TINC: How many businesses are in Found in Town’s network? How do the bars and nightclubs in the network benefit from using Found In Town? 

Zach Haller: We are finalizing a new interface that will cycle in a total of nine bars and restaurants, who will benefit in several ways: keychain advertising, building rapport with their customers who they’re providing a lost device recovery service to, and building a loyalty base with their users through their FiT mailing list. The new site will be ready very soon. Stay tuned!

TINC: What is the process for registering a found item? How long does it generally take?

ZH: Reporting a found item is quick and easy. The finder enters the FiT serial number on the lost item’s tag, provides their contact information if they’re comfortable, and leaves a short message for the item’s owner informing them of their item’s whereabouts. This can take less than a minute.

TINC: Your site mentions that after a user registers, they are given stickers with FiT codes to attach to their personal effects, which will aid in the recovery of the objects via Found In Town in the event that they are lost. Can users use Found In Town to recover items that do not have FiT codes? 

ZH: We are building a lost and found forum where site visitors can report lost items that were not tagged. This will be live later this year.

TINC: If a user’s item is found and they receive their anonymous email notifying them of the item’s discovery, what happens next? How does the user physically get their item back? 

ZH: That should be included in the message the finder sends to the owner of the lost item. It should be specific instructions like “Your phone was returned to the manager at Halsted’s Bar & Grill” or “Your keys were left in a taxi. Call 1-800-555-1234 to coordinate pickup”.

TINC: What has the feedback been, so far? Are there any great success stories using this system? 

ZH: The feedback has been very positive. When new people hear of it, the most common response is, why hasn’t this been done yet? TimeOut Chicago wrote a piece about the program in which the writer deliberately lost his tagged items. After 24 hours, 1 out of the 6 items of his was returned. That is the only person who has come forward with a success story to date. I can’t monitor what messages are transmitted, so the only way I will know if something works is if someone volunteers feedback. It should be a busy summer for Found in Town though, so hopefully more success stories will emerge over the next few months.

TINC: How does Found in Town plan to get the word out about this new system? 

ZH: Things have been bubbling on social media and at local events since January, but we are starting a concentrated marketing program this summer. There will be more content from us online, as well as some brand ambassadors out and about teaching new users about the service and helping them get activated.

TINC: Found in Town is a free service now. What’s your revenue model? 

ZH: Despite benefitting an end user, Found in Town’s service is provided as a marketing function to businesses interested in providing a lost and found recovery function. Our service is sold to businesses, and provided to their customers.

The following information about Found in Town comes from the Chicago Startup Catalog:

Funding Level: Pre-A Series (no external funding)
Industry Type: General Consumer
Employment Size: 1-10
Founder: Zach Haller
Founding Date: 2011

TINC: StageBloc describes the websites you offer as “customizable.” How much control can a user have over the design and user experience of their site?

Tom Giles: Our goal is to make it as easy and flexible as possible for StageBloc users to customize the look and feel of their site. Selecting a pre-made theme is the easiest solution for most. Since we provide open theming with full HTML, CSS, and JS access, users can customize existing themes or create and sell their own. This, along with our extensive API and open source development tools, provide for complete control over the design and UX of a StageBloc site.

TINC: What kind of customer support is offered for StageBloc users?

TG: We provide email and phone support for all users. Often this includes screen sharing on Skype. It’s our goal to make sure all our users are happy and well taken care of. Our extensive Developer Forum and network of third party partners (who work with users on customs projects) provide even more opportunities for support.

TINC: What demos or screenshot galleries are available for users to see what they are buying or able to develop with StageBloc?

TG: It’s completely free to sign up for StageBloc. The best way to get a feel for the product is to simply start using it. Account plan upgrades unlock additional features, which we demo in a variety of places.

TINC: Can users integrate an existing website or blog into their StageBloc platform?

TG: To help users get setup on StageBloc we let them import content from a variety of services. Though the list is always growing, it currently includes support for Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, Posterous, Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

TINC: How many people are currently using StageBloc?

