Microsoft Startup of the Day

The BizSpark startup of the day is Frotcom International, based in Portugal. You will find below an interview with Valério Manuel Machado Marques, Co-founder and CEO of Frotcom International. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.frotcom.com.

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Interview with Valério Manuel Machado Marques, Co-founder and CEO of Frotcom International

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

I am the Co-founder and CEO.

What did you do before creating your company?

Prior to starting up Frotcom, I was President and CEO of Quadriga, a company active in the area of mobile solutions. Actually, Frotcom is a spinoff from Quadriga. Before that, I was General Manager at ITEC/ CRPS, an R&D institute.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

Well, although we work for our customers and not for receiving awards or being recognized, it is always great to see our plans succeed and to be recognized by Microsoft Bizspark as the most promising startup. We will strive to deserve your confidence and – who knows – maybe become Startup of the Year!

What is your company’s mission?

Frotcom International is a global provider of vehicle tracking systems. Our overall mission is therefore to assist companies in their efforts to achieve the best out of their fleets, by using a state-of-the-art all-included vehicle tracking system. In order to accomplish this mission Frotcom has focused the development of its solution on maximizing productivity whilst decreasing operational costs.

How did you get the idea for your company?

Frotcom is a spinoff from Quadriga, a company with a larger spectrum of products and services in the area of mobile communications. One of those products was a vehicle tracking system. Being one amidst many products, it did not have the kind of attention it needed, in terms of R&D and marketing. Once we realized its potential, we decided to spin it off and that’s how Frotcom International came to be created.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

Until a few years ago, vehicle tracking systems were usually based on SMS communications between the devices in the vehicles and a computer in the office. Additionally, mapping and fleet control software had to be installed in the computer, from a CDROM. This made communications expensive and maintenance and upgrades a true burden.

Frotcom was then subject to open chest surgery! We improved it strongly by bringing in GPRS communications instead of SMS – a lot cheaper, which for the first time made it possible to have real time control of the vehicles, 24/7 – and proposing a SaaS model in which no longer software had to be installed, upgraded and maintained. This lowered the prices substantially and allowed Frotcom’s distribution network to be expanded quicker and easier. Today, Frotcom is available through a network of Frotcom Certified Partners in already more than 20 countries.

The Frotcom project has been profitable from the beginning and our growth based on self funding. Although we do not discard the possibility of fast forwarding operations by means of additional funding, I would say that in that respect we are not actively looking. But we do welcome any investors who would like to talk with us, of course. 

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

Frotcom International currently has a team of 6 people located in Portugal, focusing on product development, marketing and support to the international network of Certified Partners. (Actually we even have on Microsoft MVP on board…) In addition, the Certified Partners network has 30+ people involved directly in sales and customer care. We owe a lot of the success to these great guys.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

It seems we will have to increase the team in 2010. Mainly in the area of software development. For now, hiring is done through our network of personal contacts.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

Our solution is based on Microsoft technology. All developed software is based on .NET and ASP.NET technologies. Our web applications run on top of IIS and data is stored and managed by SQL Server. Our choice was based on several factors. First of all, our development team had a good knowledge of several different platforms and Microsoft was elected as the one that would provide a faster start. The vast community of developers on Microsoft technologies and the availability of ready-to-use components enabled us to prototype our system relatively quickly.

The Visual Studio development environment was another key factor. All project modules can be integrated in one single “solution” helping us maintain everything consistent as we evolve the platform.

Finally, Microsoft Portugal was very helpful providing us tutorial sessions and contacts to MVP’s and other experts. That proved to be useful in the first stages of development because it allowed us to choose the technology, code practices and patterns that were more appropriate to our project from the very beginning. 

