http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CoMuM0bKbyti0mJG&FQ=helix&Nav=na-search-&StoryTitle=helix
I interviewed there. I like them and I use the product. It would be a great
place to work, but they still don't have a (to me) believable revenue model.
The plan is to offer subscription-fee services integrated with the desktop
and their (Outlook clone) Calendar/Email/Todo package. I think they are
still trying to hire people to figure out the business side. I'm basically
amazed that they got a second round. Wishful thinking is not dead in
Cambridge.
They need to prove that they can turn Gnome Desktop Updates (which they can
count) into revenue customers at some predictable rate. The free update
service is popular. I may be one of the few people who would pay for it,
though. I mean, how many people install Linux desktop environments several
times per month :-)
Eirikur
CHARLES RIVER VENTURES AND BATTERY VENTURES FUND LINUX OPEN SOURCE
DESKTOP COMPANY XIMIAN
Ximian - Formerly Helix Code - Secures $15 Million in Funding
Boston, MA, January 17, 2001 -- Ximian, the leading open source
desktop company (formerly known as Helix Code), today announced it has
secured $15 million in funding from Charles River Ventures and Battery
Ventures. Formed in late 1999, Ximian is turning the open source
desktop into the industry's most collaborative and useful
Internet-based tool. Ximian currently has more than 500,000 users, and
is a founding member of the GNOME Foundation advisory board which
includes such industry leaders as Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard,
Compaq and IBM.
Charles River Ventures and Battery Ventures, two early-stage venture
capital firms with successful track records in the Internet and
communications sectors, are leading this round of funding. The company
will use the new funds to continue development and distribution of
their flagship Ximian GNOME desktop products and services, and to help
accelerate the adoption of Ximian GNOME as a powerful and
cost-effective desktop environment.
"Ximian is making dramatic inroads into the exploding open source
desktop market," said Ted Dintersmith, general partner for Charles
River Ventures. "We're excited to partner with Ximian to help them
meet the needs of this marketplace with the innovative and
collaborative tools they are already recognized for delivering."
"This investment is a validation of our accomplishments and
innovations, and we're proud to partner with Battery and Charles
River," said Nat Friedman, CEO and co-founder of Ximian. "In addition
to the capital, their expertise and experience will help us build a
viable business and deliver a desktop that will be as easy to use as
Microsoft's Windows and Apple's Mac OS."
"This funding lets us close the gap between free software and
proprietary software and bring the best experience to computer users,"
adds Miguel de Icaza, Ximian's other co-founder and Chief Technology
Officer.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Apr 27 2001 - 23:18:59 PDT