Indiana technology company and digital marketing agency Boost Media & Entertainment has signed a number of new clients, including some of Indy’s favorite eateries.
The latest additions are Mesh on Mass, Scotty’s Brewhouse and Skyline Club.
For Mesh and Skyline Club, mobile apps by Boost will allow patrons to peruse menus, specials, and photos, and even book tables directly from their smart-phones.
“Our clientele at Mesh is savvy and sophisticated, and our app is a great way to reach out to people like this, engage them and most importantly, keep them coming back in,” said Ben Bullard, director of communication at Mesh.
Jeff Markowicz, general manager of Skyline Club, said, “Boost is bringing us into ‘The Smart-phone Era.’ Which, if you haven’t noticed, is upon us in a big way.”
Fresh off a TechPoint Mira Award for New Media Innovation, Scotty’s Brewhouse is looking to continue its forward-thinking success by capitalizing on technology business trends and turning its VIP club digital. VIPs no longer need to carry a paper card in their wallet—instead, they can simply show the app on their smart-phone and enjoy VIP benefits and discounts.
“New media is all about reaching customers on their terms. The VIP app Boost is creating does just that. Their advice and skill in this area have been invaluable to us,” said Bruce McClain, director of technology for Scotty’s.
Other prominent restaurant customers include patrons of Boost’s successful Talk to Customers campaigns such as Tastings Wine Bar, Caracas Arepas Grill, and King David Dogs — all who say they gained invaluable measured marketing research and customer connection through an innovative online survey program.
Name: Jason Zickler
Company: Boost Media Entertainment
E-mail: jzickler@boostmediaentertainment.com
Jason is the CEO / Co-Founder of Boost. He has extensive design and project management experience in interactive graphics and new media. Jason has received seven Addy awards over the course of his career, as well as numerous other awards.
Independent radio stations find digital foothold with emerging business technology -- new live streaming mobile app
MyStationApp (www.MyStationApp.com) is a new Indiana technology innovation designed to connect fans to their favorite radio station live no matter where they are, by porting PLS streams (multimedia files) onto their smart phones.The app has struck a chord with independent stations such as WTTS in Indianapolis, which believes apps are a technology business trend that can enrich the relationship with their audience.
“Our goal is to be part of our listeners’ lifestyle. Our mantra is to think like listeners first and foremost, and MyStationApp nailed it,” says Brad Holtz, program director for Indiana-based AAA station WTTS.
MyStationApp is favored by indie radio stations because it features a low implementation cost and a short development time—under a week in many cases—yet can be completely customized by each station to create a one-of-a-kind product.
MyStationApp was developed by Indiana information technology company, digital marketing agency and software developer Boost Media & Entertainment (www.BoostMediaEntertainment.com) in Indianapolis.· WTTS racked up 1,500 downloads of its app in one week.
· MyStationApp uses streams with the AAC+ codec for Apple iOS devices.
· For Android devices, the app streams a 64k MP3.
· Complete apps are under 1 MB, meaning ultra-fast download and install times.
· App integrates with stations’ social networking efforts in Facebook and Twitter.
About Boost Media & Entertainment:
Boost Media & Entertainment is an Indianapolis-based digital marketing agency and software developer specializing in mobile and web-based applications. Boost created MyStationApp with guidance from Strategic Advisor Jason Acquisto. Acquisto has several years of experience in programming and sales at number of independent radio stations. Visit Boost’s website at www.boostmediaentertainment.com.
Name: Jason Zickler
Company: Boost Media Entertainment
E-mail: jason@zickler.com
City: Indianapolis
State: IN
The top story for today's news cycle is good news for the Indiana technology sector. Results from a survey of 4,000 business professionals throughout the state indicate that technology business trends are on the minds of many, and for all the right reasons.The Indiana Business Council survey, conducted through a partnership between Inside Indiana Business and Indianapolis-based Walker, revealed that tech companies expect customers to spend more in 2011 and that they plan to hire new employees to meet the increased demand of technology sector growth.
- 79% expect customers to increase spending in 2011
- 54% plan to add jobs in 2011 (which is much higher than overall expectations)
- 85% feel there will increased need for their technology products and services in 2011
"At Slingshot we are always trying to focus on, we gotta have something great to sell," Bailey said. "Being innovative I think is, for my company, always first and foremost. We want to have the most innovative product in search engine optimization for enterprise companies, so with that innovation we have something great to sell. So I would still put innovation at the top of my list but sales is right there under that because obviously sales drives growth."Indiana's tech sector has good reasons to be optimistic as the economy continues its climb out of recession because of its performance during the recession. Even during the height of the global recession, Indiana GAINED 1,200 new tech jobs, according to TechAmerica's Cyberstates report.
