Careers at Lithium Technologies

Mission

Lithium Technologies seeks to optimise the social and community engagement of commercial entities through a range of software solutions.

Founding story

Lithium was founded in 2001 by Lyle Fong, Michel Thouati, Kirk Yokomizo, John Joh, Nader Alizadeh, Michael Yang, and Matt Ayres. The Company was initially established as social site for online gamers. It was spun off from GX Media, an online game portal co-founded by Lithium Technologies co-founder Lyle Fong.

Lithium completed its Series A round of funding in 2007, in which it raised $23 million from Emergence Capital Partners and Shasta Ventures. To date, the Company has raised $201.65 million in eight rounds of funding, including investments from Benchmark, New Enterprise Associates, and DAG Ventures.

Since its establishment, Lithium Technologies has developed its operations significantly, diversifying into the development and provision of software solutions that assist commercial entities in effectively deploying social and community communications campaigns. Lithium Technologies remains a privately owned company.

Benefits at Lithium Technologies

Business model of Lithium Technologies

Customer Segments

Lithium Technologies offers a range of software solutions to commercial and institutional clients across a range of business sectors. The Company principally serves clients active within the following industries:

  • Communications, including telecommunications companies, internet service providers, mobile network operators, mail carriers, and cable network operators;
  • Technology, including technology companies, electronic device manufacturers, software and application developers, and other high-tech companies;
  • Financial Services, including banking institutions, lending companies, credit card companies, and other financial services providers; and
  • Retail, including digital and physical retail businesses, major retail chains, and large consumer brands.

Lithium Technologies names a number of its clients on its website. This includes high-profile names such as AT&T, Sony, Sephora, British Gas, Skype, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, Barclaycard, Moneygram, and Time Warner Cable.

Lithium’s key market is the US, which accounts for a significant portion of the Company’s business. The Company also serves clients across Europe and Asia Pacific.

Value Propositions

Lithium Technologies provides value to its clients in the following ways:

  • Its industry standing and reputation, with the Company established as a leading provider of social and community-focused software solutions, particularly in the US, as evidenced by the Company’s ability to secure regular business from high-profile companies such as AT&T, British Gas, and Sony;
  • Its efficiency and functionality, with the Company’s solutions offering extensive functionality, including assisting clients in planning, publishing, and analysing social media campaigns, as well as ensuring that they receive ongoing feedback;
  • Its international reach, with the Company serving an extensive range of clients I its domestic market of the US, as well as numerous customers across markets in Asia Pacific and Europe, in particular the UK and Germany;
  • Its network of partners, with the Company working closely with a broad network of partner companies that support and extend the in-house capabilities of its various operating units; and
  • Its industry expertise, with the Company employing specialist technical personnel to ensure that the Company’s solutions are developed and maintained effectively, as well as a team of experienced industry executives.

Channels

Lithium Technologies operates a website at www.lithium.com, through which it provides information on its products, services, solutions, partners, and target industries.

The Company does not operate a dedicated online sales portal, nor does it have an online customer portal, but it does allow customers to request free software trials directly through its website. Lithium Technologies additionally offers functionality through mobile apps that are available on iOS and Android devices.

Lithium Technologies makes the bulk of its sales through its in-house direct sales force, which is organised across the Company’s operating regions. The Company’s sales personnel operate out of the Company’s international network of sales and administrative offices that spans North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, including locations in the UK, Germany, Singapore, India, Australia, and the US.

Lithium Technologies additionally reaches customers through a network of channel and distribution partners. This includes authorised resellers, independent software vendors, and distributors. The Company also collaborates with original equipment manufacturers to develop integrated solutions.

Customer Relationships

Lithium Technologies does not make sales of its products and solutions on a self-service basis. It does, however, allow customers to request free software trials through its website, and provides mobile apps that can be downloaded independently from the relevant application marketplace.

Once purchased the Company’s solutions allow customers to access tools and functionality without interacting with members of the Company’s sales and service personnel.

Lithium Technologies makes sales primarily through its direct sales force, the members of which consult closely with clients in order to fully establish their individual circumstances and requirements. The Company seeks to establish lasting customer relationships, and continues to provide support to clients after sales have been made.

Lithium Technologies offers a range of ongoing support services, with customers able to contact dedicated support personnel over the phone or via email in order to access personalised technical assistance. The Company additionally offers a broad selection of online resources, including developer documents, FAQs, and white papers, that can be accessed independently.

Lithium Technologies additionally operates a user community portal, where customers can share ideas, collaborate on problems, and engage in discussions. The Company also operates profiles with several social networks – including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and Instagram – through which it can interact directly with customers and publish company updates.