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

We are 100% focused on the vehicle tracking business. I would just add that SaaS is clearly one of the obvious trends.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

It’s a great incentive for Startups. Not only it provides an interesting set of tools, it also increases the networking possibilities for companies when they need it the most – the early stage. I would clearly recommend the program to other startups.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

If you want your company to be known for the best product or service, be focused. Set a goal and plan your way up. Don’t disperse your R&D, marketing and budget. That’s a lot easier said than done, of course, but do try your best not to compromise. For instance, be prepared to say no when you are asked to develop something which is not in the direct path to your ultimate goal. It may seem a little detour, but in the end you will lose focus and time. Remember you are usually not alone in the market; there’s competition. If you pit stop, you will probably get behind.

Who’s your role model?

On a professional level, I admire people like Guy Laliberté and Steve Jobs for their visions and ability to propose something new when everybody thought there was nothing new to be invented. They inspire me to think out of the box and check for new angles.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

Regarding Frotcom, the project is growing quickly and steadily. I believe this is due to an incredible level of commitment from Frotcom International and the Frotcom Certified Partners, as well as to a strong focus on our mission. As for Bizspark, I would really encourage startups to have a go.

The BizSpark startup of the day is Autolog, based in Denmark. You will find below an interview with Stig Lyngsie, Co-founder of Autolog. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.autolog.co.uk and www.autolog.dk

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Interview with Stig Lyngsie, Co-founder of Autolog

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

I am director of sales and marketing and one of the founders.

What did you do before creating your company?

I was finishing my ph.d. in Geophysics, when one of my friends (now our CEO) presented with me with an idea for a new software product. We are both the entrepreneur types and agreed to start a company and aim for the world marked.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

That is a confidence boost, and it signifies to me that the idea of starting the Autolog company was not a bad one (It can also come in handy in an argument with the wife, when discussing if it was a good idea to invest in the project or not.

What is your company’s mission?

To become the world leading provider of mileage registration systems for mileage reimbursement purposes. 

How did you get the idea for your company?

Our CEO Robert Holm got the idea one day, after having experienced the time consuming hassle you go through each month when you have to fill in your mileage report in order to get your reimbursement. He thought that there must be a better and faster way to do it. Some solutions already existed, but were very expensive, so he thought of an idea that would be cheap and would fit the world marked.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

We have established sales in Scandinavia on a B2B platform, but we are currently looking for 1.2 mill. EUR to start up our Freemium B2C concept. We have participated in several investment fairs during 2009, but the ICT investors seem to be short on funding these days (so far no luck).

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

We have 9 full time employees and two part time. Three are software developers (full time), but some of our development projects are being outsourced.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

We are currently looking for additional resources in the development department and are looking for two developers over the next 6 month.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

We develop in DotNet for windows based platforms and integrate our software with all types of GPS devices. 

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

The mobile phone marked is one of the most prominent areas. Developing apps for that marked is definitely worth the effort. Also, combining ERP systems with some of the many business functionalities of the mobile phones you can create Business Intelligence that can optimize the routines and administrations in a company, I believe we will see more of that in the future.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

It is a great helping hand for startup businesses and allows the startups to focus on development and sales and thus establishing a strong base, instead of having to struggle with high costs on software purchase that may hamper the development.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Believe in your project, but don’t forget to make a business plan and be ready to adjust your plan as you gain more knowledge of the marked.

Who’s your role model?

Companies like SugarCRM for their Open Source and Apps model, Google for their genius way of making money on freeware and ZMags, a young company founded in 2005, for creating a super product and being able to expand and establish sales worldwide.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

That would be something like: It is not the end goal but the process of getting there that is the fun part.

The BizSpark startup of the day is Redbeacon, based in the US. You will find below an interview with Ethan Anderson, Co-founder of Redbeacon. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.redbeacon.com.

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Interview with Ethan Anderson, Co-founder of Redbeacon

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

Cofounder. I work on business strategy, sales, and marketing at Redbeacon. 

What did you do before creating your company?

