Fun and games on the Internet: Play day in Woodside marks launch of Internet company

By JANE KNOERLE

It was fun and games recently at the former Davies estate in Woodside as its new owner, Paul Charlton, and partner, Jim Weldon celebrated start-up of their new company, Zangle.com.

The young entrepreneurs, their employees and kids rode a bucking bull, scaled a fake mountain, climbed inside a larger-than-life bowling ball, and played on the world's largest Twister game.

There was champagne, but most of the 30-somethings preferred Diet Pepsi or beer to wash down popcorn from an old-fashioned popcorn machine. Rap music reverberated through the estate where string quartets once played.

The concept behind Zangle.com is affording parents the opportunity to monitor their kids' performance in school through the Internet, says Mr. Charlton.

"In less than two minutes a parent will know if his child is in class, and will be able to check on his grades, attendance, behavior and homework," he says. "This is the place parents will come for every parenting resource they need."

The information will be available through a database in each school, says Mr. Charlton. "We will go out and look at 10,000 Web sites. We have school districts already using our system."

Zangle.com, a "high energy fun name that people like," says Mr. Charlton, is a one-month-old Cupertino-based company with 30 employees.

"We expect to have 100 employees by the end of November," says Mr. Weldon, Zangle's 34-year-old president. Mr. Charlton, 32, calls himself the company's "instigator." Both men have founded and sold other start-up companies.

"We've had success personally, now we want to become an Internet company with a social conscience," says Mr. Weldon.

Paul Charlton and his wife, who bought the 20-acre Davies estate last year for a reported $5.8 million, are restoring the property. The house has required major foundation work and had to have all electrical and mechanical systems brought up to code.

The young couple and their 20-month-old daughter, Dorothy, have been living in Florida and will not move to Woodside until work on the house has been completed.



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