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Fulbright scholar Jeremy Buckley returned to New Zealand in 1999 after completing a doctorate in mathematics at Tulane University, New Orleans. Finding there were limited prospects of a university job in mathematics, he decided to reinvent himself as a software developer and business entrepreneur. With a business and investment partner, Anton Donde, Jeremy began researching market opportunities and business concepts. What they found was a gap in the market for a more affordable and flexible software product to manage web content. Together, they formed e-cision and Jeremy began working on a prototype for WebNovo. Since its release, WebNovo has attracted a lot of interest from big software developers like IBM and Oracle. "We have signed up a potential development partner but it will be several months before we are ready to announce it in the marketplace," says Jeremy. WebNovo's appeal lies in its affordability and flexibility. Targeted at medium sized businesses with $50,000 to $150,000 website developments, WebNovo uses a flexible, customisable soft-structure method for organising web content. "It allows you to manage web pages and general document content without having to understand the technical aspects, and build into those pages business processes that ensure your website content stays up-todate," explains Jeremy. "It's also quite architecturally focussed, which makes it attractive to developers, rather than being 'out of the box'. With the release of a Java version three months ago, WebNovo now has even wider application in the marketplace. E-cision has also engaged a web development company to develop a front end for the product. The success of WebNovo gave Jeremy the idea for forming a new software development company of his own, Excibir. "For an equity stake, Excibir provides the development expertise and supports companies like e-cision through the development and commercialisation of their products. Longer term the plan is to build Excibir as a technology incubator and Java development house." Looking back on the last few years, Jeremy says he has learnt a lot about technology, business management and how to secure venture capital. "In a broader sense, I've learnt that you've got to make the most of where you're at. My love of maths hasn't diminished. I'm still reading and keeping up to date but when you've been this long out of the field it's very hard to get back in. So I guess maths will remain a hobby, rather than a career." |
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