CA acquires 3Tera to expand their cloud portfolio. CA gets access to 3Tera’s AppLogic platform, which allows customers to pull together public and private clouds and display the connections in a handy interface. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
3Tera, a developer of cloud computing services and software, presented at one of our Under the Radar conferences in 2008 as a startup with major momentum. Barry Lynn, Chairman and CEO, certainly piqued the audience’s interest at Under the Radar. You can see photos of the event here.
Since presenting at Under the Radar, 54% of startups have gone on to raise funds or be acquired.
ChaCha, who presented at one of our past Under the Radar conferences in 2007, just announced that it has raised $7 million in its fifth round of venture capital financing according to an SEC filing. Bringing their funding total to nearly $70 million
ChaCha, a text message-based search engine service, allows users to go online, call or text questions on mobile phones and receive answers within minutes for free by texting 242-242, visiting m.chacha.com, downloading ChaCha’s iPhone app, or calling 1-800-2-ChaCha. The company was founded in 2006 by Brad Bostic and Scott Jones. Scott presented at Under the Radar and won the Audience Choice in the search category.
…Are you still Under the Radar? Apply to be considered for Under the Radar: Cloud (on April 16, 2009) or register to attend to be among the first people to meet and land deals with the next wave of disruptive cloud companies.
In the past three years 58% of presenters have gone on to raise funding and/or be acquired by Google, Microsoft, FOX Interactive, Salesforce, British Telecom, and others. Under the Radar uncovers the next wave of vetted, test-driven mobile startups from around the globe that have launched within the year. Under the Radar brings startups, industry leaders, press, and investors together with one ultimate goal: to get the deal done.
Last week, before Under the Radar, we announced seven finalists to pitch their favorite app for 2 minutes to the crowd and battle it out for the app-reciation (LOLZ) from a panel of blogger judges.
Check out the video of the session below.
CONGRATS to SHOP SAVVY by Big in Japan for a PERFECT SCORE!
Grad Circle Presenter: Tungle
Twitter: @tungle
Presenter: Marc Gingras
If you missed Tungle present as a Grad Circle/Sector Leader during yesterday’s Business Apps session at Under the Radar: mobility, here’s your chance to check out what I think is a MUST HAVE APP for any mobile worker who’s constantly meeting with colleagues and clients across multiple timezones, and who are on multiple calendar platforms (iCal, Google Calendar, MSFT Outlook, etc). Stop sending pesky emails asking people what times they might be available… Just select the contacts from your iPhone’s contact list, shake it (err, Tungle it….) and VOILA.
About the Grad Circle at Under the Radar
The Graduate Circle comprises a hand-picked group of companies that have “graduated” from being under the radar and are gaining major momentum. Graduate Circle companies will be making presentations on stage during the regular sessions as “sector leaders” on recent product launches, news and announcements.
Grad Circle Presenter: Shozu
Presenter: Chris Wade
If you didn’t get a chance to see Grad Circle presenter Chris Wade make a killer come back at Under the Radar this week, you missed out. ShoZu has been around the block a few times… The company has been a leader in the photo-sharing space for some time and hit the stage at Under the Radar as a “sector leader” in the consumer apps category to tell us how the company is continuing to gain momentum….
ShoZu is an innovative media hub, designed to keep people connected through the sharing of videos, photos and comments between their mobile phones and social communities. ShoZu’s pioneering and patented technology allows: fast, simultaneous and one-click uploads to multiple sites; full-resolution uploading of media without compression; ability to maintain uploads even after connection is dropped; and other unique features designed to simplify user’s ability to stay connected.
About the Grad Circle at Under the Radar:
The Graduate Circle comprises a hand-picked group of companies that have “graduated” from being under the radar and are gaining major momentum. Graduate Circle companies will be making presentations on stage during the regular sessions as “sector leaders” on recent product launches, news and announcements.
Grad Circle Presenter: MPlayit
Twitter: @mplayit
Presenter: Michael Powers, CEO
In case you missed Mplayit present at Under the Radar: Mobility yesterday, we’ve got you covered! Watch Michael’s presentation below – where he tells us about how MPlayit has made it easier to discover, share and download the latest killer mobile games:
Mplayit is the leading global provider for online discovery and social merchandising of mobile games and applications. The company’s proprietary software solutions enable mobile content providers, operators and App Store owners to better merchandise, market, and interact with a targeted user audience of mobile consumers. Mplayit is based in Ashburn, Va., and is backed by New Atlantic Ventures.
