Boulder Logic LLC.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: TECH STARTUP OF THE MONTH - Joshua Horwitz - Company overview

INITIAL LIGHTBULB

After several years with IBM on the East Coast, Joshua Horwitz relocated to Colorado in the late 1990s and worked in marketing for several small software companies. Horwitz soon learned his new employers couldn't hold a candle to Big Blue when it came to leveraging customer references during the sales cycle. "I've seen very few companies have an effective customer reference program," Horwitz said. "It's usually more of a finger-pointing issue or a bit of a fire drill."

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Conversely, IBM has long made a point of referring prospects to existing customers, Horwitz said. And he thinks it works.

"There is just no better way to give a potential buyer a sense of confidence or establish credibility for your organization than to have that prospect speak to someone who's had a good experience," Horwitz said.

In 2003, Horwitz founded Boulder Logic and brought to market a Web-based solution called Reference Manager. The 12-employee company has since attracted such A-list customers as Microsoft and VeriSign.

IN A NUTSHELL

Boulder Logic Reference Manager allows users to develop and search an online database of existing customers in order to better provide prospects with relevant references. "Organizing your customers is not so easy to do," said Horwitz. "This system makes it easy to find the right match."

Horwitz touted the "seamless" nature of the Web-based product and its hassle-free installation. "It's an on-demand service that is really easy for us to get installed and deployed," he said. "We remove the time, cost and complexity of an onsite installation."

While Reference Manager has been continually upgraded since its 2003 launch, the latest perk is a "substantial integration" with Salesforce.com, the market leader in Web-based CRM tools. "We've blended it right into the Salesforce.com environment," said Horwitz. "We're a partner in their application-exchange program. It's a great opportunity for us." Pricing is...