This Friday, a contingent of Atlanta technology industry representatives will head to New York’s Times Square to promote the city’s emerging tech industry cluster – and perhaps flaunt their bell ringing skills. The group – which includes ATDC members – was invited to join Invest Atlanta President & CEO Brian McGowan as he rings the opening bell for NASDAQ.
“Atlanta is home to some of the country’s leading tech companies, but it is also a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity,” said McGowan. “The city offers an ecosystem that supports young and creative tech companies to emerge as the next generation leaders…We want to set the pace for the country, for this sector.”
Atlanta is currently ranked third in the country for cities with the most Fortune 500 headquarters, ranked first in innovation in Zipcar’s Future Metropolis Index and is the home of technology leaders including First Data Corp., AT&T Mobility, CNN and Dell SecureWorks. In addition, a Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity report released last year shows that Georgia led the nation in new business startups in 2010, while Atlanta tied for the second-most among the 15 biggest metro areas.
Community Catalyst Jen Bonnett will be among those in attendance tomorrow, representing both ATDC and StartupChicks. She said the spotlight on Atlanta is proof of the city’s growth into becoming one of the nation’s hotbeds of technology and innovation.
Other past and present ATDC members in attendance will include representatives from Blinq Media, Emcien, Digital Assent, Oversight Systems, Pardot, Preparis, ScanTech Holdings, Suniva, Synergy America Inc., Team Fenom, The Weekend Collection, Urjanet and Vitrue.
The bell ceremony will air on www.nasdaq.com, so fire up your computer before 9:15 a.m. EST to watch it live.
With a background in law and a passion for music, Marshall Seese, Jr. isn’t your typical social gaming entrepreneur. In fact, he is a bit of an industry outsider – a label he says fits most of the members of Mowgli, the startup he helped launch in 2010.
“I’m not a game designer by background,” said Seese, who serves as Mowgli’s founder and CEO. “I don’t think there’s a single person on my team that has deep Facebook social gaming experience. Yet we have managed to create a product that solves a problem inherent in all other social games: we give players the ability to create something they can take outside the game.”
Named after the protagonist in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” Mowgli is based around a simple concept: connecting people through social creation. The startup’s inaugural product – Songster – will be the first social game dedicated to music creation on Facebook. Currently in private beta, the game allows players to create songs by building music with layers of instrument and vocal loops. Players can then download their completed musical creations as well as share it on Facebook.
In addition, Songster users will follow a storyline that features a fledgling musician working his or her way up the ranks of the music industry. As players progress through the game, they will unlock achievements ranging from playing larger venues to hiring a manager to signing record deals.
“We have a few hundred people playing the game right now and the feedback has been very positive,” said Seese, adding they will publicly launch Songster at the SXSW Interactive Accelerator competition on March 12-14. “The core of the game is that we, as people, are innately inclined to create things. Players can make really cool songs in this game, so there is a lot of sharing going on.”
The idea for Songster began in fall 2010, when Seese read an article detailing how FarmVille, a popular farming simulation social network game, had become a literal cash cow for creator Zynga. Then serving as Corporate Counsel for the North Highland Company, Seese began brainstorming ways to successfully combine music with social gaming. “I had a lightbulb moment and realized I wanted to build something that would enable anyone to create music and connect that way,” he said.
Shortly after that, he joined forces with co-founder Adam Kunz – a digital media specialist – and the rest is history. Now focused on product development, the nine-person startup recently got a financial boost courtesy of $550,000 in angel investments. Once Songster is available next month, the ATDC member company hopes to see significant consumer interest in the game.
“Ideally, I would love to see Songster become a top 5 Facebook game within the next year, drawing 40 million monthly users. I’d also like it to go viral and produce the next big music success,” said Seese. “Realistically, I’d be happy if Songster was a top 25 game, with five to six million active users.”
Interested in checking out Songster? Plug in user code MGS808 to play.
February 24, 2012 by
kateWhen it comes to pitching business before an audience of peers, investors and judges, ATDC members proved they can compete with the best of them yesterday.
Member companies took three of the top five spots at Startup Riot 2012 and made up nearly half of the exclusive participant list, proving ATDC’s reputation as the hub for technology entrepreneurship in Georgia. The all-day event featured presentations by 30 of the region’s premier startups. Entrepreneurs spent three minutes pitching their businesses, then took three minutes of questioning from a four-judge panel. Audience members were able to help pick the winners.
