Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Kothari’s EnSoft Corp. Wins Top Prize in Iowa Business Competition

 

Contacts:
Suraj Kothari, ECpE professor, (515) 294-7212, kothariiastate.edu
Dana Schmidt, ECpE communications specialist, (515) 294-3071, schmidtdiastate.edu

Ames, Iowa – EnSoft Corp., a software engineering startup company founded in 2002 by Suraj Kothari, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Iowa State University, won the $25,000 top prize in the second annual statewide John Pappajohn Business Plan Competition. The prize was awarded during the Iowa Venture Capital and Entrepreneur Conference last week in Des Moines, Iowa.

“To me, this award is yet another sign our company is moving in the right direction,” says Kothari.

EnSoft has developed methods for software analysis by creating tools that address specific challenges for software engineers and programmers. The tools perform complex analysis and transformation tasks in seconds rather than hours, and help to eliminate human errors that occur in tedious manual processing tasks.

The company's first tool, SimDiff, addresses the development of control software found in such products as anti-lock brakes, flight systems, elevators, and toasters. The tool has been purchased by companies such as Toyota, Caterpillar, Siemens, Bosch, Chrysler, and Honeywell. Its second product, Atlas, helps software engineers and programmers analyze software code for comprehending how the code works and debugging it. That product has caught favorable attention from Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and Motorola. Companies such as BMW, Ford, General Electric, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar, Rockwell Collins, and Volvo also have shown an interest in EnSoft’s tools.

The prize from the John Pappajohn Business Plan Competition will allow EnSoft to further promote its products.

“Recently, our company made significant progress by releasing a product that attracted worldwide attention from automobile, avionics, and other companies,” says Kothari. “Our efforts are being recognized, and the prize gives us the message that we have a good team at EnSoft and if we continue to work hard, more success will come.”

The competition was co-sponsored among the five Pappajohn Centers in Iowa and funded by founder and Des Moines venture capitalist John Pappajohn. Winners were chosen from among 80 entries in the competition.

For more information about EnSoft and its software tools, see a past article on the company or visit the company’s Web site.

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