Category: Entrepreneurship

Top 9 Non-technical Tech Startup CEOs

Post author By Magdalena Brych
Post date 30/10/2018
No Comments on Top 9 Non-technical Tech Startup CEOs

What does it take to create a successful App? Technical skills? Well, not really. In fact, many successful founders and startup CEOs have proven otherwise. The founders and CEOs featured in this article have no technical skills and have gone out of their way to create successful and prize-winning Apps.

Creating apps without any technical knowledge is like cooking without knowing much about ingredients, it’s helpful but not necessary. Interestingly in this case, these top nine founders and CEOs with non-technical skills have turned the market to their advantage.

With modern technology, all you need is an idea – a great idea.

Arum Kang, Dawoon Kang and Soo Kang

Founders of Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee meats bagel. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

Famously known as the 3 Kang sisters, Arum, Dawoon and Soo are originally from South Korea. Both Arum and Dawoon aspired to study in the top-ranked MBA schools in the USA, Harvard and Stanford. Dawoon first made it to Stanford and Arum soon started studying at Harvard Business School.

After graduating from business school, the 3 Kang sisters noticed the monotony in the dating apps arena and decided to break it. They thought of an app that limits the number of profiles users can interact with each day and offers unique icebreaker information for the matches.

And so, Coffee Meets Bagel was born. In April 2012, it was launched in New York City, May in Boston and October in San Francisco. Six years down the line the company has a whopping net worth of about $150 million (Estimated Value).

Walker Williams

Founder and CEO of Teespring

Teespring. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

At an early stage in his life, Walker had a number of paths that he desired to pursue, including a cartoonist and a writer. However, at the age of 16, he settled and set a course on becoming an entrepreneur. Walker later joined the Brown University and obtained Bachelor’s degree in Arts and History, 2007-2011.

In 2011, he joined forces with Evan and together, they created a platform for custom merchandise, Teespring. Teespring enables users to create unique custom designs, set prices for their item(s) and set a sales goal.

By 2016, Teespring was valued at over 30 million and its CEO Walker was listed in the 40 Under 40 2016 for the social commerce company.

AJ Forsythe

CEO of iCracked Inc.

iCracked. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

AJ Forsythe has an exemplary track record in the field of business and entrepreneurship. His business endeavors have ranged from running a winery, beekeeping and founding iCracked Inc.

AJ graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Biology in 2011. AJ founded iCracked in his dorm room in 2010. iCracked has grown since then to be the world’s largest and most efficient on demand repair service for smartphones and tablets with over 4000 Certified iTechs and in 11 countries.

AJ made it to be one of Forbes 30 under 30. At the moment, iCracked has expanded to the UK and Europe with offices in London and Berlin.

Stephanie Tilenius

Founder and CEO of Vida Health Inc.

Vida Helath Enterpises Inc. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

Stephanie studied at Harvard University then joined Brandeis University to do a BA in Economics and finally an MA in International Finance. She worked at Paypal and EBay for 9 years before joining Google and helping build and launch several products.

Stephanie later founded Vida Health in 2012. Vida provides expert, personalized and on-demand health coaching together with programs from a network of experienced health care providers and leading medical institutions.

Approximately 133 million people in the U.S. alone live with chronic conditions and 70% of the $3T healthcare spend in the U.S ends up in preventable chronic conditions that Vida is now focusing on.

Sean Rad

Founder and Chairman of Tinder

Charmain of Tinder. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

Sean Rad was brought up in the Persian community of Beverly Hills by his parents who are Iranian immigrants. Rad attended the University of Southern California in 2004. Two years later, he dropped out to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

Rad launched Tinder alongside other co-founders in 2012. Tinder is a dating app and it was an overnight success. Two months down the line after its launch, Tinder reached over a million matches.
On August 6, 2018, the Match Group announced Tinder had over 3.7 million paid subscribers, which is up by 81 percent over the same quarter in 2017. The company is now valued at around $3 billion and is one of the highest-grossing apps in App Store.

