ThinkTank Hires Former Microsoft Executive
ESynch Lands Reseller Partner TEC-Networks; Rainbow Teams With Guardian on Linux
TECHNOLOGY
by Andrew Simons
Just after Scott Blum got shareholder approval to buy Internet retailer buy.com Inc., his other company, Aliso Viejo-based ThinkTank Holdings LLC, got a boost to its ranks.
Former Microsoft Corp. executive John Cooper, who used to be the director of development and strategy for the software maker, joined ThinkTank to help it deal with Blum’s new acquisition and other matters.
ThinkTank is an incubator; Blum and his partners come up with business concepts and provide them with seed capital and management. Cooper will advise Blum about his portfolio of companies and help develop new ones. His main focus will be buy.com.
“We are thrilled to have John take a central role in ThinkTank,” Blum said. “He has the foresight, skills, and relationships that will enable ThinkTank and our companies to develop the sponsorship, business plans, and strategic relationships that will drive success.”
Cooper is no stranger to developing strategic relationships. While at Microsoft, Cooper took on key roles regarding investments, acquisitions and in defining key corporate relationships. Most notably, he led the April acquisition of Great Plains Software Inc. Cooper was involved in more than 30 transactions and agreements during his two years at Microsoft.
“Scott and I got along well from the first moment we met,” Cooper said. “His history of business performance is undeniable, and I’m thrilled to associate myself with him and the whole team at ThinkTank. I believe that there are incredible opportunities today in our areas of focus, and am confident that we will be successful in executing against them.”
ThinkTank hasn’t been creating many new companies lately. After two years of starting companies, Blum said ThinkTank is going to stop creating new ones for now and concentrate on getting the 10 it has up on their feet. The main reason for the hiatus was Blum’s pending repurchase of wayward buy.com.
Blum can go ahead and downshift ThinkTank because he is its only investor. When ThinkTank launched, officials boasted that Japan’s Softbank Corp. would put in $200 million. Blum said he turned that down.
Cooper’s arrival at ThinkTank to work on buy.com could signal Blum is trying to figure out what to do with the Internet retailer. Normally, Blum is controlling of the day-to-day workings of ThinkTank’s companies. He recently slashed payroll by half and streamlined Enfrastructure Inc., a ThinkTank company that provides office space, technology infrastructure and other perks to companies in exchange for a monthly fee.
Still, for Blum, ThinkTank has been a virtual playpen and Microsoft has been a longtime partner in his endeavors. He and his partners, general counsel Neel Grover and financial chief Tom Ko, play around with different ideas on a weekly basis.
ESynch Partners Up
Irvine-based eSynch Corp., a maker of software that lets users manage rights on digital streaming media content, recently announced it partnered with Los Angeles-based TEC-Networks, an installer of communications systems. Under terms of the agreement, TEC-Networks is set to market eSynch’s products.
The agreement is designed to get eSynch’s products in front of TEC-Networks’ 5,000 customers in California and Florida.
“We’re pleased to have TEC-Networks join eSynch’s growing network of distributors, providing our content delivery solutions into the business market,” said David Lyons, eSynch president. “TEC, as an early adopter of streaming technology is a perfect partner for us.”
And Over at Rainbow
ESynch isn’t the only digital security company striking up partnerships. Security software and gear maker Rainbow Technologies Inc., Irvine, recently struck a deal with Upper Saddle River, N.J.-based Guardian Digital Inc., a maker of software for securing transactions on Linux operating systems.
Under the pact, Rainbow and Guardian plan to combine two of their products and integrate them as one. The new product will add security to Linux-based systems, according to the companies. Linux has been criticized as not having enough security for online transactions because its basic code,or source code,is open and free.
New Award Unveiled
Orange County’s chapter of Women in Technology International recently unveiled a new award: woman of the month.
The award program is designed to recognize women who are role models for other women in technology, or who are involved in industry advances or who have paved the way for women through their accomplishments or have overcome a great adversity.
“Women play a key role in many of Orange County’s most successful technology companies,” said Michele Noragon, regional director of the group’s Orange County chapter. “WITI would like take time to honor these outstanding women by recognizing their individual efforts and accomplishments.”
The first woman of the month award recipient is set to be announced on Feb. 1. To nominate an individual for the woman of the month award, send an e-mail to Janet Medby at witiwom@yahoo.com.