Prior to Redbeacon, I was a Product Manager at Google where I was responsible for launching and managing the Google Video product outside the United States prior to the YouTube acquisition. I also was Google's first Product Manager for the fast growing Southeast Asian emerging markets, and a Product Manager on Google Image Search, the top image search product in the world. Before joining Google, I worked in a number of internet strategy and marketing roles at The Clorox Company, Buy.com, and McKinsey & Company. I graduated with Honors from Harvard Business School and Magna Cum Laude from Duke University, where I earned a BA in Economics and Public Policy Studies.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It’s a great honor to be selected. We know there are many innovative BizSpark startups with great potential and promise, and we’re excited to be recognized as one of them.

What is your company’s mission?

To connect consumers with the best local service providers to meet their needs.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

We have self-funded through the initial product development phase. Now that we’ve launched, we will likely seek external investment to support our growth and scaling.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

We have 3 full-time cofounders, and 6 contractors working on design, engineering, and sales. Plus, we always have 1 or 2 intern working on various projects.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

We are hiring telephone sales people at our office in San Mateo, CA to support our outreach efforts.

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

We believe there are tremendous opportunities in the local arena, both helping consumers find and transact with local businesses, and helping local businesses reach their target customers and serve them better.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

It’s been fantastic. It’s a tremendous resource for startups, both in terms of the exposure, advice, and software it provides, as well as its financial support for the startup ecosystem, such as the TechCrunch50 program.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

The great thing about starting a business today is the incredible wealth of information and advice out there. Immerse yourself into the community by subscribing to blogs relevant to your field, attending meetups and conferences, and just getting to know the people in your community. More than ever, software startups cannot operate in a vacuum, and the more you get out there, the more you’ll be able to tap into the people who will give you the financial, technical, and sales assistance you need to grow.

Who’s your role model?

I don’t know if we would call them role models, but we spend a lot of time looking at the path Mark Zuckerberg took at Facebook, Chad and Steve took at YouTube, and Larry and Sergey took at Google. These are all startups that did a lot of things right and offer great case studies in areas from hiring to culture to fundraising.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

Make sure you do the things early on that will position you for breakout success. You can’t do it alone, so surround yourself with good people, whether they’re your employees, advisors, investors, partners, or contacts you meet in the community. Whatever you do, don’t just lock yourself in a room and build a product for 2 years! 

The BizSpark startup of the day is Agile Zen, based in the US. You will find below an interview with Nate Kohari, CTO of Agile Zen. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.agilezen.com.

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Interview with Nate Kohari, CTO of Agile Zen

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

My title is actually Chief Technical Officer, which sounds a lot fancier than it is. I'm really just the chief geek. My job is taking care of everything tech -- our software and that infrastructure that supports it.

What did you do before creating your company?

Before we decided to take the plunge and launch Zen, I was a professional software developer for several years, first using C++ and PHP, then .NET (C#). My latest job was with Telligent Systems, where I was a developer on the Community Server (now called Telligent Enterprise) team. I've also been involved in a few open source efforts, the most successful of which is Ninject, a dependency injection framework for .NET applications.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It's always great to be recognized. We think what we do is pretty cool, and it's very motivating to know others agree!

What is your company’s mission?

We want to offer a simple, flexible, and cost-effective way to manage work, making our customers more effective at their jobs. If something makes our customers better at what they do, or makes their lives easier, that's what we want to be working on.

How did you get the idea for your company?

In my tenure as a software developer I used quite a few different project management tools, and all of them seemed to be overpriced, bloated with unnecessary features, and difficult to use. In early 2008, I started learning about lean manufacturing and the application to software. My wife (and now co-founder) Nicole is working on completing her Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology, and we realized this project created an interesting overlap in our skill sets.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

In late 2009, we were awarded a $25,000 grant from the Innovation Fund, an early-stage grant fund created as a joint effort between some local universities. We mainly plan to use this money to fund advertising efforts in 2010. Right now, we're still focusing on developing our core product, so we're not actively seeking any additional funding.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

Right now, we have no employees other than myself and Nicole, and we're both co-owners. I'm the only developer, and Nicole handles the day-to-day operations of the business.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

We're not currently hiring, but we might consider it sometime in the next 18 months. We are, however, looking into the technology to clone ourselves so we can be in two places at once.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

Our product is built on ASP.NET MVC, which I can't say enough good things about. ASP.NET is very robust and scalable, and MVC strikes an excellent balance between simplicity and power. The back end is all C#, and the front-end is a whole bunch of JavaScript, so we rely on jQuery to keep things sane. (I can't say enough good things about jQuery either!)

