TECHdotMN: News about Minnesota Startups

Capella Education Company (NYSE: CPLA) has acquired Minneapolis startup Sophia Learning on undisclosed terms. Launched just 13 months ago, Sophia is a social teaching and learning platform that connects students and teachers worldwide with tutorials on a huge range of academic topics.

Developed by GoKart Labs, the Sophia community of students and teachers has grown to encompass over 170 different countries, representing over 5,000 schools and universities.  The startup had made its own purchase last year when Guaranteach was acquired. Capella plans to expand the reach through the new wholly owned subsidiary to offer nearly 30,000 academic tutorials and quizzes in areas including Algebra, Geometry, Physics, Chemistry and English.

Capella was Sophia’s original outside investor and the former employer of Sophia and GoKart Labs founder Don Smithmier.

Hybrid SaaS product & IT consulting firm Agile Frameworks has recently joined the tech executive org known as Minnesota Emerging Software Advisory (MESA), according to founding mentor Kevin Spanbauer.

After spinning the company out of Braun Intertec in mid-2011 to commercialize software applications and other IP previously developed in house, Agile’s President Mike Anders led the new company in the search for qualified local advisory and found it in MESA.

“Their mission and our needs were aligned…and the services they offered were precisely what we were seeking,” said Anders. “I have found Jim Moar’s mentorship insights to our needs and anticipation of challenges spot on, and his recommendations concise, actionable, and effective thus far.”

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Most small business owners, advisors, and consultants are all to familiar with the gap that exists between their vision for their organization and the steps required to execute on that vision.

Plymouth-based startup ActiFi wants to close that gap, specifically for advisors in the financial services industry.

Through an enterprise SaaS + consulting hybrid model, ActiFi offers what they call “business-execution software” to help financial advisors (and their parent institutions) focus on the things that matter most. Their software provides diagnostics, planning, and accountability tools to make advisors more efficient, maximize organic sales opportunities, and increase productivity and profits.

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Last weekend’s Code Slingers Challenge attracted 6 teams of mobile app developers across 3 platforms.

But only two left the duel standing.

The ILM Mega Minds (iOS), made up of Kyle LeNeau, Adam Terlson and Robert O’Keefe, and Double Ataris (Adobe Air), made up of Chris Black, Chuck Preston, Andrew Charon, Robert Speer tied for first place. Each team received $500, and will split time with the newly minted Code Slinger’s trophy.

Using their development platform of choice, the self-formed teams dedicated their Saturday to building a mobile app based on parameters that were held secret until the day of the event and the team who completed the most features with the fewest bugs in the allocated time would win.

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Are you a local tech entrepreneur who wants to get out of the home or office for a few hours? Try something different, have lunch with some new faces and experience downtown Minneapolis coworking at its finest?

Maybe get some national media coverage?

CoCo co founder Kyle Coolbroth tells us that both “a national and local reporter will be stopping by around noon tomorrow for a written / video content feature on Midwest tech entrepreneurs.” The opportunity is open for up to 20 (current members and the curious alike), to mingle, eat and co work on the house between 9am and 2pm at 400 S 4th St., 4th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55415.

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Fusion Room, the local software development company behind the Minnesota Developers Conference, has created a new 12-hour competition called the Code Slingers Challenge.

On November 12, self-formed teams of 1-4 people will compete to build a native mobile application on their platform of choice. Development teams can choose to code for iPhone, Android, Windows, or Blackberry, and every team competes against the other regardless of platform chosen. Cross-platform tools for building native apps are also allowed, but mobile websites are not.

“It will be a lot of fun to see the developers compete for the top prize with the best of the team spirit and camaraderie,” said Fahran Muhammad, CEO of Fusion Room.

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The Minnesota Emerging Software Advisory (MESA) is looking to put 50 companies through their mentorship program over the next five years — and sign 11 by the end of this year.

To ramp things up, they are hosting an inaugural invite-only reception this Thursday, September 22, in downtown Minneapolis.

“We are ready to add value to emerging software companies with market ready product(s) and evidence of revenue potential that address a large opportunity,” says Kevin Spanbauer, founding mentor and spokesman for the group. “We’re not looking for ideas or concepts, rather companies with a vetted idea that have the ability and desire to become one of Minnesota’s next great software success stories.”

The event will feature a short presentation from current portfolio firm EmergingSoft, a panel discussion with the five founding mentors, and some ‘speed dating’ where prospective new portfolio companies will have a chance to sit down with the mentors one-on-one and discuss whether or not the MESA mentoring opportunity makes sense for them.

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Bulk Reef Supply, an online e-commerce retailer that sells reefing supplies for saltwater aquarium hobbyists and professionals, has seen impressive growth of 12x in just 4 years since it was founded in 2007.

Andrew Duneman and Ryan Batcheller, partners in the business, can boast the classic entrepreneurial story: just five years ago both partners were working as wait staff at a local Steakhouse. Ryan was running a few niche retail businesses out of his fiancé’s basement. Andrew, whose father and grandfather were both entrepreneurs, decided that he wanted to get out of the serving industry. He didn’t want to “go corporate”, so his only other option was to start something. A few months later the friends found themselves sourcing saltwater aquariums additives in a 700 sq ft space they had on a 3-month lease.

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Workface, the Minnesota startup that created BusinessCard2, announced it has raised more than $900,000 in new financing. Participating investors in the latest round include Arthur Ventures and Omphalos Ventures. Since its incorporation in 2007, Workface has raised over $2.5 million.

Workface helps companies market, sell, and support their products and services online by enabling them to promote their employees’ expertise and help their staff engage with prospects online and in real time.

According to Lief Larson, CEO of Workface, more than 75,000 professionals and over 2,500 different companies are now using Workface technology to enable their sales and customer service staffs to engage with prospects.  ”Our ‘profile’ technology helps companies shorten sales cycles, connect with prospects at the moment of interest, and increase the level of engagement and intimacy with customers,” said Lief. “This new round of capital will help us grow revenue from existing customers, add new customers and focus on several key platform enhancements.”

This financing builds on the momentum of the company’s platform debut at DEMO in Palm Springs earlier this year.

The 6th annual Minnesota Developers Conference will take place September 29, 2011 at the DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel. Touted as the largest developers conference in the Midwest, MDC features seven tracks totaling 28 individual sessions, and will attract over 500 developers from Minnesota and beyond.

Previously a conference focused primarily on Microsoft technology and the .NET stack, the conference in 2011 has introduced an entire track dedicated to Ruby, as well as a new track on Cloud Computing.  Perhaps most unique for a developers conference of this size, MDC has announced a “soft skills” track in which developers can learn from accomplished artisans of important—but under practiced—skills in the tech arena (like writing, for example).

“This event has sold out every year,” said Fahran Muhammad, the primary event organizer/sponsor.  ”We are so excited for this year’s conference.  We have an incredible caliber of speakers and an awesome collection of session topics that will motivate and inspire.”

The conference is put on by ILM, Fusion Room, .NET User Group, SilverLight User Group, and TECHdotMN. Register here.