Tech startup says it has a better idea

Three Spokane men have launched a technology company they believe will help develop the next generation of Web applications.

Their startup company, IDynaTECH, has developed a software package that its managers claim can help small and mid-sized firms streamline their data systems and how they connect with workers.

They call their key technology DEJA — for Dynamic Enterprise Java-accelerated Applications. Launched in December 2005, the company has offices in the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI).

The goal is to grow to 10 employees by 2007 with sales of $800,000. With no investor backing yet, the company is operating on capital the three partners have put up.

Dan Ferguson met co-founders Jeff Leitner and Gregory Patnude while all three worked for a Spokane Valley software company. When that company downsized last year, the three joined forces to work on a product that Patnude had been developing.

They’re claiming that their product is a big improvement on the ability of Web applications to move data between servers and users on any network, said Ferguson, who is company president and CEO.

Ferguson knows that three guys in Spokane face a challenge in trying win contracts with major customers.

He and his partners say they plan to win a few deals, then hope they can leverage early successes into larger contracts.

“Ultimately, if we do this right, we should be in a position to be acquired by a larger company,” Ferguson said.

The arena they’ve entered is the competitive segment of middle-tier software used by companies to connect remote sites and manage vast amounts of data. The total market in that sector is several billion dollars, according to industry researchers.

Some companies in that market have embraced a technology built around a set of software techniques known as AJAX.

Companies developing AJAX-based tools say the end result will be a more dynamic, faster Web environment. Their goal, one shared by IDynaTECH, is Web pages that load much quicker, with more interaction between server and browser.

IDynaTECH has adapted AJAX and tried to take it to the next level, said Patnude, who is the chief software engineer for the company.

Getting beyond the start-up stage will not be easy, Ferguson, Patnude and Leitner acknowledge. They’ll need some assistance, either through an investor or through some early successes with companies testing their product.