ATDC’s own viaCycle took the top prize, which includes 4.5 hours of meetings with the region’s top angel investors, a $25,000 cash investment, nearly $50,000 in services and a chance to win a $100,000 cash grant. Kyle Azevedo, viaCycle CEO, said participating in Startup Riot provides great value to any early-stage company.
“The atmosphere and strict presentation rules force you to hone a razor sharp pitch, and the audience is a diverse cross-section of investors, unique companies and really smart people,” he said. “The connections we made during the event will serve viaCycle long into the future. Plus, we simply had a great time and got to be inspired by amazing ideas.”
Member SalesLoft earned second place, winning four hours of investment meetings and almost $24,000 in services for their successful pitch.
“I’ve been to a lot of startup events but never anything like Startup Riot,” said Kyle Porter, founder of SalesLoft. “The energy, community support and quality of attendees exceeded our expectations. We’re honored to receive our award and are confident that we’ll benefit many times over from participating in this event!”
Rounding out the top five finishers were Body Boss Fitness, ATDC member CubeVibe and Driverly.
Congratulations to all of the current and former ATDC members who rocked the Tabernacle yesterday, including Badgy, CallRail, Evoca, ExtraFeet, GetOne Rewards, HugeCity, Kanjus/Jajavy, Scholrly, Synkup, Team Fenom and We&Co.
February 16, 2012 by
kateWith more than 25 years of experience specializing in high dollar sales in the computer industry, Bill Kunz knows a thing or two about the sales process. He will share his insight with young entrepreneurs during ATDC’s next Lunch-N-Learn on Feb. 21.
Topics will include how to identify early adopters and successfully get alpha and beta customers, as well as what methods to use to generate leads and close sales with these customers. The primary subject matter, however, will involve closing the first five sales – which is usually the point when a startup has typically proven successful enough to hire a sales team.
“The first sale is basically finding someone to pay for the product’s beta testing,” said Kunz. “By the third one, you’re starting to get an idea of where the market might be for your product. By the time you get to the fifth sale, you might be in a position to hire a salesperson, rather than handling it yourself. And then the question becomes, what type of salesperson should you hire?”
Now retired and serving as a long-time mentor at ATDC, Kunz had a long and successful sales management career at IBM, Stratus (a small startup), and Cisco Systems selling directly to end users at “Fortune 1000” firms. His experience includes guidance on big ticket, long-cycle sales, hiring and managing sales people and new account sales.
During the upcoming luncheon, he will help participants determine what they can realistically achieve in early sales, as well as discuss how to close the sale once a prospect has been identified. And for those entrepreneurs who have found a potential customer but have been unable to close the deal, Kunz can help.
“If you’re stuck, come see me for one-on-one counseling,” he said. “We can draw up the specific sale and figure out next steps.”
Registration is now open for the event, which runs from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in the ATDC Community Room. Bring your questions and be ready for a dynamic discussion!
When Jason Dyer was studying law at Georgia State University, he noticed how frustrated teachers and students would get while using the standard legal technology. The software was needlessly complex, causing user headaches and delays rather than efficiency.
“Studying law and using legal technology made me realize how much better it could be,” said Dyer, who received a Juris Doctor degree from GSU. “I’ve seen attorneys become so frustrated with the state of legal technology. It’s a profession that’s too complex and too important for clunky software.”
Dyer took those experiences and founded Eggplanter, LLC in spring 2011. The ATDC member startup pairs technology with simple, usable designs to deliver maximum value to law practices. Today’s economy demands that law firms operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. At the same time, the pressure to build relationships with new clients – and help existing ones – means attorneys must work faster than ever. The goal of Eggplanter is to partner with attorneys to create an array of unique product solutions for law students and legal firms of all sizes.
CaseCurrent, the company’s flagship product, is a professional network and attorney-to-attorney referral platform. The web-based software leverages existing networks to find new clients, build key contacts and analyze a practice’s unique business drivers all in real-time.
“Right now, you have people going on daytime television and doing advertisements to find new clients or cases,” said Dyer, who serves as Eggplanter’s CEO. “Instead, you should target referrals to attorneys that could do a good job for the client. This product provides a better way of structuring your contacts.”
Eggplanter recently began private beta testing for CaseCurrent with licensed Georgia attorneys and is set to launch a funding round for the official product launch this spring. Another solution currently under development is NoteSprout, a rapid note taking app specifically designed for law students to organize lecture notes and course outlines.
Now focused on product development and strategic partnerships, the five-person startup plans to utilize ATDC’s resources and technology guidance as they move into their next phase of growth – which will have a national scope.
