VentureFuel - Fueling Growth for Software Ventures

I have invested over 35 years successfully building and advising software ventures.

My first company was Advanced Systems Engineering. It was initially founded in 1979 as a software and manufacturing productivity consulting firm based on the expertise I had built working in industry. My strategy for the company quickly evolved in order to build more leverage & equity value. I began an extensive search to find a softare company who might be convinced to partner with us as their exclusive sales and support affiliate in return for faster incremental growth. ASE became one of the first resellers of SSA's Business Planning and Control System (BPCS.) The success formula we created was a critical part of SSA's IPO success in 1986. We were exclusively focused on BPCS and became the largest and most successful reseller for SSA. We also developed many of the products and methods used by SSA. ASE created strategies for market penetration and sales methodology used by other affiliates and by SSA's major accounts teams. Our success formula became the model used to grow an affiliate network of over 80 resellers globally. In 1987 ASE, with $20mill in revenue, 85 staff, and 400 clients, was acquired by SSA - and I became part of the SSA executive team. Since leaving SSA in 1989, I have helped dozens of software ventures maximize return on equity.


In 1987, after selling ASE to SSA, and while still an executive at SSA, I created VentureFuel.com as a web site to promote how I could help other software ventures leverage my experience by providing software venture advisory and consulting services.  Since then, I have engaged in consulting, and full time projects, with a number of VC backed software companies and been part of the road show team in 5 IPO's and 1 convertible debt raise (SSA, EMS, FirePond, PrimeResponse, Eyretel) as well as a number of M&A transactions (SSA acquisition of JGI and other channel partners, PrimeResponse acquisition by Chordiant, SNAP acquisition by Dunn & Bradstreet, ProjectCool.com acquisition by DevX.com.)

I was brought into several companies by their boards and VC's, who needed to quickly turn around failed sales teams, in order to launch successful IPO's. As the Americas president at PrimeResponse, I built a new team who increased sales by more than 500% from the previous year's total performance  - facilitating a successful IPO (and was then acquired by Chordiant - NASDAQ: CHRD.) As executive vice president at Firepond the new vertical sales approach and teams generated the company's first $11 million in software license revenue facilitating a successful IPO (NASDAQ: FIRE, later sold to private investor.) 

Before the IPO bubble grew, SSA's founder and board asked me to return to Systems Software Associates (SSA Global, later acquired by INFOR),  and served as America?s president where I created a new strategy and reorganized the team resulting in increasing revenues from $350 million to $450 million in less than 3 years. Prior to returning to SSA, I helped shape a new vision, strategy and global approach resulting in EMS achieving a successful IPO in 1995. 

Following the IPO bubble burst, I was asked to help turn around several companies faced with near extinction including MARC Global and Salesnet and helped them raise follow-on rounds by improving pipelines and sales execution.

I believe that the reason for consistant success, in many different situations and economic cycles, comes down to a passion for deeply understanding both the needs of clients & the solutions being offered as well as the industries and markets being served combined with a strong teaming commitment, creative sales strategies, repeatable methodologies, and a focus on execution excellence.

I served as a director on several boards and advisory committees of both pre-IPO and publicly traded companies, including ChannelWave (acquired by ClickCommerce), Eyretel (where building the US division team from a cold start, resulted in a successful IPO on the LSE: EYR - later acquired by Witness Systems), MarketMax.com (acquired by SAS), JGI, WebDialogs, Nevum, WebMap, Salesnet and Parity Communication.


I began my career working in industry in accounting, tax, materials management and information systems. My teams and I designed and built software systems for industrial companies in the mid '70's and, with the teams I built, implemented them globally. My initial software analysis, design and programming skills were honed during the 70's and early 80's at IBM, and have transformed with the industry and ventures over the years. My sales stategies and methodologies have evolved from the roots of successful systems used by Xerox, IBM and others but have always been designed to meet the specific needs of specific ventures.

My venture building and coaching skills continue to evolve through broadening experiences which include volunteering as advisory board member with the Roger Williams Gabelli School of Business, incorporating board chairman at Webster Place Recovery Center (a 2008 non-profit 501(c)3 ) and volunteer board member at the RiverzEdge Arts Project for Teens (also a 501(c)3 non profit.)