Hard Times…

October 24th, 2008

That was the title of an email going around about how startups are going to face a strong funding crunch as a result of the economy. No sense worrying about what you cannot fix, so we are focusing on what we CAN do.

I am amazed how fast Moximity is moving. Less than a month ago we were dark, then came our launch in the iPhone app store, a smashing launch party (thanks to the Belmont), followed by great press coverage that had even Jay Leno talking about our Texas-based startup (thank you, Porter-Novelli).

Through it all, we’re making sure we continue to execute the myriad day to day activities needed to build Moximity into a successful business. We are cost-effectively building our user base, and continue improving our product – we just rolled out with a national data base, so you can take it everywhere you go. We will be integrating reviews and unveiling our website soon (although we are still limiting our user base to Austin, Texas).

Moximity now has revenue in the form of advertisers, enabling us to speak to potential investors about our sustainable business model. No matter how tough the times, we know that if we continue to listen to users as well as advertisers to ensure we deliver the best possible experience for them, we have a shot.

To quote one of my favorite movies…. “if you build it, they will come.”

Monica Sanchez, VP-Sales/Marketing

Last Week

October 22nd, 2008

Last week was an exciting week for Moximity, albeit an extremely busy one. The week really started on Tuesday, when Moximity was one of the companies selected to pitch our idea at the Texas Wireless Summit. So, on Tuesday afternoon, several of the Mox team headed over to the alumni center at The University of Texas to demonstrate what we’ve been working on. Special thanks to Aces Lounge for running a spectacular special for those in attendance at the TWS! And, to top things off, on Wednesday night, it was announced that Moximity had been voted the “Best Pitch” by those in attendance!

Next up was a panel discussion on Location Aware Applications. I was part of a fantastic group, which included Clint Wheelock, VP & Chief Research Officer at ABI Research, Joe Chen, the Founder & CEO of GeoSpot Inc., Andrew J. Graham, CEO of Austin’s own Bones in Motion, Inc., and Dan Lowden, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Wayport. The conversation ranged from lo-jacked cameras to the future of mobile devices, and the related services that will accompany the evolution of location aware applications. Austin Startup live-blogged a bit of the panel here.

Finally, on Thursday, Moximity was one of six finalists to participate in the Innotech Beta Summit. Presenting to a standing room only crowd, Moximity was featured alongside companies like 21st Century Technologies, GameWager, Gravitant, Minggl and OtherInbox. Austin Startup has additional information here. And, special thanks to Malaga’s Tapas Bar for running a great drink special for everyone in attendance at Innotech.

At the same time, we’ve been working on some great new features for both our iPhone app, as well as finishing up the website. While last week was a lot of fun, we’re gearing up for a big November!

Bryan Jones, CEO

From VentureBeat to Jay Leno

October 13th, 2008

In case you missed it, this has been a great week of media coverage for Moximity. We were featured in the USA Today, Washington Post, VentureBeat and TechCrunch.  We were also the lead story in TechMonday in the Austin-American Statesman. Finally, in a case of local news reaching mainstream, news of our release made it into the mainstream, as we were mentioned in the monologue of Jay Leno - check out 6:52 into his monologue! It’s been a lot of fun to see people start talking about Moximity – and we’re excited about the impact that our product will have. That’s why we’re not pausing to celebrate – rather, we’re hard at work, improving and creating to make Moximity the product our users deserve.

Bryan Jones, CEO

Already Have a Better Social Life

October 1st, 2008

Bryan told me about Moximity in March of 2008 – or rather, he told me he was leaving my case to other very capable lawyers, as he was leaving his law firm to work full-time on a startup. “A startup?” I asked. “Let me know if I can help out, I have startup experience.”

Six months later, I left my old job and am totally hooked on Moximity, working hard to improve people’s social life by bringing it from the virtual to the real world. In other words, our job is to get people and their friends to the best places and events going on around them…. including myself. In four short weeks, I know five times the number of Austinites than when I started, have been part of one of the coolest parties in Austin, and gone to coffee shops, restaurants and – yes – bars that I never thought I would see. I am also getting an education on the “Austin way” to do business. May the impact on all our users be as immediate and positive. If so, we’ll set the world on fire.

