Minnov8

Showcasing Minnesota Technology Innovation

Damn the Airfare: Pokeware Takes Global Approach

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At one of last years MinneDemo events I had the chance to see Founder and CEO, Maryse Thomas present Pokeware, a system for integrating “hot spots” in video that allows users to pause and “poke” around the screen. According to the company line, Pokeware is a unique online company that integrates video content and contextual advertising. See a car in the video, click on it, and you’ll instantly find out what it is. See a dress you like, click it and find out where you can buy it and for how much. It was one of the more compelling presentations of the evening and piqued the interest of many. I had a chance to speak with Maryse following her presentation last year, and at that time Pokeware had already launched a beta test with the National Basketball Association. I was anxious to catch up with her and see how Pokeware has progressed since.

Ms. Thomas, a hardcore road warrior and globetrotter, was not the easiest to person to catch up with for an interview. Though Pokeware is based in Edina, we traded emails and phone calls between here and London, a cab in New York and somewhere in LA. Why the constant travel? According to Thomas, all for relationship building.“We found that there were many who were interested in building a similar type of system and felt that we would be better off securing strong, long term relationships with content providers and partners.” says Thomas. The intention was to hold off on showcasing the technology.

To help them do it, Thomas dropped this: “The biggest news is that Tommy Mottola is joining our team,” not hiding her enthusiasm.

If you are not aware of him, Tommy Mottola‘s resume includes a solid and successful career in the music industry. Outside of that community, many will recognize him from the likes of Entertainment Tonight, as head of Sony Music Entertainment, and more glamorously as the former husband of Mariah Carey. Thomas noted that Tommy is “very excited about the prospects of Pokeware” and will focus on helping her shore up those all important relationships.

Who are some of those relationships she’s cultivating? To name a few: the TV, publishing, book, home icon, Martha Stewart; Channel 4 in London (and the reason for her trip to the UK), the firm known best for the Big Brother reality series and Outside Line who will be selling Pokeware in the UK. In addition, Pokeware recently signed an exclusive agreement with the German company St. Elmo’s as a partner in Europe.

…  [Read More…]

Minnesota Keeps Feeding the iPhone Habit

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DoApp has had a busy week. Their MyLite and MyTo-Do applications are currently available and moving up the rankings via the iPhone Apps Store and Magic 8 Ball and Whoopee Cushion are waiting in the wings. Current stats include MyLite ranking #8 overall on Top Free Apps, and #1 in Top Free Apps in the Utilities category along with MyTo-Dos showing at #81 overall on Top Free Apps, and #8 in Top Free Apps in the same category

Launched as PagePow, DoApp was founded in 2007 by former early Google employee Joe Sriver. The company positions itself as “a new kind of internet applications company.” They aspire to the rather lofty sounding mission of enabling “a glorious new world of distributed content and commerce.” Okay, so flashing lights and whoopee cushions don’t exactly sound “glorious”. However, in our interview Sriver assures me that there is more afoot at DoApp than finding your keys in the dark, telling the future, or goofing on your friends. The current applications for the iPhone are about establishing the firm and “gaining experience in the process.”

He goes on to say, “The iPhone applications are just one aspect of DoApp, making up part of a growing portfolio of work.” More serious applications in the commerce, utility (including MyTo-dos), and entertainment segments are planned.” We have a staff of eight and we are working furiously to keep pace with the ideas we are generating.” Those ideas include mobile and web based applications. In fact PagePow was originally launched as a widget builder. There is still a presence in that market with plenty of interest, much of it on an international level, but “the attention around iPhone applications has really replaced the buzz on widgets.” according to Sriver. Clearly, though it may be hard to believe, not everyone has an iPhone and there are still plenty of opportunities to supply applications for other platforms. This reality does not appear to be lost on DoApp.

As for iPhone applications, “Nobody really knows the criteria by which Apple decides which applications to release to the App Store, so we can’t really provide a timeline for what’s next there.” says Sriver. As the company expands beyond its current staff it will be less reliant on Apple because it will be delivering applications for other platforms. For now though, being ranked #1 in a category on the hottest application distributor site is not a bad way to bring recognition to a growing firm. Perhaps its own Magic 8 Ball app would say that it “appears likely” that this Minneapolis based firm will parlay that attention into serious application success.

(In the interest of full disclosure it should be norted that Minnov8 contributor Graeme Thickins is also the DoApp Marketing VP.)

Minnesota Public Radio Goes to Camp

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A unique collaboration to benefit public radio, MPR and maybe all of media for that matter took place at the studios of the Minnesota Public Radio on Saturday July 12th.

