SwampFox

Jute Grows in the Swamp After Our Merger

Submitted by: on Sep 16, 2008 at 9:56 pm Tagged with: Entrepreneurship, Innovation Source: Jute Networks

Big news to announce today here at Jute Networks HQ. We are merging with Swamp Fox, a company that has a track record of leadership in the field of business-social networking.

There is a lot to be excited about, but there are three points I want to make today.

First, we’re stronger together than we are apart. In terms of vision, experience, capacity and web presence, the two companies combined will be able to take a leadership position in our industry. We have the opportunity not only to define our niche in the web technology world, but also to take a leadership role in our communities.

Second, we see eye-to-eye on how the company should be built, how the software should work and to whom we should sell it–prior to the merger. We have known John Warner (our new CEO) and his company Swamp Fox for about a year now. As we’ve promoted in our press release and public statements, we met John at the Carolina Connect conference in 2007. One of our Ad Board members, Mike Adams (Cisco) introduced us. This is not the first time we’ve discussed working together, and truth be told, we asked John to be the CEO and made him an offer; his counter-offer was a merger. It was a good offer. ;)

Finally, we are staying here. The company will have two offices–Greenville, SC and, home to Jute Networks, Asheville, NC. There is a long tradition of collaboration in our region: from kayak companies to car makers, there are a lot of examples of Greenville and Asheville collaborations. In this spirit, we’ll both stay active in our communities and service customers in SC, NC and beyond. Some people (cough**VC’s**) seem to think that you have to be in the Valley, RTP, Boston or Austin to do something big. No way. Check back in a few years. Asheville and Greenville will have quite a story to tell.

A lot of companies end up feeling like they are making a sacrifice, a change, a step to the side or something else bad when they merge or are acquired. We feel just the opposite–we are moving forward faster than ever before. Our team, investors, friends & family are all behind us in this transition, and we’re proud to share this information with you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us.

Sean McDonald
Co-founder and now Chief Marketing Officer

Also see:
Jute Networks to announce merger at Carolina Connect

Jute Networks and Swamp Fox Merge into Market Leader

Swamp Fox LLC merges with Jute Networks LLC

Originally posted to the Jute Networks blog