Article posted on Sep 16
As you know, it is the goal of the Utah Tech Spotlight to bring more visibility to tech cool Tech right here in our backyards. What better way to do that than to have a finger on the pulse of the new up-and-coming companies being funded. To that end, the Tech Spotlight works closely with Funding Universe to take the coolest Tech presented in their monthly Speed Pitching events, and tell you about it here. Oh, and look… here’s one now 
 :
Seek Mobile Interactive, Inc.
It’s a very interesting time in technology, as we watch not only the development of new, and revolutionary technologies, but also the convergence of various pieces being brought together into Mashups. For those not familiar, a Mashup is essentially the taking of various pieces of other applications, and hooking them together in new and exciting ways. Think of it sort of taking all of the best pieces from your favorite toys and snapping them together to create a cyborg Hulk with spidey-sense.
Another type of “trend mashup†involves taking the momentum that a specific type of movement, medium, or social trend and combining their energies together like multiple tidal waves merging into a single massive Tsunami.
A local company, Seek Mobile Interactive, is looking to capitalize on just such a convergence: Mobile Experiences, Social and Persistent Gaming, and Location based interactions.
Please follow this link to see the full article regarding Seek Mobile Interactive.
Article posted on Sep 02
As a followup to the Utah Innovation Awards earlier this year, we had a chance to sit down with Chris Johnson the Director of the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute at the U. Chris is also:
Director, Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute (SCI).
Co-Director, Center for Integrative Biomedical Computing (NIH NCRR).
Distinguished Professor of Computer Science.
Research Professor of Bioengineering.
Adjunct Professor of Physics.
Faculty Member, Computational Engineering and Science (CES) Program.
Faculty Member, Brain Institute .
Co-Founder, Visual Influence Inc.
Co-Editor, The Visualization Handbook.
Chris is and his program at the U are doing some really amazing things… not just in the technologies they are coming up with, but with the culture they are building, and their ability to see these become more than just ideas, but to be a place for thoughts and people to flourish here in Utah. As well as a program to help those ideas become realities, and businesses.
I hope you’ll enjoy hearing from Chris as much as I enjoyed talking with him.
As a note, if you don’t see the video below you can find your way to this original post as this link
Article posted on Aug 28
I wanted to post a follow up to the last few posts I have done on Bungee Labs. This week Bungee let go fifteen people (which I believe is about half of the company.) As I had said in my previous posts, the real question (or one of them) for a company like Bungee is the level to which they can get developers to adopt their language and use their tool. Well, it would appear that the answer is: not as fast as hoped, expected, or needed.
The plan appears to knuckle down, re-tool, make the platform more solid, and develop some compelling apps.
Good luck to them… trying to get developers to adopt a different language is about like trying to do religious conversions. Hopefully inventing the “Killer App” is easier.
Article posted on Aug 25
Okay, so a few weeks ago I headed down to Bungee labs to have a look-see at what they are up to. Specifically, the event was their Skunk Works, wherein we got to see projects built by ten different teams in their spare time. The average time spent seemed to be somewhere between a couple of evenings, and a week or so.
So for starters, the apps were cool. The fact that people were able to pull of what they were in such short time lines was really impressive. What was even cooler was what was beneath the surface that people really didn’t need to worry about. The cross-browser compatibility, and things like that which is just pretty much taken care of for you.
I think the key for Bungee really seems to be in looking at what types of applications it is the best fit for. You are paying to license a server, so for it to really make sense you should probably be considering it in fairly large projects where you would be considering other pay-to-play application servers. I have had some exposure to some of these in the past, most notably Dynamo, and the toolkits and resources they make available can be nice time savers.
This means that it probably makes a bit less sense on a small project with a single person working on it, and that doesn’t really need to be concerned with great uptime, patchability, CVS, and the like.
This is further reinforced by its tremendous speed in bringing new developer resources online with the whole dev environment, CVS, and everything available instantly. This would be awesome if you had a large team working on a project.
Additionally, the tools realistically probably cut project dev times roughly in half from what I can tell.
One question is how it stacks up to other App Severs from a performance perspective. I don’t really know that yet.
So if you were kicking off large project, using half a dozen or more developers, planned for it to take 9 months or so to get done, and really don’t care what language it’s in… then I think this is really a good potential fit you should explore.
