TECHdotMN: News about Minnesota Startups

Via News Release

“MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ernst & Young LLP today announced the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2013 Award in the Upper Midwest region. The awards program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.”

[Minnesota tech finalists: Apex Information Technologies – Brian Kueppers; Code 42 Software – Matthew Dornquast; Intertech, Inc. – Thomas Salonek; JAMF Software, LLC – Christopher "Chip" Pearson and Richard "Zach" Halmstad; ReconRobotics, Inc. – Alan Bignall; The Nerdery – Mike Derheim.]

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Over 200 volunteers, nonprofit reps, judges and sponsors gathered tonight in The Nerdery’s Luke J. Bucklin Nerditorium Hall for the outcome of the 6th annual Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge.

More than 4,000 hours of pro bono web development were freely given to 18 Minnesota nonprofits by 180 volunteer web pros (nerds) starting the weekend of March 9 & 10 at the University of Minnesota’s Continuing Education Center.

That all culminated today as judges scored teams on three categories: Best Design/User Experience; Greatest Functionality; and Biggest Impact. In addition to Design/UX, Functionality and Impact, teams compete for two more awards: Best in Show and People’s Choice. The top winners were:

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Via News Release

“March 10, 2013, Minneapolis – After more than 4,000 hours of pro bono web development were freely given to 18 Minnesota nonprofits by 180 volunteer web pros (nerds), participants adjourned from the Overnight Website Challenge until an April 2nd awards event at The Nerdery.

Judges will score teams on these three of categories: Best Design/User Experience; Greatest Functionality; and Biggest Impact. Judges base each team’s scores on four things.”

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Via News Release

“Minneapolis, February 18, 2013 – Eighteen nonprofits and web development teams were selected today to spend daylight saving weekend losing their hour of sleep among 24 hours of pro-bono service at The Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge.

During the spring-forward weekend of March 9-10, these nonprofits’ websites will undergo extreme makeovers:”

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Via News Release

“As part of a significant restructuring of our organization, we’ve eliminated 24 positions today. There’s no way, nor would we want to, sugarcoat or gloss over that fact or try to make it seem like less of a big deal than it is. As a business owner, at least for me, the worst possible decision I ever have to make is to cut people’s jobs – I hate it.

We made hard choices about admirable people who’ve made lasting marks on our company, and people who perhaps leave a piece of our culture better than they found it. All of them deserve our due respect, befitting of Nerdery Nerds and alumni. Today’s moves were made to get to a more profitable ratio of billable to non-billable staff through reductions and reorganization.”

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Another year, another round of nerd impact is in the works as the The Nerdery opened registration today for the 2013 Overnight Website Challenge.

The sixth annual volunteer-driven event will bring together developers and designers on March 9 & 10 for two straight days of serving Minnesota nonprofits through website makeovers. Generous in concept and well executed in reality, The Nerdery estimates that an accumulated $3 million in professional services have been donated so far to 96 nonprofits between five previous events held in Minnesota and two in Chicago.

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By Issie Lapowsky, Inc.

“Luke Bucklin was famous for his companywide e-mails, usually written around midnight after he had had a couple of glasses of wine. Meant as much to entertain as to inspire, they were laced with both Donkey Kong references and insightful leadership lessons. But of all the late-night e-mails, perhaps the most meaningful was the one he sent on September 8, 2010, just weeks before the plane he was flying crashed outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, killing him and three of his sons.”

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It’s no Inc. 500 / 5,000 or even the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, but Lead 411′s Tech 200 list aspires to recognize the top 200 private companies from the national tech landscape based percentage of revenue growth from 2008 to 2011.

Only 1,000 companies applied, and there are certainly more local tech companies that could easily rank, but it is worthwhile to note those that did both apply and qualify.  At the least, attempts of this effect do offer unique insights into (self-reported) metrics that surround a given companies financial position.

“In this day and age, there are a lot of technology companies in the market, and what makes one stand out from the rest is its ability to stay, and increase its revenue,” says the report.  Below are the five Minnesota tech firms that placed on the Tech 200 list, according to business information provider Lead 411:

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By Jake Anderson, Twin Cities Business

“Since its 2003 inception, Bloomington-based IT firm The Nerdery has grown its revenue and employee base at break-neck speed—and it’s now enlisting help from the public as it aims to hire 100 new employees within 100 days.

The company refers to the effort as the “Nerd Drive.” Communications Manager Mark Malmberg told Twin Cities Business that The Nerdery is primarily looking to fill Web development positions in order to meet growing demand for the firm’s technology services.”

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Inc., the publication “written for the people who run growing companies” recently released it’s annual ranking list of the country’s top 5,000 fastest-growing private companies with an emphasis on the top 10 percent of the list — the ‘Inc. 500.

“In 1982, Inc. introduced the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. Since then, this prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success and the place where future household names first make their mark.

Today, the list is a distinguished editorial award, a celebration of innovation, a network of entrepreneurial leaders, and an effective public relations showcase. The Inc. 500|5000 ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period.”

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