Dashwire aims to make cellphones easier to use

What: Seattle-based Dashwire

Who: Ford Davidson, 30, founder and CEO

Mission: Ease life for cellphone users by providing Web-based tools to set up and manage their phones.

Employees: 14

Financials: Founded in Fremont in 2006, Dashwire began generating revenue in 2009. The privately held company, which has received venture financing, does not disclose financial details.

Mother of invention: Davidson said he got the idea for Dashwire while he was working in the mobile group at Microsoft. He was giving presentations using personal digital assistants to groups around the world. People were impressed with the devices, he said, "but, really, they were too hard for people to use." Davidson decided then to build a solution that makes it easier for consumers to get up and running and get the most out of their phones.

Big picture: Dashwire developed a software platform to allow cellphone users to manage their data on the relatively big screen of a computer. "We take all of the stuff wirelessly from your phone — text messages, calls, contacts, pictures, videos, ring tones, speed dials — and give you your own private Web page where you can then see all of that content and interact with it on the Web," said Davidson. Users can also move configuration and content to a new phone using the software.

Best Buy: Dashwire's first major licensee, Best Buy, offers Dashwire's services in the form of mIQ software, which is freely available on Best Buy's Web site.

Beating the bad times: As a pre-revenue company trying to make headway when the economy sank in 2008, said Davidson, "it was tough. We had some challenges in raising additional funds." But, he said, "2009 was a fantastic year for us."

— Patrick Marshall