Twenty-Three of 500 Fastest Growing Technology Companies in United States Located in Texas According to Deloitte & Touche.

Business/Technology Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2001

Twenty-three of the fastest growing technology companies in the United States are located in Texas according to the seventh annual Technology Fast 500 ranking announced today by Deloitte & Touche's Technology & Communications Group.

The Technology Fast 500 ranks the fastest growing technology companies based on average five-year percentage revenue growth.

"The growth of the Texas technology industry continues to be impressive," said Sandy Rothe, managing partner in charge of the technology and communications practice for Deloitte & Touche in Texas. "Last year, Texas had 15 companies on the list. This year we have 23 and we expect to find many more Texas technology companies on the Fast 500 list in future years."

The highest ranked Texas company on this year's list is Plano-based PFSweb, Inc., ranked fourth in the U.S. PFSweb (NASDAQ:PFSW) provides comprehensive outsourcing solutions including professional consulting services, order management, web-enabled customer contact centers, customer lifecycle management, and international distribution services. PFSweb had 77,924 percent growth, growing from revenues of $111,000 in 1996 to $86,607,000 in 2000.

Of the 23 Texas companies on the Fast 500, in addition to PFSweb, twelve are in software, three are in communications, two are in Internet services and computers and one each is in components, technical and biotechnology. Fifteen companies are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, five are in the Houston area and three are based in Austin.

      The other Texas companies in ranked order are as follows:

Rank  Company Name                   City    5 Year % Ticker  Exchange
----  -------------                 ------   -------- ------- --------
4    PFSweb, Inc.                   Plano    77,924%   PFSW   NASDAQ
33   Synhrgy HR Technologies, Inc.  Houston  20,934%  private
87   Crossroads Systems, Inc.       Austin    6,617%   CRDS   NASDAQ
91   SigmaTel Inc.                  Austin    6,318%  private
109  Efficient Networks, Inc.       Dallas    5,384%   EFNT   NASDAQ
116  Chorum Technologies Inc.      Richardson 5,207%  private
132  Lexicon Genetics Incorporated  Spring    4,625%   LEXG   NASDAQ
151  Evercom, Inc.                  Irving    4,159%  private
186  MetaSolv Software, Inc.        Plano     3,350%   MSLV   NASDAQ
188  Cyberonics, Inc.               Houston   3,280%   CYBX   NASDAQ
210  AIVIA, Inc.                    Dallas    2,946%  private
219  gnubi communications, Inc.     Addison   2,843%  private
249  Millbrook Corporation         Carrollton 2,417%  private
276  ProsoftTraining                Austin    2,058%   POSO   NASDAQ
280  TimeVision, Inc.               Irving    2,010%  private
368  i2 Technologies, Inc.          Dallas    1,375%   ITWO   NASDAQ
374  Universal Conversion
      Technologies                  Addison   1,306%  private
382  EXE Technologies, Inc.         Dallas    1,274%   EXEE   NASDAQ
403  NEON Systems, Inc.            Sugarland  1,177%   NESY   NASDAQ
433  Entrust, Inc.                   Plano    1,059%   ENTU   NASDAQ
439  CYNET, Inc.                    Houston   1,039%   CYNE   NASDAQ
472  Pegasus Solutions, Inc.        Dallas      918%   PEGS   NASDAQ
492  ViewCast.com, Inc.             Dallas      853%   VCST   NASDAQ

Number 1 Fast 500 Winner eBay Grew at 115,874 Percent

eBay Inc. topped the Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 500. An Internet company based in San Jose, Calif., eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) revenues grew 115,874 percent from $372,000 in 1996 to $431,424,000 in 2000. This is the first time eBay has appeared on the Fast 500 ranking.

Second on the Fast 500 is InfoSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP), a leading global provider of Internet infrastructure services based in Bellevue, Wash., with a five-year revenue growth rate of 107,704 percent. Its revenues grew from $199,000 in 1996 to $214,530,000 in 2000.

Third-ranked Excite@Home Corporation (NASDAQ:ATHM), the leader in broadband, offers consumers residential broadband services and businesses high-speed commercial services. Based in Redwood City, Calif., Excite@Home has a growth rate of 91,080 percent, growing from revenues of $676,000 in 1996 to $616,375,000 in 2000.

PFSweb, Inc. ranked fourth.

Rounding out the top five is Mascon Global Limited, a global IT and software services company that provides end-to-end solutions based on a delivery model that combines offshore and onsite software services. Based in Schamburg, Ill., Mascon Global Limited had a five-year growth rate of 74,900 percent, growing from revenues of $100,000 in 1996 to $75,000,000 in 2000.

Software and Communications Companies Dominate the Fast 500

Fifty-seven percent of the 2001 Fast 500 winners are in the software and communications industries. With 44 percent, software companies make up the greatest sector represented on the ranking. Communications companies comprise 13 percent, up from 9 percent in 2000.

Computers and peripherals companies represent 6 percent. Internet companies comprise 15 percent, down from 17 percent in 2000, the first time this segment has decreased in three years. For the past two years, the percentage of Internet companies had doubled each year. Semiconductors, components and electronics companies account for 6 percent of the Fast 500.

Biotechnology companies represent 8 percent of the Fast 500, down slightly from the 9 percent this category held for the 2000, 1999 and 1998 rankings. Medical, scientific and technical manufacturing companies comprised 7 percent, down from last year's 9 percent.

Qualifying Criteria for the Fast 500

The Fast 500 list is compiled from three sources: winners and candidates of Deloitte & Touche's 22 regional North American Fast 50 programs, nominations submitted directly to the Fast 500, and public company database research. To qualify for the Fast 500, entrants must have had 1996 revenues of at least $50,000 USD and $75,000 CD for the United States and Canada, respectively.

Entrants are public or private companies headquartered in North America and must be a "technology company," defined as a company that develops proprietary technology which contributes to a significant portion of the company's operating revenues, manufactures a technology-related product, or devotes a high percentage of effort to research and development of technology.

About Deloitte & Touche's Technology & Communications Group

Deloitte & Touche LLP, one of the nation's leading professional services firms, provides assurance and advisory, tax, and management consulting services through nearly 30,000 people in more than 100 U.S. cities. Texas offices of Deloitte & Touche include Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The Technology & Communications Group is composed of service professionals who have a wealth of experience serving technology and communications companies throughout the world in areas including Internet, software, semiconductors, cable, media and publishing, communication utilities, networking, wireless, computers and peripherals, and related industries. These specialists understand the challenges that technology and communications companies face throughout all stages of their business growth cycle and are committed to helping them succeed. Deloitte & Touche is a leader in providing strategic, financial, operational, and information technology assistance to its technology and communications clients. For more information, please visit Deloitte & Touche's web site at www.us.deloitte.com.