Tantau Software

About Tantau Software

Tantau Software Inc. was a financial software company founded in 1999, with its headquarters in Austin, Texas. The founding team originated from Tandem's High Performance Research Center, bringing with them specialized experience in constructing high-scale, mission-critical transaction-based systems.

The company focused on providing software and professional services tailored for enterprises. Its core business was enabling high-volume, secure, mobile e-commerce (m-commerce) transactions, allowing businesses to maintain a direct connection with their customers. The software platform was designed as an open, multiplatform solution that permitted enterprises to bypass typical constraints imposed by mobile carriers, thereby gaining direct control over the customer relationship and enhancing transaction security. This was achieved by enabling the enterprise's secure server to operate from the device to the data center without passing through the carrier's WAP server. Tantau's client base consisted primarily of prominent financial services institutions, including Chase Manhattan Bank, Credit Suisse Group, and Rabobank International.

The company's trajectory as an independent entity was short-lived. In a definitive agreement announced in November 2000, Tantau was set to be acquired by 724 Solutions Inc., a Canadian provider of internet infrastructure software for mobile banking and brokerage. The all-stock transaction, valued at approximately $375 million at the time, was finalized on January 17, 2001. Following the acquisition, Tantau Software was absorbed into 724 Solutions, with Tantau shareholders owning approximately 32 percent of the combined company. The merger was intended to combine 724 Solutions' North American presence with Tantau's established base in Europe, creating a global provider of scalable and secure mobile transaction software.