The PublicRadioCamp was organized by Dan Grigsby and those behind Minnebar and Minnedemo here in the Twin Cities along with MPR. The “camp” was positioned as “a new community event” and the purpose was to examine “the tons of really interesting content, data, audio, meta-data and feeds.” and to spend the time “collaboratively remixing and mashing up these goodies.”

The designers, bloggers, journalists, internet types, and plenty of MPR representatives (about one for every non-MPR attendee), assembled in the deluxe UBS Forum. The space had been lined with work areas complete with large whiteboards indicating there wouldn’t be much observing and plenty of brainstorming. Within minutes the group divided into what resulted in four groups; Data Access, User Generated Content, News Visualization, and Nuevo Radio. My time was spent in the Nuevo Radio group, a name I gave it as a spicier take on radio. Besides nouveau seems so snooty. The results of it and the other collaborations are briefly reviewed below….  [Read More…]

The Man, the Artist, the Designer, the Podcaster…the Show

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There are tremendous firms, organizations, groups, and entrepreneurs responsible for some amazing innovations. There is also one Minnesota resident behind the look, feel and sound of some of those innovations.

That person or “show” is Woodbury’s John Benson, aka Johnee Bee. Johnee runs his own firm; The Johnee Bee Show, specializing in flash design and illustration. His work can be seen all over the web. In fact, Johnee donated the banner art we use on Minnov8. Not only can you see his work, you can hear it as well. I caught up with Johnnee for what was a high energy, sound effect and character voice riddled, fast-paced discussion.

Johnee moved to Minnesota in 2004 — but why? “A woman…why else?” he says with a smile. His wife Cynthia was offered a position at 3M so, along with their Weimaraner dog, Sprocket, they came to the Midwest. To get a good idea of what this show is all about, let’s step back and get the full scoop on the colorful history of Johnee Bee. Not to conjure up images of that guy you knew (or were) in high school, but here’s how he became the ultimate AV guy….  [Read More…]

CodeMorphic Is One of the First In Line with iPhone Apps

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It’s almost the end of the week and, being a site centered on tech and innovation, I believe we have been remiss in not including a picture of a 3G iPhone and a story having something to do with it. Well…when the iPhone AppStore opens in July, Minnesota startup CodeMorphic is all set with native applications for iPhones of all kinds.

Longtime friends Damon Allison and Bill Heyman launched the company in early March, coincidentally around the time as the Apple iPhone SDK release. There is a sense of serendipity about how they landed in the first group of iPhone developers among the two but they believe their focus and quality coding was the key to being noticed and landing at the front of the line. They feel their singular focus on just building native applications for the iPhone, and not moving into other mobile platforms, will prove to be the best business model.

Heyman noted there is tremendous opportunity for application development in the enterprise market. “There will be great growth in developing internal corporate applications.” Areas like work flow, communication are clearly opportunities.  Heyman continues “Right now that’s an area dominated by Blackberry so we see more needs for those types of applications for iPhone.” The consumer is the other opportunity. “Consumer focused applications that promote the brand, for example if General Mills were to target a younger consumer, where the iPhone or iPod Touch are really popular, they could develop an application or game that is tailored to them.”…  [Read More…]

Budget Hero Arrives Compliments of American Public Media

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Now that the two major parties have chosen their candidates both are weighing their choices for a running mate. Perhaps your work on the National budget could put you on the short list.

The recently released on-line game “Budget Hero” launched in May by American Public Media in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, may not get you spot at the cabinet table; it could give you valuable insight into the budget process.

According to Michael Skoler, executive director of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media, “Budget Hero is a new type of journalism that gives people the big picture on the complex and fragmented federal budget process. We created this news game to help Americans feel they can understand and participate in the national debate over the election, the budget and the direction of our country.”

Skoler shared with me that the game was in the talking stages for over a year and a half. “We sometimes thought we were crazy to build something as ambitious as a game…something that was journalistically sound yet simple enough for all to understand and take part in.“ With the involvement of many firms, think tanks, the Budget Office, as well as help from game development consultant Ben Sawyer, Budget Hero soft launched in May.

“The saying ‘you can’t understand until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ best describes Budget Hero,” said David Rejeski, who heads the Serious Games Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “The game empowers players to take on the role of our government officials and allows anyone to try out their solutions and ideas on how to manage the federal budget.”

So let’s play……  [Read More…]

Scribbls: A Big Draw with Little Doodles

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To stand out in a world that launches a new start-up company, application, or website almost hourly is not an easy task. Ask anyone who witnessed the demo at the latest Minnebar in the Twin Cities or has had the good fortune to discover the site that has been live for about three weeks and, after they stop laughing, they will tell you Scribbls is a standout.

The brain child of Watermelon Sauce* co-founders Zach Johnson and Paul Armstrong, Scribbls has been bubbling under the surface for the past few years. These chronic doodlers made the site public just three short weeks ago.

