A right of passage on the times.
05.15.11
At the pace the tech industry is moving it is becoming more critical for entrepreneurs to stay on top of their game. Almost every quarter a new social API, Software Kit, a new payment platform or proximity device is announced to the world. And now more than ever, technologists are leading the herd to determine what’s next while those less technologically savvy will continue to dream big with divided attention. To help sift through the pan, we read up on documentation releases (in certain cases, private) or attend developer conferences hosting thousands of developers, such as the World Wide Developer Conference which sold out in a few hours after the morning it was announced. All in hopes to help us identify an untapped break-through. We often hear about independent designers & developers teaming up to create a new app during their spare time, making monthly fortunes to an otherwise unavailable market. Last year we read how several Venture Capital firms
invested a series of rounds amounting to $4MM in a company called Kiip, run by a 19-year-old that developed a new category for real-life advertising for mobile gaming. And to that end, the stereotype of the ‘dark basement developer’ is shedding new light as a recent start-up sponsors a 10-day developer hack-a-thon in Costa Rica. Includes a luxury villa and a chef that serves three meals a day to keep the Python blood flowing. And while speculators predict a ‘bubble’, the one sector that continually shows momentum (at least for the next three years) is mobile.
In my own pursuit to keep up with the momentum, I spent the better part of the last 14 years working, studying and researching the Digital medium. Majored in Design Technology & Marketing at the New School & Parsons School of design. Created award-winning digital campaigns for Fortune 500 brands. In 2010, created an app called the iSwing™
(the first mobile golf swing analyzer) which became the #1 Sports App on iTunes. Sold over 200,000 units globally and spawned a partnership deal with a leading PGA TOUR golfer (Adam Scott), to whom I still haven’t met in person. During the same week at #1, New Orleans was hit by hurricane Katrina. Touched by the news, I contributed a portion of my proceeds to Red Cross which ended up being more rewarding than the success of the app.
In short, the emergence of new technologies has created a tremendous amount of opportunity for myself and others. By keeping up with the times it will certainly help us identify a trend from a fad, but knowing when to react to them, in today’s climate, will be a continuing challenge.