China's Largest Blog Community - 51.com - Successfully Closes Second Round Financing

China's Largest Blog Community - 51.com - Successfully Closes Second Round Financing

May 11, 2007

    SHANGHAI, China, May 10 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 51.com,
China's largest blog community, recently announced the
closure of its latest round of financing, which is
co-invested by Intel Capital, Redpoint Ventures (the
investor of MySpace, the well-known social network in the
U.S.), Sequoia Capital China and SIG.  Prior to that,
51.com received the first round of investment from Sequoia
Capital China and SIG in May 2006.

    Intel Capital is the venture capital arm of the world
largest chipmaker, Intel, responsible for equity investment
in technology innovation companies and other companies
worldwide.  As one of the largest venture capital companies
in the world, Sequoia Capital has invested in Apple
Computer, Cisco, Oracle, Yahoo!, Google, and Paypal, etc. 
Founded in 1972, this VC has become the flagship of the
American venture capital industry.  Neil Shen, board
director of 51.com is the Founding Managing Partner of
Sequoia Capital and the co-founder of Ctrip.com
International Ltd. and Home Inns.  He was honored the 2006
CCTV Top Economic Person of China.

    The above-mentioned heavyweight investors demonstrate
their high recognition to 51.com.  Neil Shen said, "We
are very satisfied with 51.com's development in the last
year.  At present, with the roaring number of registered
users, login users, simultaneous online users and average
page views per day, 51.com tops the ranking of Chinese
websites.  We are full of confidence for its future and
will continue to support 51.com. 

    According to David Yuan, the partner of Redpoint
Venture, the investor of MySpace, "Redpoint has been
always been looking for a company with the same growth
potential as MySpace in China, and we decided to invest in
51.com through a deep understanding of the Company.  We
believe that 51.com, together with its excellent team, will
be as successful as MySpace." 

    Alan Pang, Chairman of 51.com, said that the capital
raised this time would be used for expanding system
capacity, improving service and enlarging markets.  While
strengthening product innovation, 51.com would constantly
improve product quality and enhance user experience so as
to provide more netizens with excellent blog community
services.  Max Huang, the Chairman assistant and head of
data mining and strategy studies of 51.com, believed that
51.com's blog & community mode set a model for Web 2.0.
 With 60 million registered users, over 5 million login
users each day and an average online duration of 40 minutes
for each user, this mode competes with TV.  Meanwhile, the
maximum amount of online users reaches 500,000, exceeding
most online games.  And each user views up to 40 pages
after login on average, exceeding that of a portal.

    New media mode brings new advertising mode.  Mr. Pang
said, "It's absolutely possible to deliver
advertisements according to the users' features such as
interest, region, age, etc., as only by login can users use
the services and view the pages."  Accurate marketing,
which is impossible to achieve in Web1.0, comes true in the
51.com blog community mode.

    The 51.com blog community is devoted to delivering a
healthy culture, advocating a diversified culture and
leading a harmonious culture.  As regards the business
mode's positive impact on society, Mr. Pang said, "The
51.com blog community will provide a platform for Chinese
netizens to achieve their personal value.  It directs the
development of industry upgrading and we are confident
about the future."

    Insiders think that 51.com's new gain of venture
investment of millions of dollars in the sluggish financing
environment in 2007 symbolizes a new mode that balances the
self-actualization needs and social demands.  Blog
communities are emerging from the new Web2.0 and they
represent the development trend of the Internet industry,
sending encouraging signals to new dotcoms, especially
Web2.0 start-ups.

    About 51.com 

    http://www.51.com , China's largest blog community, is
committed to providing personal blog networking services
for millions of users via the Internet, and it is the
network platform for millions of netizens to show off
themselves. 

    51.com's subscribers have reached 60 million, and such
a figure is still increasing at a rate of 5 million new
subscribers per month; the website's monthly login users
have reached 20 million, and the simultaneous online users
rocketed to 500,000; with daily average page views totaling
up to 200 million times.  Now 51.com has earned a rank in
the top 20 Chinese website's worldwide, and its striking
development speed has been deemed a miracle in China's
Internet industry in 2006. 

    In May 2006, Sequoia Capital China and SIG successively
completed a US$6 million strategic investment to 51.com.  In
May 2007, 51.com obtained US$10 million joint investment
from Intel Capital, Sequoia Capital, Redpoint, and SIG,
which completed the Company's second round of financing. 
Such strategic investment offers strong and forceful
support for the following development and management of
51.com.

    The 51.com blog community will dedicate itself to
acting as an advocator for a healthy culture, a diversified
culture, and a harmonious culture. Meanwhile, the Company
will continuously strengthen its management, R&D and
operations, in order to offer high-level products and
services for Internet users and improve its business model.
 In addition, the Company is making endeavors to become a
strong stock on the NASDAQ market within three years.   






    For more information, please contact: 

     Wang Wei, 
     Deputy Marketing Director,
     51.com  
     Tel:    [phone] x8023
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]

     Methew Ye, PR Consultant 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]