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

The past few years of software have been all about social networking, collaboration, and moving more and more functionality from the desktop to the Internet. In 2010, I expect to see an increased focus on real time interaction (through technologies like XMPP) and a continued focus on mobile computing. People have developed an appetite for information, available from anywhere, in real time, and technology is just starting to be able to meet their demands.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

BizSpark has been invaluable for us. We launched the company without any outside capital, so without BizSpark, we simply would not have been able to use .NET technology in our startup. I was able to use my already-developed .NET skills to develop our product, allowing us get to market much faster than if I would have had to learn another technology stack.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

If you're interested in entrepreneurship, don't say "I'm going to try to start a company someday." I did that for years, and I can tell you that "someday" never comes. If you have an idea for a startup, come up with a plan to develop your product and sell it.

Who’s your role model?

Anyone who tries to speak more through their actions than words.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

That they should try out Agile Zen! Just kidding. If anyone takes away just one thing, make it this: you have an idea for a product, just build it!

The BizSpark startup of the day is Corvalius, based in Argentina. You will find below an interview with Sebastian Fernandez Quezada, Founder and CEO of Corvalius. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.corvalius.com.

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Interview with Sebastian Fernandez Quezada, Founder and CEO of Corvalius

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

I’m founder and CEO.

What did you do before creating your company?

I started as a Visual Basic and HTML developer in 1999. I worked as a .NET developer; I also did some work as Functional Analyst. Lately I had been working as Project Leader and Manager of software development areas. In my 10 years in the IT Industry, I’ve always been involved on Microsoft technologies.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

Mhhh, what can I say? It’s great! Since we founded Corvalius 6 months ago, we have been following BizSpark’s announcements very carefully. Today, we are the lucky ones telling our story to the many people like us that follow BizSpark announcements on every channel. 

What is your company’s mission?

At Corvalius, we aim to deliver cutting edge technology and knowledge to technology companies focusing on solving problems faced by the mass market. As users ourselves we noticed that we are constantly sharing information and sometimes stepping over each other, that at the end of the day as knowledge workers we spend more time synching with our collaborators than working on the problems we face. We realized that we were part of that mass market, so focused on our mission we built beWeeVee, our flagship technology aimed at the technology companies solving our mass market problems.

beWeeVee is a .NET technology positioned on the segment that some call “live collaboration” but that is more commonly known as real-time collaboration. Other players in the segment are the now defunct Etherpad and Google Wave. beWeeVee is aimed at Desktop and Silverlight applications and it is a native .Net technology that can be incorporated in every application. I wouldn’t be joking if I say that we have heard the “Isn’t that Google Wave?” question hundreds of times. J If you are interested to know the differences we have provided more information at www.beWeeVee.com and at www.corvalius.com/blog.  

How did you get the idea for your company?

We were inspired by companies like 3M, Pixar, Research in Motion, Microsoft Live Labs, Apple and other companies that always bet on research and laser focused technology to improve its clients, employees, partners and providers capacity. 

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

We started in May 2008 to define our masterplan, but we started operations one year later in June 2009. Corvalius is a spin off from Huddle Group, a Microsoft Gold Partner at Argentina; and it was funded by the individual founders and Huddle Group. We seed funded it with almost U$S 35.000. We’re now looking for funding to develop beWeeVee for Visual Studio, an add-on that will give developers the chance to write code in the same file with one or more colleagues, at the very same time (peer programming at the extreme). 

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

Up to date, 4 of our founders (including me) work on daily operations. Each one of us builds source code, eventually. 

