Entrepreneurs 2000-2002: The 'Where are they now?' file (II)

This is the second part of our catching up on entrepreneurs we interviewed as part of our project European Entrepreneur 2000 (http://www.silicon.com/ee2000 ). Have these start-uppers gone on to bigger and better things? Or are they very much residing in the 'Where are they now?' file?

Alex van Someren
2000: Co-founder and CEO nCipher
2002: Co-founder and CEO nCipher
Start-up base: UK

Internet security hardware and software business nCipher jumped into the IPO market just one month after Alex van Someren featured in our European Entrepreneur 2000 special report. His company raised a healthy £105m on the London Stock Exchange and it still has most of the cash sitting in the bank.

He said: "The business has been managing its costs very tightly and the interest on the IPO cash has been covering the costs of the business. One good thing about the recession is the price of potential acquisitions drops all the time, although we haven't made any yet."

nCipher still managed to grow in 2001, despite the difficult climate, with revenues expanding from £13.4m in 2000 to £14.3m one year later.

While nCipher has stretched its reach into the Asian market, van Someren has launched the Full Moon Club for entrepreneurs who wish to swap war stories without being overheard by investors and journalists. Is that possible?

Marten Mickos
2000: Founder and CEO MatchON.com
2002: CEO MySQL
Start-up base: Finland/UK

This entrepreneur proved hard to get hold of for this feature as he seemed to be permanently in the air on his way to the US or Russia or somewhere else as CEO of MySQL.com, producer of the world's most popular open source database - at least it is according to Mickos.

Just one month after Mickos spoke to silicon.com in September 2000, MatchON.com was shut down after it failed to get the additional funding it needed to continue with its sports coverage and gambling offering.

Mickos said: "The bubble had burst. The business idea was and still is a very good one but we were a little optimistic about how we were going to do it. We knew we could get it up and running in 10 months but that was too long for our investors."

After a stint helping other start-ups with their sales and marketing, Mickos joined MySQL as its CEO. He said that despite the recession, MySQL had grown its revenues 600 per cent over the last year and he has no plans to move onto another venture.

Bruno Peach - M.I.A.
2000: Founder and CEO Dream-up.com
2002: Mr Peach and his start-up have disappeared from the face of the internet

More like Dream-on.com? (Though we should add that's a separate and very well produced site in its own right.) Come out, come out, wherever you are, Bruno Peach! If anybody has any ideas where we might be able to track down this invisible man or know what happened to Dream-up.com, let us know - editorial@silicon.com .