Jamie Wong

Founder and CEO of Vayable

Vayable. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

Jamie’s background is in disruptive media, advocacy and communication. She attended the Universitat de Barcelona to study Art, History, Politics and later did her BA in History at Wesleyan University and finally went to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Jamie Wong co-founded Vayable in 2010. Her vision for a more open world that enables collaborative experiences and exchanges through travel is the driving force behind Vayable. While using the platform, you can discover, buy and sell unique travel experiences.
Vayable is currently in over 240 cities and has featured in the New York Times, CNN and The Wall Street Journal.

Tracy Young

Founder and CEO of PlanGrid

Plan Grid. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

Tracy attended California state University and majored in Civil Engineering. In 2008, she graduated and became a Construction Project Engineer.

She helped build two hospitals. In the process, she realized that many things went wrong not because they were poor builders but because there was no technology that could enabled them to do better. This inspired the creation of PlanGrid in 2012.

PlanGrid is a field collaboration software for construction. It has grown to be the lead construction productivity software completing over 1 million projects around the world.

Evan Sharp

Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Pinterest

pinterest. Top 9 Non-technical Founders of Great Tech-companies

Sharp studied Architecture at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Prior to that, he received a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Chicago. Evan found inspiration from pinning interesting maps, science facts, architecture, vacation plans, and fonts for his design projects.

Sharp met Ben Silbermann, Pinterest CEO and fellow co-founder, through a mutual friend while in Columbia University’s architecture program. Pinterest was launched in 2010. An online platform for saving, searching, bookmarking creative ideas uploaded by the people from around the world.

As of 17th October 2018, Pinterest has over 250 million monthly active users with a total number of over 175 billion Pinterest Pins.

Conclusion

In the century when technology evolves every day being a tech-savvy is not crucial to make the next big app in the market. The nine founders and C.E.Os are a case in point that tech-skills are not necessary in order to thrive in tech-world!

Media Apps: How media companies use web and mobile apps

Post author By Espeo Crew
Post date 19/10/2018
No Comments on Media Apps: How media companies use web and mobile apps

In days gone by, media was synonymous with a crisp morning paper and the aroma of ink. “Hot off the press” is still a common phrase for fresh news. Of course, this world has changed dramatically. The main source of revenue was paper sales and ads. This process was a staple of modern society and provided a focal point of news. The next revolution came in the form of the television, as media now became available at home. Instead of running down to the local store to pick up today’s newspaper, one simply had to tune into the morning and evening news bulletins.

Finally, the introduction of the internet has opened up new and exciting ways for the media to reach their target audience. Such is the nature of the medium that new and innovative measures have been made available to both the consumer and media corporations. The media conglomerates have benefited from a new wave of revenue, which explained further with four real-life examples.

CNN

A TV-based business model

Perhaps one of the most famous brands within the media industry, CNN is famous for its comprehensive coverage of international and American events. Of late, the network has been criticized for its political bias. However, that has not stopped the global powerhouse from obtaining a tremendous amount of market share within the international news and media market. In terms of revenue, CNN has developed a multi-layered stream that caters to its consumers around the globe. The CNN network achieves most of its revenue from the sale of television rights, as television organizations around the globe see its presence on cable and satellite packages as a drawcard.

Apps to help the growth

CNN has also made an attempt to keep up with the trends of the day, as they seek to enlarge their online presence through alternative media streams that differ from the traditional pen, paper, and television. Currently the CNN App is available on almost every mobile device. Its user-friendly design is primed to allow users to stay in the loop with current news events, both domestic and international. This has been developed as a new stream of revenue, as it serves to attract a market that is consistently connected to the web instead of a television screen or bookstore. They derive their revenue from advertising, as the attraction of traffic is a useful marketing tool for other entities.

