OCTANe’s “VC in the OC” conference; Predixion Software

At the “VC in the OC” conference, I attended an investment presentation by Predixion Software, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA, which is developing predictive business analytics software which operates ”in the cloud.”  

Business analytics or business intelligence (BI) software provides a company with the capability of uncovering and analyzing useful information from the company’s electronically-stored data corresponding to various tracked measurands.  The information gained from such analyses can be reflective of past, current, or even predicted future business operations, and can be quite useful for supporting decision-making by the company.  Prior to this past week, I knew nothing about business analytics, but coincidentally, on Wednesday night, I attended a networking event and panel discussion on measuring and managing a business’ “vital signs,” presented by TechBiz Connection, which gave me a bit of an introduction to the concept.  

According to Predixion’s CEO, Simon Arkell, current business analytic software (such as provided by SAS or IBM’s SPSS) is expensive, requires users to be technical experts in its use, and is generally available only for very large companies.  Predixion is working on a software plug-in for Microsoft’s Excel which is accessed via a toolbar, with the goal of democratizing predictive analytics so that non-technical business users may use it to guide their company.  In his presentation, Mr. Arkell touted that his company enjoys a unique relationship with Microsoft, owing in part to the fact that Predixion’s Chief Technical Officer, Jamie MacLennan, worked at Microsoft for about 10 years developing the data mining and analytic capabilities of Microsoft’s SQL server, and is a bit of a “rock star” in this technology area.   

While headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA, Predixion Software’s development team is in Redmond, WA, indicative of the company’s close association with Microsoft.  A search of the USPTO database didn’t find any U.S. patent applications or U.S. patents owned by Predixion, but that should not be surprising given their relatively recent formation.