“ATDC provides invaluable resources to accomplish our goal of becoming a premier legal technology incubator,” said Dyer. “We have some pretty awesome strategic partnerships that are in the works, so I’m excited to see what happens next.”
February 2, 2012 by
chrisOne of our goals for 2012 is to provide more educational offerings and practical business advice geared to our early-stage members. To accomplish this, we’ve been hard at work developing a series of in-depth workshops covering the essential business processes and terminology that startups need to get right. These programs combine some of our existing content with new practices like Lean Startup and the Business Model Canvas.
The new offerings include:
• Customer Discovery, a concentrated three-session program aimed at helping tech startups determine customer base, value proposition, market size, competition, distribution channel, revenue streams and more.
• Executive Summary Workshop, a two-session program for entrepreneurs struggling to create a captivating one-pager to describe business to potential investors and partners.
• Financial Literacy for Startups Workshop to help educate startups on the finance lingo they will need to describe the economics of their business and build a financial model.
• Investor Readiness Workshop to prep entrepreneurs for the investor pitch, equity versus debt, term sheets and due diligence.
• Sales Liftoff Workshop, a two-session program designed to help company founders get the first sale and create a repeatable sales process.
Customer Discovery and the Executive Summary Workshop have already launched to rave reviews from participants (check the Events Calendar for upcoming dates). We are now putting the finishing touches on some of the other programs, which will include more opportunities to learn from seasoned veterans. For example, we will utilize our mentors, graduates and member company CEOs, connecting them with participating companies on a specific topic to help them drill into their business/business model.
Want to meet with ATDC staff to discuss your startup? Team members have office hours available by appointment. New and prospective members are invited to attend the next information session on Feb. 14 to learn more about membership benefits and qualifications.
Jennifer Bonnett is an ATDC Community Catalyst and the Chief Chick at StartupChicks.
If a group of Georgia Tech graduates has their way, a bike-sharing program developed on campus will someday be available throughout Atlanta, providing commuters with a low-cost and flexible transportation alternative.
Founded in March 2010 by Kyle Azevedo, Siddharth Doshi, Koji Intlekofer and Yuriy Romaniw, viaCycle aims to make bikes available for communal use without the pricey infrastructure that has plagued similar programs in other cities. Since the launch of a six-month pilot program at Georgia Tech in November, the ATDC member company has quadrupled its fleet to include 40 bicycles and racked up more than 450 users.
“We’ve been thrilled with the amount of people signing up,” said Azevedo, the company CEO. “The bikes normally get used a couple times a day, but we expect that to pick up as the weather improves. We obviously want this pilot program to succeed so we can turn it into a long-term, sustainable business.”
It works like this: the bicycles contain a mounted electronic lock system and GPS connection that allows registered Georgia Tech students, faculty and staff to reserve a bike. Unlike many other bike sharing programs that require specialized bike racks or kiosks for payment, viaCycle users can lock or unlock a bike simply by proving their user information through a text message or phone call. The technology allows administrators to limit the usage area and provides detailed trip tracking. ViaCycle worked with Georgia Tech Parking and Transportation Services and the City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability to launch the pilot program.
The startup began as a research project back in 2008, when viaCycle founders applied for – and lost – a $100,000 Ford Foundation grant. A year later, they revamped their bike sharing proposal and submitted another Ford application, this time for a $50,000 grant. They won that prize.
“We sat down and designed a bike sharing system from the ground up that really improved on the drawbacks that were out there, in terms of the costly infrastructure,” said Azevedo.
So far, the five-member viaCycle team has operated solely off of winnings from grants and business competitions. But as they turn their attention to the future, Azevedo said they will begin looking for investor financing and continue utilizing ATDC resources and networking opportunities. They are currently discussing bike sharing programs with Atlantic Station and Midtown Alliance.
“In the past few years, we’ve seen this model of collaborative consumption take off in the business world,” said Azevedo. “Atlanta actually has a very strong and passionate cycling community, so I think bike sharing could be really successful here.”
A leading expert who has helped numerous Fortune 500 companies optimize their business processes, Radhika Subramanian knows a thing or two about entrepreneurial success. Now serving as CEO of Emcien – a 2008 graduate of ATDC – Subramanian will share her tips and insight at Entrepreneur’s Night this evening. Running from 6 to 7:30 pm tonight, the event provides young startups with the chance to hobnob with other industry players and hear success stories from a distinguished ATDC entrepreneur.