CNN has introduced a new web-based forum that delivers content specially designed for high school age groups. Thus, the network has developed a user-friendly platform that is geared towards deriving future growth. Interestingly, the company seems to be willing to run the platform at a loss, as there are no adverts or other means of achieving an income. It seems to be an investment for the long run.

The development of a website that is linked with all the major social media sites is also a strategic segment of CNN’s business model. The idea is simple: draw enough traffic to the CNN website and achieve revenue from the advertising.

The Guardian

From ad-driven philosophy to the reader contribution model

A well-trusted media source that attempts to cater to the newsfeed needs of society, The Guardian has lived through the advent of both television-based media and the current online craze. As such, it seeks to engage with its consumers in increasingly meaningful ways. The Guardian has changed its revenue strategy and succeeded in building a new business model, in which reader revenue from web and print subscriptions surpasses that of ad revenue. The Guardian was primarily ad-driven and wasn’t very open for a paywall model because of the belief journalism should be widely accessible. Now, half of the revenue comes from advertising, one-third from individual contributions and the rest from philanthropic donations. Advertising continues to grow, driven by programmatic and native ads, but reader revenue is expected to surpass advertising in the next several months.

Customized apps: Looking for niches

The Guardian business development strategy includes opening up for new target groups and new activities and support them with dedicated web and mobile applications.
An example of this kind of approach was The Guardian Soulmates platform. Soulmates app was an online dating web application with a mobile app version. Our Espeo developers had a pleasure to work with The Guardian colleagues on creating this application. The Guardian’s goal while building the Soulmates application was to extend brand awareness and increase its profits.

Lately, The Guardian has also developed, in partnership with Espeo, a dedicated web application that provides teachers with key information, such as finding lesson plans, work schemes, presentations, student activities, and assessments. Espeo took on the responsibility of updating the platform, one that implemented larger storage and increased capacity for traffic. Moreover, as it enjoys a reputable brand that has stood the test of time, The Guardian also boasts a favorable presence within the social media sphere, as attractions such as football news often go viral. Again, this leads to increased traffic on the site and revenue derived from advertising organizations.

The Daily Wire

A Unique Content Approach

Alternative media that takes advantage of the information age, the Daily Wire is a nod to what can be achieved with successful e-marketing campaigns and the presence of unique content. The network leverages on the individual fame of its employees in order to create a focal point of conservative media. Staying true to its new and edgy feel, the Daily Wire’s business model is also in tune with the demands of the current day. Weekly podcasts are offered by at least three of the more famous representatives, drawing a tremendous amount of following from individuals tuning in with the use of mobile devices. Moreover, they obtain revenue from advertising from within the content.

Personal brands and viral marketing

Social media pages and channels have also been a core part of the Daily Wire’s business model. The company uses YouTube to target a younger demographic and the content is shared on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This is another stream of advertising-based revenue that is the result of drawing traffic to thought-provoking content.

As with most news outlets, the Daily Wire runs a video and article-based website that is designed to function with social media plugins and the strength of its brand. Interestingly, most of the traffic is derived from the strength of the personal brands of its employees and partners. The network has achieved a new and exciting revenue stream through viral marketing. This revolution is more conceptual in nature (as opposed to innovative tech) but the results of having employees act as promotional assets allows the business to perform well above its expected income. This can be seen in the link between Ben Shapiro’s Twitter account and the influx of traffic to the site.

ESPN

The Power of sport-based news

Despite the fact that the company is primarily involved in the live coverage of sports – American sports in particular – the company is a major stakeholder in the sports media market, as it is the host to a variety of sports-based coverage and news. Digital adverts make up a substantial proportion of the company’s multi-billion-dollar revenue stream, and this is derived mainly from news coverage. Therefore, it is safe to place ESPN within the media category, and its media-based revenue may be summarized thusly.

Mobile App and Live-streaming

Media Revolution: How media companies utilize web and mobile apps

ESPN uses a website as a focal point that provides updates of sports news by the minute. This encourages traffic and translates into revenue from advertising. Moreover, they also have a presence on social media, with many millions of followers on a variety of platforms. Advertising is also achieved through a mobile app.

