develop awareness and interaction among strong growth companies in the Chicago area.

"The necessary ingredients to make Chicago a wireless leader are a supply of 'smart' money (capital), an easily accessible infrastructure and government support -- both state and local," explained David Jacobson, the founder of First Tuesday in Chicago and a partner in the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. "Mobile Wednesdays will serve as the focal point for the exchange of information and ideas to help facilitate the emergence in Chicago of these ingredients for success."

The first meeting - presented by Motorola -- will take place on January 17th from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at The Westin River North Hotel, 320 N. Dearborn Street. Leading off the event will be Janiece Webb, Motorola Inc. Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Internet Software and Content Group.

Ms. Webb, one of the top women in technology in Chicago, will highlight "why the wireless world is your world."

Following that, Warren Holtsberg, Corporate Vice President and director of Motorola Ventures, the corporate venture capital investment arm of Motorola, Inc., will address opportunities for entrepreneurs and why Chicago is a great place to develop their businesses.

"Chicago has an opportunity to command the wireless industry," Holtsberg said. "The city is home to industry leaders, unique talent, start-ups and world renowned universities. If we engage in a concerted effort toward innovation and collaboration, all will look toward Chicago."

First Tuesday is hoping Mobile Wednesdays will build on the success of its classic monthly networking events held on the first Tuesday of the month. One regular First Tuesday attendee believes it will.

"By attending First Tuesday events, we've secured funding, gained talented employees and networked with significant partners," said Goran Rajsic, President and CEO of cyberPIXIE, a broadband wireless network company in Chicago. "The wireless segmentation will make for a focused, manageable event, and I anticipate successful networking at Mobile Wednesdays," he said.

Rajsic believes that wireless and mobile technology will become a leadership niche for Chicago.

Future Mobile Wednesday meetings are scheduled for February 21 (presented by Centerpost), March 14 (presented by Sun Microsystems), April 18 (presented by Accenture), May 16 (presented by Expanets) and June 20 (presented by Fleishman-Hillard).

All First Tuesday registrants will receive an invitation to the Jan. 17th event. Those not already registered for First Tuesday should visit http://www.sonnenschein.com/first/register.nsf/ to secure inclusion on the invitation list.

ABOUT MOBILE WEDNESDAYS SPONSORS

First Tuesday

First Tuesday is the global meeting and market place for start-ups and currently hosts events in more than 100 cities across the globe. First Tuesday has helped entrepreneurs to raise over $150 million of seed capital with 100,000 plus members. For additional information visit www.firsttuesdays.com.

Motorola

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communication solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1999 were $33.1 billion.

Motorola Ventures, the global strategic venture capital investment arm of Motorola, Inc., actively invests at early stages in developing companies of strategic value to Motorola in order to accelerate access to new technologies, new markets and new talent. More information is available at www.motorola.com.

Centerpost

Centerpost, a privately held company backed by Motorola, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Portage Venture Partners, provides electronic messaging services that enable corporations to give their customers and employees the ability to control the information they receive. More information is available at www.centerpost.com.

Sun Microsystems

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision-"The Network Is The Computer(TM)"- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ:SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the internet and allow enterprises worldwide to ".com" their businesses.

With more than $17.6 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the WorldWide Web at http://www.sun.com.

Accenture

Accenture, formerly known as Andersen Consulting, is a $10 billion global management and technology consulting organization with more than 70,000 people in 46 countries. Accenture's home page is www.accenture.com.

Expanets

Expanets is the largest provider of networked communications solutions to small and medium sized businesses in the United States, currently serving more than 750,000 clients. More information is available at www.expanets.com.

Fleishman-Hillard Inc.

Fleishman-Hillard Inc. is the largest public relations firm in the United States, the fifth-largest firm worldwide and is the largest technology PR firm in the world, serving clients such as Dell, Yahoo!, and Intel through its global network. For additional information visit www.fleishmanhillard.com.