COVER STORY
babm.com/coverstory
10 | JAN/FEB/MAR 2012
Founder Bret Tobey grew up in the Tampa Bay Area and hopes the bay area will take an active role in getting more excited about new innovations and start- up companies. “We couldn’t have built the company and gained the support we have been given without Gazelle Lab and the platform they provided,” stated Tobey. “We also gained additional partners as part of the process.” For information and investor interest you can reach Bret Tobey by email at
founders@autoiq.co, or by telephone at 727-753-8454.
www.AutoIQ.co.
The Kngroo application is sufficiently different from competitors’ as it is proactive (meaning that it directs each user to a future location, as opposed to merely reflecting one’s current location). It also uses an interactive gaming overlay to encourage users to learn about the establishments they are visiting which results in conversation between businesses and consumers, making the process of “checking-in” more enjoyable. Additionally, your check-in location is actually verified, unlike current GPS technology which is not accurate enough to verify when a user is physically present inside an establishment. Their goal is to become the first company to effectively monetize mobile check-ins. For more information about Kngroo visit
kngroo.com. You can also follow them on Twitter @kngrootalk or Facebook at
www.facebook.com/kngroobook.
Kngroo: For those who love to explore the most interesting people and places in a city that make it special and unique, Kngroo is for you. Founder Jeff Baird is in the Entrepreneurship program at USF St. Petersburg. A former football player for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, he has circumnavigated the globe with a knack for always finding new and better ways to do most things. Deciding to pursue his love of innovation, Baird was accepted into the Gazelle Lab program and is based in Tampa. “Gazelle lab offered excellent mentorship which was invaluable to a young entrepreneur like me. If there was someone I needed to know they put me in touch,” shared Baird.
Kngroo is an interactive mobile application that transforms normal metropolitan landscapes into fun, exciting and adventure-filled gaming platforms. The company connects people with local businesses using a unique, location-based interface that rewards exploration, promotion and repeat patronage.
For the participant, Kngroo is said to solve boredom and satisfy natural human yearnings for affiliation and recognition. For businesses, Kngroo mobilizes thousands of potential customers to their location who are rewarded for going to new places, trying new things and then it documents their adventures online.
Leads Direct: Leads Direct is a Tampa-based company founded by entrepreneurs Jeffrey Baird and Dustin Holbrook. They are a pay for performance lead provider to niche service-based verticals. Their first product to market is
PropertyManagementDirect.com that brokers the relationship between property managers and property owners. It essentially connects property owners with property managers in a new way, simplifying the entire process and providing a solution for those owners that are searching for property management services online. Property owners use the site to learn about property management, learn how to hire a manager, interact with other property owners, get advice and find the right property management company for their needs. The property management companies then receive high quality leads and only pay for the leads that were generated on their behalf. They are provided with an advertising tool that only charges when leads are generated -- with complete cost controls. It also manages budgets and offers targeted ad distribution by geography.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52