Steve Outtrim's Big Bet On Cryptography

Steve Outtrim is a New Zealand-born technology entrepreneur who found success in the early days of the internet, particularly during the dot com era. He is best known for creating Sausage Software and its flagship product, the HotDog Web Editor. Outtrim created a superdistribution system using cryptography and the Windows Registry, which enabled the business model of Sausage Software. This involved giving away something of value for free but limiting its use to 30 days. This Free/Pro distribution model was known as Shareware. In 1997, Wired magazine rated HotDog the third most popular program on the Internet, after Netscape (browser) and Eudora (mail client). Outtrim also took Sausage Software public on the Australian Stock Exchange in October 1996, making him the youngest CEO of a public company in Australia.

Steve Outtrim is a New Zealand-born technology entrepreneur

At the time, the Internet was still in its early stages, and Outtrim wanted to create a Web page with his picture and information about his favourite music. However, the programs he tried kept crashing, so he decided to create his own. He built HotDog, an HTML Authoring tool using Visual Basic, which included features such as a WYSIWYG interface and auto-save. In addition, he created his own superdistribution system using cryptography and the Windows Registry, which allowed him to give away his software for free with a 30-day time limit before requiring payment. This business model, known as Shareware, helped Sausage Software grow rapidly despite competition from major software companies.

In 1997, Wired magazine rated HotDog the third most popular program on the Internet, and Outtrim became one of the first people to create a successful global e-commerce business. Sausage Software went public on the Australian Stock Exchange in October 1996, making Outtrim the youngest CEO of a public company in Australia. He left the company in 2000, reportedly making A$51 million from his share before the dot-com crash.

Since then, Outtrim has been involved in numerous start-up companies. He was the former owner of Aussie Bodies, a nutraceutical company acquired in 2004, and founded Majitek (now known as Urbanise), a software company that has worked with Cisco Systems. Additionally, he founded and owns ekoLiving, an environmental technology solutions company specialising in Smart Environments. In 2017, he founded zMint, a company focused on helping businesses utilise blockchain technology.

Outtrim is also the editor and main writer of Burners.me, a website dedicated to discussing Burning Man culture. He has travelled extensively, living in Silicon Valley for 20 years before returning to New Zealand in 2017 to focus on cryptocurrency opportunities.

He founded Sausage Software in 1995 and created its flagship product, the HotDog Web Editor

Steve Outtrim is a technology entrepreneur from New Zealand. He is best known for his success in the early "dot com years" of the Internet, particularly with Sausage Software, which he founded in 1995.

At the time, the internet was still in its infancy, and graphics had only just been introduced to the World Wide Web. Outtrim wanted to create a webpage with a picture of himself and information about his favourite music. However, the programs he tried kept crashing, so he decided to create his own. This led to the development of HotDog, an HTML authoring tool that allowed users to write web pages like a word processor. It included features such as a WYSIWYG interface, auto-save, and context-sensitive help, making it easier to manage multiple web pages.

HotDog became the flagship product of Sausage Software. The company utilised a "Free/Pro" distribution model, giving away the software for free but limiting its use to 30 days. After 30 days, users were required to provide their credit card details to continue using the product. This business model was enabled by Outtrim's creation of a superdistribution system using cryptography and the Windows Registry.

The success of HotDog propelled Sausage Software into the spotlight. In 1997, Wired magazine rated HotDog as the third most popular program on the Internet, after Netscape and Eudora. Sausage Software's website was also extremely popular, receiving 250,000 hits per day in 1996. The company's unique approach to software development and distribution, combined with Outtrim's cryptographic expertise, played a significant role in its early success.

Outtrim took Sausage Software public in 1996, making him the youngest CEO of a public company in Australia

Steve Outtrim, a technology entrepreneur from New Zealand, is best known for his success in the early "dot com years" of the Internet. He created Sausage Software in 1995 and took it public on the Australian Stock Exchange in October 1996, making him the youngest CEO of a public company in Australia at the age of 23.

