News & Events — Page 7

Workface HTML5 Chat Debuts

July 8, 2014 By Steve Borsch

Workface is a Minneapolis-based company that delivers real-time and, as they call it, “uniquely humanized” sales enablement and customer support technologies for the Web, mobile and more.

Their product is a website add-on that creates an opportunity to connect prospects and customers to a company internal (and available at the moment) inside sales or customer support folks. If your favorite person isn’t available, you can leave messages too.

As someone who is very familiar with Workface’ value proposition (disclaimer: I’ve also done work for Workface in the past) I must admit that one barrier I saw back in 2010 to wider adoption was to move away from Adobe Flash entirely. Especially now that “mobile first” seems to be the mission-critical strategy for most online deployment—and Adobe announced ceasing mobile support back in late 2011—this HTML5 direction removes one potential, and key, objection.

Founder and CTO Lief Larson kept me informed about their direction and that HTML5 was close. Smart move Workface!

New HTML5 Chat Application from Workface Enhances User Experience

Fully-Responsive Interface Supports All Web Platforms and Mobile Browsers

(Minneapolis, Minn. – July 8, 2014) – Workface, the leading solution for real-time and uniquely humanized Web-based sales enablement and customer support today announces the launch of Workface v2.0 its HTML5-based technology. Built on the company’s popular chat functionality, the new application makes Workface available to users on all modern Web platforms and mobile browsers, while offering a fully-responsive interface to facilitate real-time customer interaction.

“The ability to chat on all modern desktop and mobile browsers in real-time is a benefit that will allow our agents, customers and potential customers greater access to each other, in a way that resembles face-to-face interaction,” said Dawn Mortimer, American Family Insurance innovation director.

Workface founder Lief Larson said the user interface shift enhances both the customer and client experiences. The IP geolocation can identify a customer’s whereabouts to a level of granularity never seen before in live chat. In addition, real-time browser preview allows businesses to track the movements of website visitors in real-time.

Workface 2.0 is responsively designed to work seamlessly with mobile devices.

“This is a game changer for Workface users on many levels,” Larson said. “Using HTML5, prospects can chat with agents from virtually any Web-connected device, including tablets, smart phones, and even some Web-enabled televisions. Customers can choose when and where they’d like to chat, even when they’re on the go. The customers get flexibility and convenience, while the business gets more insight and visibility into their needs.”

“Workface has always been about providing a communications platform that can restore the human element to real-time online sales and customer service,” said Kevin Erdman, Workface CEO. “Our mission is to empower businesses by giving them tools for personalized, high-quality interactions. Whether their customers prefer text, audio or video chat, or want to connect with a specific agent, we provide the interactive relationship-building and support tools that today’s online prospective and current customers now demand.”

Workface’s overriding goal has been to make doing business on the Web more human. Its sales enablement Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution provides real-time, one-on-one communications with prospective and current clients. Clients range from Travel Leaders, to American Family Insurance to the Cleveland Browns NFL football team.

About Workface
Workface is a Web-based sales enablement platform based in Minneapolis, Minn. that humanizes the Internet by providing real-time communication between sales professionals and today’s online prospects and customers. The SaaS model solution provides a platform to connect via authentic, multi-channel, real-time text, audio and video chat. The Workface solution includes website and social media integration to create a better online experience for customers and businesses. Workface tools bring human contact to the Internet-based buying process, delivering “Real People, Real Answers, Real Time.” For more information, please visit www.workface.com.

About American Family Insurance
Based in Madison, Wis., American Family Insurance offers auto insurance, homeowners insurance, life insurance, health insurance, business and farm/ranch insurance in 19 states. American Family insurance is the nation’s third-largest mutual property/casualty insurance company and ranks 393rd on the Fortune 500 list. Web: www.amfam.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/amfam; Twitter: www.twitter.com/amfam; YouTube: www.youtube.com/amfam.

Helpful Links:
Twitter: @workface
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/workface

Media Contact:
Jennifer Jewett
Ubiquity Public Relations
jennifer@ubiquitypr.com
+1 (617) 913-2404

CoCo Expanding to Fargo with Emerging Prairie

June 25, 2014 By Steve Borsch

Fargo, June 25, 2014 – CoCo announced today that it will partner with Emerging Prairie to open a new location in Fargo, N.D. CoCo Fargo, slated to open in early August, 2014, will be located in a 6,000 square foot space at the historic Merchants National Bank Building, 112 1⁄2 N. Broadway. Both individual and group memberships at CoCo Fargo are available now, with registrations being taken at http://cocomsp.com.