ESPN has been voted the most innovative company in 2017, an achievement that is largely due to the way the network interacts with its online audience. Moreover, the company spent more than 1 billion dollars in order to add a live-streaming option to their list of subsidiaries. Thus, through a platform that encourages an online migration, the company continues to open an international client base with the acquisition of subscription-based revenue.

Media Apps and their impact

The internet is nearly endless in the number of possibilities it provides for a variety of industries. As media continue to move away from traditional paper-based revenue streams, the internet is turning into a haven for the distribution of media content. With the new and innovative ways to increase revenue, which seem to spring out of nowhere, one almost gets the sense that media have just scraped the surface of internet-based potential: perhaps the best is yet to come.

Entrepreneurship Software Technology

How to Choose a Mobile Payment Provider

Post author By Espeo Crew
Post date 23/08/2018
No Comments on How to Choose a Mobile Payment Provider

In today’s world, most people carry their cell phone wherever they go. No longer just a phone, mobiles are also multi-functional tools. Mobile devices are increasingly replacing the computer for internet browsing and game playing. It’s also trying to replace our photo camera because there is no need to carry one when we always have our cell phones within reach. The cell phone is also trying to replace people’s wallets.

More and more users expect that apps will enable the possibility to pay for the goods and services directly with a cell phone. It’s in users nature to seek the easiest way to buy something — one click to make a purchase in an app is enough. Statistics confirm that the less a user has to enter while purchasing, the higher the conversion rate. So, if users demand an easy way of payment, then you should make it possible. In this article, I will focus on the topic of mobile payment providers.

What is Mobile Payment?

So, let’s discuss what a mobile payment is and how to do it. A mobile payment is any payment with a mobile phone. Ok, so that sounds simple enough, but how we acheive this? There are several ways to make a mobile payment:

NFC (Near-field Communication) — It’s a connectionless method. Every shop needs a special device to make it possible.

Mobile wallet — where the phone stores credit card information, replacing your credit card and making your payments much easier.

Carrier billing (Premium SMS messaging/ OTP) — operator centric model. The operator bills you for the services.

Direct communication between a mobile phone operator and a bank payee.

Credit card — this is common but means we have to carry our card with us at all times.

What is a mobile Payment Provider?

A mobile payment provider simply provides payment services using a phone mobile under financial regulations. They secure the payment process and try to make it as easy as possible to use. Big IT companies such as Google and Apple provide such solutions but also financial companies and mobile phone operators try to suggest their own models. Although at the first glance it all may seem that big competitors usually focus on different market sectors enabling integration only when it may be beneficial from the user viewpoint.

Ready to develop your app with us? Let us know.

No more gateway processors?

So, you may think “right, so if my mobile payment provider handles all this stuff, then maybe it’s all I need.” But that’s not quite so. The Payment provider (with some help from other networks) handles the card tokenization. It basically generates a unique ID number which represents your card data without displaying it. The device stores your information so you can process payments without giving card data. However, the payment provider does nothing to authorize and process your transaction.

This is where payment processors come in and acts as a payment gateway. Based on the received information the payment processors can carry out the transaction. Transaction processing is secure so you don’t have to worry about any PCI Compliance which will be provided by you gateway processor. Remember to choose a payment processor available in your country. While many Mobile payment providers charge no fee, payment processors will have their own fees for processing transactions – so just be aware of that.

Let’s take a look at what kind of mobile payment providers exist on the market:

GPay – This Google product acts as a mobile wallet and simply stores your card information. You can also upload different kinds of loyalty card information. Later on, users can use it in applications by pressing the “Buy with GPay button.” Also, you can use it in shops which support GPay through NFC. As a user, you can also exchange money between two mobile phones. Goggle’s service is free of charge for transactions made with GPay. Users have to unlock their phones to pay. GPay supports the following gateway processors: ACI, Adyen, Braintree, Checkout.com, Cybersource, CloudPayments, Datatrans, EBANX, First Data, Global Payments, IMSolutions, Paysafe, Payture, Przelewy24, RBK.money, Sberbank, Stripe, Vantiv, Worldpay, Yandex.Checkout.

