By Francis Moran
It was with a mixture of delight and trepidation that I learned a few months back of technology visionary Geoffrey Moore’s new book, Escape Velocity. You see, I’ve been using the phrase for years to describe what I think is a critical requirement in the marketing of new technology — the harnessing of sufficient resources to escape the pull of existing conditions and catapult a product or company into new revenue territory. So my delight lay in having someone like Moore use the same metaphor; my trepidation was that maybe he was using it in the same way. No cause for worry; Moore applies the metaphor in a far more comprehensive, considered and well researched analysis of what companies must do to escape the pull of their past activities so they can better address the challenges of finding new opportunities.
I may use the metaphor in a far narrower context but it remains valid nonetheless. Let me explain.
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As part of our series examining the ecosystem necessary to bring technology to market, David French, a senior Canadian patent attorney with 35 years of experience, now provides his next commentary on the importance to a company of protecting its Intellectual Property.
By David French
In the previous postings in this series I talked about the importance of having an IP Co-ordinator on the team and the three principles that apply if the objective is to obtain meaningful patents, This time, I will address how “loopholes” can seriously undermine the value of a patent.
Everybody has heard that patents can have loopholes. Often, the truth that a patent has loopholes is only appreciated when an attempt is made to enforce the patent against a competitor. When this occurs, the competitor, after consulting with a specialist, may be able to modify its product so that it does not fall within the scope of the claims of your patent. How does this unfortunate situation arise?
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Thank you for being with us for the eighth month of our new blog. In case you missed them, here is a recap of our posts from September.
Last month, we concluded our Commercialization Ecosystem series and launched two new series, Technology Marketing 101, which features anecdotal stories about how a successful marketing program was developed, executed and measured, and A Startup’s Story, which will explore individual startups as they work to bring their technology to market. We welcome your feedback.
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This is the first article in a continuing series that will feature case studies and anecdotal stories from entrepreneurs, consultants and veteran marketers about their efforts to develop, implement and measure marketing programs to bring technology to market and grow market share. We invite your feedback.
By Francis Moran and Leo Valiquette
Last month, BlueArc Corp., a 13-year-old maker of network storage systems based in California, was acquired by Hitachi Data Systems for a reported $600 million.
BlueArc’s business was networked attached storage (NAS), the kind of high-end storage system for managing unstructured data — files, spreadsheets, digital content and images — in high-performance computing applications. However, the company struggled for years to achieve profitability despite periods of strong revenue growth.
“BlueArc, while it had received funding somewhere north of $200 million, couldn’t dominate the NAS market on its own. It needed a partner. With the acquisition by Hitachi and its intellectual property girth, it has nailed that market down,” InformationWeek’s Deni Connor wrote shortly after the deal was announced.
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As part of our series examining the ecosystem necessary to bring technology to market, we asked veteran technology executive and investor Ron Weissman to share his thoughts on how startups can achieve success. This is the next of his commentaries and we welcome your comments.
By Ronald Weissman
The setting: A buffet line at a Silicon Valley VC pitching event. An entrepreneur, not on the program, recognized me as a VC who had heard his pitch before.
The action: The entrepreneur drags me out of line, insists that I see his demo NOW! and corrals me into a corner, balancing his laptop on a stack of cartons.
“Ok, you’ve got my attention,” I sigh, with more than a hint of annoyance.
He launches into a demo of a complex app doing who knows what on screen. “See,” he says, “it all works, just like I told you it would!”
“Uh…,” I sputter, “what exactly am I looking at?”
“My app,” he says, “the one I told you would revolutionize multi-application business collaboration!”
In his mind, simply witnessing his demo will instantly convert me from a skeptic into an investor. In my mind, I can fake an urgent call (the surest way to flee a tedious demo) or be polite and suffer in silence. Holding a lunch tray, I can’t readily grab my phone, so, once again, I resign myself to the latter course – death by demo.
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By Francis Moran