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

We’re not hiring right now, but we hope to do so in a few months, though. It all depends on funding.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

We are building beWeeVee in .Net Framework 3.5 and 4, so we are also including Silverlight versions of our technology. The decision was simple, we founded the company to solve real-life problems, .Net allows us to use the best tool for the job at hand. When we need functional programming we have it, when we need niche technologies like industry grade Peer-to-Peer we have it with very nice Windows Communication Foundation adapters, when we need interactivity we have WPF and Silverlight (in my opinion the biggest advance in web interactivity since Flash). If we add to the mix that the combined founders experience in .Net is around 30 years, even though some of them had work in other languages like C++, Php and Java or special purpose languages like Cuda, Cg or Prolog, the decision was a no-brainer. 

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

In a sense we deliberately choose to go against the trend of building collaboration tools specifically on the web. In our vision, “The Browser Web” is not the entire Internet, and we are betting big on it. We are betting on an Internet that will unify the experience of the browser, the desktop and the mobile technology into a whole new interactive environment, each one designed to efficiently solve real-life problems. We are betting on a future where it would be trivial to care if something is on the desktop or on the browser. The fact is that with Silverlight 3.0 and 4.0 we are starting to see some interesting developments that support that vision: Out-of-browser experience, COM Interoperatibility, Mono on other architectures, the WPF and Silverlight convergence; small steps toward a big, bold and scary goal.

We believe that the biggest opportunities are on approaching the power that we already have at the desktop from the ubiquity and scalability of the internet perspective. On designing our software around the experience, not the technology. Apple was able to do that on the iPhone, Microsoft was able to do that with the Xbox360. We believe the opportunity is on making that the norm, not an outlier.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

It helped us a lot. BizSpark opened us a door in which we found all the software that we already knew was there but with full access to it. Without BizSpark, our initial costs would have been an impediment to fulfilling our plans. I believe that this initiative helps startups to focus in deliver real value to their customers while they become stronger with world class software and resources.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

o Solve someone’s problem.

o Look for help. Even if you can do it by your own, rest assure that you’ll do it better with some help.

o Set a clear vision and trust in it. o Look for partners that may help your business as well as you contribute on theirs.

o Keep an eye on trends and opportunities but keep your heart, your mind and your plans on your vision.

o Believe. If you don’t believe, change things until you do. 

Who’s your role model?

I’ve always been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, its work and its passion have been a great inspiration in my life, he “started” its career when he was near 60 years old and changed every concept hold by the architects to that date. Jobs, Catmull and Lasseter were 3 visionaries that simply debunked hundreds of years of misconceptions about the graphic arts. They created a company that inspired generations based on hard working, quality and subtleties. Pixar had many years of strong deficit but that never jeopardize its vision, they maintained their course steady. Finally, Bill Gates, who changed an industry through its vision in which every home would have a PC. A vision that transformed not only the conception of what software should be, but the world itself.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

I would love to encourage to any person that did not decided yet when to begin with their Startup to do it as soon as possible. Even if things didn’t go like their plans, I guarantee them that will win a lot in the process. We love to help entrepreneurs and we invite everyone to contact us at info@corvalius.com to see how we can help them.

The BizSpark startup of the day is RIM Systems, based in the US. You will find below an interview with John Sheehan, Founder of RIM Systems. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.snapleague.com.

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Interview with John Sheehan, Founder of RIM Systems

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

I am the founder and sole employee. While I’ve contracted out various tasks throughout the history of RIM Systems, I am the primary driving force behind it.

What did you do before creating your company?

I’ve worked in various IT roles since starting my first computer repair business while I was in high school. I’ve done computer repair, web site design, help desk, desktop support, systems administration and for the past 5 years, .NET web site and application development.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It’s nice to be noticed. That’s the great thing about the internet these days. Single-employee companies run on the side can build something worth mentioning!

What is your company’s mission?

We want to build user experiences that empower people to do greater things than they could have done without our apps. It’s intentionally vague. I don’t want to limit where we take this thing. 

How did you get the idea for your company?

