Netscape Founder Plans New Net Service Firm

Marc Andreessen, a co-founder of Netscape Communications Corp. who until recently served as the chief technology officer of America Online Inc., announced a new company called Loudcloud Inc. that will foster Internet businesses. Andreessen said the new company aims to capitalize on the trend toward more sophisticated and complex Internet sites by delivering the technology and services they require. Many of Andreessen’s former colleagues have joined the start-up, which was founded in September with initial investments from the co-founders. These include Ben Horowitz, chief executive of Loudcloud, who led several divisions at Netscape and AOL; Tim Howes, a co-inventor of the Internet standard for directories; and Sik Rhee, a co-founder of Kiva software.