Way, way back--about 10 years ago--wireless wasn't much of a topic of
conversation. But for two entrepreneurs, it was certainly worthy of
discussion, and led to the founding of Dallas-based JP Mobile. CEO Dayakar Puskoor chats about getting started, and
the rush of wireless.
How did JP Mobile get started?
In the early '90s, I was working with Motorola and Ananth Rao, JP
Mobile's co-founder, was with Nortel. We were both heavily involved in
wireless technology, both shared a passion for this technology, and both
were convinced that the market for enterprise wireless data solutions
was going to be huge. After several months of intense brainstorming,
Ananth and I put together a business plan, rounded up some seed funding
and formed JP Mobile. That was in 1995, which, if you think about it,
makes us a dinosaur in the wireless data category, particularly if you
consider all of the start-ups that have jumped on the bandwagon in the
last few years.
We are extremely proud of the fact that JP Mobile is a true pioneer in
this space. We were the first to wirelessly enable a Palm PDA; the first
to successfully develop and market enterprise mobility solutions
(BeamLink, One-Touch Mail, InfoBeam); the first to anticipate the need
and develop a platform for supporting multiple devices via SynchML; and,
most recently, the first to offer a fully integrated on-device security
and wireless e-mail solution that supports all platforms, devices, and
networks.
What got you personally interested in doing this work?
I'm a technologist at heart. Being the first to wirelessly enable a PDA
was a tremendous rush, and a clear indication of the enormous potential
of enterprise wireless data. I thrive on being at the forefront of a
rapidly emerging industry. That passion to be out front, to be the first
to market with real-world, business-meaningful solutions is a strong
part of our company culture. Working in this industry can be grueling.
The competition is fierce, and you're always operating at full throttle,
but that's also what makes it interesting, challenging, exhilarating.
Why do you feel there's a need for what you provide?
The benefits of enterprise mobility are clear-cut and compelling.
Increased productivity, shortened sales cycles, real-time
responsiveness, improved customer service, and streamlined,
enterprise-wide collaboration top the list. These benefits are not based
on pie-in-the-sky predictions. They are being realized today by a
growing number of professionals who are incorporating their personal
wireless devices into their professional, day-to-day lives. Make no
mistake about it, anytime, anywhere access to corporate data is not a
luxury for today's business professionals. It is a must-have capability.
JP Mobile's mission is to provide solutions that satisfy this very real
and very immediate need.
What kind of challenges does your company face?
As I mentioned earlier, competition and the incredibly fast pace at
which this industry moves are always a challenge. But more immediate
challenges include eliminating some of the obstacles hindering the
widespread adoption of wireless e-mail. To be sure, this market is
taking off. But as far as we're concerned, it's not taking off as fast
as it should or, better stated, could.
do you know a Texas company we should cover? Let us know about it.
Send your local profile candidates to dan@computeruser.com.
