While light bulb moments are the stuff of legends (and tech fairy tales), most great ideas don’t just come out of thin air. Rather, they are the process of iteration after iteration, until one day, a company finally gets it right. After all, taking an idea and improving it is what technology is all about. Austin’s got that process down to a science. Here we highlight five local tech companies working to perfect their technology through beta testing – a process that gives entrepreneurs insights into what customers actually need and want. We can’t wait to see the results from these beta tests.
[ibimage==33766==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
The Help.com Team
Help.com
Help.com was founded when two quickly growing companies realized the software for customer service was designed for very large or very small companies. They seek to fill that gap by building customer service software for medium and large companies. In August, the company raised $6 million. For their beta process, Help.com invited a small number of companies to try their products on a small scale. This allows the team to better match their product with customer needs. The team loves their Austin base because of its wide appeal, the low cost of living and the ability to build a strong brand.
[ibimage==33769==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
Live Vicarious
GoPros have become ubiquitous with outdoor sports, but all GoPro live streaming platforms are focused on professionals. Live Vicarious is working to enable live streaming from GoPros and smartphones to create a worldwide community. Their focus is on individual users, meaning soon you’ll be able to live stream your own awesome adventure from Austin to the Andes. Live Vicarious is launching a beta test soon. The first part will focus on testing the app, while the second part will focus on testing the website. Live Vicarious’ founder (pictured left) is from Austin and loves the vibe, weather, activities and amazing talent of his hometown.
[ibimage==33770==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
Co-founders Ron Muns and Cole Leslie
Certification Game
Five month old Certification Game is looking to make learning – and moving up in the workforce – fun. The team thinks that online courses have become a dreadful chore for many, but by using gamification, they can make once boring tasks into engaging learning opportunities. “Our mission is to help people qualify for jobs they may not have otherwise, by giving them all the knowledge and skills required to pass a certain certification exam.” They are running beta testing in house, with their first course debuting next month in Las Vegas. The company loves the palpable excitement of the tech scene in Austin and all the opportunities to connect with other impressive entrepreneurs trying to make their dreams into reality.
Mashboard
[ibimage==33771==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
Founded by University of Texas graduates (with CEO Mauricio Fonseca pictured left), Mashboard is building a tool to consolidate and organize information from a wide range of online services – email, file storage, notes, calendars, contacts – and making it searchable across different devices. The team spent the last year refining the concept and developing the product. In the next month, they are launching a beta test with a small group of users. Mashboard plans to extend their beta testing, gather feedback and metrics and continually make improvements. The company is trying to solve a real problem – nowadays we have just way too many apps and online services that when we need a specific, vital piece of information, finding it can be difficult – but they are doing it with a sense of humor. “One app to rule them all,” was how the company described using their app. The team loves the startup friendly culture of Austin, not to mention the great breakfast tacos.
[ibimage==33772==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
The Rebilly Team at a holiday party.
Rebilly
Rebilly’s founder was once in the subscription-based movie business, but spent most of his time managing billing. That frustration prompted him to find a better way to manage subscription-based businesses – leading to Rebilly’s founding in 2011. The company was originally built for iReel, an online movie platform, but it grew from there. Rebilly’s beta testing consisted of paying customers that all continue to use the service, but the company is excited to be adding customers from electronic retailing, faith-based membership organizations and the travel industry soon. Like most companies, Rebilly used beta testing to gather real world observations and feeback from its core clients and use that information to iterate on its product. Rebilly loves Austin’s culture, talent pool and great schools.
Have a tip for us or know of a company that deserves coverage? Email us via [email protected]