Although, now that I think about it… once you had such an environment in place, I think whipping out small projects would be light-speed. The key is that initial justification for the App Server I think.
To succeed though, Bungee needs to have the developers already familiar enough with it that they want to use it. That’s where the free environment that Bungee runs is such a good idea. It would be interesting to see Bungee expand their skunk works contests and incent those outside of Bungee to play. Maybe we even expand this a little bit, and see what doing the same project in and out of Bungee looks like, and what the timelines are… What do you say Bungee? I’ll help put this together.
As a final note, I want to comment on something outside of Bungee’s technology, and that is their culture. Even more than being impressed with the applications, how cool they were, and how quickly they were written, I was really struck by the people. These are people who love where they work. They love the team, the environment, and what they are trying to accomplish. One of the most important things that a company can do is build a velvet-rope type environment, where people are wondering, “how do I get in there?” Bungee has done that. Their internship programs that bring it some of the most talented people in the country (where they are competing with the likes of Google and Microsoft for these student’s interest), the movies they show for free to locals, the parties, and the obvious approachability of the management team is really just stunning to see. When it comes to culture, these guys get it. Whatever else Bungee is or is to become, it’s obviously one heck of a place to work.
Article posted on Apr 17
It’s been a few month’s since I made it out to one of the CTO breakfasts put on by Phil Windley. I am pleased however, that I made it out to one this morning. The caliber of people and discussions at these is just amazing. Phil really does manage to bring the best of the best into these breakfasts (and a few of the rest of us managed to sneak in as well )
Topics today were all about the App Engine by Google, and EC3 by Amazon. Odd to see these two be the players going head to head in this space, but I think we’ll all be the winners in the end. They are really doing with hardware infrastructure what has been done with pipe and power in the past by the Datacenters. The ability to have hardware not only managed and provisioned by someone else, but allocated near real-time when needed. Additionally, the distribution is reported by some to be near as performant as they have seen from some Content Delivery networks… yet another problem solved as part of the outsourcing strategy presented here. I think the key question is not if, but when will these solutions reach a price model that makes more sense for more mature, more stable platforms? And do they intend to? (I personally think the answer to that is yes.)
Thanks to Phil for putting these together! If you are reading this now, wondering if any local events are really worth carving time out of your calendar, and wondering if you will really meet anyone worth meeting, let me just shout a resounding YES for this event. I never walk away hungry.
Article posted on Mar 12
Yesterday I attended a UTC event at the Desert Star Theater in Murray. I few notes before I event get into the topic or the speakers: This was my first time at the Desert Star. It is really neat inside, plus even though it looks tiny from the street, there is a ton of parking in the back. I am definitely planning to hit some of their upcoming shows.
This event was dedicated to the use of domain names, and how they can help you:
The speakers were Chris Finken, CIO and co-founder at Orange Soda, and Michael Taylor Alvarez from Ochoa and Taylor. This was my first time meeting either of these gentlemen, but I found them both to be very intelligent, and extremely knowledgeable about the topic of discussion.
I want to pass along a few key items fromt he presentation that I thought were really good:
Keywords
When getting a domain name for your website, or a domain name for a secondary site about your company that then links into you main site, it’s important to remember that not everyone cares who the heck you are. You ahve to ask yourself what they are really looking for. If you think they will be specifically looking for your comapny by name, then a domain name that is your company makes sense. But that may not be the case. If for example you produce frozen meals that can be cooked quickly, even though you company name is Susan Foods, a domain name like “fastmeals.com” might make more sense for you, as that is what the customer is really looking for.
Additionally, even if you don’t get the value from a domain like “fastmeals.com” it is a domain name that someone else might want in the future and you might be able to monetize in other ways.
Missssspellings
You can protect your own company from losing intended traffic, and potentially capitalize on intended traffic for other domains by grabbing common misspellings. What are some of the ways that people misspell you company, product or value proposition? Grab those domain names to make sure people end up were you want them to be.
My opinion on the event:
My opion on the event would have to be that I was very impressed with the people they found to speak on the topic. Very sharp guys. I was also pleased with the presentation on domains. But where I was left wanting a little bit was the narrowness of the scope. Domains are very very key to driving SEO, which we know is Orange Soda’s specialty. but since the scope of the presentation was just on domains, we never got into the questions that were right there, waiting to be answered in regards to URL structure, blogs, and so many other areas. It was like we had a meeting to explore baking cakes, but chose to focus this first meeting on only discussing what eggs to use. This may sound more harsh than I mean it. The meeting was wonderful. I just hope they follow it up with a few more int he “series” to round the picture out, and that as the series progresses there are recaps on the other, relevant data that has been presented.
