In this new feature, we bring you Indian self-founded start-ups who are currently seeking their first round of outside funding (angel or VC). PUREmail has no outside funding and already has several paying customers. The company can be contacted by visiting www.puremail.com.

In theory, email should be a convenient, accessible process for the end user. For Greg Hewitt of iTeknique, the reality of email was becoming synonymous with migraine. Unwanted and unsolicited spam was inundating his ISP’s network for financial institutions, causing damage to his service and the data of his clients. Hewitt needed an intermediary and quick—spam, something that accounts for 80% of all email, was not only rampaging his business but also consistently threatens networks worldwide. Last year’s Sarbanes Oxley law only complicated procedures because he now had to provide secure email archival and audit services. After failing with various anti-spam filters who use an all-inclusive approach, Hewitt was ecstatic to discover that PUREmail provided the exact two services he was seeking— customized email security and content management.

San Ramon-based PUREmail offers a one-stop solution for spam filtering, anti-virus, archival and audit. It provides its solution as outsourced hosted service and also sells its software as an enterprise solution. By focusing on the two vast areas of email security and content management, they offer customized solutions varying from large corporation needs to those of resourceful individuals. An all-inclusive approach to spam filtering is problematic because so-called “junk email” is indefinable and highly subjective. PUREmail discounts a “big brother” or blatant censoring approach to email filtering. That which would be immediately disregarded and deleted by one user may be of use or interest to another. PUREmail’s email security solution is customized, a seemingly simple and effective filtering system for the user.

The tailoring of PUREmail’s service allows the user to classify emails into category and subcategory, enabling email to be automatically routed to different directories. “Email security has two halves—preventing unwanted email and preserving the good stuff, the wanted email,” said Raj Baronia, PUREmail’s founder. PUREmail does not believe in application of a universal solution for every client. Automatic rejection of certain email could be detrimental, as it could be “wanted” by certain employees. Blocking domain or user names could also cause needed and important emails to be incorrectly categorized as spam, and crucial information may never surface due to a monolithic or decentralized approach to spam filtering.

In addition to eliminating the risk of costly false-positives from corporation worry and curtailing black-listing of specific key words, PUREmail offers efficient content management to accord with the Sarbanes Oxley law. They serve as a third party “Proof-of-delivery” system, ensuring all computers securely and efficiently archive email. Only legitimate, “wanted” email is preserved, and preservation (of wanted email) is one of PUREmail’s 3 philosophy “P”s, along with personalization (of what is wanted and unwanted) and prevention (of unwanted email). Baronia offers the example of a user working for an insurance company opting to receive emails from other life insurance companies to monitor competition, while other coworkers would block this unsolicited mail, instead receiving auto insurance emails for the same reason. With their customized system of classification, email can be easily categorized and subsequently archived for audit protection. Their effortless and competent secure archiving system preserves all correspondence based on applicable retention rules.

By employing full control, subjectivity and customization, PUREmail is banking in on a high growth industry. Unwanted spam accounts for loss productivity, negatively impacts the e-commerce market, and places a sense of unease when a customer is asked to provide confidential or personal information. It’s a common nuisance that affects the lives of nearly all email users. Companies like PUREmail that provide solutions to combat this electronic sore show great promise, and while the need for them is unfortunate they are a necessity. “Our mantra, you decide what you want, leads to our unique value proposition,” Baronia says. “We all believe in freedom.” For ubiquitous email users, this means freedom from spam and viruses.