Key Activities

Lithium Technologies is a social and community software developer. It is engaged in the development and deployment of software solutions that assist customers in connecting with, engaging with, and understanding their communities.

The Company’s offerings include online community, social media management, social media analytics, earned media, and technology products, as well social marketing, social customer support, and crowdsourcing tools.

Lithium Technologies additionally offers ancillary support, training, and certification services to its clients. The Company is based in the US but serves an international client base across Asia Pacific and Europe, targeting commercial and institutional customers in the retail, financial services, technology, and communications sectors.

Key Partners

Lithium Technologies works closely with a variety of partners spanning multiple sectors, that support and supplement the Company’s in-house operations. These partners can be organised broadly into the following categories:

  • Supplier and Service Partners, including suppliers of services, equipment, tools, and technologies that are utilised across the Company’s operating units in support of its core development, delivery, and support operations;
  • Channel and Distribution Partners, comprising the Company’s network of authorised resellers, distributors, and independent software vendors that assist in supporting and extending the capabilities of the Company’s in-house sales and marketing teams;
  • Original Equipment Manufacturer Partners, including a range of software developers, application developers, and technology companies that work with the Company in developing and deploying integrated solutions; and
  • Technology Partners, including technology companies, IT service providers, and software companies that assist in developing and maintaining the Company’s solutions and IT infrastructure.

Lithium Technologies names a number of its partners on its website. This includes channel partners such as Netconomy, Avanade, and Optingo; original equipment manufacturer partners such as Aspect and Ipsos; and technology partners such as Microsoft Dynamics, Actiance, and Ooyala.

Key Resources

Lithium Technologies’s key resources are its proprietary technologies and intellectual properties, its products and platforms, its IT and communications infrastructure, its sales and distribution channels, its partnerships, and its personnel.

Lithium Technologies utilises a range of proprietary technologies in the development and deployment of its software solutions, which it protects in a number of ways.

Searches of records published by the US Patent and Trademark Office identified a range of patent applications filed in the name of lithium Technologies, including applications entitled ‘System and method for providing a social customer care system’, ‘Systems and methods for application plugin deployment for websites’ and ‘Gamification for online social communities’.

Lithium Technologies additionally owns and or leases a number of physical properties that comprise its network of sales and administrative offices across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

Cost Structure

Lithium Technologies incurs costs in relation to the development of its technologies and solutions, the development and maintenance of its IT and communications infrastructure, the operation of its sales and distribution channels, the management of its partnerships, the procurement of services, the implementation of marketing and advertising campaigns, and the retention of its personnel.

Revenue Streams

Lithium Technologies generates revenue through the development and sale of software solutions to commercial and institutional clients across the financial services, retail, technology, and communications sectors, as well as through the provision of ancillary support and training services. The Company derives revenue under sales and service contracts that are agreed on a case-by-case basis.

Our team

Rob Tarkoff,
President and Chief Executive Officer

info: Rob has served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Lithium Technologies since joining the Company in 2011. He leads the Company’s overall strategic direction. Tarkoff began his career in 1991 as an analyst at Goldman Sachs, following which he served as an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati for three years. In 2000 he joined CommerceOne as Senior Vice President of Business Development, a role he held for just a year before being appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Documentum. Tarkoff worked at EMC in Senior Vice President roles for five years from 2003 to 2008, and prior to joining Lithium Technologies served consecutively Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Senior Vice President of Digital Enterprise Solutions at Adobe.

Jim Cox,
Chief Financial Officer

info: Jim has served as Chief Financial Officer at Lithium Technologies since joining the Company in 2016. He is responsible for leading the Company’s various financial operations, including the functions of its accounting and internal audit units. Cox has held a number of finance positions, including in the technology sector. He began his career in 1994 at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he held a number of roles over the course of ten years, including a spell as a senior manager. In 2004 he joined UTStarcom Inc as Assistant Controller, leaving the company after two years to join Advent Software as Controller. Cox went on to serve for more than six years as Chief Financial Officer at Advent Software before joining Lithium Technologies.

Katy Keim,
Chief Marketing Officer

info: Katy has served as Chief Marketing Officer at Lithium Technologies since joining the Company in 2010. She is responsible for overseeing the Company’s marketing efforts across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Keim has held a number of roles in the technology sector. From 1997 to 2000 she served as Vice President of eCommerce and Partnerships at Intraware. From 2000 she worked as an independent consultant in relation to marketing, until 2003 when she joined ServiceSource as Executive Vice President of Marketing. This was her last executive role before joining Lithium Technologies.