20 March 2006

Auckland-based eMarketing solutions provider, Calcium Software, has secured a global licence, integration and investment agreement with the Investors Guaranty Global Alliance (‘IGGA’).

The deal was negotiated after the two partners were introduced by Technology Investment New Zealand, a private sector company that helps start-ups to raise funds. A meeting with IGGA’s Chairman, Douglas L King and Chief Investment Officer, Dr Douglas A Love followed in June last year, when the executives were in New Zealand for interviews with high-potential technology companies, sponsored by Investment New Zealand.

Calcium devises, builds and delivers high-performance, easy-to-use email software solutions, including mailPrimer, a powerful email marketing and branding communication tool, and Imprint, a cutting-edge web intelligence and analytics solution.

Calcium was initially funded from New Zealand angel capital firm Sparkbox and supported by Wellington’s CreativeHQ business incubator. In 2004 it received a $100,000 grant from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to research an anti-phising (email spoofing) product.

Calcium’s deal with IGGA involves a co-development agreement allowing IGGA companies to integrate Calcium’s software into existing global information, communications and technologies products. It also provides Calcium with access to IGGA’s network to market its suite of technologies internationally.

Calcium’s Chief Executive Officer, Gael de Kerdanet, says the agreement allows Calcium to increase its research and development (R&D) and expand its business in New Zealand while opening doors through IGGA to huge potential markets overseas.

He says it is also an excellent example of the types of investment, marketing and development partnership IGGA has concluded with other New Zealand companies.

“We both believe New Zealand is the hotbed of technology and innovation with the potential to be the Silicon Valley down under, and Calcium’s eMarketing solutions are certainly leading the world,” says Mr Kerdanet.

Damian Archbold, an IGGA representative in New Zealand, says Calcium is an ideal investment and licensing opportunity for IGGA.

“The easiest investment decisions for us are those that offer clear value for other companies in which we have invested. Straight away we saw an opportunity to use Calcium’s technology in one of our other companies, Virtual Spectator™,” says Mr Archbold.

Chris Tozer, ICT Business Development Consultant for Investment New Zealand, describes IGGA’s investment in Calcium as a win-win deal for New Zealand.

“The best thing is the fact that a talented and exciting New Zealand technology company that has been striving to get its voice heard was able to convince an overseas investor of its potential.

“It’s good for Calcium but also for New Zealand. It brings foreign direct funds to New Zealand while ensuring that high-value jobs – the R&D and the smarts – stay here, which is exactly what will happen with the intellectual property developed by Calcium.”

To learn more about Calcium, visit the company website http://www.calcium.co.nz