Unikala Success Ignites Corporate Expansion; Innovator of Extended Trading Platform for eCommerce Appoints Key Executives to Top Marketing, Sales, and Engineering Posts.

Business Editors

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2000

Unikala(TM), Inc., the pioneer of the industry's first Extended Trading Platform for eCommerce, announced today the appointments of several well-known industry veterans to key marketing, sales and engineering posts. In just six months, Unikala, based in Oakland, has experienced a phenomenal 200% growth rate in its staff both domestically and abroad. Unikala is pioneering a next-generation software platform that allows eBusinesses to dynamically create their own extended trading communities -- providing new revenue streams. According to a recent Forrester report, worldwide commerce for both B2B and B2C will top $6.8 trillion by 2004. Unikala's Extended Trading Platform will serve as a key infrastructure component for the Global 1000 and emerging Internet market leaders, allowing them to create and operate dynamic electronic trading communities. To support the company's rapid expansion, both in North America and international markets, Unikala has appointed senior level executives Malcolm Colton as vice president of strategic marketing; Dan Heffernan as vice president of strategic accounts; and William Franklin as vice president of engineering.

Vice President Strategic Marketing

Malcolm Colton will lead the marketing organization as vice president of strategic marketing. In his new role, Colton will be responsible for creating worldwide awareness and adoption of Unikala's Extended Trading Platform. Colton has established a successful 20-year career, providing marketing expertise internationally and domestically with some of the world's leading computing companies. Before joining Unikala, he served as vice president of marketing at Cloudscape. At Cloudscape, Colton played an integral role in the successful acquisition of the company to Informix in 1999. Prior to Cloudscape, he held key marketing management positions at Illustra, Informix, and Sybase.

Vice President Strategic Accounts

Dan Heffernan leads the Unikala sales initiative as vice president of strategic accounts. Heffernan brings more than 25 years of marketing and finance experience to his new role at Unikala. He has held senior executive positions in the real estate finance, high-tech manufacturing, tax structured leasing, and offshore oil industries. As president of Caral Manufacturing, he refocused the sales of the vacuum chamber manufacturer toward the medical equipment sector, resulting in significant sustainable profit growth and the sale of the firm to its biggest customer. Most recently, Heffernan directed an international oil well testing company, helping establish it as the world leader in extended well testing. In his new role, Heffernan will head strategic accounts focused on the Global 1000 and emerging Internet market leaders.

Vice President Engineering

William Franklin joins Unikala as vice president of engineering. Franklin will lead the engineering organization, providing overall direction and execution of Unikala's Extended Trading ePlatform. Franklin brings more than 17 years of engineering management experience in the areas of eCommerce, system software, enterprise application integration (EAI), data analysis, and data migration expertise to his new role at Unikala. Previously, Franklin was vice president of engineering for Alibris, a leading global supplier of out-of-print books. Prior to joining Alibris, Franklin was director of product development for Constellar Corporation and Evoke Software where he managed all aspects of the product lifecycle.

"I'm delighted that Unikala has attracted such a top-notch team as we drive the next stage in our corporate growth. These three gentlemen are extremely accomplished and have been an integral part of some of the most highly respected companies in the industry," said Patrick Prajs, president and CEO of Unikala. "I look forward to working with these executives who will help deliver the industry's pioneering software platform, allowing savvy eBusinesses to dynamically create their own extended trading communities and initiate new revenue opportunities."

About Unikala

Unikala offers the first Extended Trading Platform for eCommerce allowing companies to create a dynamic electronic trading community that can instantly extend to a wide range of partner companies. With initial customers such as Visa International and strategic partnerships including Ernst & Young, Unikala is poised to provide the leading platform to Global 1000 and emerging Internet market leaders, helping companies create extended trading communities that can quickly adapt to market conditions and customer requests. The Unikala name is derived from "uni" referring to uniting and the Hawaiian word "kala" meaning money. This term uniquely suits the company's vision for enabling eBusinesses to dynamically create and manage extended trading communities. A private company incorporated in 2000, Unikala has headquarters in Oakland, Calif., with offices throughout the United States and France. For more information, please visit the Unikala web site: http://www.unikala.com, email [e-mail] or call 510/594-0725.

Note to Editors: Unikala and LiveBiz are trademarks of Unikala Inc. All other company and product names mentioned are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.