Mitsui & Co. (USA) Inc. has made a “seven figure” strategic investment in Bigfoot Interactive, taking an undisclosed stake in the New York e-mail technology firm.
The Tokyo-based international trading company will also offer Bigfoot Interactive’s e-mail technology to its client base.
“It is a significant investment on both sides,” said Al DiGuido, CEO of Bigfoot Interactive, refusing to say how much of a stake the Japanese company took. “They have an observer seat on the board. They have an important stake–it’s relevant.”
The deal with Mitsui, a $130 billion corporation spread across Asia, gives Bigfoot Interactive a major foothold in the region.
Asian markets are the fastest-growing areas in terms of technology areas in the world, DiGuido said. “In wireless and Internet devices, they are way ahead of the U.S., and this allows us to see what is the next step in our technology.”
The Asian business and consumer markets are increasingly looking to e-mail as a way to communicate.
Last month, Bigfoot Interactive announced that another Japanese company, Fujitsu, would license its technology and integrate it with its own CRM offerings.
Network
