Company: Badgeville, Menlo Park, CA
Entry Submitted By: SS|PR
Company Description: Badgeville is a pioneer in gamification technologies, a powerful business strategy to measure and influence customer and employee behavior. Badgeville empowers world-class companies by providing the world’s most powerful influence and engagement technology. The company has rapidly grown into one of the world’s most recognized and admired startups, with over 150 customers and $15M in funding.
Nomination Category: Products & Product Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: New Product or Service of the Year - Media & Entertainment - Service

Nomination Title: Kickanotch Mobile

Tell the story about this nominated product or service (up to 500 words). Describe its function, features, benefits, and performance to date.

Kickanotch is one of the most innovative, fastest-growing and energetic media and entertainment mobile technology companies in the world. Launched in April 2011, the company is blazing a brand new trail across the media and entertainment industry with its one-of-a-kind mobile applications. The company is one of the only Midwest tech firms to gain multiple rounds of funding and mainstream technology media attention.

Kickanotch provides broadcasting, publishing and corporate organizations with the world's most engaging mobile applications, and increases user engagement through "addicting" custom applications.

As a mobile service and product provider, Kickanotch supplies a mobile service to the media industry, which allows the country’s most recognized media outlets to develop mobile applications. Each app is uniquely built and designed to meet the needs and behaviors of the media organizations’ target demographic. The apps are then downloaded by tens-of-thousands of users across more than 100 countries.

The company is doubling its clientele monthly and became profitable in less than 90 days after being founded. In only one year since being founded by CEO Andy Lynn, the company is already building apps, running marketing and product programs and driving extensive new revenue options for the nation’s biggest publishers, broadcasters and organizations.

The Kansas City-based mobile service company drives media and entertainment client top-line growth by providing new, mobile channels to monetize their mobile applications by serving mobile advertisements to consumers. In turn, broadcasting outlets have seen increased revenues of as great as $14,000 in only 45 days after implementing their mobile application.

Kickanotch is inspiring the technology industry through its high-energy, visionary leadership about how users will want to interact with a company’s mobile brand. Most importantly, they allow traditional, non tech-savvy companies to get their mobile application up-and-running in a matter of days, and have become the de facto example of how to serve mobile content to consumers nationwide.

In short, Kickanotch is a brilliant example of the type of technology company the Midwest should promote and recognize in order to encourage other startups to stay in the region, and champion new technology companies to move to the greater Kansas City region.

Andy is an experienced entrepreneur who recognizes the need to watch expenditures and allocate budgets. Andy balanced cost savings with strategic expenses, and continues to “tweak” as necessary to match company goals and growth projections.

Kickanotch Mobile maintains maniacal focus on delighting his clientele and providing monetization and mobile opportunities that have never before been available. Client not only are able to interact internally and with the Kickanotch team, but they are able to take their mobile technologies to connect with 200,000 Kansas City consumers, serving them the best content, daily deals and “fun” features on their mobile devices.

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Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that developed this nominated product or service:

Andy Lynn is the catalyst for Kickanotch Mobile’s growth, momentum and national industry recognition. Under Andy’s leadership, the company became profitable in less than 90 days after being founded. Andy is a true thought leader and example of how technology companies can success throughout the Kansas City and Midwest region.

Andy is regularly recognized throughout the media, publishing, entrepreneurial and business community for his work and leadership in the Midwest’s economic and technological growth. Andy is a savvy executive who continues to grow investor interest in his highly innovative company.