Soft sell - turning code into cash

At a private retreat for tech entrepreneurs this year, Selwyn Pellett, founder of software developer Endace, said: \"As New Zealanders, we don\'t need to be second-place --class citizens. We are good.
\"Many local software companies have done well this year and seem to be trying to prove his point.
Contact center software developer Datasquirt raised $8.
6 million is listed on the Australian stock exchange.
Entrepreneur Rod Drury has listed his accounting software company Xero Live on the local exchange.
Business Week and Web 2 mentioned the search software developer Eurekster together.
The 0 companies that grew up in Silicon Valley are titled \"Google Wannabe.
Data Warehouse Lifecycle Management company WhereScape has won the prestigious red fish 100 Asia 2007 award for promising private technology companies in AsiaPacific region.
Auckland biotech won e-commerce
The scientific category of the United Nations World Summit.
Yes, we are.
The government is putting money into efforts to support its \"weightless economy\", and the funds (
Foundation for Research, Science and Technology)a multi-
University projects that help companies improve their software development processes.
According to IDC, a market research firm, New Zealand\'s overall IT spending will reach $5.
Growth will be 4 billion and 4 this year.
From now until 2011, 3% per year.
This year, spending on packaged software accounted for only the total IT expenditure, but more than half of the employment in the IT department is software --related.
In fact, the biggest concern for most tech companies now is trying to find qualified employees.
On a work site, the company counts 989 IT-
Related work, all released in the first six days.
However, if the entrepreneur described for this story is any guide, the tech industry looks bright.
Dr. Richard Bloxham is a pediatrician. turned-IT buff who co-
The Go Virtual medical software system developed allows virtual practice of clinical procedures.
After three years of funding consolidation and prototype development, Bloxham and his colleagues have applied for a registered patent and are busy negotiating deals with the UK school of surgery.
Dr. Alexei Drummond has set up a biotechnology team to develop the award.
Geneious software that allows the storage, comparison and analysis of biological data.
And Craig corkton, his master of visual communication technology research, created a world --
The leading company in the field acquired his Hamilton-based start-
Ectus two years ago
And the newbie is design-
The led software system related to 3D Manufacturing Technology was established by old technician David ten and Derek Elley.
\"We focus on the future and the present.
The 3D printer is actually just a prototype, which is a specific market for architects and designers who want to make a prototype before the final version.
However, Elley noted that the 3D printer is already producing metal parts.
For designers, there are similarities to software creation, attracting Have and Elley.
\"You can build something and test it right away, so fix it if it breaks you.
You don\'t need to pass [the process]again.
With graphics programs like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW, you can draw your ideas-
Examples on the Ponoko website include wooden wine racks, tables and perspex rotating tops
Upload the design file to Ponoko and select the material.
Laser download file after entering credit card details-
Then cut the tool operator of the part you designed.
The parts are delivered to you for assembly, a bit like assembly-it-
Own furniture.
There are six levels of copyright and one file.
For designers who want to share their ideas or let people know what they do and what their products look like, share options.
Ponoko makes money by making deals.
Elley and ten came up with the idea last year when they were involved in the carbon economy project, including the local online Climate Change blog Celsias, and speculated that if manufacturing is carried out locally, it will reduce carbon emissions.
They put their own funds
Elley has a first-class Internet marketing company, and 10 have just sold his commercial software company, Provoke Solutions-
And persuaded several local investors to support them.
While Ponoko aims for a larger process and design market in the US, Elley says New Zealand will retain intellectual property rights.
Although there have been only a few orders since its launch in San Francisco in September, 1000 people opened accounts in the company\'s first week, \"a pile\" of American lasers --
Since then, the cutter office has expressed interest in working with the company.
Elley admitted that this would not translate into revenue, but there was a problem with the software a week after it was released --
Free, \"great achievements\" in the field of software \".
Laser cutting above the rest is a good idea for the product, but there is no way to make it?
The Dream of the frustrated designer came true.
Built by software entrepreneur David ten and Derek Elley, this is an online personal manufacturing platform or, as Elley describes, \"software that allows you to make things \".
Their vision is for everyone to create on demand.
Therefore, the user sent a design to Ponoko and cut out the part by laser and then returned to assembly.
