Worldtalk
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology, Software |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Mark Jung |
| Fate | Acquired by Tumbleweed Communications |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara , United States |
Key people | Mark Jung (founder, CEO until 1996), Bernard Harguindeguy (CEO post-1996) |
| Products | Email content filtering solutions, email connectivity software |
| Parent | Tumbleweed Communications (from 1999) |
Worldtalk Communications Corp. was a U.S.-based technology firm located in Santa Clara, California, focused on developing content filtering solutions for email systems.
History
Established in 1992 by Mark Jung, who remained CEO until the company's 1996 IPO, Worldtalk was publicly traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol WTLK. Soon after going public, Jung was succeeded by marketing leader Bernard Harguindeguy, who managed the company until its eventual acquisition. In 1999, Tumbleweed Communications purchased Worldtalk for $191 million.
Worldtalk initially created software to connect UNIX email platforms; however, as demand shifted toward Microsoft Windows NT environments, revenues fell from $14 million in 1996 to $10 million in 1997, leading to a change in leadership. Under Harguindeguy's direction, the company transitioned to producing email content filtering software in late 1997, which increased sales from $1.7 million in 1998 to $4.9 million in 1999.
By concentrating on email security products, Worldtalk positioned itself for acquisition by Tumbleweed Communications at the end of 1999.