The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), a not-for-profit unit of the IC2 Institute of The University of Texas at Austin, welcomes ihiji to its IT portfolio as a full member company. ihiji, (ī hē΄jē), is a provider of cloud-based Network Management as a Service (NMaaS) platforms for remote monitoring and support of IP-enabled devices, and has been a part of ATI’s Landing Pad Program since 2010.
The Landing Pad Program supports early stage technology companies by leveraging ATI’s network and community insight to accelerate that company’s acculturation into the Austin business ecosystem. ihiji founders, Stuart Rench, President; Michael Maniscalco, Vice President of Technology; and, David Rench, Vice President of Finance, started a residential design-build home automation company with the idea that home electronic systems could be simplified using better engineering and application of technology. In 2010, after building a successful integration firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, they sold their company to focus solely on ihiji invision, a cutting-edge network management solution, and moved to Austin to be part of ATI. In 2011, the company hired Seth Rubenstein as Director of Sales and Business Development. In 2012, ihiji completed development of a more scalable, flexible and secure architecture and decided to apply the platform into other bigger markets, such as IT markets focused on IT Value Added Resellers (VAR) and corporate IT departments who manage a large number of branch locations. Ready to go on the fundraising circuit, ihiji decided the timing was right to move into full membership at ATI to take advantage of its additional benefits, such as deeper engagement with ATI directors and further access to ATI’s established network of peers, mentors, businesses, and investors.
“Not only is Texas a great state for businesses, but Austin is on the rise, has a wonderful tech community and is also very livable. The structure of ATI was a good fit for our company and the Landing Pad Program helped us easily relocate from out of state and not miss a beat,” said Stuart Rench, President of ihiji; adding that “ATI staff has been great. They’re there when you need them for ideas, thoughts, reviews and introductions. We’re also able to take advantage of multiple directors depending on our challenge, which is nice because they each have their own perspectives and areas of expertise.”
ihiji’s new NMaaS platform is based on the same cloud-based architecture as its award-winning remote monitoring and support solution, ihiji invision, and lowers its clients’ capital and operating expenditures, increases productivity, and improves profit margins by minimizing equipment and network outages.
“ihiji is a classic example of a services business successfully morphing into a scalable product company providing enterprise software solutions. ihiji fits perfectly into the sweet spot of Austin’s tech ecosystem and ATI’s IT portfolio. In working with the ihiji team as they transitioned from the Landing Pad Program to a full member company, the team continually impresses with their vision and discipline as they have shifted gears and moved into the next phase of their growth strategy,” said Kyle Cox, ATI IT/Wireless Director.
ihiji’s NMaaS platform is in private beta, and the company is seeking participants from the Small to Medium Businesses (SMB) and/or IT Value Added Resellers (VAR) channels. To learn visit http://itbeta.ihiji.com/, email itbeta@ihiji.com, or call 512.538.0520 ext. 2003.
Contact:
Laura Beck for ATI
512-786-1098
