Tampa Bay, door to the country
KRIS HUNDLEYSt. Petersburg Times
Published November 11, 2006
The Tampa Bay area's big push for distinction in the tech field is getting a European boost.
A Swedish software company, Appear Networks, has chosen a low-budget, Clearwater strip center as the launch site for its U.S. operations, eager to tap into a $2-billion market. Here's a closer look at what the company does and why it's here:
Why Clearwater?
Ann-Louise Palm, a California native and company co-founder, wanted an East Coast location to minimize the time difference with the company's engineers in Sweden.
Boston was too expensive. The Tampa Bay area offered both low operating costs as well as strong support for small tech firms through such organizations as the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.
Another plus: easy airport access. Palm, former chief executive who is now chief operating officer in the United States, opened the office in December.
How is it working out so far?
Palm, 46, has hired 10 workers and found the area to have plenty of talent. So far, the company has signed contracts with Marriott hotels and a Florida airport.
What precisely does Appear Networks' software do?
It delivers user-specific information to a company's mobile workers on handheld PDAs.
Its technology is being used by workers on subways in Paris and Stockholm and railway workers in the Netherlands, providing them with everything from real-time traffic data to critical security data.
Dutch Rail estimated the software, which is used by 10,000 employees, has saved an average of 25 minutes per employee per day.
How did the company get its start?
Three business people and three Swedish engineers responded to a request from the Stockholm subway system for a way to push relevant data to remote workers. The company was formed in September 2001, but it was April 2002 before it received funding from European investors.
Why did Appear come to America?
After four years of proving its Appear IQ software in large transportation systems in Europe, Appear Networks wants a piece of the U.S. market, which it estimates at $2-billion.
