DuPage Briefs.(Business)

Mercantec inks 5 licensing pacts

NAPERVILLE - Mercantec Inc., said Tuesday it has signed licensing agreements with five Internet content and service providers and telecommunications firms. The companies are Wavve Telecommunications Inc., Onvoy Inc., Colo Solutions, Webbsite Inc. and Rackspace.com. The agreements will let the companies host and distribute Mercantec's SoftCart electronic commerce software. SoftCart offers merchants a fast, easy way to create and manage online stores. Mercantec, based in Naperville, sells software products and services that enable Internet commerce.

Apropos reports larger net loss

OAKBROOK TERRACE - Apropos Technology Inc. said its first- quarter net loss was $4.3 million, or 36 cents per share, vs. a net loss of $2.1 million, or 72 cents per share the same quarter a year ago. The current results include interest charges of $1.6 million, or 13 cents per share for amortization of the value of warrants attached to a bridge loan. The number of outstanding shares grew to 12,037 from 2,975 in 1999. Revenue rose to $5.8 million, up 77 percent from $3.3 million in 1999 on strong software license revenue. Oakbrook Terrace-based Apropos sells multimedia interaction management software for online commerce.

Lucent completes Agere deal

LISLE - Lucent Technologies Inc. said it has finished its previously announced acquisition of Agere, an Austin, Texas-based programmable network processor technology company. Lucent, a telecommunications equipment maker, has operations in Lisle and Naperville.