TG: Though still in Private Beta, over a couple thousand people are using StageBloc.

TINC: Are StageBloc users individuals, or businesses?

TG: There’s a good mix of users on StageBloc that ranges from individuals to groups, larger brands, and businesses.

The following information about StageBloc comes from the Chicago Startup Catalog:

Funding Level:  Pre-A Series (no external funding)
Industry Type: Social Media
Employment Size: 1-10
Founders: Tom Giles (CEO) with co-founders Josh Holat, Greg Ipp, and Mike Branski
Founding Date: Aug 24, 2011

We all know a great website is the cornerstone to developing a business, and that includes more than just a great design; Straight North works with companies to create cutting-edge, effective and easy-to-manage websites complete with the newest CMS platforms, copywriting support and SEO optimization. Along with user-friendly design, Straight North web developers create online stores, allow for tracking and analysis, and offer quality support for their clients.

And in the most rapidly developing area of internet marketing, social media, Straight North has all the resources to enable companies to not only use social media platforms, but fully incorporate the benefits into a marketing model. Having a true dialog is key to making social media work for a company, and Straight North clients are given the tools to communicate in real-time with their customers through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging platforms and email campaigns, and the analytics tools to track their impact.

We all know a great website is the cornerstone to developing a business, and that includes more than just a great design; Straight North works with companies to create cutting-edge, effective and easy-to-manage websites complete with the newest CMS platforms, copywriting support and SEO optimization. Along with user-friendly design, Straight North web developers create online stores, allow for tracking and analysis, and offer quality support for their clients.

And in the most rapidly developing area of internet marketing, social media, Straight North has all the resources to enable companies to not only use social media platforms, but fully incorporate the benefits into a marketing model. Having a true dialog is key to making social media work for a company, and Straight North clients are given the tools to communicate in real-time with their customers through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging platforms and email campaigns, and the analytics tools to track their impact.

by Adam Vicinus, Managing Partner, The Atom Group

Clients often come to us with this request: “I want an App.” Although, at first glance, that request might seem simple, it can actually be a complex process. And, it might seem like a web and mobile application development firm, such as The Atom Group, might benefit from charging forward and building what the client wants, but we find it more valuable to determine exactly what it is our clients need. We pride ourselves in going beyond client satisfaction to a new service paradigm we call client elation.

Client Elation

In our commitment to providing extraordinary client service, we begin each mobile request with an in-depth briefing session with the clients and our technical and creative team, which may include a business lead, software architect, front- and back-end developers, and a producer. These meetings get at the strategic intent of the mobile engagement by exploring the business goals behind the request.  Does the client want to attract new customers?  Engage audiences in a new way?  What do they hope to accomplish with this new App?  We also discuss the desired user experience, the product’s benefits, attributes, and features as well as the technical specifications for the build.

Briefing Sessions

During these briefings, which are true working sessions, we have fun and tap into our creativity and innovation.  We use whiteboards, note takers, custom sticky notes, voice recorders, digital still and video cameras, and any other tool that might help us capture the artifacts. We plan for these sessions by asking the client for materials that might be helpful to better understand the business objectives for the App.  We also ask for materials that will help us collectively think through three key questions: 1. Do you really need an App?; 2. Do you need a native App that will run on devices of your choosing?; or, 3. Do you need a web App that will run within the browsers on the devices of your choosing?

Three Key Questions

The first question, Do you really need an App, helps us gauge the drivers for building an App. Is this based on the trend of building Apps? Is this something you need to lead your competitors? Do you need the App to keep up with your competitors? Is the App going to help your audiences – your core user group – solve a problem? Will it provide an integrated offering to an existing application already on the web?  How will it be used? The way it will be used is often the determining factor in answering questions two and three.

You Need an App

During the briefing session, let’s say that we learn that you do want and, importantly, need an App. Now, will it be native or web? Web applications use a combination of HTML/5, cascading style sheets (CSS/3), and JavaScript (JS) code to implement interactive applications that live on a web server, might include a web service, are transmitted over the network, and run inside the Safari web browser. Native applications, on the other hand, are installed directly on the device and can run without the presence of a network connection. So, one of the primary drivers for building native or web Apps is the amount of connectivity you need or desire for your users.

