Startup of the Day - iDiag

The BizSpark startup of the day is iDiag, based in Israel. You will find below an interview with Oren Shibi, Chairman and CEO of iDiag. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.i-diag.com.

Interview with Oren Shibi, Chairman and CEO of iDiag

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

Chairman and CEO@ iDiag. I am a former Israeli Air Force Engineer, I have Extensive experience in automotive industry telemetry and vehicle diagnostic mostly from previous occupation been a F3 racecar driver in Italy.

What did you do before creating your company?

As mentioned I was in the air-force, then I went to England to study racing and participate in Formula Vauxhall racing, afterwards I worked for 8 year as an automotive product manager in a simulator company. I have another operation that assists workshops and vehicle owners to retrieve information about their faulty car and repair via telephone conference.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It’s an honor!!! We struggle so much in developing in our basements J with little cash and support. It’s good to know that a huge company such as Microsoft recognizes our hard work and efforts. We have an excellent team of people mostly from the Israeli air force that puts their knowledge and time to become a successful company and recognition such as this program gives us a strong push.

What is your company’s mission?

To be a leader in Maintenance research and online diagnostics for auto makers and for Do It Yourself users.

In 140 characters or less, tell us what your company does:

iDiag provides two major products. One is our step by step online 3D animated manuals for vehicle owners that explain and estimate cost for vehicle repair. This web service also shows how to repair the fault for more professional users such as DIY and Professional technicians. The second product is maintenance research services for automakers in order to reduce their warranty costs and better manage thier product life cycle.

How did you get the idea for your company?

I am a DIY’er myself. I always had and still have very powerful cars that I enjoy taking care off. I was involved in many workshops and in the Formula circuits and sensed the need for a better job guide and better approach toward the technicians and the DIY’ers to solve faults.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

We looked for it at the beginning, we realized very quickly that we are wasting our time….:) so we start to look for customers and they were very happy with the idea and the product. We always look for funding but I must say it’s not our main goal today. We welcome any one who find it interesting and that knows what we are talking about to become an iDiag’er.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

7 people , 3 developers.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

Hopefully soon.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

ASP.NET, SilverLight, Database runs on Microsoft SQL. We use it because it’s flexible. SilverLight runs very well with IE. SQL server is very popular, excellent GUI and easy administration tools.

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

I come from the car industry; there is much to do there especially with UGC concept.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

I think it’s a great opportunity for startups to be exposed to new developing tools and applications that they never used before. Off course it saves money on applications we need by default and for startups it’s like air for breathing.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Stick to your beliefs; hear them all, but go with your feelings. In bad times always think about what will happen if someone else will do it, take a day to relax and come back with full force! it’s better to have someone to support you like my beautiful wife.

Who’s your role model?

Myself. I appreciate many heroes from the sport sector such as Michel Jordan, Ayrton Senna (F1 racecar driver). People who went with their dream all the way to huge success.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

That soon maintaining a car will be much easier and with less frustrating both for vehicle owners and for technicians thanks to iDiag’s technology!