Tech startup of the month: Tendril Networks Inc.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Attitude at Altitude

INITIAL LIGHTBULB

Before the Boulder native came home, Tim Enwall worked for Apple Computer in the 1980s and early 1990s, developing software tools for vendors to develop Macintosh applications. He worked for early e-commerce projects for technology companies in Boulder, and connected with Matt O'Kelley in the mid-1990s.

Enwall founded Solista in 1998, grew it to 43 employees on three continents, and sold it to Gartner in 2000. In the same time frame, he spun off Intellocity (ColoradoBiz "Tech Startup of the Month," Nov. 2001), and helped grow the Denver-based interactive-TV middleware developer and later sell it to OpenTV.

"The theme of middleware--or operating systems or software that sits in the middle of infrastructure and developers--runs throughout my career," said Enwail,

After leaving Solista/Gartner in 2002, Enwall began angel investing and started looking into the wireless sensor network market. He liked what he saw.

"I conceptualized a picture of the world that is starting to come true, and will continue to become true in a big way," said Enwall. "In the next 10 or 20 years, almost every object we know is going to become smarter and smarter. If you can create reasonably large networks of smart objects, you can start doing some pretty powerful things."

He cited smart security fences and smart shipping containers as prime examples of how these webs of cheap, battery-powered, micro-controller/radio combinations might first impact the real world. The question that resonated in Enwall's mind: "What does the programmer do? How do they create applications for these networks?"

To help answer this question, he re-connected with O'Kelley and launched another middleware startup in Tendril with CTO Randy Willig. Enwall serves as CEO, O'Kelley as COO.

"My first computer was a 128K Macintosh. Picture that in a $2 package now. Then add a radio to it to give you wireless networking. Essentially you have an original Mac with a wireless card for $3 or $2.50."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

- TENDRIL CEO TIM ENWALL, DESCRIBING WIRELESS-SENSOR NETWORKING HARDWARE.

IN A NUTSHELL

The 11-employee Tendril's flagship product, Tendril Service Broker, was first offered for sale in November last year, although an early adopter version was released last June. Early adopters include undisclosed "top 10" technology, telecom and network equipment companies, said Enwall. User projects are diverse, and include the aforementioned security fences and...