On the Move

Digital experience cloud combines content, commerce, and connectivity to empower organizations to succeed in digital transformation

NASHUA, NH, January 27, 2015 -- Stockholm-based EPiServer and Nashua, New Hampshire-based Ektron today announced the two companies have merged to create a new global digital experience leader of scale, with potent technology capabilities and a broad partner ecosystem. The combined company is backed by technology-focused private equity investment firm Accel-KKR.

Asif Naseem Tapped to Continue the Company’s Success and Drive Future Growth

Milwaukee (December 17, 2014) – The Board of Directors of Paragon Development Systems (PDS, Inc.), a technology solutions and services company, has named Asif Naseem as the company’s new President and CEO.

Asif Naseem has a Ph.D. in computer engineering and has been consulting with PDS since May 2014. Naseem has extensive experience leading software, systems and applications businesses for public and privately held companies, including AT&T Bell Labs, AT&T-NCR, Motorola and Oracle Corporation, along with multiple startups. He is also an M+Visión Visiting Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

I was recently asked by the Argus Leader, a local newspaper in Sioux Falls, to give my two cents on the controversial South Dakota #DontJerkandDrive campaign. Since then the article has been syndicated out to USA Today and other publications. It seems that I caught the attention of a reporter when I labeled the campaign as "brilliant" on Twitter.

Partnership Combines Industry Insight With Visionary Technology to Accelerate Growth

Chicago, IL, December 8, 2014 - EPiServer, a leading provider of digital marketing and e-commerce solutions, today announced that Accel-KKR (AKKR), a technology-focused private equity firm specializing in software and IT-enabled businesses, has made a majority investment in the company. This investment will enable the company to continue accelerating its growth and market share.

Jahia Solutions Group, the vendor behind the leading open source "Digital Industrialization" platform, announced today that Kevin Cochrane has joined Jahia’s Board. Cochrane is a former marketing executive for both Adobe and OpenText. As a board member, Cochrane is expected to provide strategic support to the company he recognizes as a major disruptor in the market.

Acquia has announced the appointment of Christopher Stone as senior vice president of products and development. Stone has more than 30 years of experience in software development and pioneering open source solutions for the enterprise. Stone will be responsible for engineering, DevOps, and product management of the Acquia Platform, helping lead the expansion of the company’s suite of SaaS solutions for building and managing integrated digital experiences.

One of my favorite local companies, Blend Interactive, recently made some news this past week. Blend Interactive has named Karla Santi as their Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Santi has been a partner at Blend Interactive since the company formed in 2005, where, to the public, she served as Creative Director and, behind the scenes, handled a good chunk of operational oversight.

Blend Interactive is a web design, development, and strategy firm located in Sioux Falls, SD. Blend Interactive specializes in custom design, strategy and development for web and mobile, and is responsible for the annual Now What? Conference.

AUSTIN, TEXAS – June 3, 2014 – Acquia, the digital business company, today strengthens its offerings for big data marketing and commerce, signing a definitive agreement to acquire Toronto-based TruCentric and its SaaS solution for real-time customer profiling and user engagement. TruCentric uses situational and historical data to drive deeper understanding of site visitors and provides insight in a way that marketers can make use of it.

Digital Business Optimization Drives Growth for America’s Fastest Growing Private Software Company

Creative Commons announced this week the appointment of Ryan Merkley to the position of chief executive officer. Ryan was recently chief operating officer of the Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit parent of the Mozilla Corporation and creator of the world’s most recognizable open-source software project and internet browser, Firefox. At the Mozilla Foundation, Ryan led development of open-source projects like Webmaker, Lightbeam, and Popcorn, and also kicked off the Foundation’s major online fundraising effort, resulting in over $1.8 million USD in individual donations from over 44,000 new donors.