emerging technology : Innovation + Job News

Finding a savvy mechanic can be a challenge, especially if you want to compare multiple quotes. But if RoadTab finds its footing, that search might take only a few clicks instead of a dozen phone calls.
 
Started in January by entrepreneur Jacob Phillips, RoadTab stems from Phillips' experience as an owner of a small car dealership. He constantly had to call auto repair shops, and felt that there had to be a better way. So he partnered with Twin Cities web and mobile development firm Tiny Mission and developed a free system that brings together mechanics and consumers.
 
Users can anonymously input their vehicle's make, model, year, and repair issue. By also inputting zip code, they can search for a shop within a certain radius. Mechanics get a notification of the job and respond with a parts and labor estimate.
 
Mechanics can choose between two membership levels: a free level that lets them get three repair queries per month, or $199 per year for receiving unlimited queries.
 
One strength of the service is that consumers can send in queries for a specific job--such as windshield repair--and get only auto glass repair shops in response.
 
The next phase, due within a few months, is the inclusion of reviews from people who have used the system to find shops. Phillips notes that the app is also expanding to Milwaukee this month.
 
"We'll be moving throughout the Midwest, and eventually we'd love to have this be national," he says. "People are really responding well to the service, because we've simplified it as much as possible. You can send out a query about brake pads, for example, and get quotes from two dozen mechanics about what it would cost to replace them."
 
The company's name is based on the cost of upkeep, or “tab," that a car owner builds up over time, Phillips says. With this new app, that tab may be more reasonable in the future, he believes.
 
Source: Jacob Phillips, RoadTab
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

It's a simple idea, artfully executed: people who are seriously ill create one central, online page where they can update friends and family about health changes and treatments. This reduces the need for the ill person to repeat the same information, while still keeping loved ones informed.
 
That concept sparked the creation of CaringBridge back in 1997, and since then the site has recorded more than 1.8 billion visits, with more than 250,000 personal pages created. Founder and CEO Sona Mehring notes that as the site keeps growing, the potential for its use expands.
 
"When we started, the phrase 'social networking' didn't exist," she recalls. "But the idea that you can support people through online connections was a powerful one, and it still is. We're looking at how to take CaringBridge to the next level of connection."
 
A nonprofit organization, CaringBridge employs 68 people, and hired nearly 40 percent of them within the last year and a half. That surge came from increased popularity and a stronger focus on innovation, Mehring notes.
 
The next iteration of the site will have a new service that will allow users to schedule tasks for the friend or family member who's ill. For example, a visitor to a page might see a calendar that lists doctor visits and a request for rides to the clinic offices. Using the online planner, the visitor can sign up to provide a ride on a specific day.
 
This significantly reduces the need for an ill person to ask for help with certain tasks, and it gives friends and family members more options for assistance.
 
"This is our first step in expanding our services, and we're very excited about providing more options like this," says Mehring. "People who use CaringBridge are going through a journey, and we want to be able to help them with that, in any way we can."
 
Source: Sona Mehring, CaringBridge
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Now in its eighth year, the Minnesota Cup is ready to award $200,000 in prize money to innovative entrepreneurs, inventors, and small business owners.
 
Designed to award breakthrough business ideas, the competition has six main categories: bioscience and health IT, clean tech and renewable energy, general, high tech, social entrepreneur, and student. Since 2005, more than 6,000 people have participated in the competition, and finalists from the last three rounds have gone on to raise $45 million in capital.
 
The competition's co-founder, Scott Litman, notes that the program expands every year, which has always been one of its major goals. Also, the number of partners increases--this year, UnitedHealth Group and Proto Labs have signed on as partners, bringing more prize money to the competition.
 
In terms of trends, Litman says he's seen a good deal of energy around high tech ideas in the past few years, and he expects that this year should continue that trend.
 
The program's judges are expecting a last-minute rush--and that's meant literally. Litman says, "About 10 percent of our entries come in during the last hour of the competition, and some come in during the last couple minutes. It gets pretty intense, actually." Entrants have until May 18th to submit their ideas. The contest ends at 11:59 pm on that day.
 
