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Zeugma Systems Inc.

May 29, 2008 | Craig Matsumoto |

COMPANY: Zeugma Systems Inc.

MARKET SEGMENT: Edge routers

LOCATION: Richmond, B.C. (near Vancouver)

HEADCOUNT: 125

FORMED: 2004

FINANCING: Just shy of $40 million. Backers include BDC Venture Capital, Granite Ventures LLC, GrowthWorks WV Funds, Ventures West Management Inc., Vertex Venture Holdings, and Yaletown Venture Partners.

WHAT IT DOES: The Zeugma Services Node (ZSN) is an edge router that also can house services and policy control, the types of things normally found in servers. Zeugma incorporates these functions by adding high-performance computing blades to its chassis alongside the usual routing cards.

POWERPOINT HIGHLIGHT:

CUSTOMERS: BT Group plc is the only one announced.

PARTNERSHIPS: None announced.

COMPETITORS: The SmartEdge line from Redback Networks Inc., now owned by Ericsson AB, has been used as a point of comparison. But Zeugma is also competing against service routing options from Cisco Systems Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., and Alcatel-Lucent.

KEY PERSONNEL:

  • Andrew Harries, CEO – Harries was previously at the helm of Sierra Wireless Inc. and has a former life in the mobile data division of Motorola Inc..
  • Siegfried Luft, CTO – Credited as Zeugma's founder, Luft also helped found Siara, the chip acquisition at the heart of Redback's SmartEdge. Luft recruited some of the Siara team back out of Redback to join him at Zeugma.
  • Tom Meehan, VP of product management – Another old Redback hand, and a former Wellfleet employee who lasted through its transition into Nortel Networks Ltd..
  • Kevin Walsh, VP of marketing – A familiar face to Light Reading, Walsh most recently ran marketing for Calix Networks Inc.

    WHAT TO WATCH: Zeugma needs to prove it truly does have a faster way for carriers to deploy services. The rise of a third-party applications industry would help, but there's no guarantee that's going to happen. So we're literally on the edge (ha!) of our seats waiting to see what happens next.

    RECENT NEWS:

    — Craig Matsumoto, West Coast Editor, Light Reading



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