KEY POINTS:
Technology entrepreneur Craig Meek has won European backing for his firm iVistra and is expanding its "visualisation" software used by New Zealand trucking firms into the global transport and security sectors.
French firm IDentifie announced yesterday it was making a "significant" though unspecified investment to Meek, who owns 85 per cent of the Parnell based-tech company.
iVistra specialises in tracking and identification and visualisation technologies.
Its software has been used through its Insight Fleet Pro product collecting information - global positioning satellite and other material on trucks - to provide clients with a visual track.
Meek likens the technology with the sort of high-tech visual imagery that featured in the film Minority Report.
The iVistra software so far is focused on freight management - Toll Holdings' road fleet and rail services are its earliest New Zealand clients.
The company sees potential for 50 of the larger transport firms being clients and is developing other systems for smaller companies.
It is also expanding into Australia.
But Meek says the new investment and ties to the French-based IDentifie will open the door to the vast European transport sector and projects were already under way in Germany, Ireland and the UK.
IDentifie works in public safety and security in France and founder Patrice Fauvet says there is lots of potential in that area.
Meek is an established tech entrepreneur. Past ventures have included Terabyte and Virtual Spectator media software applications. In the 1990s Meek ran the new media technology firm Terabyte before selling it to News Corp.
Virtual Spectator was part of a joint venture used for developing 3D technology for the America's Cup and was later sold to an investment firm.
Meek says he started Terabyte with the intention of onselling it to a media company but says he has no such plans for iVistra. But both and and Fauvet say they are committed to iVistra staying New Zealand based.
DRIVING FORCE
* Craig Meek made headlines with earlier ventures Terabyte and Virtual Spectator.
* Now he has found new investment for his software firm iVistra.
* The company plans to stay in New Zealand.
* But Meek says there are strong prospects for expanding into Europe and Australia.
