December 16, 1996 6:00 PM ET
New search engine to provide business 'compass'
By Maria Seminerio

A search engine targeted at users seeking business and stock market research tools was launched today by A Business Compass LLC, a startup. The free service, known as A Business Compass (www.abcompass.com/), contains information on, and links to, 1,000 online business news providers. Company officials hope to add about 100 new links each week to position the service as the fastest and most comprehensive directory of stock market information, company data and business news analysis sources, said Chris Fujiwara, president and CEO. The service is expected to switch to a subscription-based model sometime next year, Fujiwara said. The service profiles World Wide Web sites based on the type of industry they concern and the specific content they contain, said Fujiwara, a former systems specialist with H.W. Wilson Co. A Business Compass profiles also contain summaries of special services and features offered by a given Web site, with links to those pages. The engine offers the capability to search by subject, industry, geography and language, as well as by keyword, company officials said. A Business Compass also incorporates spidering technology to ensure that the engine is updated along with its links, officials said. The New York-based company, launched early this year, was co-founded by Fujiwara; technology consultant Steve Arnold, an executive vice president; and Erik Arnold, a former Lycos Inc. executive who also serves as executive vice president. Copyright(c) 1996 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company is prohibited. PC Week and the PC Week logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. PC Week Online and the PC Week Online logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Send mail to PC Week