Alinean, Developer of ROI-based Sales Effectiveness Tools, Celebrates its Five Year Anniversary

Bad Timing of a September 11, 2001 Launch Did Not Slow Company Down

ORLANDO, Fla. (September 11, 2006) - Five years ago, on September 11, 2001, four Orlando-based entrepreneurs were prepared to launch their new software company. The press release was queued up on the wire, announcing Alinean, Inc., a start-up dedicated to building sales effectiveness and business value selling tools for IT solution providers.

All four - CEO Tom Pisello, serial entrepreneur and ex-Managing VP for Gartner (leading worldwide Information Technology analyst firm), his wife Judy Robinet, a successful start-up marketing director and veteran of Walt Disney Imagineering, Betty McNeil, Gartner VP of Sales, and Steve Arseneault, a Gartner software development director - had left their former employers for this new endeavor, but were aware of the risks: the technology bubble had already taken its toll on several companies they had been involved with, including PuertaBella, an award-winning online home décor company, Digital Owl, a seemingly well-funded digital content management firm, and Connotate, an internet data mining company out of Rutgers University.

But they had also had several prior start-up successes as their guide. And with a tightening economy and frugal buyer community, the team knew that IT vendors faced many challenges in proving and improving the value from their solutions. With that in mind, they developed software tools and research to help vendor consultants and sales professionals justify purchases, shorten sales cycles, and prove return on investment (ROI) to their prospects and customers.

With the horrific events of September 11, postponing the company announcement was a necessary setback. And although the business turmoil from the terrorist attacks slowed momentum, the company was able to sign up several major clients including HP and Dell, and reach profitability before the end of the year.

In 2002, the company moved from their home-based offices when they were accepted into the UCF Technology Incubator (http://www.incubator.ucf.edu) which provided infrastructure services and advice that helped the company remain profitable through the early years. “Orlando is lucky to have such a great resource,” said Tom Pisello. “The UCF incubator allowed us to focus on developing our core business, by providing assistance with VC introductions, infrastructure services, professional services and office space on a start-up budget.”

In 2003 the company struck an exclusive relationship with leading global Information Technology analyst firm IDC, in a partnership to drive business value selling best practices into the largest technology providers worldwide. That year the team also nabbed series-A financing from Stonehenge Capital and Grace Ventures to help fund expansion and development.

Now five years later, the company boasts an impressive customer list, anchored by some of the world’s largest technology solution providers. On any given day you can find the team of 20 analysts and software developers working on sales effectiveness/ROI justification tools for clients such as IBM, HP, Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, Symantec, Cisco, AT&T and dozens more.

At their downtown Orlando headquarters the Alinean team often plays hosts to these leading technology companies and works hard to change the impression of Orlando simply as the house of the mouse. “With the impressive downtown growth, two great universities in UCF and Rollins College, a thriving simulation technology community, and fantastic economic growth in a great family town - we can boast a great foundation for a diverse economy,” said Tom Pisello. “Where Orlando still lacks the VC funding or the “been-there-done–that” critical mass of business professionals with start-up experience, ,the foundation is evolving and improving every year.” Alinean is thriving, generating over $12M in cumulative revenue for the local community to date, with 40% revenue growth this year and aggressive expansion plans.
 

About Alinean

Alinean develops software and solutions to streamline the B2B selling process with business value selling solutions – using ROI/TCO and business case analysis to prove and improve the value of solutions to prospects and customers. The company’s founding team pioneered the concept of interactive ROI and TCO software in 1994, developing award-winning solutions for leading B2B vendors and consultants. Its research methodologies and software tools are used by analyst firms and consultancies such as IDC and B2B leaders such as Oracle, HP, Dell, SAP, Microsoft, Symantec and IBM, and have helped justify billions of dollars in IT spending and derived value. For more information, visit www.alinean.com or call 407.382.0005.
 

# # #