OutStart

About OutStart

OutStart, Inc. operated as a provider of social business software and learning systems, founded in July 1999 by John Alonso, Michelle Bruce, and Scott Edwards. The company's genesis stemmed from the founders' experiences at Sybase's Education division in the mid-to-late 1990s. John Alonso, a trainer at Sybase, identified a gap in the market, noticing that customers were underutilizing instructor-led training. He pioneered an internal Learning Content Management System (LCMS) to deliver training curriculum online. After leaving Sybase, Alonso, along with programmer Scott Edwards and instructor Michelle Bruce, established OutStart to help companies outsource and enhance their training programs.

The company's business was centered on automating the development, maintenance, and delivery of modular and personalized training. OutStart provided a suite of products including a Learning Content Management System (LCMS), a Learning Management System (LMS), and social collaboration software. Its core product, OutStart Trainer, was a desktop authoring tool designed for rapid e-learning courseware development without needing programming skills, featuring templates and support for various media. The firm's revenue was generated through the sale of these software tools and platforms to a client base that included large global organizations, mid-size companies, and government agencies. A key offering was its SaaS-based social and mobile learning services.

Throughout its history, OutStart grew via a series of strategic acquisitions. It acquired content management software developer Concentric Visions Inc. and e-learning tools maker Trainersoft.com Corp in 2002. In 2004, it added social business software provider Participate Systems Inc. Further expansion included a merger with Eedo Knowledgeware Corporation in 2008 and mobile application company Hot Lava Software in 2009. This strategy fortified its position in the learning technology market. In February 2012, OutStart was acquired by Kenexa, a human resources and talent management company, for $38.9 million. The acquisition was aimed at integrating OutStart's learning solutions into Kenexa's talent management suite. Later that same year, IBM acquired Kenexa, and OutStart's technology was absorbed into what became known as Kenexa Learn, an IBM Company.