That level of excitement is felt during all aspects of the Minnesota Cup, and Litman is looking forward to another lively round of competition. "We love seeing the entries, and watching people talk about the program over social media," he says. "This should be another great year."
 
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Founded about 15 years ago by two professors at Carleton College who wanted to create a French/English dictionary for students, Ultralingua has evolved from a small side project to a robust company headed for impressive growth.
 
The professors--a French linguist and a computer science prof--envisioned a quick-and-easy product that would reduce the need for reference books. They launched an initial version in 1997, and then eventually started making mobile apps for that early handheld organizer, the PalmPilot.
 
In 2008, when Apple launched its App Store, the company found itself on the fast track. "We grew really quickly, really suddenly," says Ashleigh Lincoln, Marketing and Communications Coordinator at the company. "After being two guys working in a garage, all of a sudden, we were a fast-growing business."
 
The firm has eight full-time employees, but is ramping up hiring, Lincoln says. They're looking for software developers and marketing gurus, but they're willing to take their time in finding the right fit. "This is a very fast-paced startup environment and our team is small," she says. "So we're really picky about getting the right fit for our culture."
 
It's possible that Lincoln and other team members will have to speed up the search. Ultralingua is experiencing rapid growth and gaining new customers every day, and the company is considering a move into phrase books and word games, expanding their capability beyond dictionary apps.
 
"We're having fun making the word games, and everyone is interested in pursuing that," says Lincoln. "We're excited to see where we can go from here."
 
Source: Ashleigh Lincoln, Ultralingua
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

When it comes to figuring out what's best for clients, Minneapolis-based software development firm Warecorp has Belarus on speed dial.
 
The company got its start in 2004, when entrepreneur Chris Dykstra decided to strike out on his own after working in the software and web development fields.
 
Since he'd had some experience in working with offshore software firms, particularly in Belarus, he decided that Warecorp could benefit from a similar arrangement. He quickly built up an office in Minsk, which currently has about 60 employees. Another 10 employees are located throughout the United States.
 
Minsk is a hotbed of engineering activity, Dykstra notes, and despite some challenges with communication and time zone issues, he feels that such a large office there gives Warecorp an advantage. He says, "The level of expertise there is excellent, and it's much cheaper to hire and maintain an office with that many employees there as opposed to here."
 
Warecorp also distinguishes itself in the marketplace by being choosy about projects, Dykstra says. "We try to look for companies that are doing something to make the world a better place." The company has clients in the education, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors, as well as media companies and software firms.
 
"What makes us different is that we focus on social responsibility as well as business expertise," says Dykstra. Drawing on the engineering talent in Belarus gives Warecorp the ability to keep its robust growth rate, and Dysktra believes that the company will keep increasing by almost 50 percent every year.
 
Source: Chris Dykstra, Warecorp
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Designing Content That Sells
 
April 4
International Market Square
274 Market St., Suite 180, Minneapolis
11:30am - 1:15pm
$35 members, $55 non-members
 
Put on by the Society for Marketing Professionals, this workshop for those in the architecture and engineering industries focuses on developing effective online content. Reporter and PR professional Rachel Gold will give tips on making content interesting and on gauging how well design and content work together.
 
From Focus to Performance
 
April 6
DoubleTree Hotel
7800 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington
7:00am - 9:00am
$35
 
Sports psychologist and executive coach Dr. Justin Anderson presents the latest advancements in performance psychology and brain research, providing tips on how to use your mind in a more optimal manner to enhance sales and lead a more meaningful life.
 
High Heels, Higher Heights
 
April 10
Minneapolis Convention Center
3:00pm - 6:00pm
$80 members, $95 non-members
 
This annual event honoring women leaders is a prime networking opportunity, and is put on by the Women's Health Leadership TRUST. This year's speaker is Teri Fontenot, president and CEO of Woman's Hospital in Louisiana. Women leaders in health care will also be recognized for two major awards.
 
