CMGI
Encyclopedia
ModusLink Global Solutions, formerly CMGI Inc., is an American
technology and venture capital
company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts
. The company supplies a range of internet and communications services, mostly to computer companies, its biggest customer being Hewlett-Packard Company which accounts for 30% of their fiscal 2007 revenue. Its services include inventory and supply chain management, and software and services to support customer logistics, fulfillment, customer relations, and web-based retail. The company provides these services mainly through its subsidiary ModusLink Corporation.
was in 1994. CMGI's December 2006 market capitalization
was $662.4 million. CMGI's stock boomed in the dot-com bubble
of the late 1990s, peaking at $163 in 2000, for a market capitalization of more than $40 billion. The stock crashed heavily when the bubble burst, falling below $1 in 2002. As a result, the company was forced to cease its acquisition spree, sell many of its investments, and reduce other costs such as the naming rights to CMGI Field
, home of the New England Patriots
.
On 29 September 2008, CMGI officially changed their name to ModusLink Global Solutions, with the change of ticker symbol to MLNK taking effect on 30 September 2008.
Prior to 2004, the group focused on investments in IT and the internet. Its investments in these sectors have included:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
technology and venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
company, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
. The company supplies a range of internet and communications services, mostly to computer companies, its biggest customer being Hewlett-Packard Company which accounts for 30% of their fiscal 2007 revenue. Its services include inventory and supply chain management, and software and services to support customer logistics, fulfillment, customer relations, and web-based retail. The company provides these services mainly through its subsidiary ModusLink Corporation.
History
The company was founded in 1986 as CMG Information Services, Inc. by David Wetherell, who was formerly the company's Chairman. The company's initial public offeringInitial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
was in 1994. CMGI's December 2006 market capitalization
Market capitalization
Market capitalization is a measurement of the value of the ownership interest that shareholders hold in a business enterprise. It is equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of a publicly traded company...
was $662.4 million. CMGI's stock boomed in the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
of the late 1990s, peaking at $163 in 2000, for a market capitalization of more than $40 billion. The stock crashed heavily when the bubble burst, falling below $1 in 2002. As a result, the company was forced to cease its acquisition spree, sell many of its investments, and reduce other costs such as the naming rights to CMGI Field
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
, home of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
.
On 29 September 2008, CMGI officially changed their name to ModusLink Global Solutions, with the change of ticker symbol to MLNK taking effect on 30 September 2008.
@Ventures
@Ventures is CMGI's technology venture capital arm. Since 2004 and the launch of their fifth fund, @Ventures has focused on early-stage clean technology investments, with investments including:- 212 Resources
- Advent Solar
- CarbonFlow
- Cobalt Biofuels
- H2Gen
- M2E Power
- Powerit Holdings
- Propel
Prior to 2004, the group focused on investments in IT and the internet. Its investments in these sectors have included:
- 1stUp.com (CMGI corporate acquisition)
- AltaVistaAltaVistaAltaVista is a web search engine owned by Yahoo!. AltaVista was once one of the most popular search engines but its popularity declined with the rise of Google...
- LycosLycosLycos, Inc. is a search engine and web portal established in 1994. Lycos also encompasses a network of email, webhosting, social networking, and entertainment websites.-Corporate history:...
- FreeMark Communications
- furniture.com
- BizBuyer.com
- Tribal Voice, makers of chat program PowWowPowWow (chat program)PowWow was one of the first Internet instant message and chat programs for Windows. It was made by a company called Tribal Voice. It is a quintessential internet startup meltdown story.-Features:...
(CMGI corporate acquisition) - iChat (a competitor to Tribal Voice)
- SnapfishSnapfishSnapfish is a web-based photo sharing and photo printing service that is owned by Hewlett-Packard. Members can upload files for free, and are given unlimited photo storage.- History :...
- GX Media
- DomaniaDomaniaDomania is an internet search engine that allows users to search through 28 million Comparables or "sold home prices" dating back to 1987 at no cost. As of Nov 2008, this historical function is no longer working....
- Central ad server
- MyFamily.com, Inc.
- AlibrisAlibrisAlibris is an online store that sells new books, used books, out-of-print books, rare books, and other media through an online network of independent booksellers....
- GeoCitiesGeoCitiesYahoo! GeoCities is a web hosting service, currently available only in Japan.GeoCities was originally founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994 as Beverly Hills Internet . In its original form, site users selected a "city" in which to place their web pages...
- Chemdex.comChemdex.comChemdex.com was one of the first online business-to-business e-commerce companies. Based in the United States, Chemdex provided an online marketplace for sales of chemicals, enzymes, lab equipment, biotech products like peptides, and many types of chemical reagents...
- AdForceAdForceAdForce , founded by Chad Steelberg & Ryan Steelberg in 1995 and grown into the world’s largest centralized independent ad serving and management solution, was acquired by CMGI after going public for more than $500 million US dollars in 1999. AdForce won the Smithsonian Award for the Best...
- NavisiteNaviSiteNaviSite, a Time Warner Cable Company, is a provider of complex hosting, application management and managed cloud services for enterprises, founded in 1997. NaviSite provides a suite of managed services, including Application Services, Enterprise Hosting, and Managed Cloud Services for enterprises...
- Koz.com