We are proud to announce that TalkToTheManager has a new home! We are now located on the 8th floor of the Exchange Building downtown in Seattle's hottest new incubator, SURF. While looking for new office space, we were intrigued to find out what all the hype was about. By the end of the tour, we were so excited about the endless opportunities that SURF provides that office space became a secondary reason to move in. There are some seriously cool startup companies already working at SURF's only 3 month-old office - over 30 of them actually. We are so excited to be surrounded by so many great minds trying to solve problems in the tech community. The excitement of starting a company being captured here feels like a balloon that just keeps expanding and can't pop. We can't wait to tap into this vast resource and see what else TalkToTheManager can come up with to continue serving our great customers!
"Imagine a brain trust of all of the resources on this one floor."
- Seaton Gras
It's no secret that Seattle's entrepreneurial community is on the rise. Accelerator programs like TechStars and Founder Institute are leading the way for tons of new programs in the area to help startups learn to turn their ideas into profitable businesses. The ease and accessibility of these programs is herding hesitant would-be entrepreneurs straight onto the let's-make-it-happen bus. But like a kid fresh out of college full of knowledge and rigor the question becomes, now what?
The biggest problem that arises as entrepreneurs get themselves going is something SURF likes to call the 80/20 conundrum: only 20% of the entrepreneurs time is devoted to working on their core business while the remaining 80% is spent answering phones, filling out tax paperwork, ordering letterhead, etc. Providing so much more than just office space and a desk, Seaton Gras, founder of SURF says "One of the goals of SURF is to cut that 80% in half, adding 40% of time to the entrepreneurs core business and tripling their productivity." SURF has put together a vast network of services to connect with the entrepreneurs and make things easier for them. Just having that network readily available can cut down masses of time spent searching for answers.
"It's about getting people plugged in and helping entrepreneurs take the next step. We're aggregating community resources to build a platform for entrepreneurs to have "Costco-club" type access to the network that we're already plugged into."
- Neil Bergquist
Sometimes it's just the small things that make a difference. For instance, Xerox has sponsored the incubator and given them a copy/print/pour-the-milk-on-your-cereal machine that does just about everything, including stapling and folding your brochures. Listening to Seaton and Neil Bergquist (SURF's founders) talk about their vision is truly enlightening, but the best part is that in only 3 short months it has already began to take off, a perfect of example of their acronym (SURF - Start Up Really Fast).
Ready to Launch
This Friday, June 22nd, SURF will be having their big launch party. "Friday isn't so much about SURF, but about celebrating all of the entrepreneurs that are taking the risk to be here and to help realize this vision," says Neil. Along with debuting the SURF Incubator there will be 10 companies giving 90 second pitches old school style, literally on a soapbox with no slides to back them up. The winner gets a trip to Silicon Valley's DEMO Fall 2012 (for those afraid of flying there is also a Zipcar giftcard, another one of SURF's sponsors). Friday will also be the launch of SURF TV - Seattle's first video outlet dedicated solely to technology startups. Produced by Tim Reha, CEO of New Media Synergy, SURF TV will feature interviews with local technology executives, innovative entrepreneurs, and supporting companies and will feature resident product launches, news updates, and educational seminars.
"Launch parties only happen once."
- Neil Bergquist
And of course, what would a party be without drinks??!! Pyramid Brewers and Proletariat Wine Company have also sponsored the event, so you can bet that the networking opportunities will be endless. If you haven't got your ticket yet, make sure to reserve one here at surfparty.eventbrite.com
If you're in the Seattle area, sign up for the party. We'll see you there. Find us (in the TTTM t-shirts) and say hi!
Our New Startup Neighbors
Attending this once-in-a-company's-lifetime party will be several of the startups we have the pleasure of working near here at SURF, including:
SkyFu
The social web provides a soapbox for anyone to compliment or criticize companies of all sizes. It takes years for a business to build up a reputation and only seconds to tear it down. SkyFu is here to help. Reviews are difficult to manage, but SkyFu allows you to keep this information in one place with a usable format. You can even see what your customers are saying about you with real time technology that allows you to track "trouble" issues and solve them quickly.
Knotis
Creating a presence in your location through effectively managed promotions and discounts is key to developing your community. Knotis provides businesses with services that allow them to easily manage these activities and get the best deal for their customers. The relationship with customers is central to the success of any business, and Knotis provides a service that the customer ultimately benefits from.
Seconds
Discovering the vast inefficiency in how consumers, merchants, and brands exchange money, Seconds has created the world's most seamless mobile payment platform. Consumers simply make payments with keywords sent via text from their cell phones to purchase products and pay bills from merchants and brands. The service has been developed to ensure secure transactions, minimum usage barriers for consumers, maximum reach for merchants and efficiency for the entire market.
BBC Easy
Founded in 2010 by bankers and technology executives, BBC Easy is a Seattle area startup dedicated to optimizing the commercial lending process between banks and their borrowers. BBC Easy's flagship product makes lending easier and smarter by automating the Borrowing Base Certificate process allowing banks to grow the profitability of their commercial lending portfolio.
Shopobot
Using an intuitive price tracking system, Shopobot exposes the price volatility games used by e-commerce giants. Stores constantly change their prices and consumers can save a lot of money if they purchase at the right time. Through various forecasting models (secret sauce), Shopobot is able to provide consumers with information that lets them know whether a price is likely to go up, down, or stay the same.
Translational Software
Founded in 2009, Translational Software's mission is to bring molecular diagnostics from bench to bedside. The company fulfills the need for laboratories to transform molecular data into actionable knowledge for clinicians by providing a platform that integrates clinical information systems to bring meaning to genomic data. In short, they're accelerating the adoption of personalized medicine.