Full press release is below…

Contact:
Don Ball don@cocomsp.com

CoCo to Partner with Emerging Prairie on Fargo, ND Location

Fargo, June 25, 2014 – CoCo announced today that it will partner with Emerging Prairie to open a new location in Fargo, N.D.

CoCo Fargo, slated to open in early August, 2014, will be located in a 6,000 square foot space at the historic Merchants National Bank Building, 112 1∕2 N. Broadway. Both individual and group memberships at CoCo Fargo are available now, with registrations being taken at http://cocomsp.com

This new CoCo location – the company’s first outside the Twin Cities – is the result of a three year grassroots effort by Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC), the Kilbourne Group and the founders of Emerging Prairie. “With the continued growth of Emerging Prairie and the partnership with CoCo, the preeminent coworking space operator in the Midwest, Fargo is ready to take the next step in its entrepreneurial development. This partnership supports local business growth and sustained economic development for the region,” said GFMEDC President Jim Gartin.

As part of this ongoing partnership, CoCo will manage the space and membership, while Emerging Prairie will organize events and meetups. “We are committed to supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Greg Tehven, cofounder of Emerging Prairie. “We believe that a collaborative work space improves the work experience for people, especially entrepreneurs. Our new partnership with CoCo is an important step toward increasing innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship in the region,” he said.

Although planning and construction is still underway, CoCo anticipates having enough space to serve at least 100 members, including dedicated space for individuals and small startups. In addition, the space will be reconfigurable to allow for events. CoCo Fargo members will have access to all CoCo locations.

For CoCo, expansion to Fargo is part of a strategy to connect entrepreneurs and innovators across the region. “We’re honored to be invited to Fargo,” said CoCo CEO Kyle Coolbroth. “There’s an extraordinary level of enthusiasm and commitment in this city. Our goal is to actively support all those who want to build new businesses and help Fargo grow,” he said

About CoCo coworking and collaborative space

CoCo is a shared workspace where entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small businesses and corporate workgroups can gather to share ideas, team up on projects and get work done. CoCo has locations in downtown and Uptown Minneapolis, Minn., St. Paul, Minn., and now in Fargo, N.D. More information: http://cocomsp.com

About Emerging Prairie
Emerging Prairie is a digitalmedia company committed to informing, connecting and activating the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the upper great plains. With a primary focus on startups, technology, and innovation, we operate an online publication and host events that highlights the entrepreneurs, creatives and innovators shaping our region’s future. More information: http://emergingprairie.com

Tech Cocktail’s Twin Cities Mixer & Startup Showcase

June 23, 2014 By Steve Borsch

Another Tech Cocktail Social is happening in the Twin Cities this September! You will want to attend to network since these are very fun events and so many key people are in attendance.

That said, if you are a startup know this: Two of the Tech Cocktail Minneapolis startups who present will be chosen by the local audience and will have a chance to attend Tech Cocktail Celebrate and meet a ton of VC’s and influentials in September. More on that event below and in the section HOW DOES OUR STARTUP GET CONSIDERED?

TO ATTEND, NETWORK & PARTY

When: September 11, 2014 from 6:30-9pm
Where: Café Inc • 4940 W 77th St Edina, MN 55435 (Map)
Event & Ticket page: Tech Cocktail Social/Minneapolis

TO ATTEND, NETWORK & COMPETE AS A STARTUP
If you are a startup that meets the criteria below, you could win a spot to the Tech Cocktail national shootout called Tech Cocktail Celebrate, held October 6th & 7th in Las Vegas. If you are selected as one of the two Tech Cocktail Minneapolis winners, you will attend and present at this two-day conference with hundreds of attendees, industry leaders and inspiring speakers.

You will also meet the hottest startups and investors from around the country, as well as learn and collaborate with others turning their communities into startup cities. In addition, you will enjoy music, parties and llama spotting.

Here is a two minute video recap of the 2013 event:

HOW DOES OUR STARTUP GET CONSIDERED?

You will apply and then selections will be made for Tech Cocktail Minneapolis startup presenters. To be considered, you must qualify with these criteria:

Overall Criteria:
- Less than 3 years old
- Raised less than $1M thus far
- Be an independent company (no subsidiaries)
- Startups must have a working beta or better product.
Regional Event Criteria:
- Startup must be Minnesota-based in order to get in to this regional Tech Cocktail Social/Minneapolis event.

