Xchange Network turns napkin idea into Ann Arbor start-up

Xchange Network got its start in the most clichéd of places in 2002.

"It started on the back of a napkin at a local establishment," says Bill McManus, co-owner of Xchange Network. "One of the other partners made a prototype and it held, so we decided to formalize the company."

That prototype is a software program that allows different computer systems to seamlessly speak to each other, allowing a maverick techie with Mac or Linux system to speak to his PC-based co-workers.

"The guys with the PCs, the crowd rules so the Mac is left out so to speak," McManus says.

The Ann Arbor-based start-up has brought all of the original four founders into the start-up entrepreneur fold. What started out as their side project turned into their full-time jobs with enough work left over for a handful of independent contractors. The company is also looking at setting up an internship program.

Xchange Network has about 20,000 users around the world in 25 countries. The firm wants to continue to grow that number but is concentrating on holding its own in the near term.

Source: Bill McManus, co-owner of Xchange Network
Writer: Jon Zemke

Xchange Network turns napkin idea into Ann Arbor start-up

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