Native Apps

Depending on the features your App requires, there are some simple benefits that cause developers to know you need to go native. If your users are going to need to use the Built-in Cameras and Photo Library, then you need a native app. You also need a native App if you want to push notifications using Apple’s Push Notification service. If you want to use the onboard Gyro and Accelerometer to allow your app to use both the accelerometer and gyro-based data for games or other apps that use motion as input – or as a way to enhance the overall user experience – then you need a native app. The same is true if you want to use the iOS compass feature to obtain full access to the hardware compass, when available, to employ along with location and map services, also available as core services of iOS. And there are many other core features, such as multitasking and in-app messaging, that make native iOS App development a compelling choice.

Web Apps

If you have an idea for an application that requires users to be online — connected via a cellular data network or Wi-Fi — then the advances in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript are well suited to your needs. A web App should be light on data or have a web service that provides the data in useful packets. Web Apps are perfect for helping to find an ATM or a store location, or even a local library. In addition, a web App will run across browsers so it can be immediately offered on an iOS device or an Android device.  All users need is the link or a way to save the web App icon to the Home Screen and they are ready to use your App. A more sophisticated example of a web App that will run well on iOS is Google Calendar, which allows you to use the mobile version to keep track of appointments, edit your calendar, and share events with colleagues or friends.

So, You Want an App?

Hopefully, this article helps you begin to think about the development process that we take seriously at The Atom Group.  We help our clients understand that their simple request, “I want an App,” can actually be a complex undertaking.  Like any other venture, there should be careful thought and strategy behind it, to ensure that this endeavor ultimately helps the organization meet their specific business goals.

We’re constantly monitoring the marketplace for new ideas, new directions, new technologies and insights. If you would like to share your thoughts, or have a dialogue, please get in contact: avicinus@theatomgroup.com.
The Atom Group is a web and mobile application development firm serving creative agencies, marketing and communication firms, and businesses. The company is headquartered in Portsmouth, NH and has a satellite office in Chicago. Founded in 2007, by entrepreneurs, Adam Vicinus and Tom Herer, Atom seeks to deliver value to clients that result in client elation by offering development solutions based on experience, expertise, and excellence.

Sales and Marketing Contact
Tharon Cottrell
The Atom Group
603-501-0003
www.theatomgroup.com

Public Relations Contact

Adrienne Walkowiak -President
Adrienne Walkowiak Marketing
603/659-9345
Adrienne@AdrienneWalkowiak.com
www.AdrienneWalkowiak.com

by Adam Vicinus, Managing Partner, The Atom Group

Clients often come to us with this request: “I want an App.” Although, at first glance, that request might seem simple, it can actually be a complex process. And, it might seem like a web and mobile application development firm, such as The Atom Group, might benefit from charging forward and building what the client wants, but we find it more valuable to determine exactly what it is our clients need. We pride ourselves in going beyond client satisfaction to a new service paradigm we call client elation.

Client Elation

In our commitment to providing extraordinary client service, we begin each mobile request with an in-depth briefing session with the clients and our technical and creative team, which may include a business lead, software architect, front- and back-end developers, and a producer. These meetings get at the strategic intent of the mobile engagement by exploring the business goals behind the request.  Does the client want to attract new customers?  Engage audiences in a new way?  What do they hope to accomplish with this new App?  We also discuss the desired user experience, the product’s benefits, attributes, and features as well as the technical specifications for the build.

Briefing Sessions

During these briefings, which are true working sessions, we have fun and tap into our creativity and innovation.  We use whiteboards, note takers, custom sticky notes, voice recorders, digital still and video cameras, and any other tool that might help us capture the artifacts. We plan for these sessions by asking the client for materials that might be helpful to better understand the business objectives for the App.  We also ask for materials that will help us collectively think through three key questions: 1. Do you really need an App?; 2. Do you need a native App that will run on devices of your choosing?; or, 3. Do you need a web App that will run within the browsers on the devices of your choosing?

