Hand Technologies
| Company type | Private[1] |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters | , US |
Key people | Andrew Harris (CEO)[1] Martin Slagter (President)[1] |
Number of employees | 3,500[1] (1998) |
Hand Technologies, Inc was a full-service computer and web services company.[2] The company provided free delivery and set-up and customers get a one-stop shop for Internet services, training and support on all of Hand's products.[3] Services were provided in Winchester[3] and the company sold products from IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Lexmark International.[4]
History
[edit]The company was founded as Habitech in 1996 by Andrew Harris,[5][6][1], Martin Slagter[4] two former executives from Dell Computer and CompUSA.[7][8]
Before founding the company the two tested the door-to-door selling concept for computers in Britain.[9][10] Previously, Harris spent five years building the international operations of Dell.[9] He left Dell in 1992 after losing a bid for a more senior position, and Slagter, who was leading Dell's business in Europe , followed him to Austin, which is also Dell's headquarters.[9]
In May 1997, the company raised $6.75 million through a private securities offering and added seven board members, one of whom was Doug Martin, a former president of Tupperware North America.[11]
In July 2001, the company went out of business, blaming an inability to raise money.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Harrington, Mark (1998). "Special Reports". Computer Retail Week. Archived from the original on April 29, 1999. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "Morning Sun gets computer service". The Muscatine Journal. February 19, 2000. p. 17. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Hand Technologies opens in Winchester". The Winchester Sun. December 1, 1999. p. 11. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Elizondo, Juan (October 4, 1996). "Hands-on approach to buying a PC". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 1997. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Carton, Barbara. "PC's replace lettuce tubs at sales parties". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 1, 1998. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Harrington, Mark (September 23, 1996). "Hand Technologies Strategy -- Company to sell PC wares". Computer Retail Week. Archived from the original on August 28, 1999. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "Hand uses "free" PCs as incentives". CNET. January 2, 2002. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Burrows, Peter (1996). "Shopping:let your fingers do the walking". Business Week. Archived from the original on October 31, 1996. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c Freeman, Sholnn (August 8, 1999). "A Computer on the Doorstep and a Toehold Inside". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Wallace, David (November 16, 1997). "Making House calls for PC's". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 69. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hand Technologies raises $6.75 million". Austin American-Statesman. May 17, 1997. p. 59. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mahoney, Jerry (July 6, 2001). "Handtech.com Inc. goes out of business". Austin American-Statesman. p. 38. Retrieved January 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- Official website (archived)