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V • September 22, 2000 FOR MORE TECI-
<br /> CityBusiness 'AA, BUILDING THE
<br /> •
<br /> . ;p'�ym �u r *r;..dd`,�" 'v, ,,,\.,P\�,F+' NEXT A D C
<br /> `\ Minnesota High Tech
<br /> f
<br /> ; .S Association launching
<br /> ,
<br /> , plan'to aid startups.
<br /> www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ PAGE
<br /> FOCUSES.,,.... :. ON,:a.,,..,.;: .. ,saea .,.,
<br /> COMPANY
<br /> SMALLPRINT
<br /> The Entr
<br /> Twin Cities bush
<br /> ByMark ReillyVERTICAL PUBLISHING ed onto Web-site templates. founded consulting
<br /> between Plymouth
<br /> Staff reporter "They use the same system •
<br /> HELPS PUBLICATIONS
<br /> As three Elk River entre- theyalready use;they just send
<br /> preneurs plan big things for EXPAND ONLINE us an extra copy," Held said.
<br /> their new online publishingDIANnwnrreRs He estimated that Vertical ;
<br /> company, .they're thinking Publishing's services would ,�
<br /> small as in small print runs ' '''''',,.,',!.Q1044.:. + , cost about $40,000 a year —
<br /> ,,;z.
<br /> Their new venture, called less than the cost of an adds-
<br /> Vertical Publishing Inc., offers u , tional technology employee,
<br /> print-media outlets an easy way ;t he noted.
<br /> to convert their content into • The firm was founded by
<br /> Web sites. The firm, which ,E " ,t Held and two colleagues in the Wit rat ,
<br /> launched operations a few �' °, ,, U r a� Duluth offices of Advanstar
<br /> weeks ago, is targeting small a}; 1 , '- Communications Inc., a medical device and
<br /> publications — obscure trade r"�r • a '-##i' . d Cleveland-based trade journal t t d fi a J Wetterstrom fo
<br /> ..ma at*,g, a
<br /> journals,chamber of commerce � �#I,�w # '.144';'''‘,.',7.
<br /> , � ,z � publisher. The trio felt there Associates—in IS
<br /> newsletters and other periods t4, W }!`� , " was a market in assisting small-
<br /> '',01
<br /> mall- enue of$54 millior
<br /> • cals that because of their size � � ` P scale publishers,so they struck fast-growing �ivatr
<br /> �$Y� dad,<�� " p
<br /> ti "*k,t out on their own.None of them headquarters to N
<br /> can't afford to run a Web opera- �� � *^4: 4tr
<br /> tion in-house. �'''.4,t, � ` . "t was a software developer, so # c
<br /> The company, founded in „„4.14.,'.,.x , � , they partnered with MMP, a f''Ilet.3U�s
<br /> rl " British firm that had developed
<br /> January,. recently signed its ��l�a.�r, , .,
<br /> first customer, BBN $" Littoralis to serve much the He may not hav
<br /> Publishing Inc. of same market in Europe. Noah will have a vi,
<br /> Minneapolis. BBN, whichThey also sought backing organized for doze
<br /> publishes the monthly ,, .„-,t-;,'; and counseling from Gateway The National Er
<br /> Minnesota Business, also pro- ,. Affiance II,an Elk River-based 50 firms(half from
<br /> duces magazines for several "h incubator affiliated with potential investors,
<br /> chamber of commerce groups. investor Harlan Jacobs. The Startup CEOs offer,
<br /> David Held, co-founder of r, firm is now working on raising firms and attended
<br /> 1 di
<br /> . Vertical Publishing, said the $2 million in financing. Inc.and Minnetonk
<br /> firm is in talks with about 20 David Held said his firm is in talks with 20 _ Held estimated there are The NetSuds H
<br /> other potential clients. The small to mid-sized publishers who want to perhaps 35,000 print maga- Tuesday at the U.5
<br /> develop a strong Internet presence but
<br /> prospects represent a variety ofdon't have the resources. zines in Vertical Publishing's ture tours of Visi.c
<br /> industries,but share some sim- target niche of business publi- more information
<br /> ilar characteristics: They're all software let BBN establish a search- cations —representing a poten
<br /> small and mid-sized publishers who able archive — an increasingly tial market value of more than $1 +
<br /> want to develop sophisticated essential feature for media sites — billion based on Vertical's annual
<br /> Internet units but don't have the and move its other publications software fees. But other players are �,
<br /> V. resources. online. "It's a far superior site now eyeing the small-publisher field as
<br /> il
<br /> "They're generally seeing online than what we had,"McNiff said. well: R.R. Donnelley & Sons,
<br /> Chicago,has alreadylaunched its E- a ° 'tai "'v'de" d°
<br /> competition from two sides; from The advantage of Vertical g ° Americabut some l
<br /> larger print competitors as well as Publishing's system, Held said, is Publish service, though Held said .,„,,,,„'.4..„.. ..-t
<br /> from new Web-based startups," that it requires little extra effort by .that venture is primarily targeting '; r, i i'4,
<br /> Held said. "We offer them a way toconsumer publications. " "
<br /> the publication.When a ma azine is
<br /> 0 move quickly into the Web arena." ready to be printed, editors typically McNiff said BBN had consid- Caucasian "
<br /> BBN had already maintained a deliver an electronic file of the edi- ered using E-Publish before decid-
<br /> Web site for Minnesota Business, tion to their printer,which then prints '"''''Atriitair4iiiii146a
<br /> ing Vertical Publishing's package
<br /> but grouppublisher Peter McNiff was more flexible."They're smaller, " Hispanic American
<br /> the. file. Vertical Publishing uses �,�
<br /> said its content was limited to a licensed software, called Littoralis, but they give you the feeling that " mn�;p„
<br /> " `this month, last month' kind of that instead converts that file into they're ambitious and will get things All households
<br /> thing"Using the Vertical Publishing Web documents, which can be post- done." ■
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