Universities hot-house for business

By RICHARD PAMATATAU

If you think you are an entrepreneur with spirit and a hunger for success and growth, Massey University wants to hear from you.

Its Albany business incubator, the e-centre, is looking to replace Creative Business Systems (CBS) and IMR, which have developed enough to fly under their own wings.

Both companies are leaving Massey after developing products and services that have won them customers around the world.

Incubators are a flow-on from the hype of the dotcom era and the notion that placing talented people near a university will spur them to greater heights. Similar environments are offered by Auckland University, with its Icehouse environment, and Unitec.

But it's not all roses. Two companies have recently left the Icehouse to rethink their business strategy and planning.

Icehouse start-up director Dave Wrathall said Century Bay and Zeb Key, companies making virus detection and customised email signature software respectively, had left to "restrategise".

Wrathall said that happened sometimes when people were presented with objective questioning and analysis of their business ideas.

The Icehouse has nine companies in various stages of development and is in the final stages of getting a few more on board. Details are unavailable.

E-centre chief executive officer Steve Corbett said commercialising technology and developing markets might look glamorous, but it was a testament to the hard work and focus of CBS and IMR that they had developed the enviable ability to triumph over adversity.

"Massey University has the mission of developing New Zealand's business leaders, and our plan is to see graduates of the e-centre become ICT leaders who inspire others to great things."

That is why it is looking for people and companies with the right stuff to replace CBS and IMR.

"The new companies will have access to the intellectual resources of Massey University and the supportive environment of the e-centre to make their vision a business reality."

CBS has been running since 1994. When it joined the e-centre in January 2001, it had four staff and was run out of the basement of founder Trevor Logan. During its time at the e-centre, CBS developed a new product set (the Clearline Profiler), won orders from Germany, Australia and the US, and has trebled its revenues from the new products developed.

CBS director Geoff Logan said the e-centre had allowed the company to take on the world.

"Not only has most of our staff come from Massey University, but the problem-solving ability of the key thinkers has helped immensely.

"CBS now has a distributor network throughout Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific."

IMR started in 2000, with a focus on retrieval of unstructured data.

When IMR joined the e-centre in April 2001, it had three staff and was run from a home office.

Revenue has trebled and it has developed a series of training programmes and services in India, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia.

IMR managing director Kelly Lindsay said the e-centre had given IMR the tools that mad customers feel they were working with a world-class service company.

"We've come to appreciate that strategic planning, strong financial control and human resource management are just as important in the eyes of our customer as unique products and business relationships.

"With 12 growing companies in the e-centre, we fed off the continuous buzz and energy of the centre - especially useful during some long nights of toil."


ICEHOUSE RESIDENTS

* eCargo - freight-management systems

* Red Sky - goal-setting software for farmers

* 174e - software for personal and business communication

* Nexus6 - internet-enabled drug-delivery system

* FIDO - online insurance and financial adviser tool

* Optimal Decision Technologies - simulation and scheduling software

* Mobile Commerce - mobile services and technology

* OpenEye Displays - digital sign networks

* SprayControl - management system for agricultural aerial spraying

* Biomatters - software to speed up drug and disease research