Application page: Apply now for inclusion at the Twin Cities event. Please note, unlike Tech Cocktail Mixers, startups will not showcase at the event and must be in attendance when winners are chosen in order to win.

Tech Cocktail Social/Minneapolis is hosted by Kim Garretson (LinkedIn), now a Research Fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at University of Missouri; Board Member at Twin Cities Public Television; and Founder & General Partner of Ventures at Ovative/Group.

Ignite Minneapolis Event on Thursday

June 10, 2014 By Steve Borsch

Ignite Minneapolis 7 will be held Thursday, June 12, 2014 at Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, home of Twin Cities’ best movie theater popcorn. Get tickets here.

NEW…A LIVE STREAM! In case you’re not coming to Ignite in person, there will be a live stream brought to you by Rewire. To access the live stream, just visit the Ignite Minneapolis home page on Thursday evening and click the live stream link which will then appear.

What is Ignite?

Ignite Minneapolis brings together local thinkers, writers, designers, coders, makers and entrepreneurs for an evening of rapid-fire talks given by people with a burning passion for their topic. Some talks are serious science, others are pure satire – but each talk must be about a compelling idea or story. Attendees come to learn and to be inspired.

The Ignite format works like this: Each speaker prepares a deck of 20 slides which auto-advance every 15 seconds, giving each speaker 5 minutes to give their talk. The rapid-fire pace of this format often makes for a frenetic delivery, and the variety of topics means the audience is unlikely to ever get bored. The motto of Ignite is, “Enlighten us, but make it quick.”

Smartphone “Kill Switch” Now Law in Minnesota

May 15, 2014 By Steve Borsch

photo credit: Office of Governor Mark Dayton

It is done. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed legislation late yesterday (Chapter 241, SF1740) which requires that all new smartphones sold in Minnesota after July 1, 2015, have an anti-theft “kill switch” function. A kill switch function enables smartphone owners to remotely disable their smartphone if it is lost or stolen, rendering the devices useless to thieves and reducing the incentive for a growing wave of violent cell phone thefts.

“This law will help combat the growing number of violent cell phone thefts in Minnesota,” said Governor Dayton. “I thank Representative Atkins, Senator Sieben, Senator Dziedzic, law enforcement officials, and the many student advocates who championed this legislation.”

More on the Governor’s blog post is here.

The Verge published this article late last night which had some interesting perspective that calls this bill in to doubt and whether it’s a moot point anyway:

Strangely, the actual text of Minnesota’s “kill switch” bill doesn’t actually require a kill switch at all. The letter of the law simply states that phones be “equipped with preloaded antitheft functionality or be capable of downloading that functionality,” without specifying what “antitheft” means or what sorts of protections the software might actually offer.

However, that might be a moot point: nearly every major player in the smartphone industry has already promised to offer remote lock and remote wipe functionality by next July. Minnesota’s law and other legislation like it are simply codifying what smartphone manufacturers and US cellular carriers are already working towards. The law gives those companies until January 2015 to explain how antitheft software will help.

It remains to be seen if this will be an important tool for consumers—and actually slow down or stop thefts of smartphones—or there will be a workaround thieves will discover and use anyway. We are also uncertain whether or not a “killed” smartphone can simply be sent offshore and re-enabled on an overseas carrier’s network.

Hopefully built-in kill switches won’t also be targets of black-hat hackers who install malware on smartphones and are thus capable of remotely killing a phone.

SPS Commerce’ Omnichannel – A Big Vision

May 7, 2014 By Steve Borsch

SPS Commerce, Inc. (SPSC) is a Minneapolis-based supply chain company that has, remarkably, been able to achieve 53 consecutive quarters of revenue growth. Good, solid, organic growth that has been slow and steady, though anything but exciting.

That is about to change.

This week SPS Commerce held their Omnichannel 14 event at the Marriott in downtown Minneapolis (recap here). The morning kickoff session on Monday was standing room only, much better attended than even the SPS team obviously planned for in advance.

Why so much interest in supply chain infrastructure software and services, especially from a company that did just over $104M in revenue in 2013? (2013 annual report PDF) Because of the huge challenges facing retailers as they try to compete with the accelerating changes caused by internet connectedness: ecommerce; social influence; supply chain efficiencies; and an constantly increasing level of expectation on the part of the consumer. A consumer who increasingly can get what they want, when they want it, at the best possible price, and it better come from a retailer that “gets it”.

