What if you could e-mail sensitive documents without worrying about hackers or viruses?
With ePostal Services, you can.
James Gardner, a faculty member in a Penn State program that combines degrees in science and business administration, started the venture with his brother Jon, a fellow business veteran who lives in Stamford, Conn. Their system allows people to e-mail encrypted documents in a secure format. Senders can also be notified when documents are received and opened. When messages are sent, they land in a separate folder.
Sending an e-mail through ePostal Services is as easy as clicking a separate “send” button and checking a few boxes. Senders pay pennies for each service as they use it comparable to buying a stamp at the post office.
“It really unlocks the commercial potential of e-mail,” James Gardner says.
The company started making its service available in March to business customers who use Microsoft Outlook, using about $3 million of the brothers’ own money and cash from angel investors. Now ePostal Services has 200 customers in fields such as finance, health care and religious missions.
The firm is seeking at least $2 million in venture capital funding to open up the service to a wider audience. It’s also in talks with heavyweights like Microsoft and Google.
Source: James Gardner, ePostal Services
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen