Where are John and Todd?

The Chief Executive of Avidian, a 6-year-old maker of customer relationship management software, said his Redmond company would consider purchasing some of the assets of Seattle-based Entellium if they became available at the right price.

“If it makes sense, we are open to it,” said James Wong, the co-founder and CEO of Avidian. Wong has already discussed the possibility with investors and planned to have more meetings with advisers on the topic this week.

He said the purchase could be a “win-win” for both companies, growing Avidian’s market share while helping Entellium support customers during a tough time. Wong also noted that Avidian — which is profitable and growing with more than 12,000 customers — would consider hiring some of the sales staff at Entellium.

Entellium’s future is very much in doubt. Last Wednesday, the chief executive and head of finance abruptly resigned. By Friday, a large chunk of the work force had been let go, including the entire sales and marketing staff.

Charles Miller, vice president of operational excellence at Entellium, said in an interview Friday that the company was not conducting a “fire sale” or “wind down.”

Sources say that most of the work force was let go Friday, with The Seattle Times also reporting that the majority of staffers were terminated that day. Earlier this year, Entellium employed more than 190 people in Seattle and Malaysia, but a series of layoffs reduced that number in recent months.

An Entellium board meeting is set for Monday to discuss options.

Ignition Partners, one of Entellium’s largest venture backers, did not respond to requests for comment. Entellium had raised more than $30 million.

Avidian has not raised any venture financing, though Wong said he has access to capital to fund an acquisition through a network of angel investors. “If it makes financial sense, we can move very quickly,” he said.

Avidian, whose technology helps companies manage sales leads through Microsoft Outlook, said the slowing economy would not have an impact on a decision. In fact, he said Avidian’s business is up about 30 percent this year.

“Our business is anti-cyclical,” he said. “In good economies people need to improve their sales and in scary economies they desperately need to improve their sales.”

– John Cook, johnharoldcook@gmail.com