All in all, nice job UTC, Chris, and Michael. Also, thanks to the Desert Star.
Article posted on Mar 10
At the end of last week I had the pleasure of going to hear Jason Alba from Jibber Jobber speak at Utah First Friday on Linked In.
Now, many of you have heard me speak before as to what a huge mentor on social media Jason has been to me over the last year, and I am pleased to say that he did not disappoint. Jason realy does a great job of conveying some of the core key value propositions of Linked in. He really cut right through the crap, and into the meat of the matter. It was not a speech on “What can Linked in do?”… it was a speech on “What can linked in do for ME, and why the heck should I care?”
I am a very acive user of linked in. I don’t mean that I have more connections that everyone else… because that’s counter to how I use linked in. What I mean is that I actually USE it, and derive value. If I am looking to hire people wit key skill sets, I look for them on linked in. If I have a business meeting with someone later in the day, I first research them on linked in to find out about them, and possibly even call connections we have in common for more details. Applicants? I always call people who I know and have in common with them to find out what they are really like. But tha’s just what I do. Jason pointed out so much more.
Linked in is a great job finding tool, applicant tool, and marketing tool. Additionally, Jason is one heck of an engaging speaker… although he is fairly new to this, and I know will improve with polish and time, it is his personality and wit, and genuineness that keep the audience engaged. Jason, if you are reading this… I have a question: I would guess that sales, marketing , and even HR teams in many companies could really benefit from a short, personal level perentation to their group on what you went over. Is that something you’re interested in doing? How might people contact you for that?
Article posted on Mar 03
Howdy all!
Wow. I don’t know about everyone else, but altough there may well be a financial downturn around the corner, we are definitely not feeling it yet. I have never in my life been busier. But I did want to update you on a couple of local events that I attended recently, and an upcoming item for the Tech Spotlight.
40 under 40:
Utah Business Magazine held their awards luncheon for the annual 40 under 40 last week. The luncheon was really nice, and it was a great bunch of people to hang out with. I also really like how diverse the field was. There were companies represented from all different areas from Tech, Financial, Health, Modeling, Outdoor, Construction, and pretty much everything else under the sun. What I would really LOVE to see as a side benefit of this type of event is a quarterly Alumni type get together. It was just so neat to hang out for a couple of hours with these folks, that it would be good to keep in touch. UTC, here’s a suggestion for you, Utah Business, and Digital IQ: You guys do sucha great job with your CEO Peer 2 Peer meetings, and really get discussion and comradery going. A similar event to get the 40 under 40’s interacting at that same level would be inredible!
Utah Entrepreneurial Challeng, Meeting of the Minds:
The Utah Entrepreneurial Challenge had their Meeting of the Minds event last week. This is an opportunity to pair up local entepreneurs to brainstorm with these up and coming companies. Officially, the entrepreneurs are referred to as “Mentors”, but I think I speak for all of us who were sitting at a table, brainstorming with our team, that the learning was definitely flowing both ways. Perhaps, “older pupils” is more apt
I am working wit Qgia, a really exciting idea around video (sorry can’t share much more than that yet.) I am really impressed with how events like the Entrepreneurial Challenge, Funding Universe’s Speed Pitching events, and so many of the student mentoring programs that folks like Alan Hall and others put in place to help grow the future innovators of this state. It’s amazing how much some people are doing to ensure the futures of our children for generations to come.
You oughta be in pictures:
The last week of March I am having my crew ready to do a several video podcast sessions. We will then be trickling these out once per month. So if your company is super cool, or you know of one who is, let us know. Will do a video with them, and have it transcribed (so anything said will also be searchable), and get them plenty of exposure, all for free. Just trying to help bring more visibility to Utah and all the cool stuff going on here!
Article posted on Feb 20
As followers of this Blog know, we strive at the Spotlight to bring more visibility to Utah in two key areas:
1- What cool companies and products are there in Utah.
2- What events and organizations in Utah seem to be worth attending to bring value to your business.
