Friday, May 29, 2009

Marcus leaving Zeemote to take a break

By Mass High Tech staff

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Zeemote Inc. founder and CTO Beth Marcus is leaving the Bedford company that makes remote controllers for smart phones.

Marcus, presented last night with a leadership award by Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology and a 2008 MHT Woman to Watch, said she is finishing work with Zeemote today and then will take a three-month break to spend time with her five-year-old daughter before moving forward with a book about entrepreneurship and consulting through one of her previous companies, Marcus Enterprises Ltd.

In January, Zeemote announced that it was replacing Marcus as CEO with 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.). That announcement came months after Zeemote signed deals to distribute its handheld controllers -- aimed initially at gaming applications on smart phones -- through companies including Nokia Corp. and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Marcus shifted her role to CTO of the company at that time.

“When Zeemote got the new CEO there were a number of things that I had left to do. I knew I really needed a break, and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to stay on for a full year. I wanted to have the summer with my daughter,” said Marcus in an interview last night.

The serial entrepreneur and biomechanics expert said she had hoped to take a break after selling her first company, Exos Inc., to Microsoft Corp. in 1996. “But by September of that year I was involved in five other companies. I never stopped,” she said.

Marcus said her immediate plans include days trips to locations such as the Boston Museum of Science and time at the backyard pool before “easing back into things” in July and August.

Zeemote is funded by Commonwealth Capital Ventures of Waltham, Egan-Managed Capital of Boston and Nauta Capital of Spain. Marcus founded the company in 2005.