The basic premise of a scribbl is incredibly simple. Users are asked to create doodles by using existing ones and combining them. The formula, according to Zach, is a straightforward one: A+B=C. He also notes that the University of Minnesota is actually studying something similar as it applies to non-verbal communication. Scribbls on the forefront of science. Yeah, who knew?

These scribbls play on collaboration and can lead to hilarious results. They both enjoy the proliferation of people drawing and reusing bacon on the site in their doodles: “Everything is better with bacon!” they say in unison.

…  [Read More…]

Nabbit Moves Beyond Tagging

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On May 13th a press release announced the new partnership between Eagan-based Jump Technologies’ Nabbit service and CBS Radio, Minneapolis (102.9 Lite FM, 104.1 Jack FM, 830 WCCO AM). This partnership will further move Nabbit from a relatively simple tagging application into a full blown marketing tool. On that day, the eve of the big rollout of said partnership, I sat down with Nabbit chief (“Chief Nabber” on the business card), John Freund, to talk about the Nabbit, where it started, where it is and where it’s going.

Nabbit was born some two years ago as Freund and his team at Jump Technologies were discussing the eBay purchase of Skype. “I remember saying how great it would be to have 50 million subscribers to anything.” The discussion included colleague (and radio fan) Norton Lam’s thoughts about tagging radio content. So was the birth of Nabbit. According to Freund, “The first year we dedicated about 10% of Jump Technologies resources to Nabbit.” That has clearly grown as Nabbit has evolved, indicating a great deal of confidence in the potential of the business.

At first, it truly was a “content play” offering listeners of radio the ability to tag songs and advertisements via internet enabled cell phones. Those tagged pieces of content are placed into the Nabbit user’s account for later action including purchase or artist and advertiser info.

“We found that while users were tagging music they were actually tagging more advertising and the calls to action that they provided.” This led to what Nabbit describes as the first service that allows marketers to combine broadcast, mobile, direct response, and online advertising into one integrated consumer marketing campaign.

Here’s how it works.…  [Read More…]

Bellying Up to the ‘Bar for The Seven Deadlies

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Curt Prins at MinnebarAs part of Minnebar last Saturday I had the pleasure of sitting in on the “7 Deadly Mistakes of Start-up Marketing” presented by Curt Prins, marketing consultant focusing on emerging technology companies. In a full board room at Coffman Union on the U of M Campus, Curt took us through what he considers to the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make as they begin to develop and market their company or products. (I had a chance to Twitter those “mistakes” live but they deserve just a bit more focus.)

Mistake #1 Target Market Greed. A common problem that afflicts most new companies. In the quest to market to the most bodies, they target way beyond their sweet spot. The tighter the niche that you focus on the better results you will get. Curt demonstrated his point with a very simple “pie” chart. Cut out a slice, and then cut it again. Reaching that small piece of the pie will yield tastier results. Not to mention it’s a much better use of your marketing budget.

Mistake #2 Prospect Gluttony. Similar in nature to the above Target Market Greed, the more you wander outside of the group that really needs your product the more disappointing the results.

Mistake #3 Product Pride. It’s your baby! Clearly, it’s the answer to everyone’s needs…or do they even give a #*@? (Curt’s word, or rather, punctuation.) Your product is an extension of you and of course benefits you. Does it benefit your prospects?…  [Read More…]

Accomplishing MPR’s Mission: Innovation at Work.

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You’ll see much on this site about the development of new applications, software, products and systems. We’d also like you to see how Minnesota companies are using them to accomplish their goals.

Minnesota Public Radio has always endeavored to be a leader in employing new technology in the daily business of radio broadcasting. One look around their beautiful facility in St. Paul will tell you that. From state of the art broadcast equipment to the video presentations throughout the building it’s apparent that MPR embraces technology and innovation.

However, MPR isn’t just using new technology to make the lobby look great. There is genuine dedication to improving the listener’s experience whether they are music fans, news junkies or would be residents of Lake Wobegon. In fact, according to Michael Bettison, Director, New Media at MPR, “Our audience is where the power of our medium is going.”

Bettison joined MPR in 2001 after stints with a web development company in New York and worked with the likes of Time Magazine and PBS. His first of order of business was to properly position the information MPR was providing on air, what he terms “legacy content”, on line. Additional attention needed to be paid to correctly orienting the staff to use the assets given to them by broadcast to focus the content online. This also led to web getting “a seat at the editorial table” at MPR,” a place that some companies are still trying to sort out in their overall strategy. In fact, some still see web as a competitor to traditional media. Bettison noted no such trepidation at MPR. “The only concern was that of workload. However, we were able to take advantage of the enthusiasm shown by the staff to address those concerns.”…  [Read More…]