Tologix Runway Takes Form!

Tologix continues to find exceptional subscriber success in market with the flagship TradeLawGuide client site, while also applying market and client feedback to advance our core technology platform against the delivery of our 2nd client site build... all this while expanding our strategic accounts against an active sales funnel.

Through the months of April & May we performed needed housekeeping of business matters, while advancing our business processes, and expanding our core service delivery offering. All of which have cleared our runway for added success in the months ahead.

Upcoming on the June calendar:

• expanded hosting infrastructure
• improved database performance
• enhanced browser features/compatibility
• growth in our service delivery team
• new software patent applications
• updated marcom & sales materials
  

For those who do not yet understand the disruptive, turnkey legal software space Tologix operates in - back in May there was a LegalWeek Brighttalk interview with Professor Richard Susskind on “the End of Lawyers?” where both the host and Susskind press the point that fundamental change is upon the legal profession – wouldn’t you agree?

Active in the Ottawa Startup Community

A couple weeks back Tologix was fortunate enough to be one of 10-local ICT companies to pitch a VC-panel brought forward by OCRI and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service at an event titled "Canadian Regional Boot Camp for Technology Start-Ups featuring Silicon Valley experts and investors".

The structure of the event had workshops supported with networking events that offered informative & credible feedback from fellow entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and investors alike. Aside from issues surrounding macro-economic variables that are outside just about everyone’s control nowadays, several entrepreneurs we spoke with at the Bootcamp had feedback on a very real challenge that is in the startup story– and that leads us to this week...

This Wednesday April 8th, Dan Wilton our President & CEO, will be on a 3x10 panel speaking at theCodeFactory as part of an OttawaNetwork event discussing “Bootstrapping For Success”.

Flagged as a critical ingredient to ensure early success - this bootstrapping discussion is casual and being tailored to fellow entrepreneurs in the Ottawa network, highlighting lessons learned, customer-funded growth, and focus on bootstrapping.

Without a doubt, every startup we have encountered over our careers has expressed similar challenges at one stage or another. For the next short while bootstrapping is a reality to any startup – if done right, such an opportunity will yield fantastic results as it builds the early culture of the organization, strengthens the plan, and enhances team focus.

We look forward to meeting all those who attend.

2009 the Year of the Semantic Web?

Tologix is in motion: have built our 2009 plan, launched our corporate website, polished our legal documents, tweaked our business model, staffed the team, advanced our product, refined our investor pitch, and bootstrapped our operations!

Even within such a dire economy, there is hope of innovation and how that will present new business opportunity. Take for example how just a few days ago Google reported phenomenal news. Sure their sales were fantastic (we expect no less), but deep within that report there was a hint of technical direction as posted on googlewatch.

"Wouldn't it be nice if Google understood the meaning of your phrase but rather just the words that are in the phrase? We've made a lot of discoveries in that area that are going to roll out in the next little while"

Yes, it is true -- Google is looking to enhance their search using XML and RDF data from semantic networks and have been doing so for some time. Perhaps they are referring to their uber-advanced algorithm driven google-wide semantic networks, but honestly, to help disambiguate queries and improve search results within specialty data (ie. Legal Research Databases, Medical Research Databases, etc.) there still remains few credible options and given the need for integrating a practitioner’s knowledge.

I mean, how else can one rely on the accuracy of such a publicly build taxonomy, ontology, or folksonomy, then look to learn from and advance it with forms of AI? Such a specialized data ontology will only be created if there is a mutually beneficial business model attached to it.

Without that model, Google simply will not appeal to professional enterprise -- ie. the enterprise with the highly specialized, knowledge intensive folks who are overwhelmed, flooded with information, and operating at the breaking point (National Workplace Survey 02-08) and look to find greater efficiencies in their search.

Yet, I suppose this is true - that isnt the market Google is going after.

2nd Database Win for Growth Area of Law

Tologix has recently closed a second database build with a major Canadian law firm. This build is for a research database specific to an area of law that is currently underserved in terms of research tools but growing rapidly; once launched, it will allow practitioners and researchers in that area of law to better serve their clients through highly comprehensive and efficient research tools.