I’ve always loved sports and I’ve played them for as long as I can remember. A few years back I built a site for my softball league that became very popular and people were always asking me if they could buy a version for their league. After hearing that enough times I thought there would be no better way to combine my two biggest passions (sports and the web) than starting a company to focus on the intersection. Solving my own problems has been a great way to keep my perspective focused on the user first.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

I had the opportunity to build a site for the Minnesota Twins Community Fund (playballmn.com) that provided me the necessary seed capital to get RIM Systems off the ground. We’ve been bootstrapped ever since. We are not currently actively seeking funding, but I would be open to discussing any funding possibilities.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

Me, and me. As I mentioned, I’ve contracted out some work along the way, but I’m the only employee right now.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

We are not hiring. I’m definitely looking for a designer to compliment my development skills, but it won’t be a traditional hire.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

If you retrace my programming lineage it goes back to BASIC on an Apple II followed up by Visual Basic 3 some years later. Since then I’ve been developing on the Microsoft stack doing ASP/VBScript when I first moved to the web and then onto ASP.NET/C# around the time .NET 2.0 was released. In general, I don’t find that the platform limits what I want to do and while it was tempting to jump ship once I reached the limits of where ASP.NET Webforms would benefit us, ASP.NET MVC jumped in and rescued me from Rails J Microsoft has shown some real progress opening up the platform through making source available and shipping great open source libraries like jQuery with Visual Studio that I feel confident the platform will continue to meet my needs. And with the addition of Azure I can continue reusing my existing skill set to develop cloud applications without needing to invest a lot of time learning a new framework, which is very exciting.

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

Obviously mobile is huge. You can’t release a product now without addressing the mobile story from the get go. The more powerful the devices in our pockets get, the less we need to spend any time on a computer. I think it will be key to make sure your applications reach people where they are. Some people will want a mobile-only experience while others will hold on to the traditional desktop experience (or the analog experience) for as long as they can. Connecting people across disparate mediums will be a distinguisher between good products and bad ones.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

BizSpark has been fantastic for RIM Systems. It gives us access to everything we need to build the products we want to build. BizSpark is another indication of Microsoft recognizing competitive pressures and stepping up to the plate and addressing them. It hasn’t always been sexy to be a startup on the Microsoft platform, but BizSpark is helping to turn the tide.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Just build it! Don’t waste time pouring over ideas. Take the first one that comes to mind and start building it until you either run into a dead end or realize a better idea. You’ll learn WAY more by trying to solve a problem then you will thinking about it. Also, always question your assumptions. Learn how to ask good questions and turn problems inside out. Users will love to tell you the solutions they want, but listen for the underlying problem and make sure you solve that.

Who’s your role model?

Anyone who says, “There must be a better way!” then goes out and builds a better way.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

Genuinely care about your users.

The BizSpark startup of the day is Tripware, based in the US. You will find below an interview with Dean M. Wright, Marketing Manager of Tripware. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.tripware.com.

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Interview with Dean M. Wright, Marketing Manager of Tripware

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

I head up Marketing, Brand, and Product Marketing. I’m the stereotypical jack-of-all-marketing at our company.

What did you do before creating your company?

I spent many years in consumer packaged goods but then found my true passion working for start-ups, dabbling in mobile technology, consulting, and SaaS. I’ve been a road-warrior for most of my career; I’m energized to apply my hands-on knowledge of business travel to Tripware’s product suite.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

Formally, I’m honored we have been selected and that we now are associated with a strong list of other ‘Startup of the Day’ companies. Casually, I hope we get new users as a result!

What is your company’s mission?

Many business travel choices and preferences are redundant and repetitive. Typically, travel technology restricts or interferes with travel planning, booking, and managing; the technology does not relieve stress, recommend better options, or realize enhanced revenue. Our goal is to make business trips simply effective by leveraging Behavioral Travel Management. 

