Massachusetts Firm to Acquire Ventura Micro

Ventura Micro Inc., an Oxnard-based software company, is being acquired by a Massachusetts firm that will name Ventura Micro’s top officials to major management posts.

SystemSoft Corp. of Natick, Mass., says Dave Lawrence, president of Ventura Micro, will become SystemSoft’s chief scientist. In addition, Stephen Harper, Ventura Micro’s executive vice president, is slated to be vice president of business development.

Both companies produce so-called PC cards, credit card-size units that expand the capabilities of a computer. The cards can serve as modems, power management tools or memory enhancement devices.

SystemSoft said all Ventura Micro employees will continue to work in the firm’s Oxnard plant, providing support and service to SystemSoft’s customers in Southern California.

Paul Pedevillano, a spokesman for SystemSoft, told Bloomberg Business News that the transaction involves a stock-for-stock swap. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

SystemSoft licenses software that creates PC cards for more than 100 computer manufacturers and vendors, including Apple Computer Inc. and Dell Computer Corp.