Company expands with $1m in private funding

SimplyCast to hire 15 workers, advance email marketing platform
By BILL POWER Business Reporter
Fri. Dec 11 - 4:46 AM

SimplyCast Interactive Marketing of Dartmouth has secured $1 million in private funding to advance its email marketing platform.

Saeed El-Darahali, the president and chief executive officer, said Thursday the private-investor support will allow the new company to enter new markets, develop new products and hire more people.

"We expect to hire at least 15 new people this upcoming year but anticipate continued growth," Mr. El-Darahali said.

SimplyCast is a provider of email marketing, event management and online surveys for small businesses.

"The ultimate objective is to establish a single marketing spot for companies and institutions," he said.

SimplyCast’s flagship email marketing product is used by customers in over 175 countries.

Mr. El-Darahali said the system has found niches in the retail, non-profit and hospitality sectors.

"Rapid adoption to date is proof it is easy for anyone to create permission-based email marketing campaigns with a professional look and feel," he said.

The software provides a suite of tools and services designed to drive new leads and sales revenue, maintain and grow customer email lists, and maximize profits of businesses and organizations.

"Email is one of the most powerful, cost-effective and easy to maintain business marketing tools available today for organizations of any size," he said.

Mr. El-Darahali, 29, is a graduate of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. He instructs part time at the university and is a former venture analyst with Innovacorp, the provincial agency that supports technology startups.

He said the company is looking for staff and is especially interested in recent graduates of Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie universities.

SimplyCast is at 1 Research Dr. in the Woodside area of Dartmouth.

( bpower@herald.ca)

Nova Scotia Email Marketing Corporation Attracts Top Talent

Nova Scotia Email Marketing Corporation Attracts Top Talent

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, November 18, 2009

SimplyCast, a leading provider of email marketing solutions for organizations worldwide, today announced that its Board of Directors has named Mr. Saeed A. El-Darahali to serve as the organization's President and Chief Executive Officer.

Saeed joins SimplyCast with over nine years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive, startup advisor, board member and venture capitalist. Saeed most recently served as Acting CEO for the organization since January 2009 and mentor since January 2006. Saeed holds a Masters of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Certificate of Human Resource Management, all from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“Saeed comes to SimplyCast with an exceptional background and an impressive track record of helping many startup companies in Nova Scotia. He is well versed in managing technology firms and his expertise in online marketing will serve the company well. Furthermore, Saeed has the industry knowledge, vision and passion to grow SimplyCast to become a world class company”, said Mr. Collins, Chair of the Board of Directors.

SimplyCast has thousands of customers in various industries with some of world's most recognized brand names in retail, non-profit and hospitality industries. The company's flagship Email Marketing product is a feature-rich solution that is used in 179 countries and is expanding rapidly to serve clients all over the globe.

“Email Marketing is the most effective medium of communications for businesses worldwide with the highest ROI. The future of email is very solid and every business must incorporate it into their marketing strategy. If you are not communicating with your clients, you are leaving a lot of dollars on the table. Email can be the most effective way to increase your sales, while keeping a high percentage of your margins”, said Mr. El-Darahali. “Our goal is to make email marketing available to every business worldwide with the mission to make it simple. Hence, why we named our corporation SimplyCast, it is very simple to use.”

About SimplyCast

SimplyCast is a leading provider of email marketing solutions for organizations worldwide. With thousands of customers in various industries ranging from accounting, law and retail to real estate, tourism and advertising, SimplyCast provides businesses with email marketing tools to help them effectively reach their customers and grow their businesses.