About the Graduate Circle at Under the Radar: The Graduate Circle comprises a hand-picked group of companies that have “graduated” from being under the radar and are gaining major momentum. Graduate Circle companies will be making presentations on stage during the regular sessions as “sector leaders” on recent product launches, news and announcements.
Grad Circle Presenter: Boku
Twitter: @boku
Presenter: Hon Hirson
If you missed out on Ron’s presentation at Under the Radar yesterday, he told the audience about Boku’s mobile payment solution that’s taking the online commerce world by storm. Starting in digital goods like music and gaming, Boku is growing into the world of physical goods and real-world payments as well. Watch his preso below:
BOKU is creating the standard for online payments using your mobile phone, making it easy to pay for digital goods and social experiences across the web. With a strong focus on reliability and security, BOKU’s goal is to bring bank-grade payments technology and mobile users together on the web, creating a trusted, viable and accessible market for consumers, publishers and carriers alike. Based in San Francisco with offices in Europe, Asia and Latin America, BOKU reaches over 1.8 billion consumers worldwide, and is funded by leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists Benchmark Capital, Index Ventures and Khosla Ventures.
About the Graduate Circle at Under the Radar: The Graduate Circle comprises a hand-picked group of companies that have “graduated” from being under the radar and are gaining major momentum. Graduate Circle companies will be making presentations on stage during the regular sessions as “sector leaders” on recent product launches, news and announcements.
Yesterday’s Under the Radar: Mobility was a smashing success. Over 350 people attended and watched a group of bleeding-edge mobile startups tell their stories and showcase their technology.
With over half of UTR’s past presenting companies having raised funding or get acquired after hitting our stage, something tells me this batch of companies might bump this statistic up even higher. Every single startup hit it out of the park!
*Scroll down for links to ALL presenter’s videos and profiles.
So…. who came out on top?
** Audience Choice: BEST IN SHOW – Melodis! Check out their video here.
** Judges’ Choice: BEST IN SHOW – Tie: Yowza!! (video) and MobileIron (video)
View all Under the Radar company presentations and winners below:
Grad Circle Companies:
The Graduate Circle comprises a hand-picked group of companies that have “graduated” from being under the radar and are gaining major momentum. Graduate Circle companies will be making presentations on stage during the regular sessions as “sector leaders” on recent product launches, news and announcements. Check out their videos:
This morning, Peter Hirshberg opened Under the Radar with a mind-opening presentation about visualizing mobile data… What real time data means, what our ‘things’ know about us, how we communicate with one another – and what all of this data means about us as humans.
Digging into data collected by MIT as well as a history lesson (and reminder that Marshall McLuhan was smack-on about media, global villages, privacy and convenience), Peter talked about the implicit and explicit data collected in our mobile world.
Watch the video here. Apologies for the highs and lows in audio – seems the audio from Peter’s microphone and the volume from his presentation aren’t as well-balanced in the recording as we’d like. I’ll see if we can tweak the levels and updload a new version soon.
Still – you can’t beat this presentation. It was amazing…
PS: Follow Peter on Twitter @hirshberg and search the Twitter hash tag #engagingdata for his related posts and thoughts.
Yowza!!
Launched 2009, Calabasa, CA
Twitter: @yowza
Starry eyes aside, Yowza’s creator Greg Grunberg goes above and beyond to prove celebrity and consumer technology do mix… and in fact, they make a terrific concoction. Take a Hollywood actor who finds a co-founder on Twitter, add a simple iPhone app idea and some Biz Dev know-how and voila: you have a company (and a good one)!
Missed Greg and August at Under the Radar today? Check out their presentation below:
Company Description | Yowza!! is an innovative platform for location-based mobile coupons distributed through devices such as the iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed to save consumers money as well as stimulate retail business, the Yowza!! application removes the need for customers to clip coupons or print email.
Yowza!! has already teamed with an impressive list of retailers including Sears, McDonald’s, Regency Shopping Centers, California Pizza Kitchen, American Golf Corporation, ESPN Zone, Rubio’s Mexican Grill, The Container Store, Finish Line, Islands Restaurant, Sports Authority, Sports Chalet, Marmalade Café, Pier 1 Imports, REIEI, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Aveda Salon/Spa.
Presenters | Greg Grunberg and August Trometer | Co-Founders
Writer, director, and actor Greg Grunberg is the star of TV’s “Heroes” as well “Felicity” and “Alias.” Grunberg is also a philanthropist, creating BAND FROM TV, which has helped raise more than $2 million dollars for charity.
