This Software Startup is Right on Track

I'm the CEO of ClickStream Technologies, a six-person startup in San Francisco. We provide mission-critical application usage metrics for software companies and corporate IT shops. For example, our flagship ClickStream Survey collects daily usage information for all installed software products globally. This enables our clients to pursue new software opportunities more efficiently.

Since opening shop in October, we have already conducted several projects, including helping a software company redevelop its revenue model based on usage information, identifying the competitive threat for a new-entry product, and developing productivity models and best practices for information workers. We look forward to learning more with our clients in the years ahead, helping them lower costs and increase efficiencies.

Before earning an MBA at Saïd Business School at Oxford University, I spent almost eight years at Microsoft (MSFT ) in Redmond, Wash., performing a mix of market research and technical program management. While I enjoyed my experience there, I was ready to find a new way to add value to the software industry (see BW Online, 1/18/06, "Startup Secrets of the Successful").

SKIPPING STEPS.  The programs at Saïd that focused on entrepreneurship and business planning were critical to getting ClickStream Technologies rolling. But the people at Oxford were what made the real difference for me. During the winter and summer months of the one-year program, six classmates and I created a business plan and ran a pilot with a real customer using our new system (see BW Online, 1/19/06, "The B-School Route to Career Change").

Unlike other startups, ClickStream is entirely self-funded. Since we were able to leverage the time in B-school to get traction, we didn't need the typical research and development time required to open the doors for business. Other companies offer deep statistics on Web-site usage, but we saw an opportunity in combining rich statistical views of client-application usage (beyond the Web) with custom consulting projects that could really add value. Having completed two pilot studies during the course of the MBA, we were ready to go to market immediately.

Starting a software company in the Bay Area is a bit like pushing a train -- it can be heavy at first, but once things are rolling, the momentum can carry you a long way. Here's a snapshot of a typical day in my life:

7:00 a.m. -- Up and into the shower. Then I fire up the espresso maker and charge out the door with my signature one-minute egg sandwich in one hand and a homemade grande mocha in the other. Today is a big one -- I've got two big client meetings. I look up to a clear blue sky, grateful to be in California where the sun shines even in winter.

7:30 a.m. -- Take the metro (BART) to San Francisco's financial district. On a good day, like today, I can...

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