Apple Pay – Apple’s version acts as a mobile wallet storing your card information to use on any Apple device. Each transaction made with Apple Pay must be authorized with face ID, touch ID or a passcode. You can use it in stores that have the right equipment that supports it. You can also send or receive money just like in GPay.

Samsung Pay – Not to be outdone, Samsung’s mobile payment app works similarly, but is more limited than GPay or Apple Pay. It’s compatible with all Samsung devices. Samsung provides its own reward program for purchases. The service is free and uses something called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST), which emulates the swipe of a traditional magnetic strip. It allows users to make payments with most typical payment terminals, not just the new ones that include NFC.

Microsoft Wallet – This is a wallet for Microsoft devices and for Visa. ‘Tap to pay’ is currently available only in the US. You can store your loyalty cards by scanning their QR code.

Visa Checkout – If you register your card through your account on Visa’s Web site, then you can pay via your web browser simply by providing a user name and a password. It works on any device with internet access . Visa Checkout accounts can be connected to other web wallets such as GPay or Samsung Pay

PayPal – The electronic payment giant is also present on mobile phones and mobile devices, we can choose PayPal in GPay to pay for the services. PayPal also provides mobile integration through SDK. The mobile service for PayPal is called Braintree. But you should remember that PayPal is also a payment processor.

How to choose the right mobile Payment Provider for in-app purchases?

So, you may ask what payment provider you should choose while developing a mobile app. This is quite a simple question. While developing apps for iOS you should use Apple Pay and while focusing on Android you should go for GPay. Samsung Pay can also be an option for Samsung devices but its support is limited to Samsung devices so you should be careful.

Please, take your time to browse the SDKs of your payment processor or integration guides (Stripe, Braintree). Some of them have ready-made solutions (tips, recommendations) which you can integrate over Mobile Payment Providers solution as a payment method and also support your regular credit card payments. Bypassing mobile payment provider is used for increasing conversion rate. Naturally, some users may not wish to pay with GPay. You should always monitor users’ behaviour on the payment screen before conducting a transaction because if the payment method chosen by the clients is unsupported then the client will not buy your products.

The Future Begins Now!

Remember that payments are not an easy topic. Information about payment transactions are sensitive data. Users want to make a purchase with a single button but they don’t want to give up on security. That’s why mobile services will only gain popularity in time. The payment integration is something where we can help. If you are planning to develop a new mobile or web application or add payments to an already existing one, don’t hesitate and contact us at Espeo.

Minimum Viable Product: From MVP to MMP

Post author By Magdalena Brych
Post date 20/08/2018
No Comments on Minimum Viable Product: From MVP to MMP

Minimum Viable Product: What should be the next step after creating MVP?

Minimum Viable Product, abbreviated as MVP, is commonly used in the start-up terminology, unfortunately, not always wisely. When we want to create a new successful service (whether technological or not), we want and need to be innovative! Indeed, to innovate is to imagine and to create something brand new. So, you embark on a risky adventure, with very little information regarding the actual demand for your product or service.

What about MVP?

Innovation is often very expensive. What is more, most of the time, it is impossible to predict any possible return on the investment due to the lack of information which makes any investment somewhat irrational. MVP answers the question: “How can I gather the most information about market expectations in reference to what I want to propose? How can I reduce the initial investment costs as much as possible and lower the risk as much as possible?” In the past, the old way was to release first version of the product several months after the investment and to offer an almost finished and final product. This can be avoided by applying and following the concept of Minimum Viable Product so that a product that answers customer’s main problem of accessory functions can be proposed. MVP is a method that helps to create a final product with a biggest number of functions expected by a target audience and also to offer the fastest product to the market. We described the MVP development idea in details in this article.