Developer and entrepreneur August Trometer helped pioneer the field of podcasting with the creation of iPodderX, the world’s first podcasting application. Trometer has also written “Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Safari,” the first book on the subject of developing web-based software for the iPhone. He regularly speaks on the topic of both Mac and iPhone software development.
socialDeck
Launched 2008, San Francisco, CA and Toronto, Canada
Twitter: @socialdeck
Company Description | socialDeck is building a cross-platform gaming technology that enables social gaming on smart phones. Focused on bringing distribution and monetization opportunities that already exist on web social games to the phone, the socialDeck platform allows players to compete against one another on various devices (eg. iPhone vs. Blackberry vs. Web players). Games distributed on the platform all have integrated social networking and community features such as friend discovery, invites, leaderboards, chat, new feeds, plus virtual goods exchanges.
Competitors | Playfish, Zynga, ng:moco Investors | BlackBerry Partner’s Fund
Presenter | Anish Acharya | CEO
Prior to co-founding socialDeck, Anish spent several years at Amazon.com working as an engineer in the distributed messaging space. Additionally, Anish worked with senior management to develop an internal incubation program at Amazon and bring disruptive new ideas to market. Anish is a graduate of the Computer Engineering program at the University of Waterloo.
Tapjoy
Launched 2008, Palo Alto, CA
Twitter: @tapjoy
Curious about the progression of in-app advertising in a world that’s mobile app-crazy? Check out TapJoy’s presentation from today’s Under the Radar Mobility conference below:
Company Description | Tapjoy is an advanced software platform that helps publishers maximize revenue from their mobile apps. The Tapjoy platform includes an open advertising marketplace with over 10 ad network partners, a turn-key virtual goods store, and a pay-per-install system.
Competitors | AdWhirl Customers | Mobile developers including Booyah, ng:moco, Goggi, gpsAssassin Partners | Offerpal Media, Pinch Media, Quattro Wireless, 4info, AdFonic, Millennial Media, Smaato, GreyStripe, VideoEgg
Presenter | Lee Linden | Co-Founder
Lee previously worked in product development at Microsoft, helping engineer both enterprise and consumer offerings. He also co-founded ContestMachine.com, a self-service online promotional marketing service with thousands of small businesses customers. Lee studied computer engineering at the University of Michigan and has an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
PercentMobile
Launched 2009, New York, NY
Twitter: @davidharper
Didn’t get a chance to get deep into numbers with David Harper at Under the Radar? Dig into mobile traffic analysis with PercentMobile. Below, you’ll find their company profile and pitch from today’s conference:
Company Description | PercentMobile is a platform providing mobile analytics and insight services that enable individuals, brands and media companies to manage and enhance mobile business initiatives. PercentMobile’s software, which it hosts and delivers as an on-demand subscription service, enables customers to capture, store and analyze information generated by web traffic to gain critical business insights into the performance and efficiency of mobile marketing and sales initiatives and other business processes.
Competitors | Admob.com, Bango.com, Motally.com
Presenter | David Harper | Co-Founder
David Harper, co-founder of PercentMobile, is a mobile industry serial entrepreneur, information architect, patent-holding inventor, and experienced senior level executive.
Meet CardStar – a mobile coupons and loyalty card app that’s no longer “Under the Radar.”
They just presented on stage at Under the Radar today. In case you missed it, you can check out their company profile and pitch here:
Company Description | CardStar enables consumers to easily store and retrieve digital loyalty, rewards and club cards on their mobile device while providing retailers and CPG companies a channel to stay connected to their most loyal customers.
Competitors | WalletZero, Froogloid, Handy Cards, CardBank, Cellfire, Yowza, mobiQpons
Presenter | Andy Miller | Founder & CEOEO
Prior to starting CardStar, Andy founded Lumifi, an online research portal, Quece, a developer of semantic search technology, and RetirementSuite.com, an online exchange platform serving the 401k industry. He was also an advisor and board member of StockCar Stocks Mutual Fund. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Andy has held various positions at PFPC, T. Rowe Price, Putnam Investments and Bank of America. Andy holds a Masters in Entrepreneurial Studies from Suffolk University and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York, College at Oswego. He is a member of the Entrepreneur Leadership Council at Suffolk University.