For this post I want to focus specifically on the second of those two items. About a year ago I joined EO Utah (Formerly known as YEO, or the Young Entrepreneurs Organization.) EO is basically aforum that allows fellow business owners to get together wit other business woners in a sae environment, and learn from eachothers’ experiences. It has a very strict non disclosure policy, and is a wonderful, safe environment to discuss things with people who have gone through things like what you might be facing. It can be hard as a business owner sometimes… who do you confide in? If you are troubled about your financing, or that new sales VP, or what have you, is there anyone in your company you can really discuss it with? Do your friends or spouse really have any valuable insight? Well, here is a group of a dozen or so people who will, over time become your closest friends, who have faced just those types of challenges and opportunities.
EO is no easy to get into. You need to have $1m in revenues (amoung other criteria), and it costs $2k per year to be a member. Additionally, it really takes time to get value out of. Unlike most organizations where I can write a glowing or a scathing review after one or two meetings, EO really takes about a year to really hit your stride.
I can say that, becuase I feel I really have now. If you had asked me even six months ago I would ave given EO a mixed review. But having just come back froma three day offsite with my group, I can say that this is one of the most valuable organizations I participate in. I learn so much, and feel like I am building such valuable relationships with very special people.
Sorry, I can’t share much mroe detail than that… that’s what makes it safe, and that’s what makes it so valuable. If you’re abusiness owner you should check it out.
As a note: When I linked to the EO site, I noticed how terribly out fo date it is. Please don’t judge it by that  after all, these people all ahve companies to run… just like you do.
Article posted on Jan 18
Okay, so as you guys have seen, I tend to give pretty darned good reviews to most UTC events. Additionally, their attendance this year has really picked up, and I see that meaning even more of a reason to attend the events. As to the PR event this week however, I think there were definitely some good parts, but I have a few nits to pick as well.
Let me start by saying that if you are wondering if the UTC is right for your company, I would say that the two events that I have been to thus far this year just show the UTC gaining momentum. Attendance is up, and they always do a great job of pulling these together. How anyone could not get sufficient value from these events to justify the meager annual fee is beyond me. Definitely one worth joining.
Additionally, I have to say that the speakers knew their content. And for the most part presented well.
My concern lies in the overall effectiveness of the event. I’m not sure rather it was because there were three presentations, and they all needed to rush so fast that none of them could go deep enough, or what the reason was… But I feel like we walked into the room with a lot of PR people who were interested in, and concerned about New Media and how it affects their industry. The presentations accomplished sending the message “Yes, New Media is cool, and is gaining power. You should be scared if you don’t understand it.”
But that’s it… very little of that “understanding” was passed on.
I would have loved to have seen us go into enough detail on 3 or so New Media topics for people to have a take away. Let’s just take twitter, blogs, and Stumble Upon as three examples:
While the meeting touched on the fact that blogs and bloggers are powerful and scary and you should be careful how you deal wit them, I would have liked to have seen something that imparted information more along the lines of:
If you have a client that you think should be blogging, or they think they should be blogging, do this first: Have them take a week and research blogs relevant to their area and value proposition. Have them then take 60 days and actively read and intelligently comment on those blogs. This serves a couple of key purposes: 1: you get comfortable with “blogging voice” and what people are responding well to, and 2: It actually turns your competition into your lead-gen. Popular blogs that were drawing eyes of your potential customers are now actually driving traffic to you due to your comments that link back to your website. Oh, and lest we forgive reason 3: you learn more about what people are thinking. If at the end of the 60 days the company has not actively commented several times per week, and has not learned of a bunch more key blogs they were not even aware of due to their interaction over that time, then they should not start a blog. Someone has to really be willing to be consistent to blog, and they need to understand that it is much more than just writing. It includes a huge social component of link, and giving love to get love (link wise )
I won’t go so indepth in twitter or Stumble Upon, or this post will turn into a novel. I would have like to have seen examples though. Don’t just tell us twitter is cool…Give us an example of a sign that could be put up in a retail store, what it might say to get people to “follow” the merchant on twitter, and how it might be leveraged. Perhaps use an example for a stadium, and how a solution like this could help fill seats at Jazz games or something similar. Teach people rather than just hinting at it.
Okay, so enough ranting. I want to wrap up in the positive here… There were about 40-50 people there. Great crowd. Great people to meet. Sharp presenters. I just think the format, or perhaps the goal asked to the presenters might have been tweaked a bit to add more value.
