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Wize receives $4 million in funding from Mayfield Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners

Top-tier venture capital firms invest in Web business that incorporates over one million of the most relevant online expert and user reviews into WizeRank scores, making it easier and faster for people to determine what to buy

(SAN MATEO, CA - January 22nd, 2007) - Wize (wize.com) the free Web site that helps people find the best products in less time, announced today it secured $4 million in Series A Financing from the Mayfield Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Wize is the largest Web site of its kind to compile both expert and user reviews and insert them into a scoring algorithm to rank products. The site's proprietary WizeRank utilizes the wisdom of crowds to deliver definitive ratings for consumer products. The result - a single numerical score - instantly lets consumers know which products are worth further consideration. Wize's ranking system makes it easy for consumers to find what they're looking for quickly.

"With the proliferation of consumer reviews available, online product research is a big and growing use of the Web. At the same time, though, the process is still too difficult and inefficient for the average consumer," said Wize CEO Tom Patterson. "At Wize, we simplify the decision-making process on 'what to buy' rendering the need for time-consuming research obsolete."

Wize scores products on a scale from zero to 100 using the WizeRank system. WizeRank is compiled from more than one million consumer and expert product reviews retrieved from all over the Web. The WizeRank algorithm distills numerous ratings and reviews, ensuring that the scores remain completely objective.

"We started working with Tom as our Entrepreneur in Residence a year ago to revolutionize the product research space and zeroed in on Wize, as they have the most compelling proposition - giving the mass market consumer the simple answer on what product to buy when confronted with dozens of reviews and guides on the Net," said Raj Kapoor, managing director at the Mayfield Fund. "By bringing together a breadth of data in an intuitive interface and simplifying the decision process, Wize will fundamentally change the way users research products on the Web."

"We believe there is a strong need for a Web site like Wize.com that gives consumers an easy way to access and make sense of the vast amount of product information available, as consumer research can be a very time-consuming process," said Byron Deeter, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "We look forward to working with the energetic team at Wize to create a very helpful service for consumers who want a quick, reputable resource for determining which products best meet their needs."

For more information or to view more than one million unbiased product reviews, please visit the Web site at wize.com.

About Wize.com

Wize simplifies product research. The free Web site consolidates expert and consumer-written reviews from all over the Web to help people determine what to buy. Products are sorted by WizeRank, a score that represents the public's collective wisdom, good or bad, for each item. WizeRank allows people to quickly determine which products are worth further consideration. Wize, headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. with offices in Minneapolis, Minn., is privately held and funded by Mayfield Fund and Bessemer Venture Partners. For media inquiries, contact Lauren Kinzler of Dittoe PR at 317-202-2280 or lauren (at) dittoepr (dot) com. For company information, visit wize.com.

About Mayfield Fund

Mayfield Fund provides "venture capital with impact" by partnering with exceptional individuals to create industry-leading companies. Mayfield has domain expertise in Internet media, communications/mobility and enterprise software. The firm has $2.4 billion under management and a team of twelve investing professionals. Since Mayfield's founding in 1969, the firm has invested in more than 470 high-growth companies, taken more than 100 public, and more than 150 have merged or were acquired. For more information, please visit www.mayfield.com or contact: Kamini Ramani, kramani@mayfield.com.

About Bessemer Venture Partners

Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) is the oldest venture capital practice in the United States. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Bangalore, the firm manages two billion dollars of venture funds, carrying on a tradition of hands-on, active venture investing that has continued since 1911. Over 100 Bessemer companies have gone public, including American Superconductor, Ciena, Gartner Group, Ingersoll Rand, International Paper, Maxim, Parametric, Perseptive Biosystems, Staples, VeriSign, Veritas, and W.R. Grace.