Cambridge, Mass. -- Arepa Inc., the Boston-area startup
that has a way to run CD-ROM content over broadband systems, will shift its business
strategy beyond technology development into service providing.
At a briefing last week, Arepa CEO Ric Fulop said that the
Arepa technology passed muster in trials with @Home Network, and that the company will no
longer focus on CD-ROM aggregation.
His analogy: Arepa is the Home Box Office in terms of
high-speed content, and companies like @Home and Road Runner are the cable distribution
system.
Serious investors like Intel Corp. and the Rockefeller
family are taking note. Both participated in Arepa's latest round of venture financing,
Fulop said.
Arepa's technology lets cable-modem subscribers browse,
access and play with existing CD-ROM content, without having to buy the CD-ROM or download
huge files that eat up PC hard disk space. The new twist to Arepa is content aggregation
will encompass three categories: education, productivity and entertainment, Fulop said.
