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A Monthly Journal for Venture Partners and Enterprise Software Executives
Vol. 1 No. 1
In This Issue
Welcome
In the Groove: An Interview with Ray Ozzie, Groove Networks
The Perfect Software Entrepreneur
A Venture Partner's Advice to Startup Executives
Software M&A: The Skinny on Key Deals in Q2
Are Software Sales 'soft'? Here's what to do about it.
On Leadership at BEA Systems
Welcome to The Sterling Report

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the Sterling Report, Sterling-Hoffman's monthly communique for friends of the firm. Given that this is a first edition, I wanted to include a personal note. The objectives of this publication are twofold. The first is to provide a source of insight and ideas regarding enterprise software business strategy, to all those that have a vested interest in the same. Second, as an executive-search firm, we treasure each relationship we've ever established and wish to maintain regular communication with our network. It was felt that a monthly newsletter might be the simplest way to do so. I invite all of you to send me your comments - positive or negative - on the articles within. I can be reached directly at:
angel@sterlinghoffman.com.

Many thanks to our contributors and a special thanks to Paul DiModica.

Kindest Regards,

Angel Mehta
Managing Director
Sterling-Hoffman Executive Search



In the Groove: An Interview with Ray Ozzie, Groove Networks
by Angel Mehta, Managing Director, Sterling-Hoffman Management Consultants
Touted as one of the Top Ten Technology Innovators (InfoWorld.com - April 29, 2002), Ray Ozzie is known as the man who created Lotus Notes, the network-based document sharing communications environment that took organizations by storm in the early 1990's. Today, Ray Ozzie is focused on Groove Technologies (www.groove.net), an interactive collaboration software that Ray believes is taking organizations into a new dimension of communication.
Read full article >>

The Perfect Software Entrepreneur
by Michael Tanner, Managing Director, The Chasm Group, LLC
Recently, I visited a conference in San Jose that targeted entrepreneurs in the software / technology industry. You might think that after all the torrents in the public markets and high-tech meltdown during the past couple of years, such a conference would be pretty lackluster. But the aura around the San Jose convention center this particular morning was downright jubilant. It was as if through some freak of quantum physics I had been transported back in time to 1999. And, I did not want anyone to beam me up.
Read full article >>

A Venture Partner's Advice to Startup Executives
by Raj Atluru, Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
One of my biggest frustrations with early stage software companies over the past couple of years is that everyone seems to have forgotten how to "Hug Thy Customer". Let's turn the clock back 8 years. The US economy was just beginning a massive technology investment wave. Large enterprises were driven to upgrade their existing IT applications and infrastructure. Then everything changed.
Read full article >>


Software M&A: The Skinny on Key Deals in Q2
by Ken Bender, Managing Director, and Allen Cinzori, Associate - Software Equity Group
One of the North America's leading software M&A specialists shares the inside scoop on notable transactions in Q2, including deals involving Microsoft, Cadence, and HNC.
Read full article >>

Are Software Sales 'soft'? Here's what to do about it.
by Tom Lavey, Executive Vice President, MS2, Inc.
Many promises were made by early stage ISV's (perhaps YOU) about "viral marketing" or the "network-effect". It was supposed to give you more customers automatically, at low cost of sales because your customers would introduce your product to their customers (or suppliers) and they would introduce it to THEIR customers, etc. etc. until you magically had 80% market share and zero cost of sales. That didn't happen, did it? Why it didn't is the key to revitalizing your company.
Read full article >>

On Leadership at BEA Systems
by Alan Fudge, SVP, Americas, BEA
BEA Executives and Managers are privy to a series of special essays about direct leadership from Alan Fudge. He has granted permission for the first of these memos to appear in the Sterling Report.
Read full article >>







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