The Charlotte Observer, N.C., Technology Column
Mar. 22 (The Charlotte Observer/KRTBN)--CONITA GETS COASTAL GROWTH
VENTURE CAPITAL: Conita Technologies Inc., a year-old software company
in Columbia, has received $600,000 in venture capital from Coastal
Growth Partners of Florence, S.C.
Conita president Jeff McElroy said Coastal's investment will help his
company complete development and begin marketing its first product, a
program that allows users to retrieve e-mail and voice mail messages,
computerized data and documents via telephone.
McElroy said the money is part of $2 million to $3 million Conita is
raising.
The 15-employee company was founded in Columbia a year ago as a
spinoff of General Magic Inc., a Silicon Valley technology firm.
General Magic provided $600,000 in start-up funding, which McElroy and
his colleagues have used to begin building their still-unnamed
software.
Rather than remaining in Silicon Valley, McElroy decided to start the
new business in South Carolina, where he and several co-workers have
roots. Among other things, he said, recruiting is easier in Columbia.
Conita's software will run on Microsoft Windows NT-based networks,
linking e-mail servers and voice mail systems so they are accessible by
telephone. Like other so-called "virtual assistants," the software uses
a recorded female voice to guide users.
Conita is conducting market trials of the service with Physicians
Online, an Internet service for doctors. Further trials are planned as
the year goes by and McElroy is hoping for commercial launch of the
product this fall. Neologix, a 15-person interactive development firm
based in uptown Charlotte, has changed its name to Vialogix
Communications. The 3-year-old company designs Web sites and other
interactive projects for First Union, Springs Industries, Crescent
Resources and other clients around the Southeast. The company's new Web
site is at www.vialogix.com.
CARY-BASED SAS INSTITUTE INC. recently landed one of its largest
defense contracts ever, a software licensing agreement with the Defense
Information Systems Agency worth at least $21 million over five years.
SAS said the deal is expected to expand the Defense Department's use of
SAS's database and statistical management software for mainframe
computers.
SOURCE TECHNOLOGIES, a Charlotte-based company that sells specialty
printers, has introduced a high-speed ink-jet check printer for
insurance claims, payroll and other applications. The $94,000 device, a
modified IBM Infoprint printer, is equipped with Source's magnetic ink
and secure numeric fonts to make alteration difficult.
By David Boraks
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