It looked good on paper: Adventa.com Inc., backed by $4.8 million in venture capital, was going to streamline the flow of information in the list business.
The firm, which debuted in July, billed itself as a Web-based exchange for direct marketing products and services; brokers and mailers could use the site to search for and rent lists.
It didn’t last long. In October, Adventa laid off 95% of its work force
