SAP: US environment is challenging, but no slowdown

MUMBAI, June 4 (Reuters) - The environment in the United States is challenging, but leading business software maker SAP (SAPG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is not seeing a slowdown, a senior official said on Wednesday.

"The U.S. environment is challenging at a macro level, but we are seeing no slowdown," said Bill McDermott, president and chief executive of SAP Americas & Asia Pacific Japan.

Technology spending may be delayed, he said, but SAP was not likely to be affected.

SAP, which has a goal of raising customer numbers to 100,000 by 2010, aims to increase its operating margin to between 28.5 and 29.0 percent this year from 27.3 percent last year.

SAP Venture was close to investing in three start-ups in India in two to three months time, with an average investment of $4-$5 million in each, said Jai Das, a partner at SAP Venture. (Reporting by Narayanan Somasundaram; Editing by John Mair)