Chuck Stormon launches his sixth startup

CAZENOVIA — Chuck Stormon, the CEO of Attend LLC has his head in the cloud.

On Nov. 8, at the Cloud Computing West event in Santa Monica, Calif., Stormon announced the launch of a new software product — MediaCloud.cc. Targeted to video producers, MediaCloud negates the need to ship disks, tapes, or memory packs and bypasses current file-transfer providers who require an expensive licensing process, he contends.

“MediaCloud is the best way to share big files … It’s fast, simple, and secure,” says Stormon. “Unlike online video platforms, MediaCloud is designed to … upload to the cloud and deliver large video files from anywhere to anywhere efficiently.” Besides offering accelerated uploads and downloads, the new Attend product transfers an “unlimited file size … with users receiving shared files free of charge.” Another benefit touted by Stormon is that “MediaCloud does not attempt to replace traditional production tools running on workstations, laptops, or SANs.”

Stormon has developed a membership model which starts at $20 per month and includes 50 gigabytes of storage. There is no band-width limit. Those choosing an annual fee pay $200. For those exceeding the 50 gigabyte limit, there are additional charges. Stormon is currently offering a 30-day free trial simply by going to his website and entering an email address and password.

Stormon says he is “riding a digital revolution that is now 20 years old.” Documentary producers have finally accepted a digital format over film because of its quality, flexibility, and lower cost. Consequently, “I’m targeting ‘prosumers,’ an acronym for professional and consumer users,” he says. Stormon notes that “… Apple and Adobe together already have 4.3 million licensed users of editing suite software, and … there are 12 million regular users and 85 million viewers of VIMEO, a professional version of YouTube.” If you think those numbers are impressive, Stormon sees “every smart phone as a video-capture device, with 315 million current users and usage growing by 60 million annually.”

How does Attend plan to market MediaCloud? Stormon cites the usual options of trade shows, public relations, and advertising, but he thinks the product will go viral through user referrals. “I plan to place a button on the screen, so that users can spread the word to each other,” he says.

Stormon is the sole stockholder of Attend and works with contractors, partners, and advisers. His storage node is currently in the Big Apple with plans for other nodes in Los Angeles and London. He also anticipates setting up other global sites to accelerate file transmission. Stormon is currently in a seed round of fundraising with a goal of $500,000, which he hopes to secure from local and regional venture capitalists. This early funding should take the company to profitability, and if needed, go on to an A-round ($1.5 million to $7 million) of venture capital. If funded properly, “MediaCloud should generate $1 million of revenue in two years and $18 million in four … [At that point,] I project the [company] value at $40 [million] to $60 million,” Stormon says.

Serial entrepreneur

Chuck Stormon is not a newcomer to startups. This writer first interviewed him in 1987 when he and two partners launched a high-tech venture called Coherent Research. Stormon sold the company (then called Coherent Network) in 2000 to Osmose Corp. for $20 million in cash and immediately co-founded Steleus with a French company. Stormon served two years as the CEO and chairman of Steleus India, before moving on to become the corporation’s executive vice president of marketing and business development. In 2004, Steleus, was bought by Tekelec, which was traded on the NASDAQ.

Stormon left the company in 2007 and joined PacketExchange, Ltd., headquartered in London. He served as the chief marketing officer for three years, strategizing to find customers for the company’s private Ethernet pipes. While Stormon focused on the digital-media industry, the new acquirers of the firm had no interest in this area. That’s when Stormon decided to pursue the marketing opportunity himself. He left Packet in February 2011 and that fall initiated MediaCloud in Attend, an LLC he had set up in 2008.

In 2011, Stormon, along with Nasir Ali, also launched StartFast, a Syracuse–based venture accelerator modeled on the TechStars model. The three-month program focuses on helping startups develop and validate a prototype product and on helping to secure funding.

“MediaCloud is my sixth rodeo,” says Stormon. My goal after MediaCloud is “… to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem [in Central New York]. Rather than launch another venture, I prefer to work with and invest in some of the exciting companies in our region. There’s no reason to do another one on my own; I prefer to be an investor, mentor, and cheerleader.”

Stormon first came to Syracuse in 1979, when he attended Syracuse University and received a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering. He and his wife reside in Cazenovia.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@cnybj.com