“My job is a matter of fitting this all together. Making it understandable yet simple, without losing dimension, in a way that an investor can relate and be responsive to.”

Eleanor Haas, Managing Director, E-Technologies Associates

Eleanor Haas sees herself more as an architect than an investment banker. “When I find a creative entrepreneur like Bruce Kamm, I feel this job is really what I was born to do.” She admits, with a twinkle in her eye, that her gender is a plus, “I don’t have to impose my ego, or have it done my way.”

Collaborating with Kamm, mostly by e-mail since February, has proven to be stimulating. “The deeper we get into this, the more validity there is and the richer the potential,” Haas exclaimed. (They met after Kamm went online to check out E-Technologies—at the suggestion of a business associate.)

E-Technologies has assisted Kamm’s TradeBanc in several ways. They handled the private placement memorandum, provided strategy and consulting services, as well as entree to their extensive resource network. 

“We are currently looking to work with a top law firm that specializes in the securities laws, which is very important for an internet IPO (initial public offering),” reported Haas. “Also we’ll be seeking the services of a respected accounting firm, along with public relations and advertising firms with knowledge in the internet and business areas.”

She continued, “Normally we’d be doing more marketing to investors, but there are already a couple of major players—venture capital companies—who have jumped in from out of nowhere, indicating they’d like to throw in more money than would ever be needed into this effort.”

Haas explained that, traditionally, pre-revenue companies such as Kamm’s would have to scrounge around to get $100,000 to $200,000 from angels (individual investors). But Bruce has already put this amount of his own cash on the line, so he’s past that hurdle. “Now we’re into heavy duty VC (venture capital),” she smilingly acknowledged.

“Bruce is going to get the money, because everyone in the investment community recognizes that the internet is transforming the way all business is done. Period.”

Additionally, contends Haas, anybody who’s given it any thought knows that barter is the next big thing, after the auction explosion, because the internet is the natural place for this to happen. “And,” she quickly added, “there’s the eagerness of the investment community to get in first on the ground floor of dot.com companies—because of the enormous wealth creation.”

Haas says Kamm’s timing is impeccable. “Six months ago people wouldn’t have been throwing money at Bruce, despite the brilliance of the concept. But there’s been a tremendous shift in the market.”

“Furthermore,” she stated without pausing, “TradeBanc has a huge jump over others to become an industry market maker. It’s on the way to erecting such serious barriers to entry that very well may close out direct competition.”

According to Haas, Kamm has all of the ingredients investors demand of entrepreneurs. Not only has he put considerable capital behind his efforts, but he has both domain expertise (thorough knowledge of his industry) and functional (provable track record) expertise, as well.

“He has the makings to become a major industry evangelist, like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in their respective industries. Needless to say our company is excited about working with TradeBanc. When we met Bruce we were just electrified with his thinking, and that hasn’t diminished one bit,” Haas enthused.

Barter News Magazine