Kyle
Los Angeles startup Mobile Roadie is packed with talent and it shows. This mobile app development startup allows anyone to create a mobile app presence in just minutes. They already power over 5,000 apps and mobile websites across 40 countries. Huge brands like Harvard University, Red Bull, Cirque du Sleil, Wynn Las Vegas and even the Staples Center rely on Mobile Roadie to take them to the mobile screen, the hottest screen available in 2012.
Last May the company launched a native iPad creation platform and also a self service mobile website product. Their platform allows creators to integrate Youtube, Brightcove, Flickr, Ustream,Google News, Facebook, Twitter, RSS and more sources to bring content into apps.
The company has a presence in the US, UK, France, Spain, Australia, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, China and Japan.
We got a chance to interview Mobile Roadie, check out the interview below:
What is Mobile Roadie?
Mobile Roadie is a platform that allows anyone to create a mobile presence in minutes. We power over 5,000 apps and mobile websites for customers in 40 countries. A highly versatile product, Mobile Roadie is the perfect mobile solution for small businesses and global brands alike. Examples of brands we power include Adele, Harvard University, Red Bull, San Diego Zoo, Cirque du Soleil, Wynn Las Vegas, Staples Center, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the World Economic Forum.
Mobile Roadie was founded by Michael Schneider (CEO) and Brock Batten (Creative Director). Michael is a serial entrepreneur, having started his first company, Fluidesign, in high school, and growing it to one of the top interactive agencies in Los Angeles. Michael also founded Nesting.com, a “Facebook for moms” in 2007.
Brock joined Fluidesign in 2003 and worked his way up to eventually becoming the agency’s creative director. Brock and Michael incubated Mobile Roadie inside Fluidesign and pursued Mobile Roadie full time in 2009.
Los Angeles. We also have an office in London and New York.
L.A. has really come into its own with tech startups. We have a vibrant Angel community (led by well known Angels like Ashton Kutcher, Guy Oseary, Mike Jones, Paige Craig), multiple incubators / accelerators, and VCs that make L.A their home or have a presence here. It’s a great city to both live and work in, and that makes it easy to attract A+ talent.
Before Mobile Roadie, mobile apps cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars and took many months to create. We disrupted the market by letting people make their own apps, bringing the cost down to hundreds and enabling people to create and launch apps in weeks instead of months.
We recognized in 2008 that it didn’t make sense to reinvent the wheel each time someone wanted to create an app. We recognized that the breakneck pace at which mobile moves makes it a unique opportunity for DIY solutions – and we created the first one. Over time, we’ve aggressively improved the feature set we offer to our customers. One of the coolest things we do is chase Apple and Google’s innovations on behalf of our customers, and update their apps with the latest and greatest on their behalf. By not having to chase tech, our customers are free to focus on their business.
It’s always hard to find great people, regardless of where you are or how great your story is. Hiring A players is key to any company’s success.
When we started Mobile Roadie, no one knew if Apple would allow apps whose content later changed dynamically into iTunes. No one knew what the demand would be for apps long term. And no one knew if apps = real money. These were all challenges we faced when starting out. Lucky enough, we had amazing angel investors that believed our vision, and we were able to hire amazing people to help us execute it.
Mobile monetization is next. Right now apps are a “nice to have” but few actually produce significant revenue. Our goal is to enable anyone to get into the mobile game and make their mobile strategy ROI positive, regardless of what business they happen to be in.
