Did the fast-paced ’90s trickle over into the new millennium leaving you a little low on personal bandwidth space?
Combining technology with a human touch, quixi Inc. claims to have the answer to those time-management problems.
Subscribers to quixi’s service will have access to a live quixi helper 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via wireless phones, e-mail or instant messaging. This on-call assistant will allow customers to free up time normally spent trying to find information by letting quixi experts locate the information and services needed.
“quixi recognizes that time is becoming a more precious commodity every day,” explained Evan Marwell, co-founder of quixi. “quixi is designed to help people get the most out of their personal bandwidth. If we can cut down the time it takes to do everyday tasks, people will have more time to do what’s important to them.”
This is the second company for Marwell and his partner, Robert Pines. In 1992, both successfully launched INFONXX Inc., a provider of enhanced directory assistance to wireless carriers and corporate customers in the United States. When the company acquired a management team to run the day-to-day business, Marwell and Pines found themselves with a little spare bandwidth of their own.
“It was too compelling to pass up,” noted Marwell. “It’s the same reason I did the first one; I saw an opportunity to fill a void. The first time around, I learned the importance of immediately hiring a knowledgeable staff and having a great time with your project. It makes such a big difference.”
The company is finding the financial backing needed to meet its early April start-up date, reporting $27.5 million in its first round of venture-capital funding.
Those firms involved in the funding include lead investor Flatiron Partners, Access Partners, RRE Ventures, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and the New York City Investment Fund.
“We are very selective of the types of venture investments we make each year in the Internet space,” said Henry Kravis, chairman of the New York City Investment Fund. “quixi blends a business-to-business and business-to-consumer strategy that we feel is indispensable in this space.”
