Incubator company CollabWorx graduates from Syracuse University’s CASE Center

Incubator company CollabWorx graduates from Syracuse University’s CASE CenterFebruary 13, 2006Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

On Feb. 1, Syracuse University’s CASE Center announced the graduation of one of its incubator companies from the center to a new downtown office location. CollabWorx, a provider of secure, real-time, online collaboration software products, will now be based at the Syracuse Technology Garden on Harrison Street in Syracuse.

“We look forward to keeping ties with Syracuse University from our new office location,” says Marek Podgorny, president of CollabWorx. “We are excited to be continuing with these relationships as part of our commitment to the Syracuse area.”

CollabWorx is an end-to-end provider of secure, high-performance and multi-platform collaboration, communication and distance learning solutions to Fortune 1000, education and government customers. Its enterprise-class, real-time collaboration solutions include audio and video conferencing platforms, a “presence engine,” chat, instant messaging and document-sharing tools. CollabWorx provides licenses, reseller agreements, consulting services and software integration services to independent software vendors, ASPs and system integrators.

Based in SU’s Center for Science and Technology, the CASE Center is a New York State Center for Advanced Technology that uses University faculty, students, staff and other resources to help nurture New York’s high-tech economy. Its success is linked to the success of the New York state high-technology economy and is measured in terms of metrics such as new jobs, new revenues, cost savings, business investments, successful start-up companies and new products. CASE has documented economic impact averaging almost $29million annually over the past six years, and CollabWorx is the second CASE Center graduate to re-locate in downtown Syracuse within the past 12 months.

The CASE Center incubator program looks to attract and assist start-up or young technology companies with long-term potential for high growth of revenues and jobs in New York state. Some of these companies are university start-ups, but other companies that can benefit from access to university resources are also prospective tenants. Tenants benefit from a rich intellectual and research environment; access to talented faculty, students and university programs; reasonably-priced office facilities; extensive networked computing resources; and access to CASE relationships with other technology companies, economic development organizations and funding resources.

The CASE Center is a NYSTAR-supported Center of Advanced Technology. NYSTAR is the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research. NYSTAR’s broad mission is to make New York a national leader in high-technology academic research and economic development.

Over the course of its time at CASE, CollabWorx was provided with a variety of services, including assistance with payroll operations; infrastructure; provision of an MBA student to assist with marketing plans; introduction to a variety of funding sources, potential clients and contacts; and coaching for a venture business plan presentation.

“CollabWorx is a regional success story,” says Roger Trabucco, associate director of the CASE Center. “They have persevered through many challenging circumstances that are not uncommon for technology start-ups, and the determination and spirit of the management team have made the difference that has driven the company to success.”

CollabWorx has been an incubator company in the CASE Center since 2000. A Jan. 26 reception officially recognized the graduation of CollabWorx from the CASE Center. On Aug. 1, 2005, CollabWorx, after rigorous testing, received the first-ever full Authority to Operate (ATO) certification on the U.S. Army’s NETCOM networks for a Web-based rich media (audio/video) collaboration solution. The company soon expects to land the largest contract in its history from the federal government, and it has an established relationship withComputer Associates, which resells CollabWorx software in a product offering that is being made available to the Department of Homeland Security. CollabWorx also provided technology in 2005 to help support the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems.

Currently an eight-person operation, CollabWorx plans to continue to grow, aiming to add new business and employees in the coming years and contribute to the regional economy.