MHTA Spring Conference
  
April 25
Minneapolis Convention Center
$165 member, $215 non-member
 
The Minnesota High Tech Association presents its popular spring conference, kicked off by a morning keynote address by Rick King, Thomson Reuters chief operation officer for technology. Participants can network with other technology leaders, visit an expanded exhibit hall of more than 100 technology-related businesses, and attend breakout sessions about research, funding, education, and policy development.
 

To say that Burnsville-based DigitalTown has school spirit is an understatement.
 
The enterprise, founded in 1982, purchased its first web domain in 2005, when the founder, Richard Pomije, was chatting with Kay Joyce, then the principal of Burnsville High School. They talked about how effective it would be to have a site outside the school's official website that connected parents, students, and other community members.
 
Pomije bought www.burnsvilleblaze.com, and then went on a buying spree. The company now owns about 20,000 "school spirit" sites, and CEO Robert Castle notes that they have big plans.
 
"We want to build a powerful, nationwide publishing tool," he says. "We're ready to take this to the next level."
 
The sites only have local sports scores right now, but Castle envisions community-provided content as well as advertising that will give half the revenue back to the schools. The advantage of a school spirit site, he notes, is that schools don't have to manage them, or deal with liability issues that might crop up.
 
DigitalTown has 10 full- or part-time employees, but Castle sees the potential for rapid growth, which would also include hiring. "We've done the hard work in building the sites, and now we're at the point where we'll add the content to get it the rest of the way," he says.
 
Source: Robert Castle, DigitalTown
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

After Jaim Zuber's wife Cynthia discovered she was allergic to gluten and corn, going to restaurants became a daunting challenge. "We ended up with a list of maybe five or six restaurants that we knew were safe," says Zuber. "Otherwise, it was too time-consuming to call in advance and find out about the ingredients of their dishes."
 
Zuber figured that there must be others facing the same difficulties. As a software consultant and entrepreneur, he began envisioning a mobile application that would allow people to do searches of restaurants based on food allergies and sensitivities.
 
He brought the app, Food Seeking, to the entrepreneurial event Startup Weekend Twin Cities, and took second place, which boosted the fledgling firm's profile and gave Zuber the energy he needed to forge ahead.
 
"There are about four or five people working on this right now, and it's a good mix of people and talents," he says. "We would love to get to the point where we could afford to make this our full-time jobs."
 
The app is in beta version right now, and Zuber thinks it may launch in early June. In the meantime, he's collecting information on restaurants and specific dishes, and encouraging beta testers to share their experiences as well.
 
"I think my true long-term goal is to take my wife out to dinner in any neighborhood," he says. "Having the ability to just tap in a restaurant name and get a list of safe dishes would be a dream come true."
 
Source: Jaim Zuber, Food Seeking
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Wayzata- and Minneapolis-based RBA Consulting has been advising clients about technology since 2006, and has shown an impressive success rate over the past few years. When it landed on the Inc. 5000 list last year, the magazine noted that its growth over the previous three years came in at 247 percent, with an increase of 89 employees in that timeframe.
 
Now, the company is ready to get even more robust.
 
Last September, the consulting firm acquired Ratchet, a Minneapolis-based digital marketing company, and subsequently changed the name of the combined company to just RBA.
 
The combined company offers a wide range of services, from custom application development and infrastructure expertise to portals and collaboration solutions.
 
"Historically, marketing organizations and IT departments haven't gotten along well," says RBA President and COO Mike Reinhart. "We see an opportunity for RBA to come in and create cohesion there. We understand marketing and what they're trying to accomplish, and we know how IT needs to work. We're bringing the CIO and the CMO together."
 
The company is expecting to grow by about 30 percent this year, and is in the midst of active hiring, Reinhart adds. He predicts that with RBA's strong sales force, more hiring will be ahead as well.
 
Most of all, he and others at the company are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, now that the usual challenges that come with mergers are behind them.
 
