SAN MATEO, Calif.-Wireless trailblazer Craig McCaw and other high-tech heavyweights are backing a new company looking to let business users reach colleagues through mobile phones, e-mail or instant messaging.
The firm, Tello Corp., emerged last week after operating for more than a year in stealth mode. McCaw, one of the company’s founding board members, founded McCaw Cellular Communications Inc., which later became AT&T Wireless Services Inc. Other Tello board members include Vonage Holdings Inc. co-founder Jeff Pulver and John Sculley, former chief executive of Apple Computer Corp.
Tello’s service centers on “presence” technology, which allows users to determine if others are logged on and available. The offering integrates communications platforms, Tello said, enabling voice calls, instant messaging and Internet-based communications from a single interface.
Tello was formed in late 2004 and raised an undisclosed sum in Series A financing last April. Evercore Partners, Intel Capital, Rho Ventures and McCaw’s Eagle River are leading investors.
The company offers service for both businesses and individuals; a limited version can be downloaded from Tello’s Web site. The full version costs $30 per year for U.S. users. Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry is currently the only device to support Tello’s offering, but the company said it plans to support smart phones running Symbian operating systems as well as Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile OS.
