No list of New Haven area’s intriguing tech firms would be complete without Square 9 Softworks.For 15 years, Square 9 has built an impressive portfolio of clients for its document management systems. Today, it claims more than 15,000 customers that span the globe.It’s also built an impressive portfolio of awards. Buyer’s Laboratory was among the […]
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No list of New Haven area’s intriguing tech firms would be complete without Square 9 Softworks.
For 15 years, Square 9 has built an impressive portfolio of clients for its document management systems. Today, it claims more than 15,000 customers that span the globe.
It’s also built an impressive portfolio of awards. Buyer’s Laboratory was among the first to flag the quality of Square 9’s products. The company became a regular on Inc.’s lists of the fastest-growing companies and entered Marcum’s Hall of Fame after earning six consecutive Connecticut Tech Top 40 honors.
The success story has a uniquely New Haven flavor. Square 9 Softworks got its start in 2001 as a division of InfiNet Business Systems.
Enterprise Content Management was in its infancy and by 2006 Square 9 Softworks struck out on its own as a separately incorporated operation. The name? The founders were meeting regularly in a coffee shop in New Haven’s Ninth Square District. They decided to go for it and adopted the district’s name.
The Global Search product line took off and spawned Global Capture and Global Forms as the world quickly embraced the concept of digital searchable files. The explosion of cloud computing opened more frontiers.
An early decision to rely on a resellers network as a sales force has paid dividends in building a $15 million-per-year revenue stream.
Education Essentials is the newest product, released in February. Square 9 has been in the education space for years, delivering a range of accounts payable/receivable, human resources and contract management solutions. But incorporating K-12 student records was a unique challenge that required a special release.
Education Essentials has a special meaning for Stephen Young, Square 9’s CEO. He explains he has a child with autism. The file of student records is thick, he says, gesturing to indicate a pile more than a yard thick. The new Square 9 product ensures the privacy of those records while eliminating the paperwork and leaving a searchable digital file.
Next on the drawing board is a package for local governments and small businesses that connects to QuickBooks.
Young speaks with pride about bootstrapping the firm through early growing pains. But recently Square 9 hit what Young describes as “an inflection point.” The staff had simply outgrown available space and for the first time Young admits he considered taking Square 9 outside the city.
That idea just wouldn’t fly with the former longtime New Haven economic development leader Matthew Nemerson, Young recalls. He credits Nemerson with helping orchestrate a state loan to finance a move into new space downtown. Young has signed a seven-year lease at 127 Church St.
Young says his staff of 66 — down from a pre-COVID high of 80 — values the access to downtown amenities.
Looking ahead, Young says Square 9 is eager to become more active in the New Haven community. Dawn Duchene, the firm’s director of marketing, is in charge of evaluating potential partnerships with area nonprofits.
