Allan Maurer

ATLANTA—Cloud computing providers such as Google, EMC and others rely on a channel partner to educate, train, migrate and support firms using their products. Cloud Sherpas, a startup founded in July and one of 15 in the Atlanta CapVenture program this year, plans to be that guide to cloud computing.

Founder and CEO Michael Cohn tells TechJournal South the company is self-funded now and seeks a $500,000 angel round to establish itself as a cloud systems integrator.

“We’re building a service practice and a support organization to help companies move to the cloud,” he says. On the Google side, for instance, the company plans to help large organizations migrate from Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes to Google Apps for Enterprise.

The idea is to give firms migrating to the cloud environment “a local throat to choke,” says Cohn.

“Companies with 100 to 2,000 seats is our sweet spot,” he says.

Cohn says the initial stage of the business looks like a consulting organization, but its goal is to build a platform that enables secure integration.

The advantages of cloud computing are obvious, Cohn notes. “It’s a much lower cost (than licensing software outright). It enables a company to reduce capital expense and move the cost to operational expense by paying for IT as a service. Cloud computing takes the concepts of Software as a Service and utility computing and puts them under one umbrella.”

Cloud Sherpas will have a charge back on vendor per seat fees and will charge a recurring support fee, which Cohn says will be “nominal.”

“If you compare the cost of total ownership to ours, it’s a savings of from 50 to 70 percent while getting higher levels of service,” he says.

“Cloud computing is future proofed. In the traditional model of installed software, you have to update and patch it. In cloud computing, as improvements are made, you get them on the fly. That’s the benefit of multi-tenant architecture.”

Cloud Sherpas currently has a staff of four counting Cohn. “We expect to grow to half a dozen by the end of the year and to 12 by July of next year,” he says.

His partners include Eran Gil, VP of Business Development; David Hoff, VP of Technology, and Neal Miller, CFO.

All have years of experience.

Cohn says CapVenture coaching has been “very valuable.”

“We’re partners with Pete Privateer of Reflex Security (as a coach in the CapVenture program). It’s fantastic that they partner entrepreneurs with seasoned veterans,” he says. “It’s a great benefit to be able to bounce your ideas, your business plan, and your issues off of people who have been there before.

“The access is remarkable for someone who does not necessarily have a deep network in Atlanta. Just getting accepted to CapVenture opened a lot of doors for us. We hope to close a couple of new partnerships in a couple of weeks that are a direct result of being part of the program.

The CapVenture program runs from August 19, 2008 through October 7, 2008 and will conclude with an investor event to be held at the ATDC on October 7, 2008. It is sponsored by the Advanced Technology Development Center and the Technology Association of Georgia.

This year’s coaches include some of Atlanta’s most highly respected entrepreneurs and executives including: Jamie Bardin, James Davis, Mike Eckert, Kelly Gay, Scott Geller, Dave Gould, Doug Hadaway, Sanjoy Malik, Sanjay Parekh, and Peter Privateer.

On the Web: www.cloudsherpas.com; www.atdc.org/capventure/ ; www.tagonline.org

Southeast Venture Conference, February 29 – March 1, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA – Where Smart Money Meets Smart People.
www.seventure.org

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