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

Tripware has had two angel contributions with another one pending. The angel investments amount to $3.4 million. Considering we are new to the travel software industry and similar start-ups have raised/spent $10 to $20 million dollars at our stage, we are proud of our bootstrapping, frugality and productivity. That being said, we seek $8 to $12 million to further market our products and take them global.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

We have 10 employees of which seven are developers.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

We expect a hiring burst in last 2010 that will consist of software developers but also some sales and marketing folks.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

We build on the .Net framework and are optimized for Microsoft Outlook 2007 / 2010. Our main product, OutBook, is a client-server application. We have a patent-pending for our proprietary behavioral travel management algorithms and have spent over 18 months developing source code for our products to integrate with travel partners and global distribution systems. We chose Microsoft Outlook as our main focus because it is the lion’s share of the marketplace for calendar clients and they have a great focus on small businesses and cloud computing.

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

We certainly see mobile as an opportunity but also a move away from applets to “cloud droplets”. In other words, we see people having an umbrella of screens (mobile, desktop, tablet, tv, ereader, etc) that access the applications in the cloud. While full market acceptance of this model is several years off, we are developing our products to be very thin clients that connect into datacenters.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

It’s a brilliant strategy/tactic. It shows how Microsoft values innovation, small businesses and opportunity. I would like to see the program to become more well-known.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Most start-ups fail. Get with a start-up in an industry that interests you so while you’re writing mad code you are enjoying your work and getting valuable experience. The start-up might fail, but you can succeed and grow.

Who’s your role model?

While she is the zeitgeist role model, Ayn Rand. I’ve been a fan of her for almost 20 years. Upon moving to the U.S., she was considered a foreigner and minority. However, she outlined her value system and work ethic and remained true to both.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

That there is a better way to travel. In the words of the ‘Video Professor’, “Try my product!”.

The BizSpark startup of the day is GameMo, based in Singapore. You will find below an interview with Alvin Yap from GameMo. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.themobilegamer.mobi.

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Interview with Alvin Yap from GameMo

Who are you?

TMG operates GameMo, a mobile gaming community where you get to discover games, enjoy free trials and play with friends. You can find games that you friends have been playing, try them for free and buy them only when satisfied. You can also invite friends to your network, recommend games to them or challenge them to beat your high-scores. Our service is cross-platform and available on the web, from mobile and within social networks. 

What did you do before creating your company?

I graduated from Ngee Ann polytechnic and joined the army shortly after.

How did you get the idea? What s the genesis?

I felt that the mobile space had tremendous potential and gaming is definitely right in the mix of up and coming services.

What do you sell? What is your company’s mission? 

We have a virtual credits system for purchase of mobile games and other content. We seek to make mobile gaming, truly mobile and available to the masses.

What is your market?

The APAC region.

Funding history? VCs? BA?

We are funded by MDA ad SPRING.

Growth? Internationalization?

Product to be launched in Nov and we have partnership plans in various countries like Malaysia, Indonesia.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

We have 2 developers and 2 management personnel who are also developers.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

For mobile, we are doing Symbian and Windows Mobile because if its big market penetration and for web, we are using PHP due to simplicity.

Do you have any Software IP? Is there something that you’re the only one to do on the market?

Our system on the whole consists of technological components and partnership components which would not be easily duplicated.

Looking for funding? If yes, how much?

We are looking to raise between 200k - 1.5M.

What about the BizSpark Program? What do you think? Are you going to join? Why?

I think its a great way for Microsoft to nurture and interact with the start-up community. 

The BizSpark startup of the day is iDiag, based in Israel. You will find below an interview with Oren Shibi, Chairman and CEO of iDiag. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.i-diag.com.

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Interview with Oren Shibi, Chairman and CEO of iDiag

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

Chairman and CEO@ iDiag. I am a former Israeli Air Force Engineer, I have Extensive experience in automotive industry telemetry and vehicle diagnostic mostly from previous occupation been a F3 racecar driver in Italy.

What did you do before creating your company?

As mentioned I was in the air-force, then I went to England to study racing and participate in Formula Vauxhall racing, afterwards I worked for 8 year as an automotive product manager in a simulator company. I have another operation that assists workshops and vehicle owners to retrieve information about their faulty car and repair via telephone conference. 