The Ponoko website also allows designers to sell their work directly to customers.
Eli predicts that one day, making your own thing using software, 3D printers and laser cutting machines will become a normal state of digitalization. industrial age.
\"It\'s not geekville, it\'s a popular idea. We [Ponoko]
Talk about bringing the garden cottage into the living room.
When we were kids, we hit the thumb with a hammer in the garden, and now, as adults, we sit around the living room and break the thumb on the console.
\"At the moment, the idea is limited by the type of file format that the system can handle and the material that the laser can cut --
The products available now include plates, plywood and cardboard.
There is also the supply of laser cutting machines.
Ponoko is looking for a laser-
Tool operators around the world can bring items close to end users.
Another limiting factor is that items that can be made are only on the surface-
You won\'t make a pen, but you can make the shell of it.
Architects and designers have been involved in making prototypes for 3D printers (
Neville Newcomb\'s 3D printer appears in the business features of the future of March)
But Ellie says lasers are more flexible on materials they can use.
There was no patient practice in his bush.
Dr. Richard Bloxham, who works in Silverdale\'s office, is sewing an appendix when his phone rings.
An hour later, he put down his tools.
The long conversation went back to the operation and when the mouse clicked he was able to pick it up where he left.
Welcome to the world of virtual surgery.
The beginning of Bloxham
Develop software that allows doctors and nurses to study clinical procedures-
Appendix from blood drawing to removal-
And virtual.
The company launched its website last month with the goal of hospitals and the College of Surgery, in the hope that the influx of students will provide the most income.
Proving this is rapidly becoming mandatory for medical graduates --
Continue to prove-
Bloxham says their abilities and the ability to document training, not just passing exams, can simplify the assessment process with virtual operations.
Each module of the company contains logs that record user time and performance.
Caregivers are another potential market where the company is negotiating with Red Cross and several ambulance organizations in New Zealand and Australia.
The idea was
On 2001, senior surgical registrar George ostvizen was preparing for the surgical examination.
Oosterhuizen is frustrated by the number of references that there is a gap for everyone on the marketin-
Portable interactive medical resources.
He found a pediatrician. turned-
It buffered Bloxham and GPs Douglas Annan as well as the harsh Bhoopatkar, and they both agreed that they would like something similar when studying and combed the market for similar products
As far as they know, their ideas are unique in combining text, video, 3D anatomy graphics and simulations into a downloadable package.
The business model is based on the license fee: the user can download the order-
A 12-month user license, when the product will be updated, or the agency can purchase a license for a fixed number of computers.
The third and most expensive option is that the software can run from a hospital server that can be used by any number of users.
Their medical background means that the four know exactly what is needed: condensed relevant text, a short \"highlight\" video and a simple-to-use simulator.
The idea caught the attention of software entrepreneur Craig Meek, who bought a stake in the company in 2003 and had a place on the board.
In the second year, Keith Pine, founder of Geddes dental, agreed to become ceo.
Through the geeddes contacts at the Auckland incubator Ice House, the group has raised sufficient funds to develop prototype modules for appendix operations.
Last year, when the company was headquartered in igloo, there was a huge breakthrough.
They attracted six outside investors and raised $1 million.
Since then, the company has set up offices in Silverdale, north of Auckland, producing 20 complete modules, each dealing with different programs, only a few of which are sold.
But it\'s too early, says Bloxham.
Once the sales momentum starts, he hopes that the customer will start asking for specific modules, although the company will avoid any modules that are too rare or too professional before getting the funds.
There\'s a hard board.
Bloxham said that \"IT turns out that savvy businessmen are very beneficial compared to the team of doctors\", which brings a broader perspective to IT marketing and also brings to larger IT companies
There is no hesitation in getting business heads or computer experts involved, even if it means giving up a little bit of control and ownership, Bloxham said.
A lot more-
Geddes provides business heads and investor relationships that require cash.
\"We are doctors who are very interested in IT and knowledge management, not [computer]programmers.
I\'m half a doctor, half a geek, but I\'m not a businessman.
Bloxham, who served as chief information officer, admitted that there were \"different views\" between enterprises\"
Focus on the board and the core virtual medical team, but nothing serious.
