Minnov8

Showcasing Minnesota Technology Innovation

Minneapolis Alt.Net User Group Formed

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Minneapolis is getting a new affinity group of .Net developers called Alt.Net. Jamie Thingelstad just gave me a heads-up to his post about this group, knowing that some Minnov8 readers might like to attend.

What is “Alt.Net”. From their site:

At it’s purest, the driving force behind the ALT.NET developer community may be described simply as “The pursuit of happiness.” While Microsoft has provided developers with a powerful framework and a bunch of very good tools and packages to build upon, it often feels like too much effort was put into a “one-size-fits-all” design philosophy that can make it complex, tedious, or just plain impossible to do things that don’t follow Microsoft’s prescribed approach.

With other development platforms and languages offering so much choice (Java and it’s many quality open source offerings) and elegance (Ruby on Rails with its “beautiful” code and “convention over configuration” philosophy), .NET developers longed to craft cleaner, more elegant solutions without having to leave a framework that has so much to offer.

ALT.NET is about following your own beliefs about application design, and using the .NET platform to support your ideas, rather than retro-fitting your ideas to the platform.

Jamie had his eye caught by the logo, reminiscent of the old Grain Belt sign that used to caste its shadow over Hennepin Avenue. The moment I hit Jamie’s blog and then Alt.Net’s site, it caught mine too.

As a kid, we used to go down and pick up my grandparents from the Great Northern Railroad depot (my Grandpa worked for the railroad for 44 years and had lifetime free travel on it) and that sign was the first thing I recognized and, of course, Grain Belt was my first beer at 15, so fun logo for your site guys!

Best Buy Shakes Up VC Liaison Group

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The longtime head of the group within Best Buy Co. that served as liaison to the venture capital community is out, replaced by two senior VPs. Martin Nyman told me his position was eliminated June 30. He had been with the company for approximately seven years, with a recent title of Director-Global Innovation Network. At one time, Nyman had a staff of four, but that group was cut in April 2006 as part of a headquarters staff reduction.

A source inside the company described the recent moves as “the usual restructuring.” I was told that all VC-related activities are now under Rick Rommel, SVP-Emerging Business. Rommel reports to Kal Patel, whose title is EVP-Emerging Business. Also within Patel’s organization, I learned, is a second SVP-Emerging Business, Neil McPhail. My source tells me McPhail’s responsibilities are “less direct VC-related, although there is some overlap.” His main responsibilities relate to the stores and to the company’s “growth accelerator” initiative.

Yet another group within Best Buy is one that deals directly with the company’s own VC funding investments. That function has been headed for some time by Kuk Yi (first name pronounced “cook”), and is a part of the Finance function, specifically the Treasurer’s office. Yi also has a “dotted line” reporting relationship to Patel, I was told.

Late in March of 2008, a story broke via the blogosphere that Best Buy was forming a new VC fund of its own — actually two funds — which I later learned was an initiative headed by Kuk Yi, and it was seeking to hire Principals and Associates for those VC funds (as many as four positions). Here’s a blog post I did about the blog buzz and speculation going on at that time. The local Business Journal weekly broke the story in the Twin Cities media on March 28, picking up on the earliest blog reports.

No Action Since March?
The most surprising thing I learned from my sources recently is that no one has yet been hired for any of these positions. So, the question remains: just what is Best Buy doing in regard to formalizing its own venture investing function? And what changes, if any, can be expected in the liaison activity with the VC community at large, based on Nyman’s departure?

One thing is certain: Marti Nyman leaves Best Buy with a wealth of relationships with scores of VCs, including many of the most successful ones in Silicon Valley, where he spent much of his time. While assessing his next move, Nyman is doing business development consulting with a Twin Cities-based technology startup that had previously raised $5 million in venture capital and, he says, is on the verge of achieving significant adoption of its technology.

ComicTwit: Putting the “wit” in “Twitter”

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Minnov8 contributor, Phil Wilson, has launched a new Twitter app just for the fun of it.  ComicTwit, a name derived from the combination of ‘comic wit’ and ‘Twitter’, launched “live and in full-screen beta!” late today. “I was looking for a way to inject more fun into micro-blogging. I like to say ComicTwit will put the ‘wit” in Twitter,” says Wilson.