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It’s an honor!!! We struggle so much in developing in our basements J with little cash and support. It’s good to know that a huge company such as Microsoft recognizes our hard work and efforts. We have an excellent team of people mostly from the Israeli air force that puts their knowledge and time to become a successful company and recognition such as this program gives us a strong push.

What is your company’s mission?

To be a leader in Maintenance research and online diagnostics for auto makers and for Do It Yourself users.

In 140 characters or less, tell us what your company does:

iDiag provides two major products. One is our step by step online 3D animated manuals for vehicle owners that explain and estimate cost for vehicle repair. This web service also shows how to repair the fault for more professional users such as DIY and Professional technicians. The second product is maintenance research services for automakers in order to reduce their warranty costs and better manage thier product life cycle. 

How did you get the idea for your company?

I am a DIY’er myself. I always had and still have very powerful cars that I enjoy taking care off. I was involved in many workshops and in the Formula circuits and sensed the need for a better job guide and better approach toward the technicians and the DIY’ers to solve faults.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

We looked for it at the beginning, we realized very quickly that we are wasting our time….:) so we start to look for customers and they were very happy with the idea and the product. We always look for funding but I must say it’s not our main goal today. We welcome any one who find it interesting and that knows what we are talking about to become an iDiag’er.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

7 people , 3 developers.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

Hopefully soon.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

ASP.NET, SilverLight, Database runs on Microsoft SQL. We use it because it’s flexible. SilverLight runs very well with IE. SQL server is very popular, excellent GUI and easy administration tools. 

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

I come from the car industry; there is much to do there especially with UGC concept.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

I think it’s a great opportunity for startups to be exposed to new developing tools and applications that they never used before. Off course it saves money on applications we need by default and for startups it’s like air for breathing.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Stick to your beliefs; hear them all, but go with your feelings. In bad times always think about what will happen if someone else will do it, take a day to relax and come back with full force! it’s better to have someone to support you like my beautiful wife.

Who’s your role model?

Myself. I appreciate many heroes from the sport sector such as Michel Jordan, Ayrton Senna (F1 racecar driver). People who went with their dream all the way to huge success.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

That soon maintaining a car will be much easier and with less frustrating both for vehicle owners and for technicians thanks to iDiag’s technology!

The BizSpark startup of the day is Qwiji Web-Shows, based in Israel. You will find below an interview with Erez She Mesh, Co-Founder & CEO of Qwiji. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!

Website: www.qwiji.com.

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Interview with Erez She Mesh, Co-Founder & CEO of Qwiji

Tell us who you are and your role in the company.

I’m 33 Years old, married +3, with great passion for food and cooking. I’m the Co-Founder & CEO of Qwiji.

What did you do before creating your company?

Established a SaaS application development start-up, managed an EMEA region in a big international telecommunication company.

How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?

It’s a great honor.

What is your company’s mission?

Provide an alternative browsing and searching experience.

In 140 characters or less, tell us what your company does:

Qwiji eliminates the need to choose pages or search results, the platform instantly create a web show out of your search key-words.

How did you get the idea for your company?

Both of the founders are early stage internet users and developers, and both of us shared the same feeling that browsing the web sometimes can become boring and frustrating; we decided to develop a game that turn browsing into an adventure, eventually it turned into a browsing and searching experience.

Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?

Qwiji is self funded. We’re looking for $ 500K investment.

How many employees do you have? How many developers?

2 employees. 1 developer.

Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?

Currently not.

Which platform are you building on? Why?

.Net, it’s the one we’re most familiar with, no learning curve required, reliable and stable.

Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?

I think that cloud computing, SaaS application and SaaS security will be one of the hottest opportunities in the near future.

What do you think about the BizSpark Program?

A great starting point for low-budget and first time entrepreneurs.

Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?

Enjoy the ride, don’t think only on the “Exit”, and make the process of creation enjoyable for you and your team.

Who’s your role model?

Guy Kawasaki.

What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview

If you have a good idea, make it happen. Don’t be afraid to try!