Featured Startup Pitch: Suvola offers a platform for building ‘tamper proof’ enterprise computing environments

By CHRIS PIEDMONTE, SUVOLA CO-FOUNDER, CEO, AND CTO

ELEVATOR PITCH

Austin-based Suvola provides enterprise software specifically designed for secure and trusted high-density, low power computing devices, creating a platform for tamper-proof computing. Our platform provides enterprise software application vendors the means to deploy their solutions as turnkey appliances for either on-premise or public cloud deployments where security, simplicity and price-performance are key factors to their customers.

PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION

Our innovative enterprise appliance technology combines the company’s enterprise platform software with a secure and trusted high-density, low-power (HDLP) computing device. The combined solution provides hardware cryptography, tamper-proof key stores, trusted software execution, and SSL network acceleration to support secure web-based applications for tablets, mobile, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

FOUNDERS’ STORY

Christopher M. (Chris) Piedmonte, co-founder, CEO, and CTO

I’m a self-starting software entrepreneur with a 30-year track record of successfully creating innovative, state-of-the-art solutions to a wide variety of problems in complex information technology systems. From 2009-to-2012, I was CTO of Algebraix Data Corporation. From 2004-to-2009, I was co-founder, CEO, and CTO of XSPRADA Corporation, the creators of data algebra and the first databases built on this technology, for which I received six patents. In 1990, I founded Eagle Creek Systems, Inc. as its sole employee and grew it into a multi-million dollar software engineering business. From 1986-to-1990, I was director of development for MOS Scale International, where I managed development and support for the Integrated Retail Terminal System and the Postal Validation Imprinter for the U.S. Postal Service.

I’m an expert in a wide range of software technologies, applications and systems design, and software development and project management. I received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1985 from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, specializing in analysis of real-time systems, control systems theory, and digital signal processing.

David L. R. (Dave) Stein, co-founder and president

Dave is a computer industry and startup veteran. From 2005-to-2012, he was co-founder, president, and COO of Algebraix Data Corporation. From 1999-to-2004, he was an independent management consultant in San Jose, California. From 1992-to-1999, he was vice president and research center director for Gartner Group, a firm of which he was co-founder. From 1985-to-1992, he was a general partner of a $250 million venture capital partnership of which he was a co-founder. From 1979-to-1985, he was executive VP and COO of Gartner Group, where he managed all operations from day one, grew recurring revenues to $40 million in six years, and established Gartner Group’s franchise as the global leader in strategic IT consulting services.

Prior to 1979, Dave spent 20 years in the computer industry in a variety of engineering, sales, marketing, and general management roles. He is a past director of 10 companies, including four with combined revenues of more than $1 billion that he co-founded. His track record includes 10 high-technology startups. Dave received a bachelor’s degree with distinction in Mathematics and Physics, and did graduate work in Mathematics at the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology.

MARKETING/PROMOTION STRATEGY

Suvola customers are enterprise software companies looking to deploy their products in an appliance model for on-premise and public cloud deployments where security and trust are of significant importance. Our tamper-proof computing platform allows enterprise software companies to secure the valuable information these systems contain and prevent unauthorized code execution by cybercriminals and malicious agents. The marketing/promotion strategy to reach our customers comprises a turnkey array of marketing communications tools, from mainstream PR elements to social media campaigns.

MARKET OPPORTUNITY

The Suvola business/market opportunity is made possible by the advent of the new generation of hyperscale semiconductor integration, which heralds a new generation of enterprise computing. We are the first independent software vendor to provide fully-integrated and highly-optimized software specifically designed to maximize the security and trust benefits, as well as cost-performance and total-costs-of-ownership (TCO), of next-generation SoC-based microservers.

By partnering with established computer manufacturers and distributors to single-source enterprise computing appliances that combine the benefits of a tamper-proof software platform and next-generation SoC-based microservers, Suvola software products accelerate end-user availability of dramatically safer and more cost-effective enterprise computing. The advantage to our customers is the ability to offer secure and trusted versions of their products while targeting a single, highly-tuned hardware platform in a variety of deployment models.

DIFFERENTIATORS VS. THE COMPETITION

Providing compute as secure and trusted appliances greatly simplifies deployment of complex software systems while providing exceptional protection against cybercriminals. The enterprise and cloud provider benefits from the advanced security, exceptional price-performance, and reduced administration and maintenance.

BUSINESS MODEL

Suvola uses a subscription-based software pricing model. Software maintenance and product support is provided as part of the annual license subscription. Our appliances are fully supported to ensure that as industry standards, software tools, and hardware platforms evolve, deployed solutions can be refreshed with the latest technology—including new third-party software, faster and better hardware, and Suvola software enhancements—in a fully-certified and managed environment to maintain the utmost security and trust.

CURRENT NEEDS

Suvola is currently seeking enterprise software companies that could benefit from deploying their products on a tamper-proof computing platform as turnkey secure and trusted enterprise appliances. We are also actively raising a round of funding to expand operations to serve additional customers.

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