Monica Sanchez, VP-Sales/Marketing

A Big Thanks

September 29th, 2008

The Moximity launch party was held last Thursday night, after the TechCrunch event. It was a great evening, full of exciting people, interesting ideas, lots of drinks and great music. First, a huge shout out to The Belmont, especially Kate Morgan and Matt Luckie, for all their help and assistance in creating a spectacular event. Additionally, special thanks to Famecast, who provided the music through the super cool band Autamata, and Austin Ventures. Autamata, which was discovered via Famecast.com (btw, check them out, if you haven’t already – great stuff from an Austin company!), also rocked out at Austin City Limits Festival the next day at the Austin Ventures stage. For Moximity, it was our opportunity to show the Austin community what we’ve been working on – mainly a cool way to stay in touch with your friends and what’s nearby. If you want to read more about the party, checkout coverage on the Statesman from Michael Barnes, Omar Gallaga and Lori Hawkins. And, finally, special thanks to everyone that made it out to The Belmont for the Moximity launch party!

Bryan Jones, CEO

Update: Party pictures are now available on Flickr! Some great shots from the evening!!

Launch Party!

September 25th, 2008

Come join Moximity tonight at the Belmont (6th and Lavaca) from 10 pm to 2 am for our iPhone app launch party right after the TechCrunch/Austin Ventures Meetup!

Getting Ready

September 24th, 2008

“Guest list” “Check”

“Drink specials” “Yup”

“Band from ACL Fest” “Got it”

“Cool bar” “The Belmont, of course”

So go the preparations for our launch party – things are moving quickly at Moximity and we are ready to celebrate. Join us tomorrow, September 25, 2008 starting at nine (although to be honest, with so much to do, I’ll probably go to The Belmont earlier for one of their great dinners and just start partying as we decorate).

I’m excited to get to do some Tequila shots with people on the cutting edge of tech… looks like a bunch of  people from TechCrunch will be coming over to our party to enjoy great drinks and an awesome band, Autamata, which is playing at ACL the next day – many thanks to Austin Ventures and FameCast for this!

Planning a party is one of the many things I love about being in marketing – you get to show people a good time. But I must admit, having the “aha lightbulb” go off in their heads when they see that Moximity shows them where their friends are, as well as the cool places they could be going – that’s the highest high a marketer can ask for.

Monica Sanchez, VP-Sales/Marketing

The Journey

September 23rd, 2008

Sitting on the outside, it’s easy to forget all the small steps it took to get to a certain destination. Along the way, the ups and downs that happen with a startup always seem, at that time, to be much better and worse than they probably really are. But, as entrepreneurs, you keep your head down, working on getting to achieve that next minor step. At some point, all the minor steps result in something that works and functions. The stop isn’t necessarily that you’ve reached perfection (is that possible with a tech company?), nor does it represent the end of the journey, but it’s a great place to take a second and reflect.

I feel that way with Moximity. We’ve been working away for the past few months, and for us, that journey has led us to this week. As most of you know, we are having a kickoff party this Thursday night. If you haven’t already, pull out your phone and text “Moximity” to 41411. Not only will you get details of the party, but you will also get registered for a VIP trip for two to the South Padre International Music Festival over Halloween weekend. We’re excited to see you this week – and look forward to having you as part of the Moximity family.

Bryan Jones, CEO

Welcome to Moximity

July 6th, 2008

Welcome to the blog for all things Moxy. We’d like to think we are working on some pretty cool things, and hope to have something for everyone to start playing with sooner rather than later.

It’s actually a fascinating time right now. There are lots of very cool things happening in the technology world. For example, we’ve been following the evolution of location-based services and cellular phones opening up to 3rd party applications. To think, less than a year ago, the iPhone didn’t even exist. GPS information was still primarily controlled by the carriers (and not being generated from 3rd party companies like Skyhook or Navizon). Extend those developments over the next year or two, and you have the groundwork for some exciting new developments. Soon, people will be using their smartphones in ways that previously sounded like science fiction. The end result for you and I: more services resulting in a more efficient way to interact, and all this costing less than they do now.

So, where does Moximity fit in? Well, we want to be one of those services that everyone uses on a daily basis. And, we want your help! Request to join our beta program when it comes to your city (by letting us know which city you are in, you can influence the order of cities we will go to next!). Want to find out more? Send me an email at bryan at moximity dot com or stay tuned to this blog!

Bryan Jones, CEO