When business matching service, Business Strategies International (BSI) presented six investment opportunities to an audience of about 80 investors in February, the opportunities ranged from online education to broadband services to fingerprint security and human biomechanical analysis software.

The Aframe’s OLAMS e-learning product is already fully developed, protected and released, and has customers including the Department of Education, Employment and Training, Zurich and AON. Aframe Ltd targets corporate trainers, compliance and vocational trainers as well as general and distance educators.

The company is looking for $580,0000 of early expansion funding.

The forum heard that the software reduces training costs and gives a better return on investment through greater flexibility in training delivery and employee-driven skills improvement. The worldwide US$5 billion e-learning market was expected to grow to US$50 billion by 2010 while the Australian market would be worth US$65 million by 2005. Singapore is also a target market, and bigger than the local market.

Another potential investee at the forum, Inchain, develops interactive, intelligent communication technology such as Avatars or interactive characters for several markets: instant and mobile messaging, e-learning and online advertising. For example, “Marvin”, Inchain’s broadcast messaging and response measurement tool, not only delivers information on demand and monitors receipt but learns what customers want, directs customers to e-business sites and evokes and guides and recognises user interaction.

Inchain wants to raise $750,000 to acquire more marketing and management skills, further develop product and close opportunities. Current clients include the US Army, ICL Fujitsu, Saatchi & Saatchi, Transfield, the Northern Territory Government and Quit Victoria.

Venue Comm outlined its wireless broadband connection service for journalists and photographers sending pictures and stories to media outlets from any sports venues. It provided the connections for media at the 2002 World Cup Soccer. It is looking for $600,000 for a 40 per cent interest. Money raised will pay for more skilled staff here and to begin offshore expansion and further product development.

As well as media, multiple markets for its broadband services include ticketing, betting services and stadia.

It has permanent facilities at the MCG, Telstra Stadium and major Australian clients include the TAB and Fairfax.

Bio Recognition Systems believes its fingerprint security products are the first biometric fingerprint authentication systems which will work for everyone everywhere. The system, based on a patented radio frequency sensor which detects fingerprints even in dirty, dry, wet environments, won the Worldwide Biometric Conference’s 2003 Product of the Year Award. It is the exclusive ASIO-approved supplier of biometric fingerprint products to local and Federal Government organisations. However, its low-price product targets private residents as well as businesses.

BRS is looking for $650,000 to fund more staff, research and development, marketing and advertising, new Australian offices and an international agency, office or master distributor. BRS has more than 500 systems operating worldwide and believes its market will grow to US$5.8 billion per annum by the end of 2004.

SomaDynamics’ software enhances industry standard 3D CAD and digital manikin (mannequin) software by incorporating human muscular-skeletal system data into the design process. It performs biomechanical analysis, ie body mechanics, metabolism, efficiency and fatigue.

The forum heard the product is the first of its kind and has a range of applications in automotive, aerospace, and other heavy industries which use human modelling capability in product design and also in the health, sport and leisure industries. It is currently targeted to the car industry seat design.

Denmark’s AnyBody Technology AsP developed the engine that drives the muscular-skeletal perameters.

SomaDynamics is the joint venture vehicle forAnyBody and its Australian partners, CAD companies Maoin and CCIC, which are interfacing the AnyBody engine with industry standard CAD packages.

SomaDynamics told the forum the software offers designers a new ability to provide quantitative analysis which complements existing qualitative analysis. This would improve product development cycles and engineering processes and save costs.

The company is offering a 30 per cent stake for $2 million which it would use to acquire a 25 per cent ($1 million) stake in AnyBody and to complete commercial release of three versions for key digital mannequin software brands.

Other software companies presenting at the forum offered investment in general business applications.

Capacity Reporting Services (CRS) turns complex data into management reports for IT cost attribution, monitoring service level agreements, IT infrastructure planning and application and infrastructure tuning. Its CapTell product suits organisations with mainframes and the much bigger mid-range market of installations with budgets of more than $2 million per annum to monitor. CRS estimates the Australian market at more than 4,000 businesses.

CRS is looking for $150,000 for more staff, ongoing research and development for the next two versions of CapTell, marketing and advertising and to build its reseller networks in the US, South Africa and New Zealand. It already has resellers in Australia, Europe and Canada and clients include Unisys West and the Northern Territory Government.

Eka’s Quattro software suite is an integrated, enterprise-wide transaction processing and real-time information management system which addresses the problems of disparate systems. Maintaining and integrating disparate systems costs IT departments 80 per cent of their budgets, according to Eka. The company said the market for Quattro and its other software is worth US$1.5 billion in 2005 and US$5-$20 million in Australia.

Eka wants to sell a 20 per cent interest for $500,000 which it will spend on accelerating its sales channel and developing financial software modules, wireless phone and other versions of the software. © 2005 Private Equity Media. All rights reserved