Three Key Questions

The first question, Do you really need an App, helps us gauge the drivers for building an App. Is this based on the trend of building Apps? Is this something you need to lead your competitors? Do you need the App to keep up with your competitors? Is the App going to help your audiences – your core user group – solve a problem? Will it provide an integrated offering to an existing application already on the web?  How will it be used? The way it will be used is often the determining factor in answering questions two and three.

You Need an App

During the briefing session, let’s say that we learn that you do want and, importantly, need an App. Now, will it be native or web? Web applications use a combination of HTML/5, cascading style sheets (CSS/3), and JavaScript (JS) code to implement interactive applications that live on a web server, might include a web service, are transmitted over the network, and run inside the Safari web browser. Native applications, on the other hand, are installed directly on the device and can run without the presence of a network connection. So, one of the primary drivers for building native or web Apps is the amount of connectivity you need or desire for your users.

Native Apps

Depending on the features your App requires, there are some simple benefits that cause developers to know you need to go native. If your users are going to need to use the Built-in Cameras and Photo Library, then you need a native app. You also need a native App if you want to push notifications using Apple’s Push Notification service. If you want to use the onboard Gyro and Accelerometer to allow your app to use both the accelerometer and gyro-based data for games or other apps that use motion as input – or as a way to enhance the overall user experience – then you need a native app. The same is true if you want to use the iOS compass feature to obtain full access to the hardware compass, when available, to employ along with location and map services, also available as core services of iOS. And there are many other core features, such as multitasking and in-app messaging, that make native iOS App development a compelling choice.

Web Apps

If you have an idea for an application that requires users to be online — connected via a cellular data network or Wi-Fi — then the advances in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript are well suited to your needs. A web App should be light on data or have a web service that provides the data in useful packets. Web Apps are perfect for helping to find an ATM or a store location, or even a local library. In addition, a web App will run across browsers so it can be immediately offered on an iOS device or an Android device.  All users need is the link or a way to save the web App icon to the Home Screen and they are ready to use your App. A more sophisticated example of a web App that will run well on iOS is Google Calendar, which allows you to use the mobile version to keep track of appointments, edit your calendar, and share events with colleagues or friends.

So, You Want an App?

Hopefully, this article helps you begin to think about the development process that we take seriously at The Atom Group.  We help our clients understand that their simple request, “I want an App,” can actually be a complex undertaking.  Like any other venture, there should be careful thought and strategy behind it, to ensure that this endeavor ultimately helps the organization meet their specific business goals.

We’re constantly monitoring the marketplace for new ideas, new directions, new technologies and insights. If you would like to share your thoughts, or have a dialogue, please get in contact: avicinus@theatomgroup.com.
The Atom Group is a web and mobile application development firm serving creative agencies, marketing and communication firms, and businesses. The company is headquartered in Portsmouth, NH and has a satellite office in Chicago. Founded in 2007, by entrepreneurs, Adam Vicinus and Tom Herer, Atom seeks to deliver value to clients that result in client elation by offering development solutions based on experience, expertise, and excellence.

Sales and Marketing Contact
Tharon Cottrell
The Atom Group
603-501-0003
www.theatomgroup.com

Public Relations Contact

Adrienne Walkowiak -President
Adrienne Walkowiak Marketing
603/659-9345
Adrienne@AdrienneWalkowiak.com
www.AdrienneWalkowiak.com

TINC: What is Zealous Good? Are you a for-profit or nonprofit organization yourselves?

Brittany Martin Graunke: Zealous Good is an online platform that connects people with extra items to local non-profits with matching needs. Basically, we help people that have goods to donate, find non-profits that truly need their goods. We also help non-profits access a large community of in-kind donors and connect them to in-kind donations they need. We’re trying to make it easier, faster and more meaningful to donate excess items to local charities in need. We are a for-profit and never solicit donations for ourselves or request donations from donors.

TINC: Help us understand the specifics: someone wants to donate something, they hit the “Give” button. What happens then? What type of online transaction is facilitated?