Company Description | Motally is a mobile analytics tracking and reporting service. Use one common interface to track both mobile websites and applications. Patent-pending technology successfully handles the nuances of mobile tracking – including accurately tracking visitor sessions and identifying the underlying operator and country when users access sites through third-party proxies. Learning more about user behavior, optimize product offerings, and maximize ROI on advertising campaigns. Motally’s platform is easy to use. Customers can be up and running in minutes.
Presenter | Arte Merritt | CEO & Founder
Arte has more than thirteen years professional experience and more than nine years mobile experience working with companies like Yahoo Mobile, Helio, Vettro and a wide variety of mobile startups. A serial entrepreneur, Arte founded/co-founded MyEssay.com, the MIT Wireless Forum, 3mg Inc, Zetre, m.towza.com, and a number of other websites, products, and services. He is an MIT alum.
SocialScope
Launched 2009, San Francisco, CA
Twitter: @socialscope
I didn’t know how amazing SocialScope was until I saw it… It’s literally your own personalized life stream, filtering and aggregating your social media in a way that actually works. Missed them at Under the Radar? Check out their presentation below:
Company Description | SocialScope is a digital life manager that brings social media to the phone. It enables users to keep track of online conversations, contacts and content from a single mobile inbox. Users no longer have to juggle multiple apps or deal with the latency of the mobile browser. All online data is immediately available and intelligently filtered based on location, date and preference.
Partners | RIM, Palm, Facebook, Twitter, T-Mobile
Presenter | Amit Kumar | Founder & CEO
Prior to founding SocialScope, Amit was a venture capitalist at Crosslink Capital investing in early stage and mobile companies. Before that, he was an investment banker at Bear Stearns where he advised some of the world’s most success wireless and media companies including Verizon Wireless and NBC Universal. Previously, Amit was part of the Business Development group at Johnson & Johnson.
Roambi
Launched 2008, Del Mar, CA
Twitter: @Roambi
Who knew a spreadsheet could look so beautiful? Roambi, pronounced Roam-bee (don’t call them ro-am-bi as I keep doing…) presented at Under the Radar today and showed how stunning data can be on a mobile phone. If you didn’t get to check out their pitch, you can view their company profile and pitch below:
Company Description | “Display screens are getting smaller – from laptops to PDAs, to ever shrinking mobile devices. However, the amount of information viewed on these devices is increasing exponentially. The problem arises – how do you effectively access large amounts of information on a small screen? Roambi by MeLLmo Inc. is solving this challenge by creating revolutionary ways to access and interact with critical information on small screens. The company’s mobile application suite pioneers the new frontier of smart phones through efficient back-end algorithms and patented, small screen design that is BIG on simplicity, security, and satisfaction. Roambi by MeLLmo is rethinking, redesigning, and redefining the future of information interaction on mobile devices.”
Presenter | Quinton Alsbury | President
Quinton is responsible for leading MeLLmo’s product design and marketing teams. A master of visual arts, interactive design, and product experience development, Quinton’s role at MeLLmo focuses primarily on the user experience, functionality and art design of MeLLmo’s software. Prior to MeLLmo, Quinton served as the co-founder and co-president of Business Intelligence Studios, a consultancy focused on data visualization and business intelligence dashboard creation. There, he helped clients build and implement cutting-edge business intelligence tools, with an emphasis on visual design and user appeal. In 2008, Quinton attended the Launching New Ventures Executive Education Program at the Harvard Business School. Quinton has more than 12 years of design experience, including publishing, advertising, interactive media, web design, software, and data visualization, during which he founded and led three companies.
Missed Melodis pitch at Under the Radar? Want to know what all the buzz is about Midomi and sound search. This ain’t no average iPhone app… Check out the company description and pitch from their presentation today at Under the Radar Mobility.
Company Description |MELODIS is the creator of the Sound2SoundTM Search Science, a proprietary methodology that searches sound against sound, bypassing traditional sound to text conversion techniques even when searching text databases. The result is improved accuracy, faster response time and increased scalability. Sound2SoundTM Search Science powers applications including Midomi Music Identifier and Melodis Voice Dialer. MELODIS has numerous partnerships with global companies including leading device manufacturers and operators that are leveraging the Sound2SoundT Search Science.