Investors are also betting on the Indiana tech sector and emerging business technology coming out of Hoosier companies. While venture capital nationally was at a 10-year low during the recession, Indiana grew venture investment by double digits, including a 70% leap in 2008.
During the interview on Inside Indiana Business, Kevin Bailey said that Indiana has great leaders that mentor startups and that the culture of Indiana's tech sector is collaborative and helpful to small technology businesses.
The golden ticket in 2011 will belong to those organizations that understand the fast track to growing a sustainable competitive advantage is directly linked to improving and investing in their Relationship Management strategy and supporting technologies. Although competitive advantage is defined and measured in numerous ways, the companies that are answering their consumers and employees demands to create unique and engaging relationships are the ones attracting, winning and retaining loyal advocates for their brand.However, the continual evolution of social media, mobility and improved web technologies radically challenges traditional relationship management strategies as consumers and employees are enabled now more then ever to interact with your brand, for good or for bad, 24/7 and at lighting speed. In order to create innovative ways to meet their consumer and employee demands for engaging, interactive experiences, many organizations became early adopters of social networking and mobility platforms for internal and external communications and have indeed found a “competitive advantage” in several areas as the McKinsey’s Quarterly stated in their Dec 2010 issue, The rise of the networked enterprise. McKinsey reported that of the organization’s that are leveraging social networking to improve customer relations, 50% reported increased customer satisfaction, 63% reported increased marketing effectiveness and 24% reported increasing revenue.
So, the real question when evaluating emerging business technology and your relationship management plan for 2011 is two-fold … 1) How and where are you engaging your customers and employees to help you define truly interactive experiences so their ideas can be heard and put into action?, and 2) Do you have the right technology, and staff in place to manage it, to collect, analyze and convert multiple sources of information into actionable knowledge that allows you to react quickly to their requests with bona fide personal experiences?
Join the conversation March 1 at the Indianapolis Hilton North for The New Era of Relationship Management, a half day event designed for business and technical executives to quickly gain high level insights into these evolving technology business trends and new tools being released in 2011 that can help you improve your approach to relationship management. Expert presentations and panel discussions will include Indiana tech sector executives from ExactTarget, Allegient, CWR Mobility, Scribe and Microsoft. Keynote speaker, Jeff Rohrs, ExactTarget’s Principal of Marketing Research will also reveal recent results from their acclaimed research series, Subscribers, Fan & Followers.
Take your relationship management from good to great in 4 hours. Make time March 1 and be apart of the technology sector trends discussion. Info and Registration: http://crm2011launch.eventbrite.com/
Name: Andy Brockett
Company: Allegient
E-mail: abrockett@allegient.com
City: Indianapolis
State: IN
As seen in The Session on IndyStar.com
Indiana is earning the confidence of entrepreneurs and investors as a hospitable place to launch new ventures, so says a California-based think tank that is lauding Indiana’s progress in financing new companies.
On Jan. 25, the Milken Institute released its 2010 State Science and Technology Index, which ranks states according to various measures of high-tech economic growth. Indiana was among the biggest gainers from the 2008 Index, moving up five spots from 33rd to 28th. Our biggest improvement came in the “Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Infrastructure” category, where the report’s authors wrote:
“Indiana’s gains are across several categories, but the risk capital and entrepreneurial infrastructure component is responsible for the bulk of its overall advance from 33rd to 28th this year. Indiana vaulted from 37th in 2008 to 19th in that category, and ranked fourth in venture capital growth this year, gaining ground in both venture capital relative to GSP (from 26th to 17th) and business start-up rates (also 26th to 17th).”
Considering that all net job creation in today’s economy comes from small entrepreneurial companies, this is great news for Hoosiers. For too long, Indiana languished as “flyover country” for venture capitalists, limiting our ability to grow an entrepreneurial economy. Obviously, things are changing for the better.
But we can’t afford to be passive observers of these trends. We have to find new ways to encourage and accelerate them. That’s why TechPoint supports House Bill 1008, which extends the state tax credit for venture capital investments until 2015 and increases the available credit from $500,000 to $1 million.
The fact that our venture boom happened despite the economic downturn shows tremendous potential for future growth. A recent Kauffman Foundation study found that more than half of the companies on today’s Fortune 500 list were launched during an economic recession or severe bear market. We’re seeing the same sort of momentum with venture-backed companies like ExactTarget and EnerDel creating hundreds of new jobs in Central Indiana.