Retailers have to make certain they can satisfy that consumer and also stock (or have instant access to) the products to back it up. If they don’t, the consumer is a click or touch away from buying elsewhere.

We’ve also been wondering why a serial entrepreneur who could go anywhere, Jamie Thingelstad (seen walking down the aisle in the photo above), would end up as the CTO at this small supply chain company. After hearing about their big vision at this event and talking with Jamie, it became clear that the enormity of the opportunity, and SPS’ position in the marketplace, makes this company a great place to work!

SETTING THE STAGE

SPS COO, Jim Frome, set the stage for the entire event with his kickoff presentation. He went through the historical view of omnichannel retail (previously dubbed “multichannel”) and what happened to lead us to the present day. A day where continued economic uncertainty is still negatively impacting retail and ecommerce is no longer a bolt-on: it must be an integrated experience. A day when the channels and ways in which consumers can buy are exploding and products are coming to market so fast that keeping up with item demand is incredibly difficult.

Jim Frome

Frome went on to lay out how social media has become a dominant way people participate online (240m Twitter users and 1.23b Facebook users) which is driving purchase behavior, something traditional supply chain companies rarely even think about let alone bake in to their strategies.

He also laid out how the ubiquity of mobile is another key factor that is making it very hard for retailers to always be at the point of purchase when the customer is ready to buy. With 180m tablets & 1B smartphones in use there is an obvious and absolute requirement to have a digital presence but it’s more than that. The key is to be available to engage with the always on, always connected mobile user regardless of where they happen to be at the moment and whether or not that are even actively interacting with the retailer.

Competitive pressures are huge and accelerating too. From same day delivery to the growing mandate to significantly increase the items available in a retailer’s assortment, make the challenges facing retailers enormous.

Don’t think retailers have many challenges?
Look at this representation from Deloitte’s Global Powers of Retailing 2014 report (PDF)

Many of us not directly involved in retail probably have little clue about all the moving parts in the supply chain that leads up to the retailer and, in turn, to the consumer.

Several of my colleagues think “the big retailer challenge” boils down to showrooming and Amazon. Even though competing with Amazon is something many retailers contend with (both bricks-and-mortar and ecommerce ones), the challenges go far beyond that company in Seattle!

What do retailers think are their top issues? Deloitte report Global Powers of Retailing 2014 (PDF) had the graphic above which gives you, at a glance, at least an idea of the sorts of pressures retailers are facing. The sheer number of variables are overwhelming which is the primary reason why retailers are increasingly seeking strategic solutions, like those from SPS Commerce, to deal with the onslaught.

The Fourth Annual State of the Retail Supply Chain Report (PDF) by Auburn University and Retail Industry Leaders Association, is another good read. This report laid out the critical issues weighing on the minds of the 75 supply chain executives surveyed (from top retailers around the United States) but the top four hot button issues are key to understanding what is driving top retailers…as well as the concerns of leaders at smaller regional chains or individual stores:

1) Managing network growth (i.e., store and geographic expansion)
2) Serving omnichannel demand
3) Optimizing resource utilization
4) Navigating regulatory environment

Yep. Omnichannel is #2. So what would a smart strategy and big vision be for a retail supply chain company like SPS Commerce to execute on for 2014 and beyond?

THE BIG VISION

SPS is already well along the way toward having a critical mass to execute on a big vision: They have 50,000 in-network partners; source 1.3 million products from 7,000 companies (the largest in the world); have 35 million UPCs managed; support all fulfillment models; are deployed in 300,000 retail locations; and have a great reputation.

One way to see that in action is this press release that came out right after NetSuite’s CEO, Zach Nelson, talked about it on stage Monday afternoon: NetSuite And SPS Commerce Deepen Product Integration To Deliver Intelligent Commerce Collaboration. It describes how and why an alliance between NetSuite and SPS Commerce happened, why it makes sense, and what it will do.

Not only will SPS Commerce be able to tap in to NetSuite’s 20,000 customer base, NetSuite can integrate SPS’ supply chain capabilities and software into their platform. A classic win-win partnership and I’ll bet the first of many, especially as SPS’ vision becomes more well known.

