COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTSMonday, October 08, 2007

WIRELESS COMPANIES

Summit to allow very small startups to make pitch for funding

This year's Texas Wireless Summit has spawned a related investment event, the Wireless Seedstage Forum.

Six small wireless startups will make business plan presentations and others will demonstrate products and technologies at the event at the University of Texas Club on Oct. 17. The event is aimed at small companies that are seeking between $250,000 and $1 million to expand their businesses.

The wireless summit is scheduled for Oct. 18 and 19 at the Austin Hilton.

HIGH-TECH

Innotech convention to shine spotlight on area firms, innovators

The Austin Convention Center will be a high-tech hot zone Thursday. About 1,500 people from almost every corner of the tech industry are expected to attend the Innotech Austin conference. The event will highlight companies and innovators from around the region. The keynote speaker will be Allen Olivo, vice president of global brand marketing for Yahoo Inc. Local and national speakers will discuss everything from electronic privacy and digital marketing to open source systems and social networking. Visit www.innotechconference.com/austin.

SOFTWARE

Spiceworks teams up with IDG U.K. on software distribution deal

Austin-based Spiceworks Inc. is partnering with IDG U.K. to distribute Spiceworks' free IT management software.

IDG U.K. will make Spiceworks' application available for download to readers of Techworld, the United Kingdom's leading site for network managers.

Spiceworks has built a community of 120,000 software users since it was founded about a year ago.

The company, which has raised $13 million in venture capital, offers its software for free but brings users into an online community where businesses can run targeted ads.

Spiceworks' software is aimed at small and medium-size businesses with networks of up to 250 devices. It allows users to monitor and report on the hardware and software running in a network.

DATA NETWORKS

Austin's BreakingPoint says its new testing system is fastest

BreakingPoint Systems Inc. has developed what it says is the fastest system for advanced testing of high-speed data networks.

The Austin company says its new product generates a flow of real-world applications data at up to 10 gigabits per second over a network — 10 times faster than its previous product.

Dennis Cox, the company's chief technology officer, says the system allows network equipment and operation companies and corporations with their own networks to more realistically test their networks for real-world conditions.

The systems will cost more than $200,000 each.

The two-year-old company has 45 employees. Cox said he expects it will reach break-even status by late next year.