PenMagic Software Inc.

PenMagic Software Inc. was founded in September 1990 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, by Norm Francis and Keith Wales, with Francis as president and Wales as vice president of research and development.¹ The company's stated vision was to create applications that paired pen-on-paper familiarity with behind-the-scenes software intelligence for mobile pen computer users.² On January 22, 1991, PenMagic was named among 40 publicly announced third-party developers and technology providers for GO Corporation's PenPoint operating system, with Francis listed as the company contact.³

On April 16, 1992, PenMagic announced Numero, a financial work processor for the PenPoint operating system, at a suggested retail price of $399, alongside The Executive Assistant: A Numero Special Edition at $59 and a Numero Software Developer Toolkit at $399.² The same day, the company unveiled the PenMagic Solution Design program — an $800 training, software, and marketing-support package for consultants, systems integrators, and value-added resellers building pen-based client solutions around Numero.⁴ Four days later, on April 20, 1992, Francis issued a public statement titled "The PC Industry Needs a Pen Computing Revolution," arguing that the desktop PC paradigm was inappropriate for mobile users and laying out six design qualities for pen software: familiar, useful, an intelligent assistant, straightforward, able to communicate, and personal.⁵

On September 30, 1992, PenMagic announced a $2.0 million first round of venture funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Integral Capital Partners — the first investment in a Canadian company for both Palo Alto firms — with Kleiner Perkins partner Doug Mackenzie joining the PenMagic board alongside Francis and Wales.¹ On November 9, 1992, GO Corporation included The Executive Assistant: A Numero Special Edition as one of the five products in its PenPoint "Hot Apps" promotion, available to customers who purchased PenPoint before December 31, 1992.⁶

On July 30, 1993, at MacWorld Expo, PenMagic announced a product licensing agreement with Apple Computer Inc. for Money Magazine Business Forms ($39.95) and Money Magazine Financial Assistant ($99.95), two Newton applications developed in collaboration with Money Magazine; Apple held the exclusive license to market both titles for all PDAs running the Newton operating system.⁷ PenMagic was one of more than 25 third-party developers featured at the Newton Showcase during Macworld Boston in August 1993, with the two Money Magazine titles to be marketed through Apple's StarCore publishing group.⁸ On October 12, 1993, PenMagic joined Notable Technologies, Pensoft, Deskin, and aha! as one of the five PenPoint independent software vendors presenting at AT&T/EO's six-city Corporate Solutions Showcase tour, with PenMagic publishing LetterExpress word processing software and Numero for the AT&T/EO Personal Communicator.⁹

AI generated using primary sources referenced in the footnotes