Sausage Software was an Australian software company that produced one of the world's most successful web editors: the HotDog web authoring tool. The product and company name have since been purchased by an Australian consulting firm, SMS Management & Technology.

Outtrim founded Sausage Software with the desire to create a Web page and put up a picture of himself and information about the music he liked. He built HotDog, an HTML Authoring tool using Visual Basic, after being frustrated with the existing programs available at the time.

Sausage Software grew rapidly despite competition from major software companies. In 1997, Wired magazine rated HotDog the No. 3 most popular program on the Internet, after Netscape (browser) and Eudora (mail client).

Outtrim was one of the first people to create a successful global e-commerce business on the Internet. Sausage.com was a fully automated business, open 24/7 worldwide, and with no staff or inventory required to make a sale. Within a month of its launch, Sausage Software had customers in more than 200 different countries.

In 2000, Outtrim left Sausage Software when it merged with SMS Management and Technology, an IT consulting firm. He reportedly made A$51 million from the company after selling off large parts of his share before the dot com crash.

He made A$51 million from the company after selling off large parts of his share before the dot-com crash

Steve Outtrim is a New Zealand-born technology entrepreneur, best known for his success in the early "dot com years" of the Internet. In 1995, he founded Sausage Software, which offered the HotDog Web Editor as its flagship product. In October 1996, Outtrim took Sausage Software public on the Australian Stock Exchange, making him the youngest CEO of a public company in Australia.

By 2000, Outtrim had left the company when it merged with SMS Management and Technology, an IT consulting firm. Notably, he made A$51 million from Sausage Software after selling off large parts of his share before the dot-com crash. This strategic move by Outtrim came just before the dot-com bubble burst, which peaked in March 2000 and subsequently deflated.

The dot-com bubble was a stock market phenomenon that saw a rapid increase in investments in the NASDAQ composite stock market index, rising by 800% between 1995 and March 2000. However, by October 2002, the index had fallen 78% from its peak, wiping out all gains. This period witnessed the failure of many online shopping and communication companies, while larger companies like Amazon and Cisco Systems lost significant portions of their market capitalization.

Outtrim's decision to sell off his shares before the crash demonstrates his foresight and business acumen, allowing him to capitalize on the market growth during the dot-com boom while avoiding the subsequent downturn. This move not only secured his financial gains but also highlights his ability to navigate the volatile nature of the technology industry.

Since his early success with Sausage Software, Outtrim has gone on to found and be involved in several other companies, including software company Urbanise, environment solutions company ekoLiving, and zMint, a company focused on blockchain technology.

In 2017, Outtrim founded zMint to help companies get on the blockchain

Steve Outtrim is a technology entrepreneur from New Zealand. He is best known for his success in the early "dot com years" of the Internet, as the creator of Sausage Software and its flagship product, the HotDog Web Editor. In 2017, Outtrim returned to New Zealand after 25 years to focus on cryptocurrency opportunities and founded zMint to help companies get on the blockchain.

ZMint is a blockchain financial services firm based in New Zealand. Outtrim has been involved in the cryptocurrency space since 2017 when he returned to his home country. He has been an early adopter and advocate for blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize the financial industry.

Through zMint, Outtrim aims to help companies leverage the power of blockchain technology to improve their businesses. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that enables secure, transparent, and tamper-proof record-keeping. It is the foundation of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and has numerous potential applications in various industries.

Outtrim has been an advocate for the strategic use of Bitcoin and blockchain technology by governments and financial institutions. He has proposed that New Zealand adopt a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and use a portion of this reserve to sell options to generate investment capital for a Blockchain Innovation Fund. This approach, he argues, would help curb inflation and encourage New Zealand to become a nation of savers.

In addition to his work with zMint, Outtrim has founded several other companies, including software company Urbanise and environmental solutions company ekoLiving. He has also been involved in numerous start-ups and has invested in and advised many companies throughout his career.

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