After three years of work, SimplyCast has launched its 360 Automation Manager, the flagship product of the Dartmouth multi-channel marketing company.
President and CEO Saeed El-Darahali unveiled the product last night at a reception in the company’s new office off Main Street in Dartmouth. In the interests of transparency, I must declare that I have been working with SimplyCast on promoting the launch. But this news is big enough that I want to describe the product and make a few observations.
There’s a lot of buzz about the 360 Automation Manager because it can do what no marketing tool in the world can do. It’s easy to use, even for people without a technical background, and its analytical tools allow it to decide what messages to send customers based on their individual preferences. It automatically responds to clients’ online actions through any number of communications channels, messaging them in the form they prefer. The platform even sends customers targeted messages at special times, such as their birthdays.
SimplyCast has developed a translation feature, so it can be exported around the world (SimplyCast already has clients in 175 countries) and is effective in bilingual markets, such as the English-Spanish markets in the southern U.S.
Here’s what impresses me most about SimplyCast: its sensational bootstrapping skills and its employee development.
El-Darahali raised $758,000 in angel financing in 2009, and that was it for several years. By focusing on sales and the reinvestment of income, he was able to grow his staff and develop the 360 Automation Manager. He’s now up to 30 employees and is planning to add more.
One of the unappreciated features of the East Coast startup community is how much mileage its entrepreneurs get out of a few drops of equity financing. It’s a good thing because capital is scarce here. Few exemplify that trait better than El-Darahali.
The second facet is the way El-Darahali develops the competency of his staff. When he introduces a staff member, he usually stresses how lucky the company is to have this particular individual. He’s a great believer in co-op programs, and ensures all co-op students are challenged by the tasks they must perform. The company this year even launched a co-op program for high school students.
Several startups in the region are transitioning into bona fide corporations, and SimplyCast has achieved that step largely because it has paid so much attention to human resources.