Foundry forges links with UK reseller duo

US-based Foundry Networks is taking tentative steps into the UK channel by signing up two resellers as it tries to make headway in the Fast Ethernet market.

Although the company has not ruled out the possibility of two-tier distribution in the UK, Drusie Demopoulos, vice president of marketing at Foundry Networks, conceded that the size of the company limited the scale of its channel strategy.

'If you are small you have to brand yourself. The other reason is economics, because we can make more money if there is not another tier in there,' she said.

Foundry - set up in 1996 by four former employees of Centillion, which was later bought by Bay Networks - has already expanded into Europe and appointed channel partner Inikon AG in Switzerland.

Foundry is close to finalising agreements with two resellers in the UK, but was unable to name the companies which would be taking on the product range.

Demopoulos said: 'We are trying hard to pick the right partners and resellers that understand the technology.'

She added: 'We wanted to go to resellers because we are relatively new and there is a lot of missionary work to be done.'

Although Foundry aims to grow into a public company, Demopoulos did not rule out being acquired by a larger vendor. 'We are funded by a venture capitalist and it would be up to the board,' she said.

Foundry will be finalising the appointments of staff within the next few weeks and will recruit additional employees throughout Europe.