This is a part 1 of a multi-part blog series celebrating Microsoft BizSpark startups at Techcrunch Disrupt NY, which starts tomorrow. You can catch GlideOS demoing their awesome Windows 8 app at the Microsoft booth at TechCrunch Disrupt NY on April 29th and 30th.
This interview was conducted by Neha Bhaskar, SR CHANNEL & ECOSYSTEM Marketing Manager at Microsoft, in NYC.
Watch Donald Leka demonstrate GlideOS and explain his solution that takes all of your interactions in all the different OS's out there and puts them into one interface. Stunning.
Tell us a bit about your app and company.
Glide is a pioneering and award winning cloud-computing service leading the emergence of the cross platform space. If you use any combination of Microsoft Windows 8, Google Android and Apple iOS/OS X devices and various cloud services like Dropbox, Google Docs, SkyDrive and Facebook in your home or business, Glide is an essential App. Glide offers a comprehensive cross platform solution that can transform virtually any combination of incompatible devices and disconnected cloud services into one system.
What came first for you-the team or the idea?
The idea of developing cross-platform technology came first.
Donald Leka, Founder, GlideOS
What inspired you to work on this idea and how do you see yourselves evolving?
Glide was conceived and designed as a horizontal cloud-computing platform to provide consumers with system integration, cross platform file and application compatibility and granular rights access management across incompatible devices and disconnected cloud systems.
Inclined toward horizontal thinking, my interest in cross-platform technology that connects various vertical systems was a natural byproduct of that thought process.
The impetus to develop Glide’s automated file transcoding and device recognition technology came in part from my professional experience in the technology industry delivering multi-media content to consumers across platforms and devices and from my personal experience as a musician working with various music software programs, file formats and computer platforms. By providing users with the option to share transcoded streaming versions of files, the Glide Service was also designed to protect user generated content.
What was the most difficult challenge your business faced this year?
The most difficult challenge we are facing this year is migrating our legacy Glide Services and Users to the new Glide Service that we plan to formally launch in the second half of 2013.
How do you know when you are failing in product development and how do you make a correction – do you make the decision on your own, or do you consult your team?
The big challenge for Glide is maintaining consistency in functionality and the user experience across platforms and devices. When inconsistencies emerge, the development team must be notified immediately to maintain symmetry across the board.
Who would you like to be your mentor, and what would you ask him or her?
Roger Federer. How do you maintain that incredible self-discipline and level of consistency in your game over such a long period of time?
When was the last time you fell in love with a product?
Windows 8. I love the innovative and highly graphical user interface.
What advice do you want to give for any founder who wants to build a startup in rapid time?
Be ambitious. Inspire your team to achieve incredible results and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. But be realistic about product goals and release schedules.