Clarence Bethea – Founder of Upsie
Defining a problem is the first step to bringing a new idea to life. I look for problems that may be getting overlooked, and then consider the solutions available. Clarence…
mobile
Mobile changed how we do everything. Shop. Communicate. Navigate. Procrastinate. The founders in this section are building the companies and tools that live in your pocket. Apps, platforms, and services designed for a world where the phone comes first.
These interviews cover the full mobile ecosystem. App development. Mobile marketing. Device accessories. Mobile payments. Location-based services. The user experience challenges that come with building for a screen you hold in your hand. Which are different from desktop challenges in ways that matter.
The founders here talk about what it takes to build for mobile. The design constraints. The platform politics. The reality of app store economics, which are less friendly than they look. And the constant evolution of what users expect from their phones, which somehow keeps accelerating.
You’ll find insights on mobile-first strategy, push notification philosophy (yes, there’s a philosophy), user retention, cross-platform development, and the challenge of building something that earns a permanent spot on someone’s home screen. If you’re building for mobile, these founders have been in the trenches.
Michael DeFranco – Founder and CEO of Lua
I think you experience different types of failure every day and you learn, grow and build from there. Everything takes three times as long and twice as much money to…
Charles Hibble – CEO of iDropped
Always ask questions. No matter what it is, even if on the surface it has no relevance to my life, part of me habitually wants to know how and why….
Farbood Nivi – Founder of Learnist
Seeking integration. If you work with me, you’ll hear me say, “Let’s get integrated on this,” or “You all should get integrated on that.” I try to use this word…
Di Huang – Co-Founder and CEO of cloudcade
The moment you decide that you no longer need to learn, someone else will inevitably surpass you in your endeavors. Di Huang is a serial entrepreneur from San Francisco. He…
Santiago Jaramillo – CEO of Bluebridge
Batching keeps me productive. The habit of arranging my schedule to tackle large tasks for long intervals like meetings, brainstorm time, design sessions keeps me focused. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Bluebridge…
Jason Jones – President of Vertical Motion
[quote style=”boxed”]Have a routine. Always have a checklist of stuff you’re going to do and follow through with it. It’s okay if you don’t finish everything on the list as…
Mark McDonald – Co-founder of Appster
[quote style=”boxed”]Constantly learn from people who have done what you want to do.[/quote] At the age of 19 Mark McDonald co-founded Appster, the world’s leading app development company with his…
Eric Graham and Kevin Loos – Founders of CrowdComfort
[quote style=”boxed”]We end every meeting with a hard ask. This can be anything from asking them to introduce us to another investor, setting up a second meeting, or a commitment…
Andrew Cohen – Founder and CEO of Brainscape
[quote style=”boxed”]Every single time you meet someone and get their business card, write them a follow-up email that same night. It doesn’t matter if you barely have a useful reason…
Nancy MacIntyre – Founder and CEO of Fingerprint
[quote style=”boxed”]My goal is to have five work tasks accomplished by 8 a.m. each day. [/quote] Nancy MacIntyre is the founder and CEO of Fingerprint, a mobile technology company that…
Bobby Emamian – Co-founder and CEO of Prolific Interactive
The ability and discipline to listen to people helps bring ideas to life. Once you understand the problem, you can then try to solve it. Bobby Emamian is the co-founder…
Meet Bobby Emamian – Co-founder and CEO of Prolific Interactive