BMG: When someone visits ZealousGood.com and wants to donate something, after they click GIVE, they submit some details about their donation – a brief description, value, if it needs to be picked up/dropped off and they can also upload a photo. Then the fun part happens: local charities are informed that there is a new donation available and if interested, the charities request it. The donor receives emails stating what charities want to request it and how they would use the donation. The donor then visits their donation matches page, picks the charity they want to donate to and Zealous Good automatically email introduces the donor to the charity contact. The donor and charity coordinate via phone or email the donation pick up and drop off. Zealous Good also follows up with a story of how the donation is being used and ensures the donor receives their tax receipt.

TINC: What are the costs involved in using Zealous Good, for charities and donors?

BMG: Donors pay no fees what so ever. Non-profits can create free wishlist profiles on ZealousGood.com, but only subscribe if they see donations they want to request and receive – the monthly plans start at $5/month and increase based on the value of donations requested and received by the non-profit. We keep the fees incredibly low so that it’s not a prohibitive aspect of the service, but helps us offset the costs of providing the service.

TINC: Do donors have to be individuals or organizations?

BMG: They can be both – we love both companies and individuals to donate!

TINC: What organizations are considered “charities”? Is 501c3 status required?

BMG: 501c3 status or 501c3 status pending is required. We post the charities’ status on each Zealous Good profile page so that donors can be informed.

TINC: How does Zealous Goods assess donation values and issue tax receipts?

BMG: According to the IRS, donation values must be determined by the donor and need to be “fair market value.” Essentially, if you were going to sell your donation, what value would you be able to sell it for? The charities we work for issue the tax receipts. Zealous Good follows up and ensures they have all the information needed to create and send the receipt.

TINC: What are some organizations that you currently work with?

BMG: We work with over 50 charitable organizations – Chicago House, St. Vincent de Paul Center, Anixter Center and Greenhouse Theater were our pilot members. Since the pilot we are now working with even more organizations of all sizes and with various issue areas in Chicago.

TINC: What are your plans for expansion in the future?

BMG: Our goal this year is to expand the reach of Zealous Good in Chicago and next year we’d love to expand Zealous Good to other cities. Ideally in 5 years time we’ll be in 20+ cities across the US.

The following information about Zealous Good comes from the Chicago Startup Catalog:

Funding Level: Pre-A Series (no external funding);
Industry Type: Not-for-profit; Community and Marketplace
Employment Size: 1-10
Founders: Brittany Martin Graunke
Founding Date: Launched the pilot program March 15, 2011.

This year’s class highlights Excelerate’s increasingly global reach, with companies from India and France moving to Chicago.   Other companies hailing from California, Massachusetts, Florida, and Texas further position Chicago as an emerging center for technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and venture capital.

“The success of the graduates of Excelerate’s first two classes proves that our model works,” said Troy Henikoff, Excelerate’s CEO. “The 2012 class brings more diversity in geography, technology, and business model than we have had before.  Given that we received 50% more applications than last year, I am thrilled to see what this class accomplishes.”

Excelerate Labs today also announced a new home for its program in partnership with 1871, Chicago’s new digital startup center. 1871, which opens its doors next week, features co-working space for around 400 entrepreneurs, office space for leading venture capital firms, classroom space, and partnerships with leading universities.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the partnership with Excelerate Labs,” said Kevin Willer, president and CEO of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, which manages 1871. “Excelerate is a perfect match with the strategic objectives of 1871: strengthening Chicago’s digital community and helping to build great technology businesses.”

The ten companies selected for Excelerate’s 2012 class are:
·         71lbs – Helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) save money on shipping through data analytics, allow SMBs to easily understand their parcel shipping spend and make better shipping decisions for the first time.  Clients recover an average of 4-6 percent of their shipping fees.

·         Cureeo – Offers original and limited edition artwork to collectors and novice art enthusiasts without the hassle of personally hunting through physical and online gallery to find that perfect piece.    The company provides background about the artist and their work as well as education on how and why to shop for fine art.  Customers can share their taste preference s and design needs then receive a selection of artwork options handpicked for them by one of Cureeo’s art specialists.