“I’ll discuss the entrepreneur’s journey, as well as lean startups and pivots,” said Subramanian. “A pivot is a way to change the business based on how the market/customers are responding. This is critical to convert a startup to a successful business.”
Founded in 2002, Emcien provides pattern-based analytics applications designed to solve specific business problems. Emcien’s innovation originated when Dr. Roy Marsten, a leading computational optimization expert, solved a tough problem for a leading auto manufacturer while serving as a professor at Georgia Tech in the 1990s. Subramanian said ATDC resources helped aid the company’s eventual success, providing them with crucial connections and mentors.
With nearly 20 years of entrepreneurial experience under her belt, Subramanian has a little more advice for young entrepreneurs.
“A startup is a very difficult task and is not for the light-hearted,” she said. “Pick your team wisely so that you can say, “Mission accomplished!”
Entrepreneur’s Night takes place the third Thursday of every month in ATDC Community Room 235. The networking event is free for ATDC members. Register now to attend.
In recent months, Innovolt has expanded in staff size and market reach, secured licensing agreements with several prestigious Fortune Global 500 companies, and debuted a new brand and streamlined website. And if company leaders have their way, the Atlanta-based startup will see even more growth and success in the new year.
“2012 is poised to be another year of growth for Innovolt,” said Jeff Spence, president and COO of Innovolt. “We are looking at ways to expand globally and further penetrate OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).”
A 2009 graduate of ATDC, the company provides patented electronics protection for hundreds of millions of dollars of installed systems, mainly in the commercial and industrial markets. Innovolt’s core technology is the brainchild of company founder Deepak Divan, a faculty member at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. While working in the ATDC lab in 2006, he developed a microprocessor-driven system to proactively recognize potential power disturbances that damage electronics. In other words, the technology protects electrical equipment not just from lightning, but from routine power disturbances such as sags and surges that cause equipment fatigue.
The young company is now licensing its technology in markets ranging from consumer electronics, medical technology, cable and satellite, to HVAC and control systems. A burgeoning client list includes top Fortune Global 500 firms Ricoh, Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Katun and ECi OMD.
With an affordable, functional technology that applies to a wide range of industries, Innovolt anticipates even more client growth in the near future.
“We expect to see continued expansion into the cable, medical, cloud and appliance market-segments, which will have a significant impact on financial growth in the months to come,” said Spence.
The new year is already shaping up to be a good one for Kishore Eechambadi and Raj Mehra of ATDC member company The Coupon Doc. The Atlanta-based duo is packing their bags and heading to Chicago to join the inaugural class of Healthbox, a new business accelerator focused solely on healthcare.
In September, The Coupon Doc founders connected with Healthbox program organizers at an ATDC-sponsored networking event. On Monday, the startup will join nine other hand-picked companies at the three-month program, which includes $50,000 in seed capital, healthcare-specific learning and networking opportunities, and an “Investor Day,” where participants will pitch their businesses to a targeted group of health-focused investors.
Not a bad opportunity for an early-stage startup like The Coupon Doc. Launched only six months ago, the company aims to provide an easy-to-use, centralized repository that gives consumers access to manufacturer discounts on prescription and OTC medications.
“Healthbox is very well-connected in the healthcare industry, so we want to make the most of those connections and raise enough capital to make The Coupon Doc a sustainable venture,” said Eechambadi, who previously conducted microfinance work in India and was a strategy consultant at Deloitte. “We think there is a huge untapped market for the product that we’re offering.”
The idea for the startup came about in the spring of 2011, when Mehra – whose family worked in the pharmaceutical industry – saw an opportunity to provide consumers with a more direct and accessible route to discounts. The site, which is still in beta testing, will allow individuals to search for medicine and find all available coupons and discounts as well as a cost comparison to its competitors. In addition, users will be able to view forums and reviews for other medicines and search by conditions ranging from the common cold to diabetes and epilepsy.
“Most pharmaceutical companies rely on doctors’ offices to pass on discounts, so consumers are really isolated to what the doctor prescribes and are uneducated on alternative medications, prices and associated discounts,” said Eechambadi. “Our site will save consumers money on their prescriptions and OTC medications, as well as give them the opportunity to interact with others to share knowledge and experiences.”
After their meeting in September, The Coupon Doc had to beat out hundreds of applications from 26 states and eight countries before being named one of the 10 finalists for Healthbox.
“I give full credit to ATDC for giving us the chance to interact with Healthbox staff,” said Eechambadi. “This is an amazing opportunity.”