Party’s Over at Start-Up EParties

After laying off nearly all of its staff, Santa Monica-based online party planner EParties said it’s on the verge of being sold to an unnamed buyer. EParties was the first start-up launched by ECompanies, the Santa Monica incubator founded by Walt Disney veteran Jake Winebaum and EarthLink Network founder Sky Dayton. The 8-month-old EParties had stalled in its development and all but a handful of its 29 employees were laid off last week, said Christian Gunning, an ECompanies spokesman. Some staff will be rehired after the sale is completed, perhaps later this week, Gunning said.