Can't Find the Onramp?: The cybercafe has grown up.

Can’t Find the Onramp?: The cybercafe has grown up.

By KAREN KAPLAN

Dec. 8, 1997 12 AM PT

Starting today, people in search of a Pentium-powered computer and a high-speed Internet connection can drop in at a Pasadena store called WebMetro to jump on the information superhighway. For $15 an hour, they’ll get a T-1 connection and unlimited help from “coaches.”

WebMetro will also offer a range of technical courses that run the gamut from basic Web navigation to writing programs in Java, at prices from $99 to $229. The company will also offer Web design and consulting services for small- and medium-size businesses.

Carlos Ugalde, WebMetro’s founder and chief executive, was trained as a civil engineer but has been an Internet enthusiast since 1994. He said he came up with the idea for WebMetro three years ago “after seeing so many of my colleagues struggling trying to determine how the Web would work for them,” and not having anywhere to turn for answers.

Ugalde expects the bulk of WebMetro’s revenue to come from the consulting service. If the store is a success, he said, he plans to open a second outlet in Irvine a year from now.

Technology and the Internet Business

Karen Kaplan

Karen Kaplan covers science and medical research for the Los Angeles Times. She has been a member of the science team since 2005, including 13 years as an editor. Her first decade at The Times was spent covering technology in the Business section as both a reporter and editor. She grew up in San Diego and is a graduate of MIT and Columbia University.

Can’t Find the Onramp?: The cybercafe has grown up.

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