I no longer act as SAB member for Mainspring (1999). I still hold a few shares in the company.
The following statement is now out of date.
Tim Berners-LeeI was a member of the Strategic Advisory Board for Mainspring Communications, for which I also provided consulting services (ending in 9/97). Mainspring Communications is an interactive information service for businesses and professionals deploying Internet technologies.
I see a synergy in the work of Mainspring and that of the World Wide Web Consortium, of which Mainspring is a member. The Consortium needs links with channels for the dissemination of information about its specifications in order to fulfill its mission. (Another example is the co-publishing of the "World Wide Web Journal" with O'Reilly). I can ensure that Mainspring is aware of the developments at W3C, though of course giving them no special access to information other than that which they acquire through W3C membership. Neither, of course, will Mainspring divulge W3C member-only information to non W3C members.
MIT is a significant investor in Mainspring. The treasurer of MIT was also an SAB member at one stage.
The focus of Mainspring was initially to provide informatoin about technical directions for intranets and extranets -- now the focus has shifted more toward case studies and business models, and my involvement as a consultant ceased in September 1997.
(Please do not confuse Mainspring with Mindspring.com, the internet service provider!)