Russ: This is a BusinessMakers WebXTRA, a continuation of our discussion with Shawn Shadfar, founder and CEO of omNovia. We pick up this discussion where I ask Shawn what he attributes his success to.

Shawn: There are software solutions out there that have been created by software engineers.

Russ: Right.

Shawn: Then they say, "OK, this is really cool. We should take this to the market." You can find this among well-known products. Among larger companies, you see many products developed by technical people who don't put themselves in the shoes of the end users. From day one, we tried to be very customer oriented. So obviously, really I think that we can say that our success comes from two major factors. Technology--we have a great technology. We have developed great technology, and by the fact that we have been listening to our customers on the daily basis. So, the combination of these two have, I believe, made our success story.

Russ: OK. Let me go back to this thing that you started as a security company and then got pulled over into this web conferencing. Do you look at other technologies as well right now?

Shawn: No. I think that web conferencing, in general, is a very vast application. We're very innovative. We have a very long road map here. There are many things we have been adding over the years, and there are other things we're adding. We're making it HD quality. We're making it like a TV show, if you will. So, there are exciting new developments in the web conferencing that are going to keep us focused for the next few months or years.

Russ: OK. Describe this for our listeners. Say you were able to get them to look at a demonstration of your product, and they're an experienced web conferencing user. What would they see differently in omNovia that they don't see on the others?

Shawn: Anyone can go to our website, see a demo, or create a free try and test it themselves. But, the three major differentiators we see are the following. For one, there is no software to install. So, access is extremely easy for all your attendees, for all participants. Number two is the reliability of the system. We have built the system for companies that were extremely demanding in terms of reliability.

Russ: Right.

Shawn: And so that's number two. I would say the reliability makes a difference, and the fact that we can go to thousands of people. But again, that comes to the reliability. A lot of your listeners might not need 5,000 people, but that shows that it works perfectly with also 50 people or 5 people. And finally number three, our system is fully customizable and can be integrated to any website.

Russ: OK. Cool. That's real cool. So, you mentioned that, you know, you haven't raised money, but now you're looking for the kind of capital to really grow the company. Describe for me sort of the best case scenario of the future for omNovia. What do you see it evolving into?

Shawn: I think we have a window of opportunity here. Web conferencing is going to be provided by telcos probably in a few years.

Russ: Right.

Shawn: Just the way telephone lines are currently. So, I think that by having organic growth, we are not going to have enough time to make it as big as some of the current companies can.

Russ: OK.

Shawn: If we had their resources and if we had their customer base. So, we would like to be acquired in the next 24 to 36 months by a telco. And in order to reach there, we're seeking some investment to focus on mostly marketing, business development, but also we want to be at the edge of the technology. So, we are still investing in R&D.

Russ: So you think the most likely exit strategy would be to be acquired?

Shawn: Yes, that's our goal.

Russ: Cool. OK. Tell us a little bit more about yourself. Our listeners love to hear about the entrepreneur themselves. Where did you grow up? Were you showing signs of being an entrepreneur early on? And, what else did you do besides this other startup that you mentioned?

Shawn: Well, I was a programmer in my teens. When I was 12 years old, I started making software programs, and when I was 16 years old, I built this software to recognize handwriting. Then, I went to college. I was in France. I went to college in France, got a master's degree, and then came to the U.S. and was in Georgia Tech, Atlanta where I got another master's degree. When I started working was at Schlumberger back in Austin. I worked in the team that invented the first smart card with cryptography, on-card cryptography. But, I did programming only for a year. After that, we got into the business and I started managing the Information Security Group, and literally didn't do any programming whatsoever until four and a half years ago, where I had to kind of go back to the programming, learn, and start coding again.

Russ: And so, is it right then to say that you're an active programmer on the omNovia product?

Shawn: In fact, I am a little bit less than before. But until two years ago, I did a lot of programming myself. I still participate in the architecture of the system, but we have very talented programmers in the team. And again, we're listening though to our customers and building a software that works for them, not just because we find it cool.

Russ: OK. Well Shawn, I really appreciate you sharing your story with us. In fact, before I let you go, you mentioned that interested audience members who wanted to check it out and do a test drive could do it. You mentioned they could go to your website. Why don't you give them your web address?

Shawn: The website is www.omnovia.com, and thank you for having me here.

Russ: You bet. And that wraps up this BusinessMakers WebXTRA with Shawn Shadfar, founder and CEO of omNovia. You're listening to "The BusinessMakers Show" heard here and online at TheBusinessMakers.com.