Press Release 2004-03-03

CLEAR METHODS APPOINTS INDUSTRY VETERAN, JOSEPH A. EKMAN, VP NORTH AMERICAN SALES

Experienced Sales Executive Adds Enterprise Sales Depth

Cambridge, Mass., March 3, 2004 – Clear Methods (www.clearmethods.com), a startup offering an advanced XML and Web services platform, has named Joseph A. Ekman as vice president of North American sales. Mr. Ekman has more than 18 years experience selling enterprise software to Fortune 500 customers. In his role at Clear Methods, he will focus on growing business with enterprise IT customers and strategic relationships.

Prior to joining Clear Methods, Ekman was Director of Worldwide Alliances & Business Development at Jeeves Solutions, a division of Ask Jeeves. He was part of the management team that turned the company profitable. Before Ask Jeeves, Ekman was a senior manager at IBM, where he managed strategic relationships with Netscape, PeopleSoft, and Oracle, and managed sales to Ariba, American Honda, CIA, FBI, Southern California Edison, Safeway, Charles Schwab, and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 2003, he founded About The Kids, a non-profit foundation that academically enriches the lives of children and parents through Internet resources and print media.

“This marks a transition for Clear Methods as we grow our sales within the Fortune 500 base,” said Michael Plusch, CEO of Clear Methods. “Joe’s track record at IBM, especially selling into Netscape and PeopleSoft has demonstrated his ability to foster solid long-term relationships with enterprise customers. His proven skills in managing sales and strategic relationships will take Clear Methods to the next level of success.”

Scott Johnson, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson New England Fund said, “I am quite pleased that Joe has come on board to round out the management team at Clear Methods. As the Steam XML product continues to gain traction, Joe's years of experience in enterprise software sales will have a significant impact.”

“Clear Methods is poised with a disruptive technology that has begun to take hold,” said Ekman. “Their new approach with Steam XML solves a well-recognized need and should dramatically speed the overall adoption of XML Web services. I’m delighted to come aboard to propel their business with enterprise customers.”

About Clear Methods
Clear Methods provides enterprises and independent software vendors with an advanced Web services platform that dramatically speeds the creation of flexible business software. The Clear Methods Steam XML product is a pure Web services environment that enables the use of XML throughout the software lifecycle. Steam XML provides a compact, uniform, standards-based commercial product set for the open Water language.

Founded in 2001, Clear Methods is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Customers include Teledyne Brown Engineering, General Dynamics, MIT, Pratt and Whitney, Northrop Grumman, MITRE, and the USAF ESC. Steam XML applications include simplified XML Web services, system and network modeling and simulation, and rapid prototyping.