For global companies with thousands of employees and a smattering of branch offices, getting employees on the same page can be a challenge. A high-profile Bend technology company offers a solution through cloud computing.

Kollective Technology, which changed its name from Kontiki and moved its headquarters to Bend in 2015, sells technology that allows companies to stream live and on-demand videos more easily. CEO Dan Vetras said Kollective works with more than 100 large companies, including HSBC, Nestle and LinkedIn, which use the company’s services for everything from hosting training videos for new employees to streaming messages from the CEO all across the company.

“They want to deliver video securely and at scale inside the (company), and that’s not a trivial thing to do,” Vetras said.

Kollective was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001 as a way for individuals to stream video more easily across neighborhood groups. By the time Vetras came on board in 2011, however, the focus had shifted to helping stream videos for intra-office communication. Unlike traditional video streaming, which requires a remote server, Kollective’s cloud-based technology allows a single computer in an office to cache a video stream for other users on the same network, reducing buffering and latency.

“You’re getting (the stream) from someone who’s 20 feet away from you,” Vetras said.

He said one of the most valuable services Kollective provides is the ability for executives in large companies to communicate more easily with their employees, increasing trust in both directions. Vetras cited a January article from the Harvard Business Review that states that 55 percent of CEOs think that a lack of trust is a threat to their company’s growth. Separately, only 40 percent of employees report that they are well informed about their company’s goals and strategies. Kollective provides a way for executives to deliver their message directly to employees even in large offices.

“What we’re doing here is selling trust,” Vetras said.

Inspired by his visits to Central Oregon and the advice of Dino Vendetti, who serves on Kollective’s board of directors, Vetras moved his company’s headquarters from Sunnyvale, California, to the 1001 Tech Center in southwest Bend during the summer of 2015. Today, 26 of Kollective’s 70 employees work in Bend, and the company is hiring for five more engineering positions.

Vetras said he looked at Portland and Seattle when moving out of the Bay area, but landed on Bend because the clear skies and relatively low cost of living would make it an easier fit for his Golden State-based team.

“I was just convinced that Bend would have more to offer for California employees who wanted to move with me from a lifestyle standpoint, from a weather standpoint,” Vetras said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7818, 
shamway@bendbulletin.com

Q: Has the move to Bend met your expectation?

A: Exceeded it. For the people that moved here, they have no regrets.

Q: What are your goals for the upcoming year?

A: I think the two biggest goals would be to grow the business by at least 40 percent or more. And this is the year we expect to be cash-flow positive.

What: Kollective Technology Inc

What it does: Provides cloud-based technology that allows companies to stream videos more effectively.

Pictured: CEO Dan Vetras

Where: 1001 SW Emkay Drive, Suite 150, Bend

Employees: 70; 26 in Bend

Phone: 541-371-2661

Website: www.kollective.com/