·         Fibroblast – Helps solve three big, interrelated problems in US health care: shrinking margins, convenient access and need for preventive care.  The company solves these problems by providing patients with the ability to self-schedule appointments anytime and anywhere by using a cloud-based calendar; by automating appointment notifications; by providing analytics tools for providers to optimize their practices; and by creating a network of interconnected providers to seamlessly refer patients.

·         frintit – Acts as the “adsense” of the physical direct mail world by allowing  direct mail advertisers to intelligently target a consumer based on their interests.  Using a combination of web and mobile data, frintit offers everyone from small business owners to large corporations a direct mail platform to reach the right customer.

·         Good Karma Clothing for Kids – A new subscription service that delivers right-sized baby clothes that customers exchange as their baby grows so busy parents don’t have to spend a ton of time and money keeping up with fast growing little bodies.  Good Karma delivers bundles of ready-to-wear clothing on request, washed in environmentally-and-baby friendly detergent.

·         Lasso – A new service hailing from an uncharted land where friends freely gather with the whip of a hand, where plans manifest in a couple of clicks so friends can greet faces and not profile pictures.

·         Orbeus – An advanced computer visual recognition engine that enables computers to perform face detection and recognition, logo and product recognition, optical character recognition, and scene understanding.

·         Pictarine – Centralizes photos from all online services including Facebook, Flickr, Instagram and Twitter.  Pictarine automatically organizes photos as timelines, backup the best photos, share favorites with friends and help discover new photos.

·         SpotHero – Acts as the “Orbitz” for parking spots.  The company works with some of the largest parking operators in the country to make discounted parking available to customers by helping drivers get the parking spot that they want.

·         Whimseybox – A subscription service for the DIY and craft community.  Every month the company ships customers craft product samples, helping to rediscover crafts with a fun and beautiful reminder to express their creativity.  Users can visit the company’s Project Gallery for inspiration and ideas or upload and share their projects with the Whimseybox community.

TINC: What is EventWax?

Jennifer Taylor: EventWax is an online event registration tool for event planners from all walks of life. Planners for industry conferences to fundraisers to smaller social gatherings use EventWax to manage their event registrations.

Planners can sell tickets of varying types for the same event as well as gather information from attendees through custom form fields. For example, planners can collect T-shirt sizes from attendees. The tool also can be used to communicate with attendees about the upcoming event through an email function.

TINC: What types of organizations and companies are in the target market for EventWax?

JT: Our clientele widely varies. We have events and conferences organized by the software development industry, healthcare industry, universities and colleges, small businesses and restaurants, live theater, and sporting events such as races.

TINC: How is the end product different than Event Brite? Do any other online ticket sale systems offer restricted access to the event?

Kevin Taylor: Eventbrite is a nice tool but it is very expensive. EventWax is substantially less expensive to sell tickets on. Also, Eventbrite has a steeper learning curve–it offers everything plus the kitchen sink. At EventWax, we specifically focus on keeping EventWax’s feature set simple and easy to use.

TINC: How can event managers share information with their team? What type of information, beyond attendance and guests list, is generated?

KT: Every event has a “dashboard” that shows the ticket sales, attendees, etc. for the event. This is the main control panel that the event planner uses to manage their event and audience.

TINC: What types of analytics systems are used?

KT: We don’t have built-in analytics at the moment but this is a feature that we are contemplating. But, in order to do it, we will want to make sure we can design an analytics dashboard that is very intuitive and easy to use so as to keep consistent with the rest of the EventWax features.

The following information about EventWax comes from the Chicago Startup Catalog:

Funding Level: Pre-A Series — No external funding
Industry Type: Event Services
Employment Size: 1-10
Founders: Original founders Patrick Griffiths and Dan Webb of the United Kingdom created EventWax in 2006. Kevin and Jennifer Taylor, co-owners, purchased the company in 2009.
Founding Date: 2006