Entrepreneur Ganier

SEVERAL EXECUTIVES long associated with Nashville-based Education Networks of America (ENA) are party to a $6 million capital raise for VTM LLC, a virtual-teller network and call-center venture.

In an SEC filing Friday (Jan. 20), ENA founder and now-VTM CEO Al Ganier III, ENA shareowner Paul Van Hoesen and David Pierce, were named as associated with the raise.

VNC has since initial publication of this story verified that Pierce is ENA CEO David Pierce; this story will be further updated as warranted. ENA is a leading privately held provider of data, voice and video technology solutions and services. Over the years, ENA and AT&T Tennessee have more than once been locked in brutal competition for Tennessee public-school data contracts.

The ENA website asserts that the company is "the nation’s leading provider of managed data, voice and video solutions to school systems, libraries and governments," and says it has customers in nine states. VTM shares a street address with ENA, according to the companies' websites.

Van Hoesen

Jan Bramlet

Van Hoesen is a co-founder of ENA and ENA's former chief technology officer. Van Hoesen is now VTM's CTO, according to his Linkedin. Also associated with the filing is Jan Bramlet, whose LinkedIn profile says she is the startup's SVP. Bramlet has a technology background and previously served five years with C3 Consulting, an IT consulting firm here.

Also named in the filing are VTM director Richard Chambers, an investor and former CEO of the Bank of Nashville; Bruce Campbell, whom VNC research suggests may be a video-call center, kiosk and customer service veteran now associated with VTM; and, attorney John Gillmor.

VNC reported in July 2011 that Ganier and Van Hoesen were exploring an ATM-centered venture, which was apparently originally focused on providing unbanked consumers check-cashing services via Video-equipped ATMs. There was some indication at the time that non-English speakers were expected to be a core market for the service.

The VTM website says that VTM provides turnkey 24x7 services that represent "an innovative and cost-effective solution to supplement or replace face-to-face teller, clerk, or CSR services for virtually any vertical market application. Our turnkey Virtual Teller Management System integrates hardware, software, network services and trained staff to process virtually any type of transaction quickly and efficiently. VTM’s video CSR's reside at a central secure video call center and provide personal service and transaction completion branded for our clients."

The VTM site continues, "The system delivers the services over a network to customers at a VCAP ('Video Conference Access Point') which is branded and customized for each service business." VNC