Twitter’ers are invited to compose a joke, anecdote, or one liner at www.ComicTwit.com and submit it. After moderation, the “tWIT” rolls into a queue which posts to Twitter and an on-site archive so people can see all ComicTwit’s posted. “Right now we’re posting to Twitter about once an hour. Hopefully that will always leave our followers wanting more…one of the cardinal rules of comedy, ya know,” Wilson says.

The challenge will be to come up comedy in just 140 characters. “One-liners are easy. Jokes are another story, one that has to be told in very few words.” Though it doesn’t have to be original, fresh comedy is great. “Why not try out your new stuff before your next appearance on Conan…or at lunch with your peeps. If not, just make us laugh.”

Invitations went out to a select group of Tweeple (Wilson’s name for Twitter microbloggers….NOT mine!) including me, late Thursday afternoon. Wilson noted, “This is really a labor of love and we are all about the beta. We’ll see how much creativity is out there in the Twitterverse and see how the application handles it. I’ve got a ton of folks to thank for making it happen especially Steve Borsch and Johnee Bee.”

In addition to writing for Minnov8, Phil runs RemainComm, a media consultancy and blog. He is also the co-founder of Localtone Systems, designing and implementing user generated and controlled music applications including Localtone Radio. For those of us who know Phil Wilson well, I should end this post with one, little factoid: ComicTwit is the perfect and logical creation from the mind of a guy we all affectionately know as a truly world-class smart-ass!

CentralStandardTech & MinneLR

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Central Standard Tech and MinneLE imageCentralStandardTech, a site tended by Minnesota geek Luke Francl (yes, that Luke from Minnebar and Minnedemo fame), is one I frequent to stay appraised of all things tech in our State and is in my #1 folder of feeds in my RSS reader.

From a great tech blogroll to a calendar of events and, especially, an aggregation of posts from those blogs, it’s a site you should frequent if you’re interested in technology in Minnesota and the people here with propellers on their beanies building great software and leveraging web and internet innovation trends.

Much to my delight today, I discovered a new forum by Jamie Thinglestad (former CTO of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network) called MinneLightroom. If you’re not an Adobe Lightroom fan like I am then this is of little interest to you, but there are a couple of things of note:

1) Adobe Lightroom is developed right here in Minnesota at the Adobe engineering office in Arden Hills

2) Jamie is using the WordPress ‘bbpress‘ forum software — one I’m interested in but find far too limiting currently — but he was able to get this forum up-n-running quickly for a narrow audience of Minnesota Lightroom fans. Granted, he’s pretty adept at WordPress (as evidenced by his session on optimizing it at the recent MinneBar), but deploying this forum has created a focal point in MN for interested Lightroom users and is there if you’re interested in joining.

I encourage you to head over to CentralStandardTech right now and just poke around. If you’re interested in Minnesota tech happenings and the people involved in it here, it’ll be your hub.

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.)

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…]

TinyURL: Making long URL’s short

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Did you know that a tiny service used 1.5 billion times per month was created in Minnesota? TinyURL is a service I’ve used often (especially when using Twitter) and this creation by Blaine, MN developer, Kevin Gilbertson, is quite popular.

I was first alerted that this was a Minnesota creation by St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata (column, blog) when he put out a ‘tweet’ on Twitter about the service’s Minnesota connection. Of course, I poked around to find out more and was just delighted on what I discovered.

Then sitting down to breakfast this morning with the StarTribune, I saw this article entitled, “TinyURL developer basking in website’s success” which covers the man behind TinyURL and a bit about the service. The article lays out how Gilbertson could make ~$1 million per month but chooses not to have annoying popup ads (thank you Kevin!). He makes enough per month that he apparently doesn’t need to work outside of making TinyURL better and is able to focus on his passion for unicycling (peek at the Strib article for more).

