LookSmart and Inktomi Form Alliance to Power the Vertical Portal Market

Leading Infrastructure Providers Create Online Navigation Standard for Vertical Portals

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and FOSTER CITY, CA November 8, 1999 - LookSmart (Nasdaq: LOOK), a leading online navigation company, and Inktomi Corp. (Nasdaq: INKT), developer of scalable Internet infrastructure software, today announced an alliance to develop customized search directories for vertical Web portals and destination sites. The combination of LookSmart's Web directory expertise and Inktomi's Directory Engine and Search Engine technologies will establish the standard for vertical portal customization.

"LookSmart and Inktomi have both played critical roles in the evolution of Internet navigation and search, said David Peterschmidt, president and CEO of Inktomi. "We believe the combination of LookSmart's editorial expertise and our technology will create a tremendously valuable content infrastructure for the emerging generation of specialized Web services. By enabling highly customized and flexible content directories, Inktomi and LookSmart are delivering a key ingredient to the emerging vertical portal market."

Vertical portals and networks have developed in response to user demand for fast access to specific and highly organized information on the Web. Consumer and business-to-business sites dedicated to sports, finance, travel and other specific categories are becoming increasingly popular Web destinations for users. This alliance will enable LookSmart and Inktomi's partners to present customized search and navigation solutions that are integrated into the context of their sites.

"Together with Inktomi, we are establishing the global standard for online navigation in vertical markets on the Web," said Evan Thornley, co-founder and CEO of LookSmart. "As the primary directory partner for Inktomi's Directory Engine Platform, we're proud to offer our customers a high quality search and navigation product, and a flexible solution for creating valuable local, international and vertical consumer and business-to-business offerings."

LookSmart, adopting Inktomi's Search Engine and Directory Engine technology, will offer its syndication partners customized versions of its Web directory. The directory currently includes more than 100,000 categories and is developed by a unique combination of sophisticated technology and professional editors and taxonomists. Inktomi will license and resell LookSmart's directory content as an enhancement to the recently launched Inktomi Directory Engine, providing vertical portals with rapid time to market and the flexibility to incorporate their own expert content.

The combined solution provides vertical portals with an attractive navigation feature that can be incorporated throughout a site, increasing site stickiness and differentiation. No other directory solution offers a comparable level of customized navigation and technical robustness.

About LookSmart
LookSmart (Nasdaq: LOOK) is a leading online navigation company that creates and maintains one of the largest editorially reviewed directories of content on the World Wide Web. LookSmart's navigation products are distributed through multiple channels, including a global network of ISPs, major Web sites, portals and viral marketing. Through its partnership with Cox Interactive Media, LookSmart also offers one of the largest collections of quality local Web content in more than 70 U.S. markets. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and can be contacted at (415) 597-4850 or visited at http://www.looksmart.com/.

About Inktomi
Based in Foster City, Calif., Inktomi (pronounced INK tuh me), develops and markets scalable software designed for the world's largest Internet infrastructure and media companies. Inktomi's portal services include the search, directory, and shopping engine applications; network products include the Traffic Server network cache platform, Content Delivery Suite, and associated Traffic Server Extensions. Inktomi works with leading companies including America Online, British Telecommunications, CNET, Excite@Home, Intel, Merrill Lynch, RealNetworks, Sun Microsystems, and Yahoo!. The company has offices in North America, Asia, and Europe. For more information, visit http://www.inktomi.com/.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. For factors that could affect the business and financial results see "Risk Factors" contained in the final prospectus relating to Inktomi's follow-on public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 1999 and LookSmart's S-1 registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither LookSmart nor Inktomi assume an obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in the press release.