Jim Frome & the big vision
(photo by @thingles)

SPS Commerce describes themselves as having “...the industry’s most broadly adopted, retail cloud services platform” and as “… a leader in cloud-based supply chain management solutions“. What I didn’t know was the extent to which SPS “...provides numerous prewired, proven integrations and comprehensive retail performance analytics to thousands of customers worldwide. With a singular focus on the retail marketplace, we revolutionized traditional EDI systems by developing a platform that enables highly cost-effective and reliable trading partner collaboration.” (my emphasis in bold)

There is that word “platform.” One we all hope to hear and read about when we look at how a company might scale, create an ecosystem, accelerate customer acquisition, and potentially grow like mad.

Without going in to great detail, just know that SPS has an already solid and growing customer base, partners in place and an already vibrant and emerging ecosystem. If they keep growing it at the pace they’ve been at, it will be interesting. If their ecosystem leaps forward like many suspect (and we are in that camp), then SPS Commerce is poised to become the dominant player in the omnichannel space.

SPS Commerce can do so because they have all the right pieces and parts already (and need to add more), don’t have to deal with enormous legacy software and major customer implementations stretching back to years before the internet, and can move quickly to execute on their vision for a smart, capable, scalable and ubiquitous supply chain. One that has partner extensions that will extend it in ways we cannot yet predict.

With a CTO like Jamie Thingelstad on board—someone who intuitively understands scalability, ecosystems, platforms, the web, social media, and all the ways in which these are impacting retailers and the supply chain itself—SPS has a bright future when it comes to the technology to drive their platform.

Resources

Accenture: Retail Technology Vision 2014 (PDF)

Global Retail in 2014 – Omni-channel, Service Innovation & the IT Balancing Act (PDF)

Forrester: Customer Desires vs. Retailer Capabilities: Minding the Omni-Channel Commerce Gap (PDF)

Omnichannel Retail on Pinterest

Sen. Franken’s Net Neutrality Petition

May 4, 2014 By Steve Borsch

Senator Al Franken just posted an online petition to SAVE THE INTERNET – SAVE NET NEUTRALITY.

It says:

“A federal court just dealt net neutrality a huge setback.

If we don’t fight back, the big telecom companies could soon be able to control the Internet — resulting in unfair competition for small businesses and higher prices (for worse service!) for consumers.

Fight back by signing on below — and let’s make it clear that we support net neutrality!”

How many startup venture capitalists would want to fund large fees to pay-to-play on the internet? Not many.

If you don’t care yet and would like to read yet another short but balanced article, this is a good one: A Primer: Just What Is Net Neutrality — and Why All the Fuss?

Then if you are so motivated, go here to add your name to the list on the Senator’s petition.

Rockin’ Appapalooza.

April 27, 2014 By Phil Wilson

As I walked into the room at TechnovationMN‘s Appapalooza I was hit by Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty to Me”. Wait, my mistake….it was the intro to the group “Talk Nerdy To Me,” a team of young women from Great River School presenting their application to the crowd. They were one of many teams of girls participating in the weekend event that served as the culmination of the Technovation Challenge. As noted in Graeme’s recent post, for the past 12 weeks, teams have been working on mobile applications that satisfy real problems in the community. The afternoon highlighted apps that provide help with organizing for school, preventing sexual assault and natural alternatives to current health and beauty products. All of the applications from teams like Tech Leopards, French Toast Mafia, and Talk Nerdy to Me are eligible to win up to $20,000 in funding for further development. It was great afternoon filled with music, fun, prizes and technology. The girls conceived, developed, and pitched their applications. Most importantly, it presented an exciting environment for young women to become involved in technology and inspire them as entrepreneurs…with a social conscience.

Technovation[MN]: Helping Young Women Discover Entrepreneurship

April 19, 2014 By Graeme Thickins

There’s an awesome new organization in Minnesota that’s inspiring middle-school and high-school girls to explore technology or entrepreneurship as a career. And thanks to my membership in CoCo, I had the good fortune recently to meet the cofounder of the Minnesota chapter of this global organization, which is called Technovation. Her name is Shawn Stavseth. The global organization is supported by technology leaders from MIT Media Lab, Google, Twitter, Dropbox, and Andreessen Horowitz.

Shawn recently left a career in marketing for Thomson Reuters and is now devoting some of her (extensive!) energy to this local chapter. At Thomson Reuters, she created and executed a mobile strategy, including adoption of native apps, mobile website, SMS, in-app ads, mobile payment, as well as gaming and ebooks, so this volunteer work is a natural for her. Follow Shawn here on Twitter and follow Technovation[MN] here.