Julio’s writing, the Strib’s coverage and ours is fantastic for a new and successful Minnesota startup, but not everyone agrees that services like TinyURL are ones we should rely upon….  [Read More…]

Thirty Semifinalists Named in ‘Minnesota Cup’ Business Plan Competition

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I attended and Twittered a bit at a reception Wednesday evening, June 25, at the grand, old James J. Hill Library in downtown St. Paul. (You remember old J.J., don’t you, the Bill Gates of his era?) It was an event to honor the startups who made it to the next round of the Minnesota Cup, an annual, statewide competition that seeks out aspiring entrepreneurs and their breakthrough ideas. The 30 lucky semifinalists were selected from a record of 840 entries in this fourth and largest year of the competition, and will vie for prizes that include $50,000 in cash for the first-place winner. An interesting tidbit I picked up at the reception: about 10% of the 840 entrants were Web 2.0 related.

Scott Litman, cofounder of the event, told me the competition this year was the toughest ever, and that many plans that might have made the cut in previous years didn’t. He also told me that, unfortunately, many entrants may have had great business concepts, but they were not understandable — the submissions were either poorly written, or riddled with so many acronyms and buzzwords that the judges flat-out did not know what the heck the submitter was talking about. (So, take heart, rejectees. You may be great at selling your ideas verbally — now work on the written word.)

Here’s how the Minnesota Cup site states its mission: “We’re looking for the next great entrepreneurial success story in our state. This competition is for all entrepreneurs, whether your breakthrough idea is high tech or no tech, whether you are just putting your ideas into a business plan or if you’ve been out building your venture.” Well, I wonder if it’s possible that any who entered, and especially the chosen semifinalists, could really be “no tech” in this day and age? That would be hard to imagine. And, in looking over the list, there’s nary a one that would seem not to rely on technology in their businesses. (Although some without a website certainly have the aura of no-tech at this point, perhaps awaiting prize money to build? And what’s with all the student semifinalists being listed with no websites?) As for the lack of a requirement that the business be new, i.e., that older startups can also apply, I know at least two on the list are four to five years old and still chasing $50k. Ah, hope springs eternal. Here’s the full list:…  [Read More…]

Backstage Gallery: Your Ticket to Music Memories

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Imagine having access to hundreds of thousands of high quality photographs of your favorite musical artists. Glimpses of concerts past. Peeks backstage and views of these musicians as they prepare for, or wind down from, their time on stage.

Backstage Gallery is a Minnesota born company that launched last month and is delivering exactly that online.

The idea for it emerged from the mind of the now retired Best Buy president of US retail stores, Mike Keskey, as he searched for high quality photographs of his favorite musicians for his new media room in a second home located in the Brainerd Lakes area.

Going online and searching he found numerous outlets at the low end selling cheap, cheesy posters alongside a handful of high end galleries that charged in the thousands of dollars for prints of photographs from renowned, published photographers.

After an exhausting search for photos suitable for framing that weren’t pedestrian or a cliche, Keskey thought, “there has to be a better way and there’s a business here!”…  [Read More…]

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Kwingo Launches Mobile Language Apps

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What do you do when you’re a successful, female, mid-career IT and operations executive with several big-name companies, and you decide to try something different? Why, you launch a mobile web apps company, that’s what!

Actually Lisa Foote first took some time to give back by using her executive skills for a year or so of non-profit charity work (with the United Way of Minnesota), after successful stints at Target, GE Capital, and Prudential. But it wasn’t long when the for-profit drive was back, and soon she was plotting, with husband Brad Roberts, a new business idea for solving language challenges in today’s increasingly global economy. And it just so happened that Web 2.0 technology was going to play a part — because Brad, who has a highly eclectic creative and business background, had become a self-taught Ruby on Rails developer.

The Birth of Kwingo
Foote and Roberts newly discovered life as entrepreneurs soon resulted in the birth of Kwingo.net, a venture they introduced earlier this year. Its mission is to bring simple, useful productivity tools to professionals working in field occupations using web-based mobile devices as a platform for delivery.

With her experience working in large enterprises, Foote knew that labor workforces were continuing to globalize, and that language challenges would just continue to multiply. Kwingo would provide the tools workers in the field needed to communicate with coworkers who speak a different language, helping everyone work more productively and safely….  [Read More…]