Here's a high-tech company that offers a solution for firms that want to focus on delivering new media.

FOUNDER

TransMedia Corp. chairman and CEO Donald Leka became immersed in audio and video content on the web when he served as senior director of new media for RxRemedy, an online health content creator and distributor. "My focus was in the multimedia area; basically distributing audio and video content through a white label system," says Leka. That interest in multimedia was compounded by the realization that many technological solutions were incompatible. "What I saw was lots of incompatible systems and things that didn't work well together," says Leka, who founded TransMedia as a solution to the problem. "The goal of Trans Media was to lower the proprietary barriers [created by technology companies] and make it easier for consumers and businesses to share and work together."

STARTUP FACTS

Leka says that the initial focus of the company concentrated on developing a platform that could manage media-initially video and audio. "We thought if we could master audio and video, it would be easier to manage documents, images and other types of files," he says. "The emphasis was always on compatibility and integration. We really believe that you have to develop the product and make everything work really well together. So we focused on that integrated approach to product development."

TransMedia, which officially launched on Sept. 7,2001, was funded through angel investment. The cross-platform solution was designed to work across systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, iPhone, BlackBerry, and other technologies that have been developed over time. Leka says the company focused initially on business clients but began to develop consumer versions of the company's applications after the iTunes Music Store's opening in 2003 confirmed strong consumer interest in such applications. TransMedia's flagship product, Glide-a mobile desktop solution-was introduced in December 2005.

COOL TECHNOLOGY

TransMedia developed five integrated technologies: synchronization, compatibility, productivity, mobility, and integration. The first of these, synchronization, enables users to synchronize files from their work computer and home computer to their cell phones. Practically all content can be synchronized, says Leka, from photos, music, video, and documents to contacts, calendars, and bookmarks. It works across platforms from Windows to the iPhone.

(TransMedia's Glide platform enables users to complete a variety of tasks, from creating to sharing documents, photos, and other content.)

The second technology is compatibility, which has two components: automated device recognition and automated transcoding. "For example, I have an iPhone and you have a Windows mobile Verizon phone and I want to share a QuickTime movie with you," says Leka. "I email it to you. Glide identifies that you have a Windows mobile phone and automatically converts that file into the Windows format so you can watch it on your Verizon phone."

The third is productivity and collaboration software. The company has developed more than 20 full-featured productivity and collaboration applications that include spreadsheets, email, and a word processor presentation application. There are two versions: online (browser-based) and offline.

The fourth technology is mobility, which lets users of all major mobile platforms use the Glide operating system and its applications. Leka says the company's technology supports more than 100 mobile devices. The final technology piece is integration, so Glide users-along with Glide applications-are compatible with any hardware a user chooses.

To access Glide's functionality, users can log on at GlideOS.com via their computers and through GlideMobile.com on their mobile phones.

MORE THAN CURIOSITY

Leka says that when Glide first started in 2005, it mostly attracted curiosity seekers. "It was very abstract for them, this notion of working on your computer, but not actually working on your computer; [it was] working in the cloud," he says. Consumers are using Glide primarily for uploading photos and document editing, which is the most used application. "It's a great platform for sharing," says Leka. "People are moving into cloud computing and the rate in which they're moving into it is really surprising to us. We've seen that increase over the last six months."

FIVE-YEAR PLAN

Leka is reluctant to predict the path that TransMedia and Glide will take over the next 5 years, but he says that for now, the focus is on continued growth and raising market awareness of the company's offerings. "Until now, we haven't spent a penny on advertising or marketing. It's been word of mouth," says Leka. "Now we're going to invest heavily in advertising and marketing, as well as infrastructure, to support those users coming in. That's going to promote our direct distribution of Glide through our own portal sites, like GlideOS.com."

TransMedia will also continue to seek white label deals with established companies and will proceed with its global expansion. Glide has already been translated into 18 languages and has more than 500,000 users in more than 100 countries. "We have a five continent strategy for driving Glide," says Leka. "We started laying that foundation a year ago. We've raised more money this year overseas than we have in the United States."

Through mass distribution and strong marketing and advertising efforts, Leka says he expects Glide to have 4 million or 5 million users in a year. "We're building this company from the vantage point of creating value and building a great company," says Leka. "We're not looking for a quick exit strategy and we're not necessarily looking for an 1PO. Our goal is to create value for our users and, in tum, that increases the value of our company."