San Diego company buys Solutions-United

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Dec 07, 2001 by Dickinson, Casey J

SYRACUSE - An e-mail-processing technology company based at Syracuse University has attracted a West Coast buyer. San Diego-based Be-Bee Inc. has purchased Solutions-United, a language software development company at Syracuse University's Center for Advanced Technology in Computer Applications and Software Engineering (CASE). The privately held companies did not disclose terms of the sale. Solutions-United is now the Syracuse office of Be-Bee and will remain at the CASE Center.

Solutions-United has developed software that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to examine electronic messages. NLP differs from keyworddriven systems that search for certain words in a message. The technology is used to examine automatically the content of electronic messages. Be-Bee recently launched three Solutions-United-developed e-mail products.

Be-Bee's B-Message program reads and tags incoming e-mail, then routs it to the proper recipient according to a series of rules. The program is able to determine the mood of the sender as well as the content according to the company's description.

The company's B-Monitor software checks the company e-mail system for inappropriate content and the B-Intercept program is designed to allow lawenforcement agencies to extract information from large volumes of e-mail.

Solutions-United's software products had attracted the attention of Be-Bee last year, says Ray Lee, chief operating officer of Be-Bee. Researchers for the two companies had worked together on defense-related projects and maintained professional contact. The Syracuse company, says Lee, had created languageprocessing products that Be-Bee had slated for future development. After discussing licensing the technology, Be-Bee decided-to purchase SolutionsUnited and make it the company's Syracuse office.

"Our business plan included a technical module of this nature," says Lee. "This has shortened our delivery time."

NLP technology examines an electronic message by identifying parts of each sentence and its context. An NLP-based prograin examines the message as a whole, rather than by individual words or elements. The technology is similar to that used by intelligence agencies to monitor e-mail systems. The aftermath of Sept. 11, says Lee, has increased interest in the product.

The tightening of the venture-capital markets influenced Solutions-United's decision to merge with Be-Bee rather than market the products itself, says John Liddy, director of business development for BeBee's Syracuse office. Just as the company had its software ready last year, venture capitalists stung by tech failures began withdrawing from the market.

"We got in right at the exact wrong time," he says.

Be-Bee raised $2.5 million in venture capital earlier this year and plans a second round of funding next year The company is owned by its employees and private investors.

Lee cites the proximity to Syracuse University's Center for Natural Language Processing as another factor in the acquisition. The school is a leader in naturallanguage technology, he adds.

Founded in 1999 by CEO Justin Nguyen and chief technology officer Albert Lin, Be-Bee, Inc. employs seven in Syracuse and 15 in San Diego. The company plans to add two positions to its Syracuse office in the near future, says Liddy.