This week, we look at LiquidPlanner, an online project management software tool that helps companies work more efficiently on projects. The software as a service (SaaS) includes shared work spaces, Twitter-like short-messaging functionality (or what Liquid Planner calls workplace chatter, and the ability to manage multiple projects.
To analyze this project management tool, we brought in Jason Green, a venture capitalist at Emergence Capital, whose specialty is software as a service (SaaS) companies. Green, joined myself as well as Ezra Roizen, Vator Box regular and digital media investment banker.
I won't go into the highlights here. I'll just get to the punch line. Both Green and Roizen suggest that Liquid Planner go deep into a vertical and provide a compelling project management tool that can help products go from development to commercialization. Provide a vertical-specific solution and solve big corporate problems, rather than a broadly-used one targeting small- to mid-sized companies that will find itself competing for shelf space against the stalwarts Microsoft and Google.
This was a really interesting discussion to see pop up in my Google alerts. Jason, Ezra, thank you for your insights. They align pretty with our strategy and our recent release of LiquidPlanner 2.0 which we think of as “more professional, more social” (http://www.liquidplanner.com/blog/2009/02/23/liquidplanner-20-is-live).
Strategically, we’re moving the product up the PM food chain as well as doubled down on the idea of “social project management”. As you might expect, we are seeing verticals emerge as we spend more time in the market. As you pointed out, project management is a tricky business. Entry into the market requires a multiple release strategy that rolls out the right features in the right order. There are just too many table stakes features to get them all out at once so it has to be a well thought out plan (pun intended).
Charles Seybold
CEO, LiquidPlanner