Igal Lichtman, also known by the Internet pseudonym "Mrs. Jello",
was the founder, chairman, and
chief executive officer (CEO) of
Magic Solutions International, Inc., a company that specialized in help desk and asset management software. Lichtman also was a seed investor in targeted advertising network Quigo, sold to
America Online
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...
in 2007 for
US$340 million.
Biography
Lichtman earned a
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from
Technion, the Israeli Institute of Technology. He held various positions as an engineer and a programmer. Lichtman also was an officer in the
Israeli Air Force.
Lichtman was a co-founder of a prosperous computer/local area network (LAN)
value-added reseller (VAR) business that was ranked in the top 100 LAN VAR's in the U.S. between 1986 and 1988.
Magic Solutions
Lichtman found the company in 1988 with headquarters in
Paramus, New Jersey. Magic Solutions International, Inc. (known as "Magic Solutions") specialized in
help desk automation and
asset management
Asset management is a systematic approach to the governance and realization of value from the things that a group or entity is responsible for, over their whole life cycles. It may apply both to tangible assets (physical objects such as buildings ...
software. The company was an unplanned
spin-off
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
from a computer
systems integrator
A systems integrator (or system integrator) is a person or company that specializes in bringing together component subsystems into a whole and ensuring that those subsystems function together, a practice known as system integration. They also sol ...
, later becoming one of the most successful independent software vendors on the
East Coast of the U.S. during the 1990s.
At inception, the company had a single programmer servicing one customer. At its height, Magic Solutions has 300 employees, 6,000 customers, and annual
trailing
Trailing can mean, among others:
* Facing and trailing, in railroads
* The act f using a Trailer (promotion)
* Trailing wheel
* Trailing arm
* Trailing edge
* Hound trailing
* Trailing twelve months Trailing twelve months (TTM) is a measurement of ...
sales over US$50 million. In 1996 and 1997, Magic Solutions was one of the
Inc. 500
''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events y ...
fastest growing companies in the U.S. In April 1998, it was acquired by Network Associates Inc. (NETA) (
McAfee Inc, as of July 2004) for US$110 million.
In 1997, search technology Magic Solutions created was licensed to
Microsoft for use in the "TechNet" product.
Post-Magic Solutions
After the sale of Magic Solutions, Lichtman built or funded a number of high-technology
startup companies, including ''iBoogie.com;'' TrafficMedia, responsible for the "Vortalizer Technology" innovation;
''Quigo.com;'' and ''Domainspa.com'', built on an early "pay per click" internet advertising business model.
During this period, Lichtman also worked with
virtual reality, producing the website ''Jerusalem.com,'' where visitors adopted an
avatar to navigate a virtual tour of
Jerusalem.
Charity work
Lichtman's charity work included serving on the board of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and endowing a wing to the
Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space (also known as "MadaTech").
Awards
In 1996, Lichtman was awarded the
Ernst & Young New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the "Software" category, and Magic Solutions ranked No. 238 in the 1996 Inc. 500 after growing more than 1,000 percent over five years.
Death
Lichtman died on February 18, 2013, from cancer.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lichtman, Igal
American technology chief executives
2013 deaths
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology alumni