Presenter | Keyvan Mohajer | President & CEO
Bio | Keyvan leads MELODIS’s management, corporate strategy and operations. Keyvan is also the principal executive responsible for MELODIS’s technology development. His expertise in speech recognition, signal processing, algorithm design, statistics and Internet technology drives invention of revolutionary technologies integral to the compay’s formation. Prior to this venture, Keyvan was involved in the creation and growth of a number of technology companies in the United States and Canada. He remains an advisor or board member to many of these companies today. Keyvan has a master’s degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
MobileIron
Launched 2009, Sunnyvale, CA
Twitter: @orege
Missed MobileIron? They just presented today at Under the Radar: Mobility. Below, check out their company profile and their pitch.
Company Description | “MobileIron is solving the security, cost, and usability problems CIOIOs and end-users face as smartphones crash into the enterprise. Smartphones will become the primary computing platform for the mobile worker but will create much more complexity for ITIT than laptops ever did. The MobileIron Virtual Smartphone Platform is the first solution to provide a central view of smartphone data and activity. ITIT can now get smartphone operations under control quickly and cut wireless bills by up to 20% while delivering compelling MyPhone@WorkTM end-user services like the enterprise app store. MobileIron makes smartphones enterprise-ready.”
Competitors | Good Technology, Sybase
Customers | Windsor Foods, Fenwick & West
Partners | Cellular Optimization, Enterprise Mobile, Info Plus International, Invisible IT, Mission Critical Wireless, Mobility Partners, Unwired Revolution
Investors | Norwest Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Storm Ventures
Presenter | Ojas Rege | Vice President of Products
Ojas runs product management and marketing at MobileIron. Before MobileIron, he was VP Mobile Products at Yahoo. Ojas started in mobile in 2000 as VP Product Marketing at AvantGo, one of the first software developers for PDAs. Before AvantGo, Ojas managed the online video gaming team at Acclaim Entertainment, spent several years with Boston Consulting Group, and started his career in 1988 at Oracle. He is also a Board Member of Pact, a non-profit focused on adoption services for children of color and their parents. Ojas has a BS/MS in Computer Engineering from M.I.T. and an MBA from Stanford.
Company Description | FlightCaster predicts flight delays using an advanced algorithm that scours data on 10 years of domestic flights and matches it to real-time conditions, then delivers results relevant to each individual traveler. FlightCaster alerts users up to 6 hours before the airlines do, and helps frustrated passengers evaluate alternative options. The FlightCaster platform also helps connect users to the right person who can change your itinerary and get you back in the air.
Competitors: Concur
Customers: Business travelers, travel management companies
Partners: FlightStats
Investors: Y Combinator and angel investors
Presenter | Jason Freedman | Co-Founder
Jason leads a talented team to bring FlightCaster predictive technology to travelers and partners. Before FlightCaster, he co-founded Openvote Inc, a social network that empowers users to create polls about issues that matter to them. In the past, he has consulted for mobile start-ups, SEO agencies, and brand marketers. While earning an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, he worked as a product manager (employee #10) for Mocospace, a mobile application social network.
Company Description | fonYou is reinventing mobile telephony for the internet era, creating “Online Mobile Telephony,” a proprietary technology platform to be deployed by mobile operators. fonYou’s services allow end users to configure their mobile telephony services online. fonYou also gives users access to their call records, SMS and voicemails just if they were emails. Unlike competitors, fonYou offers a complete telecom solution that consists of backend technical infrastructure integrated with a web interface for accessing and configuring mobile telephony services. fonYou has successfully launched this concept as a full MVNONO in Spain.
Competitors | Google Voice, Ribbit Investors | Spanish private investors
Presenter | Fernando Núñez Mendoza | CEO
Fernando is a repeat entrepreneur in the telecom, internet and real estate sectors, and a former partner with consulting firms Accenture and DiamondCluster. Prior positions include the European Space Agency, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Spain, and Purdue University in the US. Fernando holds a degree in telecommunications engineering (honors) and Ph.D. in computer science (summa cum laude) from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain.
Managing busy beavers can be hard work (I know, I’m Canadian…), but Producteev takes the sweat out of task management and makes it simple for mobile workers who are on the go, too. Missed seeing them present at Under the Radar? Have no fear. Check out their company profile below, and pitch from today’s conference:
Company Description | Producteev is a mobile and web task management platform for groups and teams, with mobile clients for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Nokia, (soon Blackberry) and connected to every IM service, Twitter, and email. Get things done collaboratively no matter where you are.
