From English Prof to Tech Startup CEO: Steve Adams of Sabrix (Part 2)

SM: I find it fascinating that you started as a tech writer and moved all the way to a VP of marketing. Can you tell us more about that experience?

SA: The first company I worked for folded into Unisys. They had an advanced R&D group and I worked for them as a technical writer. That led to my first startup, which was in the mini-supercomputer market. The company was called Scientific Computer Systems. About seven companies were funded and one survived, Convex, which was bought by HP. >>>

Forbes Column 08: Building A Smarter Corporation

Here’s a new piece from Forbes, Building A Smarter Corporation, which discusses the use of sophisticated AI to enhance enterprise collaboration.

Deal Radar 2008: Trion World Network

We continue our coverage of gaming companies with Trion World Network, which publishes and develops games that exploit the potential of ubiquitous broadband. By using the latest cloud computing technology and architecture, the company is transforming the way connected games are designed and made available to the public. >>>

From English Prof to Tech Startup CEO: Steve Adams of Sabrix (Part 1)

Most technology executives with over 20 years of experience did not start their careers as English professors. They certainly don’t start as British literature PhDs teaching in Louisiana. Meet Steve Adams, CEO of Sabrix. Anything but ordinary, Steve has tremendous vision and an incredible track record of success. He worked his way from an entry-level tech writer to VP of marketing, senior VP of marketing, to the president and CEO of multiple high tech companies. Today he is the CEO of Sabrix, a managed tax service company for small- and mid-sized companies. A perfect fit for a British lit PhD, don’t you think?

SM: Steve, give me some context about where you come from. What is your personal story?

SA: I actually came from academia. I have a PhD in British literature and was a university professor for seven years. >>>

How Rafat Ali Found a Job (Part 10)

SM: How does this fit with Guardian’s growth plans?

RA: They are entering India, and they are entering the US, which is one of the reasons they bought us. They believed in our growth plans. >>>

Rules for Bootstrappers (Part 3)

By Greg Gianforte, Guest Author

This week’s post addresses marketing, an often misunderstood aspect of starting and running a business. Marketing is not a euphemism for sales. Marketing’s primary role is to engage in activities that make sales more efficient and shorten the sales cycle. >>>

How Rafat Ali Found a Job (Part 9)

SM: Can you talk about the recent sale of the company?

RA: We were in the middle of raising our second round. We decided somewhere, probably mid last year, that we could leverage more money. >>>

Deal Radar 2008: AmberPoint

AmberPoint is the industry leader in SOA (Service-oriented Architecture) visibility, management, and security software. The company’s software is used in 63 countries on six continents. AmberPoint works closely with other platform providers and system integrators to provide companies with the advantage of standards-based application architecture. Their solutions take a non-invasive, policy-based approach which uses .NET and Java to integrate with the enterprise. >>>