"I'm a technologist at heart, and I love that I'm surrounded by bright and talented people who are thinking about how best to leverage our capabilities," says Reinhart.
 
Source: Mike Reinhart, RBA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Entrepreneurial incubation program Project Skyway was much heralded for its first round of tech acceleration. Although the initial cycle saw a couple of speed bumps--which the founders expected, given that it's the state's first seed-stage startup program--it resulted in the growth of several early-stage companies.
 
Now comes round two, with a quartet of businesses that are looking to be the next big thing in tech. Here's the lineup, which will be worth watching over the next couple of months:
 
YumZing: This service is similar to Yelp, but instead of collecting information on restaurants, it'll list menu items. So, if you want to find the best taco in town, or a list of creative cocktails, the site will guide you there.
 
HypeSpark: Users of this site can earn rewards and freebies by endorsing brands through social media.
 
Energy Resource Insights: An aggregator of data from thousands of reports, this service relies on a central database that can provide current information on regional energy programs.
 
Political Harmony: The name might sound like an oxymoron, but the site's creators intend for the service to help voters choose political candidates more effectively.
 
Focused on building companies that promise long-term and sustainable growth, Project Skyway provides mentorship and support. For this latest round, the competition was ferocious.
 
"These companies beat out ambitious entrepreneurs from five states and four different countries," says Project Skyway co-founder Casey Allen. "In a nutshell, they're all solid entrepreneurs that we believe are working on solid ideas."
 
Source: Casey Allen, Project Skyway
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

The unemployment rate for teenagers is dismal, currently at about 25 to 35 percent, but one startup is hoping to change those numbers for local kids.
 
Rock Your Block aims to provide an easy, simple way for teens to find odd jobs within their neighborhoods--and create a deeper sense of community as a result.
 
First conceived in late 2010 (see The Line's previous coverage here) by entrepreneur Sarah Young, the organization's site has been developed over the past year, and has just gone into beta launch. Young and co-founders John Hibscher and Steven Ladin have been meeting with business owners and community organization leaders in the meantime, to find job opportunities that can be posted.
 
"We want to have the site at the point where teens can apply right away, and that's been a big challenge," she says. "But we're working out those issues, and we're excited by what we see ahead."
 
Young believes that the model is sound, and once the initial beta is over, the site has the ability to take off. "We're empowering teenagers to develop a strong work ethic, and at the same time we're addressing the needs of the community," she says. "That's a powerful combination."
 
The site will also include information on internship opportunities and other education, to give teens a chance to develop new skills. For example, they can learn to build a resume, handle a job interview, or budget their time effectively.
 
Source: Sarah Young, Rock Your Block
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

It was quite a way to kick off a new year. Recently, Edina-based ReconRobotics received a $13.9 million contract from the U.S. Army, in its largest order to date.
 
The company started in 2006 as a way to commercialize technology from the University of Minnesota's Distributed Robotics Laboratory (see previous Line coverage here). At this point, the company's micro-robot systems are used around the world by military and police forces.
 
ReconRobotics employs 52 people, with 22 added in just the last year. CEO Alan Bignall says, "We'll be expanding in many ways: in orders for our current product, in research and development, and in hiring."
 
Growth is coming from several areas, he adds. First, there's the realization that personal-level robotics are becoming more common. He compares the devices to night-vision goggles, which were once rare in the law enforcement arena, but are now common. He expects that in the not-too-distant future, smaller robots will be standard for many military and law enforcement situations.
 
Also, demand is increasing in other areas, like healthcare and maintenance. Mini-robots might be used for shoveling your sidewalk, he notes, or even for babysitting.
 
"Imagine if I could have a robot watch my kids in the backyard and let me know if they stray too far," he says. "We'll find more and more uses for this technology, especially as we add capabilities like additional sensors. It's a very exciting time to be in this field."
 
