[October 12, 2001]

Wireless Firm HandSignal Secures $1.35 Million In Series A Financing

HandSignal, Inc., a Prairie Village, Kansas-based provider of wireless data delivery technology, announced the closing of a $1.35 million Series A round of financing. The funds will be used to further enhance the product development efforts for INFOlaunch, HandSignal's proprietary push wireless architecture solution, extend the sales and marketing of the company's products, and add staff.

Telecommunications Development Fund (TDF), a Washington, DC-based venture capital firm that finances early stage telecommunications technology companies, led the Series A round. Joining TDF in this round are Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (a seed investor in HandSignal), Bi-State Investment Group, and individual investors.

"Today's funding, which was more than we originally expected to raise, shows that even in the current environment, a telecom firm that offers compelling solutions can attract quality venture capital partners," said Margy Ronning, Founder and VP of Marketing of HandSignal. "We are excited by the local and industry contacts, as well as the deep telecom expertise, provided by our investors."

Founded in 2000, HandSignal has developed INFOlaunch, a technology platform that delivers information using intelligent push technology. INFOlaunch's patent-pending architecture wirelessly pushes business information to handheld devices like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or Smartphones whenever changes occur.

"HandSignal's combination of a fundamentally strong business model, a powerful base of telecom know-how, and an experienced and prudent management team is what attracted us to this investment," said Darrell Williams, chief investment officer of TDF. "The company has created a cutting-edge telecom technology that addresses a real-problem for wireless adoption - by providing immediate, proactive access to a flow of information, without the need for action by the end user. We see HandSignal's INFOlaunch thriving in today's wireless market."

As part of the Series A funding, TDF's Williams, and Ed Kuklenski, Senior Vice President of Shareholder Services at Child Health Corporation of America, and CEO of Foodservice.com, join the HandSignal Board of Directors.

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