Sendside is a powerful new communications platform for business that combines secure, multi-dimensional messaging, application delivery, e-signatures, interactive forms and secure storage into a comprehensive conversion, communication and interaction solution. Silicon Slopes chatted with CEO William Borghetti about Sendside, and about the need for companies to have the ability to send confidential, complex or important information securely via email.

Silicon Slopes: What is Sendside, and what do you do?

William Borghetti: The short answer is, we help organizations to shorten sales cycles and to sell more effectively with fewer resources. The more detailed answer is that Sendside has pioneered an Advanced Communications Network that addresses all of the functional and security deficiencies of regular email. Our patent-pending technology is ideally suited for organizations looking to optimize the effectiveness of their sales and marketing efforts while also providing the best possible online experience for the recipient (i.e prospects, clients or customers).

We help organizations accelerate their sales process and increase their yield per representative, which in this economy is essential. We enable both sales and marketing to gain immediate insight into the effectiveness of their communications.

The net result is more revenue more quickly, reduced costs, and greater efficiencies across the organization.

Silicon Slopes: How long has the company been around?

William Borghetti: Sendside was founded in 2006, and we began commercialization of our technology in late 2007. We launched Sendside Packages, a powerful new sales conversion tool, in May 2009

Silicon Slopes: You said Sendside is an Advanced Communications Network. What does that mean?

William Borghetti: The biggest problem with standard email is it wasn’t designed for sending confidential, complex or important information. While email is convenient and quick, it was never meant to send private or personal information such as account statements, health-related information, credit card numbers, etc.

When it comes to telling a complex story in email, you either send a long email, or include multiple attachments or links to separate Web sites. This approach places the burden on the recipient to sort through your information to get your story. Finally, email is not good for sending important information. You need to know it got there, and that the recipient saw your information. Sendside addresses these issues head-on, providing far greater control and functionality for the sender and a better experience for the recipient.

Sendside’s SaaS model offers organizations a comprehensive communications platform, without the high cost and complexity. In most cases, an organization can be up and running using Sendside in one day – and begin measuring ROI almost immediately.

Silicon Slopes: With any type of online communication, there is always a question of security. How does Sendside address this?

William Borghetti: In nearly all cases, our approach to data security goes far beyond what most Web-based services or applications rely on today. We use the latest in active and passive firewall systems and intrusion detection systems. We also use industry-standard transport encryption such as 256-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology and/or Transport Layer Security (TLS), authentication and password security policies, key management and proprietary security protocols. Our communication network is specifically designed to protect information in motion and at rest.  

Silicon Slopes: What sets you apart from competitors in your field?

William Borghetti: We are offering an entirely new way for organizations to reach prospects and customers, so we view our competition more as the status quo than as individual companies.

The U.S. Mail, fax and FedEx remain the de facto method for getting client signatures, managing contracts and disseminating personal or confidential information.  Email (with attachments) is the de facto method for sending sales literature and for following up with leads. In both cases, the options are slow and costly, and give no indication to the sender on when (or if) to follow up with a prospect or customer.

There are point solutions on the market that help address some of the pain that organizations face in engaging, converting and communicating with prospects, but no one has taken a holistic approach to providing a cost-effective solution on a single platform the way we have.

Silicon Slopes: Who are your customers? What markets are you targeting with this technology?

William Borghetti: Some of our current clients are Contango, First Western Advisors and JD Clark & Company.

Though originally designed for financial service companies, our technology is uniquely equipped to answer the specialized needs of communications to clients, colleagues and sales prospects for other industries including medical device manufacturers, tech companies, media companies, marketing agencies, professional service organizations, etc.  

In recent months we’ve been focused on VPs of Sales and Marketing, since our technology enables us to speed the sales conversion process and help every representative be more effective.

Silicon Slopes: What is your background? How did you come to be a part of Sendside?

William Borghetti: My background is a combination of technology development, management and early-stage business building. I’m an active investor and advisor to several early-stage ventures and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Wayne Brown Institute.

Prior to founding Sendside Networks, I was the founder, president and chief technology officer of Campus Pipeline, Inc. (CP), an enterprise software company that developed innovative and highly-scaling software solutions for the higher education marketplace which included, among others, a communication and collaboration platform, content management, single sign-on and integration with remote systems using a new, patented communication protocol.

Using this experience as a springboard, I led the initial market research and technical feasibility for Sendside’s next-generation message and document delivery technology.