Last Funding Round | July 2009 Competitors | Social Cast, Basecamp, WizeHive, RememberTheMilk Customers | Columbia University, Unilever, Longworth Ventures, Mashable Partners | Xing.com, JoliCloud, Meebo
Presenter | Ilan Abehassera | Founder, CEO
Ilan is an Internet and Mobile entrepreneur with strong experience in business development, marketing and user interfaces. He previously managed two early stage startups; and started the US Operations of a VC Backed European company called Zlio.com. He loves his wife and adorable daughter, his Blackberry, his Kindle and his MacBook Pro.
SimpleGeo (formerly CrashCorp)
Launched 2009, Boulder, CO
Twitter: @simplegeo
With only hints about what they’re up to available to the ‘rest of us’ for the past while, SimpleGeo finally came out of the bag at Under the Radar Mobility today to tell the world what they’re up to. In case you missed it, here’s their presentation and company profile:
Company Description | SimpleGeo provides end-to-end solutions to enable location-based services in mobile, web and desktop applications. SimpleGeo’s platform includes three current products; a geo-spatial Context Engine, Storage Engine and a comprehensive SDK. The SimpleGeo Context Engine enables application developers to quickly and easily get relevant information about specific locales including (but not limited to) ZIP codes, real-time weather, and geo-tagged media. Additionally, the SimpleGeo Storage Engine makes it possible to store and query location data in a scalable fashion, as well as perform complicated geospatial operations effortlessly.
Presenter | Matt Galligan | CEO
Matt Galligan, 25, is the CEO and Co-Founder of SimpleGeo. He previously founded Socialthing, a company chosen to be part of the inaugural year of TechStars, an incubator in Boulder. Socialthing.com went into private beta in March 2008 at SXSW and was acquired five months later by AOL. As part of AOL, Matt acted as Product Manager for Socialthing for Websites: a web platform that brought social features to sites that otherwise didn’t have them. Matt currently resides in Boulder, CO and is an active member of the startup community there.
Layer
Launched June 2009, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Twitter: @layarmobile
Meet Layar! What’s all the buzz about mobile augmented reality? See for yourself… Check out Layar’s company profile and the pitch they did at today’s Under the Radar Mobility conference:
Company Description | Layar is a global Open Augmented Reality Platform where developers and users enhance current and create new realities. This results in discovery, serendipity, informed decisions and fun experiences. The Layar Reality Browser shows what is around you by displaying information on top of reality through the phone camera.
Over 1400 developers are working on connecting their content to the platform. Together they’re providing relevant information to users all over the world, from the best skate spots, houses for sale, event information and services like Yellow Pages and Google. The Layar Reality Browser is free for iPhone 3GS and Android phones.
Last Funding Round | July 2009 Competitors | Wikitude, Metaio, Total Immersion, AcrossAir, GeoDelic Customers | UDR, INING, de Telefoongids, ANWB, Funda, Tempo Team, Yellow Pages Partners | Samsung Investors | Marc Benioff, Benchmark, and Shasta
Presenter | Maarten Lens-FItzGerald | Co-Founder
Maarten Lens-FitzGerald started his career as an internet professional in 1993. At the first Dutch web agency he helped national and international companies take their first steps online. Later he developed email strategies and campaign concepts. In 2007, Maarten jumped into mobile, co-founding Mobile Monday Amsterdam and then SPRXmobile. This is where Layar was born: Maarten’s co-founders are two SPRXmobile partners. Maarten is also known as “Patient 2.0” due to extensive live-blogging during his successful fight with cancer. He lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands with his wife and two cats.
Payfone
Launched 2008, New York, NY
Twitter: @payfone
Company Description | Payfone enables direct operator billing for mobile app stores. Through rapidly scalable, In-Network Design, Payfone deploys features like No Registration Checkout, 1-Touch direct operator billing and True Price Flexibility.
Payfone payments are built to offer robust capabilities such as Real-Time Processing, Guaranteed Payment, Fraud and Charge-back Protection and Global Treasury Services. This allows a seamless buying experience that drives impulse purchases, translating to higher revenues and success for developers. For operators, this presents the opportunity to rapidly connect key payment capabilities to any app store, including their own.
Presenter | Rodger Desai | CEO & Co-Founder
Prior to Payfone, Rodger served as founding CEO of mobile application companies Rave Wireless and Vettro. Before these startups, Rodger was a manager and engineer at Accenture, ExxonMobil and GE. Rodger has also been involved in various mobile phone projects in emerging markets, including disease surveillance in Iraq and Grameen Bank’s micro-financed based Village Phone. He graduated from Rensselaer and attended the Harvard Business School.
