The New Netrepreneurs

Like thousands of other Internet entrepreneurs, Ashfaq A. Munshi lost his head at the dot-com party. He had held management jobs at old-line tech companies, including Silicon Graphics Inc., but in 1996, he took the startup plunge--co-founding three e-commerce companies in quick succession. His highest hopes were for SpecialtyMD.com, a medical e-marketplace where he was CEO. When Internet medical pioneer Healtheon Corp. went public in February, 1999, and its price zoomed to $105 a share, Munshi became obsessed. He had previously worked with several of Healtheon's founders.

Suddenly, all he thought about was selling out or going public. He needed to prove that he, too, could become fabulously wealthy practically overnight--he was just as smart as the billionaire next door.