Bozeman's TechRanch last month acknowledged the accomplishments of two local startup businesses.

Connexa Softools and Ideal Bite have reached a point in their business development that they're no longer fledgling companies just getting off the ground, TechRanch Executive Director John O'Donnell said.

"We're focused on the very early stage startups," O'Donnell said. "And they're beyond that stage."

TechRanch, a resource center for entrepreneurs, each year recognizes a few of its clients who have made significant progress or reached goals set by the companies.The organization sometimes calls such business TechRanch "graduates."

Connexa Softools' accomplishment was moving beyond simply having a concept idea to actually creating a product that it now produces and markets, said Connexa President/CEO Steve Ough.

The company custom builds software for clients who manufacture goods that can be hard to configure because they have numerous options buyers can select.

For example, Connexa can create software for a company that manufactures boats for which buyers can specify what of any 50 or 60 different options they want on their particular craft, Ough, 48, said.

The software helps clients with numerous business aspects, such as sales and inventory management.

"There seems to be a pretty good demand for what we're doing," Ough said. "So (the business prospects) look good."

Connexa employs five people.

Ideal Bite is a Web site that provides information on simple, affordable ways to be more environmentally friendly in daily life. The company also runs a green-focused market research firm.

"It was very nice to be recognized for hard work," Ideal Bite co-founder Jennifer Boulden, 33, said.

Ideal Bite, which has three employees in Bozeman and three in San Francisco, reached its goal of making a significant return for its investors, Boulden said.

Both Boulden and Ough applauded TechRanch's support and services, which range from assisting clients in writing business plans to introducing them to venture capitalists.
Both companies have offices in the Advanced Technology Park off College Street.

Past TechRanch clients include Bacterin and Nervonix.