Washington, D.C. - RightNow Technologies went public in August 2004. Within months, its shares rose 174%, to $21, carried upward by investor enthusiasm for the Bozeman, Mont., company's business model. Like Salesforce.com, RightNow aimed to sell its customer relationship management (CRM) software as a low-maintenance, Web-based service, not a shrink-wrapped product.
That enthusiasm has since cooled; RightNow Technologies (nasdaq: RNOW - news - people ) stock is off 30% from its 2004 high. But Chief Executive Greg R. Gianforte still relishes tossing rocks at the way the software has been traditionally sold to big business and government.
"The traditional model of enterprise software has failed the customer," he declares. "It has involved somebody writing a really big check up front, then a truck backing up and dumping a bunch of software, then somebody showing up with a busload of consultants who camp in your parking lot for two years."
Gianforte says RightNow gets the job done faster. "Our typical deployment takes about 60 days to stand up," he says.
One place Gianforte's approach seems to be gaining traction: the U.S. federal government.
Full story at Forbes.com
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Beltway Index: Several Changes, One Pick
Full story at Forbes.com
Thursday, August 16, 2007
HP Rides The Innovation Wave In Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last week, Hewlett-Packard savored some legislative good news when President Bush signed a bill boosting federal subsidies for research and education in science and math. The Palo Alto, Calif., computer giant, which in 2006 spent $3.6 billion on research and development, has been one of the louder voices calling for the U.S. government to step up its role in fostering tech innovation.
"We're very pleased with the commitment to put more money into research and to contribute math and science scholarship," says Gary Fazzino, Hewlett Packard's (nyse: HPQ) vice president for government and public affairs. "These are victories."
Now, Fazzino and HP's six-person government affairs outpost in Washington hope that momentum on innovation will carry along two other top priorities: patent reform and an extension of the research and development tax credit. While both items enjoy decent support inside the Beltway, they'll need tending to, given the prospect of a hectic autumn on Capitol Hill.
"There could be a number of landmines along the way," says David Isaacs, who runs HP's public policy efforts in Washington.
Full story at Forbes.com
"We're very pleased with the commitment to put more money into research and to contribute math and science scholarship," says Gary Fazzino, Hewlett Packard's (nyse: HPQ) vice president for government and public affairs. "These are victories."
Now, Fazzino and HP's six-person government affairs outpost in Washington hope that momentum on innovation will carry along two other top priorities: patent reform and an extension of the research and development tax credit. While both items enjoy decent support inside the Beltway, they'll need tending to, given the prospect of a hectic autumn on Capitol Hill.
"There could be a number of landmines along the way," says David Isaacs, who runs HP's public policy efforts in Washington.
Full story at Forbes.com
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Tiny Battery, Big Biz
Washington, D.C. - In early 2008, Littleton, Colo.’s Infinite Power Solutions plans to begin high-volume production of batteries not much bigger than postage stamps. Like players before kickoff, execs at Infinite, now 25 employees strong, are in full chest-pounding mode.
“Our flexible, rechargeable, thin-film batteries will boldly go where no batteries have gone before,” says Timothy Bradow, Infinite’s vice president for marketing and business development.
Key to the boldness: the defense and intelligence market. Bradow and Chief Executive Raymond Johnson believe certain federal customers will pay $50 to $100 per battery. They and their investors have maneuvered to get Infinite up and running with a surge of public sector demand.
So what’s a thin-film battery? Batteries, or devices that convert chemical energy to electrical energy, are essentially three items: a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte that separates the two. In the lithium-ion batteries that power cellphones and laptops, the electrolyte is a liquid or a polymer gel.
Thin-film batteries, by contrast, use a glassy, inorganic solid for an electrolyte. The technology was pioneered in the 1970s at Stanford University, developed subsequently by the Department of Energy at its Oak Ridge National Laboratory, then released for commercial use starting in the 1990s.
Full story at Forbes.com
“Our flexible, rechargeable, thin-film batteries will boldly go where no batteries have gone before,” says Timothy Bradow, Infinite’s vice president for marketing and business development.
Key to the boldness: the defense and intelligence market. Bradow and Chief Executive Raymond Johnson believe certain federal customers will pay $50 to $100 per battery. They and their investors have maneuvered to get Infinite up and running with a surge of public sector demand.
So what’s a thin-film battery? Batteries, or devices that convert chemical energy to electrical energy, are essentially three items: a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte that separates the two. In the lithium-ion batteries that power cellphones and laptops, the electrolyte is a liquid or a polymer gel.
Thin-film batteries, by contrast, use a glassy, inorganic solid for an electrolyte. The technology was pioneered in the 1970s at Stanford University, developed subsequently by the Department of Energy at its Oak Ridge National Laboratory, then released for commercial use starting in the 1990s.
Full story at Forbes.com
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
XM Satellite Pitches Homeland Security: Is It Just Talk?
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Inside XM Satellite Radio's Washington headquarters, the walls are adorned with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Coldplay and Clint Black. Along a hallway on the second floor, overhead units pump music down to discrete listening areas marked by white circles on the floor.
But for Roderick MacKenzie, XM's vice president for advanced applications and services, the mission goes well beyond music.
MacKenzie's job is to dream up new ways to use XM's two satellites and 800 terrestrial repeaters that boost the satellite signals on the ground. The 45-year-old Briton has a well-honed sales pitch, one that has worked in getting XM into cars from automakers such as Honda Motor (nyse: HMC - news - people ) and Toyota Motor (nyse: TM - news - people ). That pitch also seems to be resonating with the federal government and the big contractors that cater to it.
"We tend to think of our network as a national asset," says MacKenzie.
MacKenzie's line is this: XM's system beats other technologies as a means of delivering vital information. Cellular falls short because its coverage is spotty in remote areas. By contrast, XM's satellites beam signal to the entire upper 48 states, including 100 miles off the coasts, and to densely populated parts of Canada.
But satellites working alone have trouble sending information into urban areas, because of the buildings and other obstructions. That where XM's 800 repeaters come in.
Given XM's access to both urban and rural areas, MacKenzie sees applications for emergency response and safety. One example: XM already is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update the delivery system that distributes the presidential message following a serious disaster or crisis.
"We've had a lot of conversations with FEMA, DHS and DOT," says Mackenzie. "They've been extraordinarily positive."
Full story at Forbes.com
But for Roderick MacKenzie, XM's vice president for advanced applications and services, the mission goes well beyond music.
MacKenzie's job is to dream up new ways to use XM's two satellites and 800 terrestrial repeaters that boost the satellite signals on the ground. The 45-year-old Briton has a well-honed sales pitch, one that has worked in getting XM into cars from automakers such as Honda Motor (nyse: HMC - news - people ) and Toyota Motor (nyse: TM - news - people ). That pitch also seems to be resonating with the federal government and the big contractors that cater to it.
"We tend to think of our network as a national asset," says MacKenzie.
MacKenzie's line is this: XM's system beats other technologies as a means of delivering vital information. Cellular falls short because its coverage is spotty in remote areas. By contrast, XM's satellites beam signal to the entire upper 48 states, including 100 miles off the coasts, and to densely populated parts of Canada.
But satellites working alone have trouble sending information into urban areas, because of the buildings and other obstructions. That where XM's 800 repeaters come in.
Given XM's access to both urban and rural areas, MacKenzie sees applications for emergency response and safety. One example: XM already is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update the delivery system that distributes the presidential message following a serious disaster or crisis.
"We've had a lot of conversations with FEMA, DHS and DOT," says Mackenzie. "They've been extraordinarily positive."
Full story at Forbes.com
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