September 12, 2008, by Allan Maurer

ATLANTA—Cloud computing providers such as Google, EMC and others rely on a channel partner to educate, train, migrate and support firms using their products. Cloud Sherpas, a startup founded in July and one of 15 in the Atlanta CapVenture program this year, plans to be that guide to cloud computing.

Founder and CEO Michael Cohn tells TechJournal South the company is self-funded now and seeks a $500,000 angel round to establish itself as a cloud systems integrator.

“We’re building a service practice and a support organization to help companies move to the cloud,” he says. On the Google side, for instance, the company plans to help large organizations migrate from Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes to Google Apps for Enterprise.

The idea is to give firms migrating to the cloud environment “a local throat to choke,” says Cohn.

“Companies with 100 to 2,000 seats is our sweet spot,” he says.

Cohn says the initial stage of the business looks like a consulting organization, but its goal is to build a platform that enables secure integration.

The advantages of cloud computing are obvious, Cohn notes. “It’s a much lower cost (than licensing software outright). It enables a company to reduce capital expense and move the cost to operational expense by paying for IT as a service. Cloud computing takes the concepts of Software as a Service and utility computing and puts them under one umbrella.”

Cloud Sherpas will have a charge back on vendor per seat fees and will charge a recurring support fee, which Cohn says will be “nominal.”

“If you compare the cost of total ownership to ours, it’s a savings of from 50 to 70 percent while getting higher levels of service,” he says.

“Cloud computing is future proofed. In the traditional model of installed software, you have to update and patch it. In cloud computing, as improvements are made, you get them on the fly. That’s the benefit of multi-tenant architecture.”

Cloud Sherpas currently has a staff of four counting Cohn. “We expect to grow to half a dozen by the end of the year and to 12 by July of next year,” he says.

His partners include Eran Gil, VP of Business Development; David Hoff, VP of Technology, and Neal Miller, CFO.

All have years of experience.

Cohn says CapVenture coaching has been “very valuable.”

“We’re partners with Pete Privateer of Reflex Security (as a coach in the CapVenture program). It’s fantastic that they partner entrepreneurs with seasoned veterans,” he says. “It’s a great benefit to be able to bounce your ideas, your business plan, and your issues off of people who have been there before.

“The access is remarkable for someone who does not necessarily have a deep network in Atlanta. Just getting accepted to CapVenture opened a lot of doors for us. We hope to close a couple of new partnerships in a couple of weeks that are a direct result of being part of the program.

The CapVenture program runs from August 19, 2008 through October 7, 2008 and will conclude with an investor event to be held at the ATDC on October 7, 2008. It is sponsored by the Advanced Technology Development Center and the Technology Association of Georgia.

This year’s coaches include some of Atlanta’s most highly respected entrepreneurs and executives including: Jamie Bardin, James Davis, Mike Eckert, Kelly Gay, Scott Geller, Dave Gould, Doug Hadaway, Sanjoy Malik, Sanjay Parekh, and Peter Privateer.

On the Web: www.cloudsherpas.com; www.atdc.org/capventure/; www.tagonline.org

ATLANTA, Georgia – Aug 19, 2008 – The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) today announced that 15 companies have been selected to participate in the 2008 CapVenture Program – a comprehensive fundraising boot camp for early stage companies. The companies, chosen from a field of nearly 60 applicants, will refine their business and funding strategies as well as sharpen their pitches as they prepare to meet investors at the program celebration/venture conference on October 7, 2008.

“CapVenture has proven to greatly increase the probability of a company successfully raising funds,” said Cindy Cheatham, ATDC Director of Business Development and CapVenture Program Director. “Our selection process for this year’s class was challenging in that we saw increased demand for the program and an uptick in the quality of applications received.”

The companies selected to participate this year include: Arterain Medical, Cloud Sherpas, Event Seek, GadZeus, G2 EcoSolutions, Gotham PC, InterCAX, LocalPrice, ProperNotice, Purewire, Queuent, Radiance Energies, Renovo Data, Servinity, and WORKbits.

The CapVenture program will run from August 19, 2008 through October 7, 2008 and will conclude with an investor event to be held at the ATDC on October 7, 2008. The program, developed by the ATDC staff will be delivered in partnership with the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). This year’s coaches include some of Atlanta’s most highly respected entrepreneurs and executives including: Jamie Bardin, James Davis, Mike Eckert, Kelly Gay, Scott Geller, Dave Gould, Doug Hadaway, Sanjoy Malik, Sanjay Parekh, and Peter Privateer.

To learn more about CapVenture including viewing a full list of program sponsors, visit http://www.atdc.org/capventure/

About the ATDC

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is a nationally recognized science and technology incubator that helps Georgia entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. ATDC provides strategic business advice and connects member companies to the people and resources they need to succeed. Based at the Georgia Institute of Technology, ATDC has been recognized by Inc. and BusinessWeek as among the nation’s top nonprofit incubators; more than 100 companies have emerged from the ATDC. Founded in 1980, the ATDC has locations in Atlanta and Savannah. Since 1999, ATDC companies have attracted more than a billion dollars in venture capital funding. For more information, please visit http://www.atdc.org.

About Technology Association of Georgia

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support its members by generating opportunities for personal, professional and business growth. By forging strategic alliances, TAG serves as a primary catalyst to foster a rich environment for economic development in Georgia’s technology community. TAG is made up of 5200 members representing technology leaders from over 1000 Georgia-based companies, affiliated technology and business organizations. For more information on TAG, visit http://www.tagonline.org