Endymion Systems Inc. of Oakland, a provider of business e-commerce services, has opened an office in Irvine and plans to employ 60 people by early next year.
The branch office is second for Endymion Systems, a privately held company that helps businesses move their operations onto the Web and to manage data. Customers include Hewlett-Packard Co., America Online Inc. and Agilent Technologies Inc.
“There are a number of reasons why we chose Irvine,” said Aimee Epperson, a spokeswoman for Endymion. “Some of them include its accessibility, the presence of Fortune 500 firms, an existing high-tech labor base and proximity to three major markets,Orange, San Diego, and Los Angeles counties.”
The company secured its first round of venture funding in June from San Francisco-based meVC Draper Fisher Jurveston Fund 1 Inc. and Ticonderoga Capital of Wellesley, Mass., with an eye toward expanding into Irvine and elsewhere. Last month, the company opened its first branch office in Seattle.
“We want to grow into biotech, which is very big in this area,” Epperson said of Southern California. “Also, Orange County has a high growth rate for middle market companies, and we focus on middle-market companies.”
Endymion expects sales of about $28 million this year, Epperson said, and counts 230 employees overall.
The Irvine office, which opened in October, currently counts 17 people. By the first quarter, the Irvine site is expected to add about 40 more people in consulting, sales, recruiting and operations, she said.
“We plan to ramp up for the rest of the year,” Epperson said. n
