Asset Software

This case tells the story of two people who started Asset Software, portfolio management software for professional money managers. The case gives background on the two founders and the process they undertook to start the company and develop the first products. It also gives details on the funding, the creation of a Board of Directors, and the first sales in the company. As the company grew, the two founders began to experience friction between them. While originally their roles were well-defined, the product development person began to get more involved in the operations and sales, which created confusion and tension between the two of them. Also, the two had differences over the direction that the product should take. One of the biggest problems was that the product development person was skeptical of the permanence of Windows in the marketplace and did not want to develop a new product for it, even though the Board and the other founder thought it was important that he did so.