Source: Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Twin Cities Software Symposium
 
March 2 - 4
Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Hotel
3900 American Blvd. W., Bloomington
$975
 
Focusing on best practices in the enterprise software development space, this conference is put on by "No Fluff Just Stuff," a technology event company that usually specializes in Java and Agility. For its Twin Cities gathering, the firm promises "hype-free technical training for developers, architects, and technical managers," with over 55 sessions offered over the weekend.
 
Women Leading in Technology
 
March 6
The Woman's Club of Minneapolis
5:00 - 7:30
$15; free with valid student ID
 
Sponsored by the Minnesota High Tech Association, this event is put on quarterly to help women learn more about the technology industry and to network with other professionals. Industry experts share their experience, and the event is particularly valuable for those who are just entering the technology field.
 
Entrepreneurs Rally
 
March 13
CoCo Minneapolis
6:00pm - 9:30pm
$10 for keynote plus Mentorlab; free without Mentorlab
 
Presented by Entrepreneurs' Organization Minnesota, this networking-fest is designed to bring the entrepreneurial community together for a night of think-tank style interaction. The keynote speaker is Ido Leffler, co-founder of Yes To Inc. (makers of Yes to Carrots products). Those who are founders, co-founders, or CEOs of a company with revenues under $1 million can attend Mentorlab, which pairs participants with leading local companies.
 
Mobile March

March 16 & 17
Embassy Suites-Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave. S., Bloomington
$85
 
This event offers the latest information in mobile technology and trends. Now in its third year, Mobile March offers two learning tracks: mobile development and mobile business. Sessions range in topic from games to mobile trends for the year ahead, to boosting loyalty through mobile app development.

Justin Kaufenberg and Carson Kipfer were just a couple of students at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, trying to figure out how to make more beer money. What they developed turned out to be a thriving, successful venture that's likely to have over 100 employees by the end of the year.
 
The pair mixed Kaufenberg's economics and business background with Kipfer's graphic design experience, and started doing design and creative work for small businesses in Wisconsin. When they began getting more customers, they rented studio space and ramped up production. By graduation, they were talking about the next step.
 
Having both come from sports backgrounds, the pair decided to focus on developing software that could power sports organizations--everything from online registration to statistics compilation. They originally dubbed their venture Puck Systems, but changed the name to TST Media (Team Sport Technologies) once they moved beyond initial hockey clients.
 
In 2006, they moved to the Twin Cities, Kipfer notes: "At the time, our niche was hockey, so it was natural to come here. This is the best place in the nation to be in the hockey industry."
 
The firm continued to gain momentum, and now has 85 employees, with 10 job openings. "Our hiring plans are pretty aggressive for the remainder of the year," Kipfer says. "We have a product that's geared for explosive growth, and we're trying to maintain that."
 
Source: Carson Kipfer, TST Media
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Imagine being able to post to numerous, major online job boards in less time than it takes to finish your first cup of morning coffee. Just think of how much you can do before lunch.
 
That ability is part of the offering for Minneapolis-based Resfly, a startup launched last October that gives companies the ability to amp up their online recruiting efforts. The firm allows clients to post to over 20 job boards, including Indeed, Simply Hired, JustJobs, and CareerVitals.
 
A few specialized job boards are thrown into the mix, too, such as ResearchGate for scientists and Hire Health for healthcare professionals. Resfly also lets users screen candidates through customized questionnaires, solicit video interviews, and create a hosted career portal.
 
Launched in October 2011, the company is unique, notes Tony Sternberg, product manager for Resfly: "We let you send out listings to more job boards than any other service, and then we have different tools to go along with it."
 
Since its start, Resfly has seen a twofold increase each month in signups, and developers are constantly tweaking the model to make it more useful. For the future, users can expect even more services that streamline recruitment, including a potential applicant tracking system that will save time and money for HR departments.
 
Although there are just nine employees now, Sternberg expects that the startup has a bright future rife with growth and hiring. "We're excited about everything we have going on," he says.
 
Source: Tony Sternberg, Resfly
Writer: Elizabeth Millard