Halifax-based 2nd Act Innovations said Wednesday it has opened a sales office in Silicon Valley to be staffed by its new senior vice-president of sales, Chris Strachan.

The company has developed the Ortis4 platform, which helps small and medium-sized businesses to efficiently organize, store and retrieve documents. Earlier this year, 2^nd Act raised $1.1 million in capital, including equity investments worth a total of $500,000 from GrowthWorks Atlantic and Innovacorp.

 “We are ecstatic to add a player of Chris’s calibre to our team,” said CEO Andrew Doyle in a release.

“Chris has started and grown companies into international entities, built sales teams and understands how to get products into the hands of customers as skilfully as anyone in Silicon Valley.”

Originally from British Columbia, Strachan has been an entrepreneur and senior executive in media and technology businesses for 20 years. Three of his startups have achieved leadership positions in their markets.

Co-founders Doyle and Peter Hickey started 2nd Act by developing the technology for a customer in Hong Kong. That customer hit financial troubles, and the Halifax duo were able to buy the intellectual property for a dollar.

The establishment of the Palo Alto, Ca., office will allow the company to court more SMEs in the tech space, increasing sales and building up credibility.

It will also help get the 2nd Act name around the investment community in Silicon Valley. Doyle said earlier this year that the company aims to raise about $5 million to $7 million – a sum that would be beyond the capacity of local funding bodies.