Forbes Column 08: Carts Ahead Of Horses

My new Forbes Column Carts Ahead Of Horses reflects on a disease I have seen rampant in the technology industry…make sure you are not infected by it!

Deal Radar 2008: Ning

Ning is a social publishing platform that allows users to create their own social websites and social networks. It was founded in 2004 by Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini as a stealth startup called 24 Hour Laundry. The Palo Alto, California-based company changed its name to Ning, which means peace in Chinese, in October 2005. >>>

British Brothers: Scansafe Founders Roy and Eldar Tuvey (Part 7)

SM: Europe is a big marketplace at this point as well, right?

RT: If you look at our historical customer base we are almost catching up, but we probably have a 50/50 split. We also have some Asian customers as well. In terms of an ongoing basis, we are selling more in the US than they are there. >>>

Deal Radar 2008: ID Analytics

ID Analytics is the leader in on-demand identity intelligence. The company’s original focus was identity fraud and identity risk management solutions, but it has now evolved to cover visibility into individual identities. >>>

British Brothers: Scansafe Founders Roy and Eldar Tuvey (Part 6)

SM: Talk about the dynamics of managing the company with your brother.

RT: From day one it has been clear to us about our responsibilities. I am based here in the US so I run North American operations. We are both members of a broad management team for the organization. >>>

British Brothers: Scansafe Founders Roy and Eldar Tuvey (Part 5)

SM: What does your competitive landscape look like?

RT: The web security market is now established. It is about a $2 billion market that is growing 20-30% year on year. SaaS is a low single-digit category in that market which is basically just us. >>>

Deal Radar 2008: Wetpaint

Wetpaint is a social publishing platform. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company was formed to make it easier for people to share their experiences and information online. Founded in 2005 and previously named Wikisphere, Wetpaint combines the best of blogs, wikis, forums, and social networks. >>>

British Brothers: Scansafe Founders Roy and Eldar Tuvey (Part 4)

SM: Let’s discuss your strategy for growing beyond the UK.

RT: We went out to raise financing, targeted US venture capitalists, and made a deal with Benchmark. We raised $10 million. I used that to relocate to the US to start operations here. The focus was to pinpoint specific targets such as telecoms and email SaaS players and go to market that way. >>>