Scient was 18 months old when it went public, and its founder had already started a rival. Eric Greenberg launched Viant in 1996, then left to found Scient in San Francisco in November 1997. He hired Robert Howe, the former head of IBM's consulting business, as chief executive. Scient sold what it called "eBusiness systems innovation": strategy, design and engineering for companies building online. Its clients included REALTOR.com.

Strategy Plus Code

The bet was that companies would pay one firm to plan an internet business and then build it fast. Scient hired strategists, designers and engineers and put them on the same teams. In the year ended March 31, 1999, it earned $20.7 million in revenue and lost $11.7 million. Greenberg served as chairman, and Howe brought the credibility of a big consulting firm.

From $133 to Bankruptcy

Scient sold 3 million shares at $20 in May 1999 and listed on Nasdaq as SCNT. By fall 2000 it had about 1,180 employees, $100 million in quarterly revenue and a stock price of $133. Then dot-com clients ran out of money. In 2001 Scient merged with its rival iXL, and quarterly revenue had fallen to $11 million. The company filed for bankruptcy in July 2002 and was bought by SBI.

Cover: The Astronomers, Donato Creti. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for astronomers at work (science).