Business, technology and family matters converged for serial entrepreneurs David Friend and Jeff Flowers last year.

That’s when the two decided on their latest collaboration, a Web-based company that automatically backs up personal computer files. But it was pair of digital disasters that prompted the move.

In 2004, Flowers’ wife lost two years’ worth of family photos when her laptop was stolen. Then Friend’s daughter lost a college research paper and all of her iTunes MP3 files when her personal computer crashed.

So they founded Boston-based Carbonite Inc. — a move into the vast consumer space the two businessmen relish.