Our turnkey solution manages and applies a legal practitioner's knowledge in an online hosted software model. It differs from the traditional publishing models by allowing subscribers to access comprehensive and efficient online research tools that yield pinpoint results in greater detail. The database can be used either as a confidential internal firm resource to capture the firm's knowledge and experience, or it can be used to reward the database site owner through earning royalties via subscriber access by other practitioners- that is, effectively monetizing knowledge.

Its Official - Tologix is in Startup Mode!

Many positive developments - but most importantly, we’ve gone from incubation to startup-mode.... Some highlights:

• market launch of initial client database TradeLawGuide
• development of extended web3.0 product roadmap
• aligned partner delivery and management teams
• international patent pending, filed via MBM Law
• expanded Advisor team addressing startup gaps
• working with the OCRI Business Accelerator program
• active sales funnel targeting high reference accounts
• corporate law firm addition being LabargeWeinstein
• refined corporate value proposition with real benefits
• risk mitigated model that reflects market conditions

Another development worth mentioning, in Sept-08 we were accepted as part of the “uOttawa Telfer School of Management, 2008 eMBA High-Tech Entrepreneurship” program where a team of graduate students helped expand our model for a broader stage of development. The 6-week challenge resulted in a highly successful VC-panel pitch.

We would like to make special mention of thanks to the uOttawa Telfer School of Management and to the students (you know who you are!) for their hard work and contribution to refining our model. Thanks!

Here to Stay - Web3.0 Ripe with Activity

Activity in the Semantic Web market as context and relevance brings more meaning to your typical and ordinary full text search.

A few weeks back there was news of PowerSet which was acquired by Microsoft for a $100M+ (5x the SeriesA valuation for a 2.5 year company) and then there was Google who was rumoured to be at the table as well as a potential suitor, but instead just recently announced what looks to be a new Web3.0 based knowledge/blog platform called “Knol”.

Today, headlines are full of a cool new, contextual search engine information brought to the masses by former Google folks and labeled with a name people won’t easily forget http://www.cuil.com/ (pronounced ‘cool’). A search engine said to be more relevant and comprehensive and aimed to rival Google.

Within each of these mass-market engines, the issue of monetizing knowledge is still left outside the models, with exception of what looks to be revenue share from advertising, or with what looks to be monetization by the folks who own the search portals. Those same folks whom have taken an approach to opening access to information, and bringing knowledge to the masses have still left the professional practice of interpreting and applying that knowledge to the practitioner.

So, better than just applying software algorithms and hardware technology to improve search, is there not room for a practitioner to capture their knowledge, and doing so in a format that will compliment these new mass offerings? Yes there is.

We are certain the multi-$B need for professional publishers isn’t going away anytime soon, and we are equally certain a practitioner wont give up their knowledge without compensation.

This is why we brought the two together within Tologix.

Killer web3.0 App for Knowledge Management

It's exciting how knowledge management is such a large driver of the underlying technologies behind web3.0. With so many professionals recognizing the need to transfer their knowledge into systems that scale, only considerations of systems that enable interoperability and allow for improved contextual display of queried results should be considered.

Its really tomorrows generation of programmer that is solving yesterdays data problem. What remains absolutely clear is that today's established knowledgebase is less about code, and more about the application that enables both the automation and management of that very knowledge.

As a result, at Tologix, we believe a disruptive killer application in this market space remains two-fold, and therefore must be one that:

1. allows practitioners to monetize their knowledge with a turnkey hosted system, enabling an extended reach from a limited clientele base, to one that is vast across an industry – a veneration to one’s professional contribution
2. uses an advanced solution that capitalizes on both current and future value associated with the ontology, strengthening the endurance of ones knowledgebase, while also raising the bar amongst practitioners whom are then bound to use your knowledgebase as the new standard due to its competitive positioning

The driving opportunities within this market are where isolated data can now accessed and leveraged, where new technologies can allow better content structuring, and where knowledge professionals can improve on delivery of their services.

Many believe this is too good to be true.