We already have MVP – what’s next?

Now that the meaning of MVP has been explained, you will understand why companies work on MMP. MMP stands from Minimum Marketable Product and it is the minimum number of products that can be produced and delivered so that they can be presentable and usable. So, once we have our Minimum Viable Product, we could take the next step and try to introduce our product to the market. But to do that we need to know something about MMP.

MMP – what is it?

Minimum Marketable Product is a term which refers to a product that has the lowest number of relevant features but is already suitable for sale and marketing. Such an approach allows for a faster implementation of products into the production environment which also means profits are generated quicker and earlier. MMP allows you to focus on a limited number of functions instead of creating a hidden product for a longer period of time. In addition not only do we minimise the risk but also gain on time and costs. Building the perfect application that we are simply going to release into the world is never the best solution!

Going from MPV to MMP – when and why should you shift from MPV to MMP?

One of the best and well-known examples of MMP is the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. On the one hand, Apple’s teams put a lot of effort and work to build a hand, the phone lacked a significant number of basic functions, e.g. copy and paste or sending messages to multiple users at the same time! After the initial success, Apple began to work on expanding and improving the system.

So, we could ask – how can we build MMP? First, limit the product to a specific market segment (do not try to please everyone at the same time!). Next, select only those functionalities that are necessary and essential for a given target group (it is necessary to identify those features that will lead to success in the market.). Remember, use MVP to determine the right functionalities of your product.

How to bridge the gap between MVP and MMP?

Every decision you make depends on result MVP validation. If it goes well, you could start thinking about MMP and launching the product to the market. If not, you may have a problem, because you will not know what and where it went wrong – was it the product or the idea itself. Theoretically, losing is easier, because of the certainty that your idea and/or the product (or at least something) is not good and does not work well. If the validation of MVP is successful, you win, but it doesn’t mean that you will profit again. So, in order to have greater range of possibilities, you could validate (or invalidate) your MVP in one way – by shifting to an MMP. This method will also reveal to you all the features your product must have. If you want to win, you will find the MVP market helpful in defining your target audience. First, you must collect constructive feedback, so try to find someone who will benefit most from your idea. Second, the greatest problem of start-up owners is their inactivity. Once they confirm their idea as useful and beneficial, they give it up. You have to start looking for more data and for more feedback. The next step after MVP and role of MMP in this process depends on the experience of the customer with your product. It could show you what to do next.

Can you skip MVP?

To put it simply, we can conclude that one MMP is made up of one MVP. So, normally, you couldn’t skip the MVP. The difference is that we treat MVP in terms of experiments. We collect user feedback and improve the products based on it. Sometimes your MVP is made up of a simple prototype, thanks to which you can test the reasonableness of the idea. This approach increases the success of the final application or system. Remember to always have a clear vision of the product you manufacture. When thinking about MVP, keep in mind also MMP, otherwise, it may turn out that your product contains several dozen functions that are valuable separately, but put together do not make much sense.

Launching MMP

If you are sure that your MVP is valid, you could begin working on the full and final product. So, if MMP is just a set of features based on which the decision of the product launch will be made, you have to question yourself constantly about them, their functionality and necessity. If you collect all the feedback about MVP, you can start. Firstly, you must prioritize your backlogs. Try to obtain the true data and facts about your product and consider why it could either work well or fail. When creating MMP you have to follow the customers’ advice and do what they want. Your backlog, which you must create, should enlist all the features which are important to launch your product on market. The clients’ responses could help you to improve your product and find all the features necessary to launch MMP. If you do it well, you will win and achieve success. While launching MMP, the feedback and the analysis of MVP proved to be very important.

If you want to win and launch your product to the market, like Dropbox or any other start-up, you must create the best Minimum Viable Product and analyse all the feedback to constantly improve your product. It is important to bridge the gap and to observe the market. If you can predict the expectations, you can react and introduce changes to give the people what they want. In the end, this is your goal.