Earlier this year, she and cofounder Matt Johnson began forming the Technovation[MN] chapter to bring the “Global Technovation Challenge” to Minnesota. This initiative is the largest and longest-running global technology competition exclusively for girls, to inspire their pursuit of STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math. For the year 2014, Minnesota will have a total of 18 teams participating in this competition for young women.

Through an intensive three-month, 50-hour curriculum, teams of young women work together to imagine, design, and develop mobile apps, then pitch their startup businesses to investors. Some 1,374 young women from 19 countries have already completed Technovation’s curriculum, thanks to dedicated local volunteers worldwide.

A Focus on Local Community Problems
The 2014 program theme challenges young women to develop an app to solve a real problem in their community. And, because Technovation’s curriculum teaches both technology and entrepreneurship, the program is accessible for beginner computer science students, yet still challenging for advanced students. In 2014, the program will award $20,000 in funding to the winning teams to use for further app development. No prior programming experience is necessary for students, or for teachers. The program is free to all participants.

At the culmination of the Technovation Challenge, Technovation[MN] hosts the “Appapalooza,” where it celebrates and congratulates all Minnesota Technovation Challenge teams on completing the 12-week curriculum, and then submits their work to headquarters. This year’s Appapalooza event will be on April 27 at TIES Education Center in Falcon Heights.

This fall, Technovation[MN] will again be hosting “App Days” to enable teen girls to build mobile apps, and to inspire them to participate in the Technovation Challenge. Since the launch of Technovation[MN], it has hosted three such App Days, during which it’s trained more than 100 teen girls and mentors from all over the Twin Cities area.

More Sponsors, Mentors, and Volunteers Needed!
If you’d like to explore how you could participate as an individual or company — whether at the upcoming event or in general — there are still opportunities for sponsorship  and/or for participating as a mentor or volunteer.

Can’t participate in person? Then please donate here to this very worthwhile community cause!

For the full story on this month’s event, here’s the press release:

Technovation[MN] Appapalooza:
“Tapping into an Aptitude for Apps”
Event For Young Women April 27

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., April 7, 2014 – Minnesotans are invited to celebrate young women in technology by attending the Technovation[MN] Appapalooza event on Sunday, April 27, 2014 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at TIES Training Center, 1667 Snelling Ave. N. in Falcon Heights, MN. This event features young women pitching their mobile app idea as part of the Technovation Challenge, a global technology entrepreneurship program.

Technovation[MN], which is launching the Technovation Challenge in Minnesota, inspires girls in middle and high school to dream up, design, code and pitch mobile phone apps that help their communities. The Technovation Challenge program is designed to attract and encourage the next generation of women technology entrepreneurs.

Twelve teams of girls, ages 10 to 19, from Twin Cities area middle schools and high schools have spent the last three months building their mobile app to compete in the international app building challenge. Each team builds an app that solves a community problem. Teams can choose to build an app for a non-profit or address a teen or womens’ issue.

The Challenge culminates with the April 27 Appapalooza event where participants will “pitch” their apps and unveil their work. Ten teams from the United States and other countries will then be selected to fly to Silicon Valley, CA to present their app ideas to real venture capitalists; the winning team will be awarded $10,000 to help commercialize their app.

“We’re working to close the gender gap in computer science by teaching girls how to code and how to be successful entrepreneurs,” explained Shawn Stavseth, Co-Founder of Technovation[MN]. “Designing mobile apps is real and tangible for these girls because their phones are something they use every day. We want girls to understand the powerful role that technology can play in solving world problems.”

The April 27 Appapalooza is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome. Register to attend the event by visiting http://technovationmn.org.

MOJO Minnesota’s Two Upcoming Events

April 9, 2014 By Steve Borsch

We were just alerted to two upcoming events hosted by MOJO Minnesota, the “…innovation co-operative comprised of like-minded business leaders working to fuel entrepreneurship and reignite Minnesota’s culture of innovation.”:

MSP Hackathon

MSP Hackathon is a bi-weekly event for growing startup companies. It’s free to attend and open to current startup companies and individuals looking to join a startup from an ownership, employee and/or volunteer level.

Starting tonight, MSP Hackathon will be held every other Wednesday from 5:30-8:30pm. There will be tables for companies to meet and work with their team. Internet, coffee, tea, etc. will also be available.

Wednesday, April 9
5:30 – 8:30pm
Cafe Inc.
4940 West 77th Street
Edina, MN 55435