Print
Email
Print Edition Stories
Friday, January 16, 2009
Zeemote brings in telco vet Ernie Cormier as its new CEO
By Efrain Viscarolasaga
Rodney Brown on NECN: Hacking into medical devices
NECN: New England techs lead new fuel cell markets
Fresh off their trip to the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Chelmsford mobile remote control developer Zeemote Inc. announced that it has shuffled its executive team, adding a new CEO, new CFO and new vice president of global marketing.
Ernie Cormier, the former chief commercial officer of Virgin Media and vice president of product management for Nextel Communications Inc. (now part of Sprint Nextel Corp.) will take the helm as president and CEO of Zeemote, effective immediately. Founder and former CEO Beth Marcus, a Mass High Tech “Woman to Watch” in 2008, will take the role of CTO.
In the company’s finance department, former Groove Mobile Inc. CFO Karen Cambray will take the role of CFO. Cambray oversaw the raising of $21.5 million in equity and debt financing at Groove Mobile, as well as the company’s $14.5 million sale to LiveWire Mobile Inc., a subsidiary of Framingham-based NMS Communications Corp., in the spring of 2008.
The company also added former Digit Wireless marketing executive Glenn Kiladis as vice president of marketing.
Zeemote, which launched its wireless remote control for mobile devices early last year, closed 2008 with a series of new partnerships, including deals with Nokia Corp. in Germany and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB in the Netherlands last summer, and deals with Spain’s Telephonica and Mexico’s Telcel in the fall. Zeemote also announced the launch of a software development kit for Research In Motion Ltd.’s Blackberry smartphones in October.
Cormier was brought in to help the company continue its momentum and bring the device maker to the next stage of development, which includes growing the company’s distribution channels and developing a long-term strategy for new sectors. Zeemote currently sells its device through partnerships such as its new one with Nokia, but later in 2009 will be looking at other options, such as distributors and direct-to-retail channels, said Cormier.
Zeemote also holds a strong portfolio of intellectual property around the device, which Cormier said could take the company into new verticals. The device has the ability to control larger screens connected to a wireless device through a video-out port, making a cellphone a virtual gaming console, and could also be used to control other handheld devices.
“The ultimate goal is to have multiple businesses focused on specific verticals,” he said.
Zeemote is funded by Commonwealth Capital Ventures of Waltham, Egan-Managed Capital of Boston and Nauta Capital of Spain, and Cormier said the company is on track to become cash flow positive without new funding. However, in the coming weeks he expects to begin talking seriously to new potential investors for an infusion of cash that could help speed penetration into new geographies.
RSS Feeds
Comments
Please Login/Register to post comments.
No comments have been added or approved.