IT behemoths like SAP made enterprise resource planning tools popular, but they can be expensive and complicated for non-technical types. These tools bring together and manage information about finances, accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, and marketing. Until recently, only large companies could afford the packages and consulting contracts that take a sizable chunk out of an IT budget.

BizSlate claims it can offer its customers a competitive advantage. At a conference or trade show, for example, a manager can view real-time inventory from a tablet, iPhone, or Android device and place orders into a live system that could potentially pick, pack and ship on the same day "” traditionally, this process would take up to a week.

BizSlate has enlisted about 20 companies to take part in its beta test; according to Kalman, these first customers have had an "instrumental role in the design and development" of the product. The BizSlate team has grown to just under 10 employees and has raised a small seed round.

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