REvolution Gets $9m, Hires SPSS Founder as CEO

Norman Nie, the founder of analytics giant SPSS, has been named CEO of statistical computing language specialist REvolution Computing. The firm has also received $9m funding from investment firms Bridge Venture Partners and Intel Capital.

REvolution Computing provides software and support for the open source 'R' statistical computing language. The firm's products enable statisticians, scientists and others to create predictive models and derive meaning from large sets of data.

Founding CEO Richard Schultz commented: 'What we started in 2007 has now grown tenfold, and this financing affirms our positioning. This new capital combined with the proven leadership of Norman Nie promises to be an unbeatable combination of technology, vision, and the ability to execute in today's marketplace.'

Nie, who founded SPSS in 1968, was CEO until 1992 and then continued as Chairman, but has recently fought and settled a trademark case over use of the SPSS name. The firm completed its $1.2bn sell off to IBM two weeks ago.

During his career, Nie published numerous books, and in 2007, he received a lifetime achievement award from the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) for his contributions to survey analytics as well as his work on political behavior. While leading SPSS, Nie also held professorships at The University of Chicago and Stanford University.

Web site: www.revolution-computing.com .