START-UP SPOTLIGHT
This is a regular series in which the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore’s e-newsletter profiles one of the many entrepreneurial start-up companies thriving in Greater Baltimore.
Company Name: AVIcode, Inc.
Business Focus: Provider of .NET application monitoring solutions.
The Marketplace needs AVIcode because: Organizations worldwide rely on AVIcode's technology to get applications to market faster, reduce application maintenance and management costs, and ensure maximum application availability and reliability.
Management Team:
Mike Curreri, CEO, President and Co-Founder
Victor Mushkatin, CTO and Co-Founder
Alexandre Zakonov, Chief Architect and Co-Founder
Stephen Pelletier, VP Business Development and Co-Founder
Marty Brandwin, VP Marketing
Years in Operation:
AVIcode was founded in 2004
Location:
Technology Center @ UMBC
Catonsville, MD
Major Clients:
Deloitte
MSNBC
Government agencies worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, and Israel
Funding:
Individual Investors
Personal Investments
Claim to Fame:
Through OEM agreements, AVIcode's technology powers the monitoring solutions of two of the largest software companies in the world, Microsoft and Quest Software. Specifically, AVIcode’s technology provides the application monitoring capabilities of Microsoft’s System Center Operations Manager 2007, Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005, Quest Software's Foglight for .NET and Quest .NET Management Pack.
What is the best part about doing business in the Greater Baltimore region?
Doing business in the Greater Baltimore region has numerous positive aspects for AVIcode. For starters, the region has an impressive pool of job applicants who possess a vast wealth of knowledge and experience that rivals other U.S. cities known for their technological prowess. Within the Baltimore/Washington Corridor are some of the nation’s top colleges and universities, such as The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland System with talented students ready to enter the workforce. The opportunity to recruit the best and brightest from these local institutions is critical to the success of the company.
Additionally, the Greater Baltimore region remains a draw for people outside the state, and many who grew up here, have chosen to remain in this area because of the high quality of life. The cost of living is lower than in other technology hotbeds; Baltimore’s location is convenient to the nation’s capitol and other areas of interest; and the BWI Airport offers both frequent and affordable flights. All of the resources Baltimore has to offer make this high value area attractive to the top job seekers looking for an alternative to the high costs of big city life.
Out of all the reasons, though, for choosing Baltimore, the determining factor was the reception that AVIcode received from the local business community and government organizations. We considered other locations such as Washington, D.C. and Connecticut, but felt that the Baltimore business community was an open and welcoming group that wanted the company here. The Greater Baltimore Committee, Baltimore City, and the state provided AVIcode with assistance; and the Department of Business and Economic Development also made a significant cash investment to help the company grow in its early stages. It was clear that Baltimore was the right place to be.
In addition, the management team at AVIcode was well received by others in the community, and members of management were invited to join various boards and groups around Baltimore. Since starting our business in the Greater Baltimore region, AVIcode has witnessed the camaraderie within the community. The business men and women in the area help and support each other, which is one trait of the area that cannot be found everywhere.
What would you say to an entrepreneur considering Greater Baltimore as a location for their new business?
Certainly all the benefits listed above make Greater Baltimore a prime location for any entrepreneur, but two advantages stand out. First, within the Greater Baltimore region a new business can attain all the resources it needs to be successful more economically than in other areas of the country. The affordability of the region also translates across to members of the staff who experience a lower cost of living while still having the same conveniences of larger cities. Additionally, the infrastructure in place in Baltimore makes starting a business here advantageous because the city and state welcome and support new companies just as they did with AVIcode.