Monday, August 11, 2008

Colubris picked up by HP

By Mass High Tech Staff

Waltham wireless networking equipment maker Colubris Networks Inc. has been acquired by California-based Hewlett Packard Co. for an undisclosed amount, which will add the company’s wireless local area networking equipment to its ProCurve product line.

According to HP officials, the addition of the Colubris product portfolio will help ProCurve “reach into new vertical markets, including hospitality, transportation, health care, manufacturing, service provider and education.”

The Colubris wireless platform, called the Intelligent Mobility Solution, has attracted a following in the wireless networking space and penetrated a variety of markets, including higher education, transportation, hospitality and service providers. Recently, the company announced major new deployments with Mesa Public Schools in Mesa, Ariz., Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, and the Lenox Hotel in Boston.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to Colubris vice president of marketing Tom Racca, the two companies experienced very little overlap in the marketplace, making the combination of products “the right thing for both companies.”

HP’s ProCurve is the company’s networking division, selling a variety of switches for several layers of the enterprise network. Since 2007, the company has ranked second in revenue and ports sold in the enterprise networking space. California-based Cisco Systems Inc. ranks first.

While financial and other details will not be made public until the close of the transaction in late October (the end of HP’s fiscal year), Racca said he expected the vast majority of Colubris’ 100-plus employees to be brought into HP and for the group to become the “wireless center” of HP.

Founded in 2000 by CTO Pierre Trudeau, privately-held Colubris has raised more than $50 million in private funding, including a $14 million round in late 2006. Investors include Newton-based GrandBanks Capital, Needham-based Prism VentureWorks, Pennsylvania-based Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, Canada-based BDC Venture Capital and California-based DCM.