Startups in Austin are making waves – from eliminating boring data entry tasks to better engaging with customers, below we highlight five of the most innovative startups in Austin.
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Paybook
Paybook hates waste. The company “aims to be a driver of innovative technological solutions” for streamlining the financial process for those who need it most. If that’s too much of a mouthful think if it this way: the company promotes productivity, facilitates collaboration and makes data entry and paper waste a thing of the past. Their target market is CPAs and businesses with operations in Mexico and they're the only application in the world that delivers full bank connectivity to Mexico. The Austin-based company links electronic invoices (required for business deductions) and links them directly to the Mexican IRS (SAT).
In Development: Paybook will launch its automatic reconciling solution for CPAs and businesses with operations in Mexico during SXSW 2015.
Basic Stats: Located downtown at 43 Rainey Street, the company has 17 team members.
Austin is great because….of the thriving tech and startup community.
Fun Fact: Paybook’s CEO grew up in Austin’s sister city, Saltillo, Mexico and has a goal of creating innovative technology to bridge the two countries and cultures.
Outfield
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Outfield grew out of an app built in house for Cellucor. First used for the company’s own sales reps during beta testing, it was so successful the founders decided to release a public version. The company is especially keen to work with clients on custom features, ensuring the app brings the kind of success companies are looking for.
In Development: Outfield is finishing its Android build, the second iteration of the iPhone app (with upgraded UI).
Basic Stats: Located at 229 West Sixth St, Outfield has three full time employees.
Austin is great because…. The access to talent is unparalleled in the state.
Send Resumes for: Outfield is looking for a new development partner.
Shopsnap
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Shopsnap eliminates the pain of inventory tracking, warehousing, shipping and customer service. It’s the “only ecommerce platform that was created from the ground up with mobile devices in mind,” a great position for a world moving more and more towards mobile. The app can increase checkouts by up to 60 percent compared to other solutions on the market. Shopsnap uses cloud infrastructure, bakes in social integration to the app and is a full service shop.
In Development: In beta testing mode with a waitlist for full launch notification.
Basic Stats: Located in the Bee Cave Galleria next to the TrueCar offices with a second location in LA. The company is 14 people strong.
Austin is great because…. Business friendly atmosphere, local talent and awesome nightlife.
Fun Fact: The company is made up of transplants from LA who moved east for the atmosphere and local talent.
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Spredfast
On the heels of raising $24 million in a Series E round, Spredfast is looking to further enhance its enterprise-class relationship platform. The SaaS platform allows brands and agencies to connect meaningfully with customers and fans via social media.
In Development: improved technology and international expansion
Send Resumes for: content strategist, senior back-end Java developer, financial analyst
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TrendKite
Investors like growth. Just ask TrendKite, who quickly secured $5 million in a Series B round after registering 250 percent quarter over quarter growth in 2014. TrendKite, whose SaaS platform empowers PR reps with real-time media analysis reports, plans to put a portion of the funds to technology development, while reserving the rest to grow its sales and marketing team.
In Development: technological development, hiring
Send Resumes for: market development, senior software engineer
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Rivet Works
If staged product placements feel too fake to your customers, Rivet Works (founders Michael Svatek and Ben Lail pictured left) has a solution. The company thinks brands that speak like a person resonate better with customers. Rivert Works helps “brands get to know their customers by engaging them to natively generate photos, videos, preference and intent data.” With that information in hand, the company helps intelligently place content on the web, driving commerce and brand loyalty.
In Development: Active in the market. Customers include Estee Lauder, JanSport, Build.com, and Viking Cruises.
Basic Stats: Located on Anderson Lane, the office has a ping pong table (heavily used for company-wide tournaments), an arcade machine, and two kegerators.
Austin is great because….Besides being the hometown of childhood friends and co-founders Mike Svatek and Ben Lail, Austin tech culture is a catalyst for innovation.
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Promoter
Knowledge is power. Companies that understand perceived brand sentiment can better connect with customers, leverage brand advocates to grow a customer base and practically eliminate negative word-of-mouth. Promoter does this through a proven system and metric called Net Promoter Score. The platform helps companies implement, measure and take action on feedback from NPS process.
In Development: Beta testing started in April of 2014 and Promoter launched in December. The company has over 100 customers.
Basic Stats: When in town, the company sets up shop at Capital Factory (Promoter loves Austin, but is technically a San Antonio-based company).
Austin is great because….experienced mentors are happy to engage with startups.
Fun Fact: Fred Reichheld, the creator of NPS and author of "The Ultimate Question 2.0" book is an investor and strategic advisor to Promoter.
