Expect further moves into the U.S. and European Internet scene by Bertelsmann, as the German group's California-based company, Bertelsmann Ventures, triples available investment funds to DM150 million ($78.5 million). Founded just a year ago in Santa Barbara by managing partner Jan Henric Buettner, a Bertelsmann multimedia specialist who helped put together the Europe-wide joint venture between the Gütersloh group and America Online, Bertelsmann Ventures has already invested in five recent start-ups that have quickly become leading suppliers in their market segments, among them e-book publisher NuvoMedia and Acses.com, a price-comparison service for books, movies and music.
