Software originally developed for non-native speakers is proving popular worldwide, the company says.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [July 24, 2006]

Hilla Brenner, President and CEO of Whitesmoke, says that when the company released its English enrichment software, the target audience was non-native English speakers. So she was surprised, she says, to find many sales occurring in the U.S.

It's particularly surprising because although the company is now based in the U.S., its linguistic algorithms were developed at the University of the Witswatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the software was written in Israel. (Therefore, the CEO splits her time between Israel and the U.S.)

As we're on the phone with Brenner, it is morning our time (in New York), evening her time (Israel). (Soon we hear a baby. "It's not easy being a CEO and a mom," she says.)

Today, Whitesmoke is announcing that Walla!, an ISP that claims to be the largest in Israel, will be offering Whitesmoke's "casual writing style" module to its 1.7 million users.

Whitesmoke sells a variety of modules, which it calls "enrichments", for different job descriptions. "In the U.S.," says Brenner, "we've sold mostly to individuals so far, to lawyers, doctors, and students."

Of course, customers drive the direction of the product, and the company recently signed a dating site (Brenner was not yet able to disclose which site is using its software). So the company is working on an enrichment to improve love letters.

How it works
There are samples and a demo on the website to show how the software works. As we look at what it does, we are not at all surprised that it's selling well in the U.S. The software does for English what many managers expect their employees to do.

If you write "we can offer you a discount," the software changes it to, "we can offer you a generous discount."

If you write "thank you for your work," the software changes it to, "thank you for your valuable work."

The software also corrects grammar and spelling errors, but the real value add is the content and style analysis.

Brenner sees the product as an important value add for webmail and e-mail services. "There's a big need for this, a huge market."

And if you're in a country that speaks British English instead of American English? There's an enrichment for that, too.

Brenner says that besides the U.S. and Israel, sales have been strong in Asia, especially in South Korea, and in the Arab world (a pleasant surprise), especially in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

Pricing and availability
The product is available now. ISPs can either purchase it directly for resale or sell it to customers through a revenue share agreement.

The retail price varies depending on the module from $59 to $250 for the executive version. Brenner says the main product is $80.

Upgrades and maintenance cost $15 per year.

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