Richard Holcomb to become Chairman of the Board
Research Triangle Park, NC – October 18, 2005 – StrikeIron™ Inc., the worldwide leader of Web services commercialization through the StrikeIron Web Services Business Networkä (WSBizNetä), today announced that co-founder Bob Brauer will step into the role as CEO, replacing Richard Holcomb who moves into the position of Chairman of the Board. In his new role, Brauer will expand his current role as president to include that of CEO, and will now be directly responsible for the management, growth and success of StrikeIron’s business operations. He will also oversee all of the company's day-to-day operations in addition to leading corporate strategic initiatives. Holcomb, also a co-founder of StrikeIron, will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of the company as it continues its rapid growth in the Web services market.
“As one of the founders of StrikeIron and with a proven track record of leading other companies to success, Bob is the perfect choice to take our company to the next level,” said Holcomb. “I look forward to continuing to work with him as StrikeIron continues its rapid growth and expansion.”
“Bob has already made significant contributions to StrikeIron,” stated Scott Albert, Managing General Partner of the Aurora Funds. “His experience and expertise will continue to take StrikeIron into a leadership position as Web services continue to make their impact on the IT industry.”
Holcomb and Brauer have both served as serial entrepreneurs for many years and have experienced significant success with a variety of companies. Prior to StrikeIron, Brauer was the founding chief executive officer of the DataFlux Corporation, an innovative database management software company launched in 1996, financed by the Aurora Funds and several private investors, and acquired by SAS Institute in June of 2000. Prior to DataFlux, Brauer was a software engineer with Seer Technologies.
Prior to co-founding StrikeIron in 2002 Holcomb served as the Interim CEO of GadgetSpace, a wireless technology company, and oversaw its successful acquisition by Inphonic in 2001. He was also a founder of HAHT Commerce in 1995, a major e–commerce application provider, and served as HAHT’s first CEO and Chairman. Prior to HAHT, he was a founder of Q+E Software in 1986, a supplier of client–server database access technology, and served as that company’s CEO, president, and chairman from inception to its acquisition by Intersolv in 1994. Holcomb is also an active venture investor in several technology companies. He also serves on the corporate boards of several public and private technology companies including Neon Systems, ChannelAdvisor, IITS, and Ultimus.
“This is an exciting time to be a part of StrikeIron and the Web services industry in general,” said Brauer. “With the recent launch of our Web Services Marketplace, we are experiencing significant momentum. As President & CEO, I intend to see that the momentum continues to grow.”
About StrikeIron
Based in Research Triangle Park, NC, StrikeIron, Inc. is the leader in Web services commercialization with its breakthrough StrikeIron Web Services Business NetworkTM (WSBizNetTM). WSBizNet includes the premier StrikeIron Web Services MarketplaceTM as the central ecommerce location for anyone to easily buy and sell Web services. The StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace provides the most reliable and trusted commercial Web services available in the market across the broadest spectrum of business needs. The Aurora Funds, Inc. and NC IDEA provided funding for StrikeIron after recognizing the significant opportunity presented by Web services and this unique management team. For more information, visit www.strikeiron.com.
About The Aurora Funds
Founded in 1994, The Aurora Funds is a venture capital firm that provides capital and strategic help to entrepreneurs with early stage life sciences and information technology companies in the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. The firm has more than $200 million of total capital under management and is currently investing out of its fifth fund. The firm has the capacity to invest between $4 million to $8 million throughout the life cycle of an investment. More information is available at www.aurorafunds.com.
About NC IDEA
NC IDEA provides grants, loans and traditional venture capital to help young companies between seed funding and Series A financing. NC IDEA further supports these companies by leveraging its strong, strategic partnerships and alliances to help the companies through research phases, business challenges and growth goals. NC IDEA is committed to supporting North Carolina's economic development by ensuring young, innovative companies grow, create jobs and become contributing business leaders. For more information, visit www.ncidea.org or contact David Rizzo, President and CEO, at 919-941-5600 x101 or drizzo@ncidea.org.
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StrikeIron, Web Services Business Network, WSBizNet, StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace, StrikeIron Marketplace Powered, and Web Services Marketplace, are trademarks of StrikeIron, Inc. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders.
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