\"They said, \'Why don\'t you have this committee?
We said, \'We have only six people, we are busy \'.
They are used to thinking in larger numbers.
\"Oosterhuizen has returned to South Africa and Bloxham is still the largest shareholder, but in years of work on this project --
There was a price paid for the time without pay, and Bhoopatkar and Anan withdrew a few years ago.
Outside investors now have about a stake in the company, and Bloxham believes there are more financing rounds coming before it can afford to diversify its products.
The software\'s web streaming version is coming soon, but development is hampered by poor Internet bandwidth.
There is also something on the card called a tactile device in which special gloves and VR headsets will replace the computer mouse, enabling users to wear one or more tactile gloves in 3D space
So far, the tactile device is just the first line in Bloxham\'s eyes --
At present, the price of a glove is $7000 ($9000)-
But the products are becoming cheaper, he said.
The unlocking of the human genome in 2000 was described as similar to taking the Boeing plane apart and spreading debris.
But Dr. Alexei Drummond believes his software will help scientists solve the problem.
The software, called Geneious, helps manage the biological data collected by scientists and makes it easy to share and compare information.
Drummond is confident in his product, which went public in last August and already has the required conditions.
Its free version has been downloaded by more than 75,000 unique users and won e-commerce last month
Scientific category in the United Nations World Summit Award.
Drummond himself also won the Hamilton Memorial Award from the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Drummond came up with the idea of this software while studying for a dual degree in computer science and biology.
His research coincides with the great changes in science: the amount of data being collected has been expanding since the human genome sequencing in 2000, and scientists need methods to store and access data.
Drummond infiltrated his ideas for a few years, and in 2004 his wife Athena, brother Julio Ferreira, and his ex-boyfriend
Daniel Batten, a colleague at peace software, built the idea of biotechnology to develop and sell.
From creativity to business success is not easy.
When the company was founded, it was unable to obtain academic funding and there was no willingness of local investors to tap into such a niche.
The 2005 deal with the University of Auckland was the company\'s first business breakthrough: the University purchased the package for $250,000 and agreed to help it grow further.
In the same year, the four also received funding from New Zealand technology on the condition that they could find more investment.
After several fruitless pitches, biotech got $340,000 from seven ice Angels
Stage investors related to the Auckland incubator Ice House are enough to bring Geneious\'s first edition of cheesecake to the market.
External investment also means that many people now want to have a say in how the company operates.
Suddenly, the four founders had to defend the direction of the company.
The board believes that biotech companies should acquire large pharmaceutical companies in the first place, but Drummond and his colleagues hope to target students and researchers by selling a biotech product
Close licenses and increase commercial sales.
\"We have a strong vision of the best way to market, and we strive to maintain our vision.
We really have to stick to our guns.
Drummond believes their decision has proved correct.
The four companies know that after getting caught up in corporate bureaucracy, other software companies have lost their sales and development appeal.
By providing a free demo version for download, four people think they will get better penetration worldwide, the text will spread and the browser will become a buyer.
So far, about 15,000 users download the free version every month, and 60,000 unique users download more than 40,000 free versions of the latest product Geneious.
Since the data stored in the software can be used for personalized medical care, large companies will eventually have to deal with patient privacy issues, which need to be addressed.
Despite receiving awards and sales, Drummond remains \"cautiously optimistic\" about the company\'s performance \".
Of the four founders, he is the only one who is still actively involved, and he admits that there is \"always a negligible fear\" about the future \".
\"We start with four people who know each other very well;
There are now 4 board members investing in the company, about 20.
It\'s hard to let go, or at least know what parts of the business others are most concerned about, and identify those who are as passionate and motivated as you are about the product.
\"Batten resigned as chief executive in January and is now chief science officer of biotech.
He still has shares in the company.
Candice Toona, who succeeded him as CEO, has a deep background in Life Science sales.
Toner is optimistic about the future of biotechnology.
She won\'t give any figures, but says the company has made \"some sales\", with revenue up 40 from the previous month in the 15 months the business started.
It now has nine developers, six more than this time last year, and the number of codes has tripled, releasing Geneious 3 this month. 5 version.