Author Archives: Todd Sileo

Plerts Combines Check-Ins With Medical and Safety Alerts

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Austin-based startup Plerts recently released a service application that leverages check-in technology to enhance one’s safety and security. Users are enabled to select people from their social graph to become part of one’s safety alerting system. If you are in danger or miss a check in people in your safety alerting system are notified via text and email. Plerts launched as a free iPhone app, a Facebook app and as web app.

For example, if you are apartment hunting and the locations are not familiar to you and you want to feel more secure you could choose to enable Plerts. If you fail to check in after the apartment visit, members of your safety alert system will be notified that you are missing.

In addition to logistical safety concerns, Plerts addresses health safety issues. The system can be enabled for users that take medication to check in on a schedule, notifying user’s safety circle when with confirmation that medication was taken, an alert if there was not check in.

These are only two of the many possible uses for Plerts. The goal is to prevent an emergency, and while it’s not a replacement for 911, the system may prevent the need to call 911.

Privacy is also a primary concern for Plerts. People may not want to tap into their social graph and reveal a medical condition or a location concern, but no one needs to know what you are doing that requires a check in. That aspect remains private unless the unfortunate occurs and you miss a check in. At that point only the user’s selected safety people would be notified of your location and personal information.

Plerts is a free service, but a premium service is also offered. The cost is $4.99 a month or $49.99 for an entire year. The company also has ongoing discussions with hospitals, universities, insurance companies and parents groups.

Although this service faces competition from Life360 and possible adoption challenges due to user concerns of privacy, the service does demonstrate the power of leveraging online tools and friends with offline activities. In addition, this service may prevent a true emergency and for that reason it’s certainly worth investigating.

Plerts was founded by Andrew Busey and Colin Anawaty. Busey is founder and CEO of Challenge Games, and previously founded Pluck and created iChat. Anawaty formerly founded the application development company Saltlick Labs. [Full Disclosure: Anawaty also provides creative direction for AustinStartup.]

Zosh Launches at DEMO Conference

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This week at the DEMO Spring 2010 Conference in Silicon Valley, Austin-based Zosh officially launched. Zosh is an iPhone and Ipad application that alleviates the need for a computer or fax to complete a form document or to provide a signature for a form. The application allows for a mobile worker to sign and complete document form information using an iPhone.

One neat aspect of the Zosh application is that it does not require users to change their current workflow processes regarding document handling. As an example, a user is able to access a document from their email via an iPhone. Using Zosh’s application the user is able to sign and fill in information of a critical document. The user is then able to email the document to the correct party.

Currently only PDF’s are able to be returned to a sender with a signature or information, but plans are being made to extend this part of the service. In addition, PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP and TIFF are supported for execution and editing on an iPhone. This is still great because a user is able to edit and sign documents from their iPhone and send later.

The application has been in beta since November 2009 and the developers have refined the user interface by soliciting information from over 5,000 beta testers. The DEMO launch marks its appearance as an application for sale.

Thus far, the application has garnered a reception and is an Apple Store staff favorite and has had press from Gizmodo and Mobile Crunch.

The value of this application is straight forward. It increases productivity by allowing for increased flexibility. One is now able to sign critical documents on the go. It may sound simple, and that’s the point. This application makes life less stressful.

Zosh was created by Josh Kerr and Alexander Bibighaus. More information is available at www.zosh.com.

BidModo Launches Online Marketplace Connecting Businesses and Vendors

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Today, Austin-based BidModo launched a public beta version of its free online small business marketplace where business owners connect with local companies in a variety of business service categories. From accounting to graphic design, BidModo provides an online marketplace to increase productivity, reduce costs and link local companies.

BidModo is live nationally in 80 cities with active connections in over 100 business service categories, with the company planning to roll out in each focus city when once they reach a critical mass of vendors. Austin is the first city to receive an official launch.

Founder Troy Schwartz, who ran a video company in Austin prior to starting BidModo, explained the company’s rational in a statement today: “I would regularly hear of companies in town turning to New York or San Francisco to hire for their video needs. And I can’t tell you how many times I’d meet people in Austin who would comment that they wished they knew I was here. It was time for a simple technology, an online market place, to connect businesses in a better way. That’s why we started BidModo.”

BidModo allows for business owners to post a service request and review a short list of suppliers that meet specific cost, need, scope and services requirements that are vetted by the online marketplace database. This allows for easy comparison of cost, vendor profiles and ratings from previous clients of the vendors. The value is saved time and money and the ability to link with the best possible vendor.

Vendors, on the other hand, have the opportunity to scan over 100 different business service functions and are able to complete an online profile for free. Vendors can then view real time requests posted in their local area, ideally saving them time and dependence on traditional advertising or cold calling leads. In addition, a vendor is able to use their dashboard to track sales conversion rates. Finally, the cost to a vendor only occurs when they are chosen to perform work.

There are several important components to BidModo’s online marketplace. The product clearly allows for an opportunity to capitalize outside one’s trusted word of mouth network, and it’s a great supplement to expand that network. Leveraging new technology to expand relationships allows for better working arrangements leading to reduced costs, better products and greater revenue for all involved.

Furthermore, the aspect of local is fantastic. Not only is there an immediate benefit between vendor and business owner, but a sense of community grows. With constant concern in Austin about expansion and its effect on our sense of community, BidModo may well be able to promote and assist in both aspects, but at the expense of neither.