Minnesota innovation aficionados need look no further than the University of Minnesota campus. A small group of students, lead by Parag Shah, are balancing curriculum with the hunger pangs to invent, create, and deploy. The sum of their team is Mxapp LLC, a mobile marketing company that offers targeted, proximity-based advertising to restaurants, gastronomes, and the epicurious.
Their first application, known as LUNCHBOX, is in the process of being rolled off their platform. LUNCHBOX offers the ability to view, rate and share menu items… all with the tap of a finger (among other features and benefits that are still confidential). The application is designed to bridge the gap between restaurants and mobile consumers. LUNCHBOX will inherit mobile ordering capabilities, thus eliminating the need for smartphone users to stand in line at a restaurant.
The Mxapp team visited my offices back several weeks ago and previously I’d worked with Geoff Dutton, one of the Mxapp partners. It comes as no surprise that these guys are poised to take a bite out of consumer migration to smartphones. Rather than just slap some nifty app together, they have thoughtfully designed their launch for concurrent release on iPhone®, BlackBerry®, and Android®. In addition, they have been out pounding the pavement — talking with both consumers and restaurateurs– to more intimately understand the needs of users.
Like so many innovators full of conviction but starving for resources, the Mxapp team is seeking to overcome constraints with a daily diet of courage. Their marketing budget is relegated to word-of-mouth. So, if you want to know what’s good to eat in the neighborhood, open up your LUNCHBOX and find out. Mxapp is hoping you’ll join their beta program today.