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Idiom, Inc. Secures $15 Million Second Round Financing From Jafco, Greylock, North Bridge And Sigma Partners

JAFCO Joins With Premiere Venture Capital Firms to Accelerate Web Globalization Leader's International Growth

Cambridge, MA - March 21, 2000 - Idiom, Inc., the premier provider of Web globalization solutions, today announced that it has secured $15 million in second round funding from four leading venture capital firms. The funding signals the rapid expansion of the market for Web globalization solutions, and Idiom will now accelerate both marketing and new product development to meet customer demands. JAFCO America Ventures led the funding. Other investors in the group include current Idiom investors, Greylock, North Bridge Venture Partners and Sigma Partners. In addition, Andrew Goldfarb, Managing Director at JAFCO America Ventures, has joined Idiom's Board of Directors.

Idiom expects the investments to provide the funding necessary to aggressively pursue international partnerships and customer opportunities arising from the remarkable worldwide growth of e-business. Idiom will also begin development of the next generation of its Web globalization solutions, and will expand its sales, marketing and professional services organizations.

"Web globalization is of critical importance to every company engaged in e-business," said Fred Lizza, president and CEO of Idiom, Inc. "This financing will provide Idiom the resources to focus on overseas opportunities for Web globalization while at the same time reinforcing the implementation of globalized e-business sites based in the United States. We especially look forward to the support and advice of our strategic investors in entering and forming strategic partnerships in Europe, Japan and other international markets."

Greylock, North Bridge Venture Partners and Sigma Partners participated in Idiom's initial round of financing in March 1999. JAFCO America, which has raised $750 million from international investors from Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe, uses its international network to provide strategy and tactical assistance to its portfolio companies as they expand globally. Other portfolio companies include Avanex, Brocade, Digital Island, eDocs, Net Perceptions, and Silknet. JAFCO, with offices in Boston and Palo Alto, has also worked closely with Idiom's other investment partners in the past.

"We recognize the significant marketplace opportunity for Web globalization software and services as e-business expands," said JAFCO's Andrew Goldfarb. "We are delighted to be investors and are very excited to help Idiom leverage its leadership position in the globalization market."

Idiom's WorldServer™ Web globalization software enables companies to rapidly and efficiently realize the benefits of global e-business. WorldServer is an open, Web-based software product that enables companies to manage the complexities involved in creating and maintaining a multinational, multilingual Web presence while leveraging the company's existing Web architecture, content management and e-commerce systems. Through its Global Readiness Assessment™, Idiom also guides customers in evaluating their technical, business, and marketing readiness for e-business globalization, and in formulating and implementing a comprehensive globalization strategy.

About Idiom, Inc.
Idiom is the world's premier provider of Web globalization solutions for e-business. Idiom's approach encompasses software, strategy, and services that enable organizations such as Lycos Tripod®, Travelocity.com™, Xerox™, and Xilinx, Inc.™, to deploy a multilingual and multicultural Web presence, thereby increasing revenue, improving customer loyalty and reinforcing brand. Idiom's flagship WorldServer product is Web-based software that allows organizations to maintain a Web architecture that functions on a global scale, providing distributed control and collaboration among managers and contributors worldwide. Idiom is funded by JAFCO America Ventures, Inc., Greylock, North Bridge Venture Partners and Sigma Partners. Idiom was recently named one of Computerworld's "Top 100 Emerging Companies to Watch in 2000." For information, call (617) 456-3000, http://www.idiominc.com or email to info@idiominc.com. Idiom's strategic partners include Vignette Corporation, a reseller of WorldServer for Vignette, Interwoven, Inc., Akamai Technologies, Adero, Inc., and Digital Island, Inc.

About JAFCO America Ventures, Inc.
JAFCO America Ventures is a leading early stage technology firm investing in communications, Internet and software companies. JAFCO has incubated such leading communication companies as Avanex and Monterey Networks and invested in companies such as Aptis Communications, Brocade Communications, Ciena Corporation, Digital Island, GoDigital Telecommunications, Oresis Communications, and Sentient Networks. In the Internet space, JAFCO has invested in such leading firms as eDocs, Lightspan Partnership, Net Perceptions, and Silknet Software. JAFCO manages approximately $750 million and has offices in Palo Alto, California and Boston, Massachusetts. JAFCO is available on the World Wide Web at www.jafco.com.

About Greylock
Founded in 1965 and with offices in Palo Alto, Calif. and Boston, Mass., Greylock is one of the nation's largest early stage venture firms with assets under management of more than $1 billion. The firm focuses on early stage investments in communications technology and services, Internet infrastructure and technology, ecommerce, and enterprise software and services. Greylock's strategy is to work in a highly supportive way with entrepreneurs who in turn are committed to building long-term value in companies that aspire to be leaders in their markets. Greylock's early stage investments in recent years have included Red Hat, Phone.com, DoubleClick, Media Metrix, Open Market, IXL, Kiva Software, CheckFree, Cygnus, Forte Software, Legato, ISS Group, Trilogy, Clarus, Xircom, Ascend, Northpoint, and Copper Mountain. Greylock has sponsored more companies to successful IPOs than any other early-stage venture firm, with over 160 total (eleven in 1999 alone) and has been lead or co-lead investor in almost all of these companies. More information is available at www.greylock.com.

About North Bridge Venture Partners
North Bridge Venture Partners is an active, early-stage investment firm based in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Founded in 1994, North Bridge has particular emphasis on software, communications and Internet investments. Representative investments by North Bridge's partners include such companies as Wellfleet Communications, Cascade Communications, Redstone, SmarterKids.com, Solid Works, and New Oak. North Bridge Venture Partners is available on the World Wide Web at www.nbvp.com.

About Sigma Partners
Sigma Partners is a privately held venture capital partnership organized in 1984 to make equity investments in businesses which offer favorable opportunity for significant growth in size and value. The partnership has a history of successful investing in entrepreneurial companies. Currently, Sigma manages four funds with combined capital of over $300 million. Sigma invests primarily in technology-based companies as eDocs, Cerulean Technology, and Oberon Software, and has offices in Menlo Park, CA and Boston, MA. Sigma Partners is available on the World Wide Web at www.sigmapartners.com.