Now isn’t the time to take these gains for granted. Raising the venture capital tax credit will help maintain this progress and encourage investors to keep betting on Indiana innovations.
I meet many entrepreneurs from the Indiana tech sector and beyond who have served as VPs or middle managers before embarking on their entrepreneurial dream. There is a key difference between the way a VP or manager looks at finance and the way a CEO looks at finance: VPs look at margins; CEOs look at cash flows.
The IRR is the time-weighted rate of return of future cash flows. More specifically it is the NPV of invested dollars, distributions to owners and unrealized investments. This is a key tool in valuing companies and for investors to determine the expected return of their investment. Venture capitalists and private equity firms understand IRR well - and most will use a discounted cash flow method (utilizing an IRR) to value companies in considering investment opportunities.
Attorney David Castor concentrates his practice on advising and serving Indiana information technology companies and broad-based other businesses and their owners through their legal matters including Indiana technology trends. Mr. Castor’s practice is focused largely on Indiana technology services, representing SaaS and Internet based companies as general counsel.
Name: David Castor
Company: Alerding Castor Hewitt LLP
E-mail: dcastor@alerdingcastor.com
City: Indianapolis
State: Indiana
Mira Awards Celebrate Tech Sector’s Progress During Economic Turmoil
by Mark Hill
Last month, more than 600 of Indiana’s technology executives, opinion leaders and policymakers, educators and economic developers gathered at the annual TechPoint Mira Awards gala in downtown Indianapolis to celebrate more Hoosier high-tech success stories.
For more than a decade, the Mira Awards have recognized the companies, institutions and individuals who make up Indiana’s thriving technology community. This year’s winners provide ample optimism about our future as a high-tech economy:
They show that technological innovation is a catalyst for growth in every industry, not just IT. The Mira Innovation of the Year award winner is OrthoX, a life sciences company that’s developed an exceptionally strong material to anchor artificial joints to bones (Indiana firms account for more than a third of global orthopedic device sales). In Indiana’s largest industry, manufacturing, new technologies are also bringing new opportunities – the advanced manufacturing Mira award went to EnerDel, the fast-growing maker of high-tech batteries for electric vehicles.
Exact Target is a repeat winner in the Information Technology Mira category, continuing to lead the way as Central Indiana establishes itself as a hub for online marketing. Along with Exact Target, our region is called home by companies like Aprimo, Compendium Blogware, 5 Buckets, Lights Out Intelligence, Market Path, Cantaloupe, Delivera and Formstack. These firms are taking advantage of a titanic market shift that has seen the traditional media sector lose 32% of its market value from 2003 to 2008 while new media (online content and services) gained 102%.
Our Mira winners provide a cross-section of our most innovative companies in areas that represent promising market opportunities. It’s important that we celebrate their success. But the message behind this year’s Miras goes beyond a (well-deserved) pat on the back for the winners. The bigger picture is that that the state’s tech sector continued to grow and build momentum even during the tough times.
This year, TechPoint attracted a record number of Mira nominations. The previous high-water mark was set last year, and before that in 2008. Even during the worst of the national recession, this program generated steadily more and more interest and enthusiasm.
Less anecdotally, the latest Cyberstates report from the TechAmerica Foundation shows that Indiana continued to add tech jobs during the downturn, even as the rest of the private sector was making cuts.
Investors are also betting on Indiana’s high-tech entrepreneurs. Last year was the worst year for venture capital nationally in more than a decade. But in Indiana, we grew our total venture investment by nearly 70% over 2008 – and 2008 beat 2007 by 40%. I’m proud that the HALO Capital Group managed by TechPoint has added nearly $14 million in seed capital since 2008 to help further this trend.
Indiana’s technology sector has weathered the economic storms, and seems to have emerged stronger than ever. A recent Kauffman Foundation study that found that more than half of the companies on today’s Fortune 500 list were launched during an economic recession or severe bear market. This bodes well for the Mira winners of the last few years, and for our technology industry as a whole – as the economy continues to recover, tech companies will be leading the way.
TechPoint is working to help keep the momentum going. From improving connectivity in the tech community, improving access to capital and entrepreneurial expertise, and fighting for pro-growth policies at the Statehouse, we’re committed to creating a climate that produces even more success stories like those feted at Saturday’s Mira gala. Learn more about TechPoint’s efforts and the Mira Awards program (including a full roster of 2010 winners) at www.TechPoint.org.
Mark Hill is Managing Partner of Collina Ventures and chairman of TechPoint. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.
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