Four years after leaving Microsoft to start their own business, Pete Mansour and Chad Schwitters are coming to market.
The co-founders of Sproqit, a mobile software developer, plan to unveil software that allows people using handheld wireless devices to remotely access their desktop computers. Wednesday, the duo expects to launch Sproqit Personal Edition, which enables users of smart phones or personal digital assistants to wirelessly attach, read and send any file from their desktop or corporate network.
The launch marks a milestone for Sproqit, which was founded in 2000 as the tech sector began to collapse. Since then, the company has swelled to 35 employees and shrunk to seven before expanding again to today’s 20.
In August, Sproqit announced a life-saving $6.5 million round of Series B funding, which the company is using to unveil its first product this week.
Mansour, the company’s chief executive officer, said he and Schwitters first considered developing the mobile software while at Microsoft.
“We started to look at ways of deploying applications on small devices,” he said. “But we were spending a lot of time porting existing applications … all of Outlook wouldn’t fit (on a handheld), so we looked at what other solutions were out there.”
Mansour said the new software allows users to remotely access computers without going through a data center, unlike BlackBerry technology. Instead of loading entire applications or entire files on the device, enough data is transferred to fill the screen, improving transmission times.
“Mobile workers want wireless solutions that are easy to use and rich in function, even when disconnected,” said Warren Wilson, an analyst with Summit Strategies. “Sproqit’s new thin-client offering meets all of these needs and may well shake up the mobile business solutions market.”
The software will be offered by subscription at $9 per month. Mansour said the company plans to release an enterprise version supporting 20 to 25 users based on the software.
