SUNNYVALE and SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. - October 9, 2000 - eLance, Inc. (www.elance.com), the first and largest global professional services marketplace, and SquareTrade (www.squaretrade.com), the market leader in providing trust building services for e-commerce transactions, announced today an agreement to make SquareTrade's Online Dispute Resolution service and trust Seal available to buyers and service providers on eLance. Under this agreement, eLance's registered users will be able to access SquareTrade's Online Dispute Resolution service to resolve issues resulting from their transactions and display the SquareTrade Seal to show their commitment to a high level of customer service.

Service providers within eLance's global marketplace who wish to bid on a project posted on eLance may display the SquareTrade Seal, indicating their pledge to customer service standards and to using SquareTrade's Online Dispute Resolution service. To qualify for the SquareTrade Seal, eLance users must complete an application process that includes identity verification, reference checks, and a commitment to using the fair and neutral SquareTrade dispute resolution process to resolve disputes. SquareTrade's trust building services underpin e-commerce transactions by lowering risk and creating a more confident environment in which to transact business. Its Online Dispute Resolution service is available to all buyers and service providers on eLance's global services marketplace and can be accessed via the eLance Web site by clicking on designated links throughout the site.

The SquareTrade service complements eLance's current end-to-end services platform for supporting the buyer and service provider throughout the project, including online collaboration, international billing and payment and a feedback system. In addition, by offering dispute resolution to its users, eLance will continue to raise the standards for a quality online marketplace.

"The SquareTrade solution was the only solution we could find that would work in the eLance environment, given its global scope. eLance service providers and buyers anywhere in the world can avoid international jurisdictional issues by using SquareTrade's neutral Online Dispute Resolution service and experience the added protection and trust the SquareTrade Seal brings," said Eric Roach, CEO of eLance. "Our customers will be able to carry out more complicated online transactions with increased confidence."

"The announcement today of our relationship with eLance is another signal to the industry that SquareTrade's Seal and Online Dispute Resolution service are must-have tools for driving global e-business," said Steve Abernethy, CEO of SquareTrade. "SquareTrade's solution is designed to handle many types of disputes including those resulting from professional services agreements, which can be complicated due to their often "non-returnable" nature.

About SquareTrade
SquareTrade is the leading innovator in the development of a trust infrastructure for e-commerce transactions. SquareTrade addresses the all-important issue of building trust in e-business relationships, one of the essential enabling factors necessary to fully realize the power of the Internet and online commerce. The digitally watermarked SquareTrade Seal establishes an online seller's customer service track record, helps build buyer confidence and serves as the first line of defense against fraud. It is backed by SquareTrade's patent-pending, web-based dispute resolution service and SquareTrade's international network of more than 250 mediators and arbitrators. Founded in 1999, SquareTrade is based in San Francisco, Calif. For more information, employment opportunities or to contact a SquareTrade representative, visit www.squaretrade.com.

About eLance, Inc.
eLance, Inc. (www.elance.com) is the leading professional services marketplace and end-to-end platform for web-based outsourcing solutions used by businesses worldwide. Businesses can tap into a highly qualified pool of professional talent to get a wide range of projects completed online- including software development, web design and development, creative services, graphic design, translation services, copywriting and more. eLance provides a highly liquid marketplace with a broad selection of professional service providers, online collaboration tools, global billing and payment capabilities, and a quality assurance system designed to maintain the high standards for which the company is known.

As a global company with 40% of transactions occurring cross-borders, over 160,000 businesses and individuals from more than 140 countries are registered to conduct work via the eLance network. eLance has built alliances with industry leaders across a range of business sectors including: Intuit, Peachtree, RedHat, McAfee, Zing, Macromedia, IBM, Novell Inc., Phone.com, Handspring, Lycos Asia, Virgin, Clearlybusiness.com, First Tuesday and more.

A privately held company, eLance has attracted over $65 million to date from investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Pequot Capital Management, Citigroup, Integral Capital Partners, and Charter Venture Group. Outside directors include John Doerr and Joe Lacob from KPCB, Ram Shiram former VP of business development at amazon.com, and Lawrence D. Lenihan, Jr. from Pequot Capital Management.

Note: SquareTrade is a trademark of SquareTrade, Inc., and eLance is a trademark of eLance, Inc.