Knotice is the poster child for early stage funding, taking an initial half-million dollar investment and using it to fuel an innovative product that's getting -- well, knoticed.
Founded in 2003, the Akron-based company helps marketers maximize their direct digital marketing through process automation. CEO Brian Deagan says the product has been so well received in the marketplace that sales have grown at least 50 percent since 2003.
"Knotice started this year with 55 employees, and today employs nearly 90, with several positions still available," says CEO Brian Deagan. "Current openings include account executives with mobile experience, software engineers, sales professionals, creative talent, finance and administrative staff . . . We're opening a Seattle office in November, so we're excited to see what the future holds."
The company's technology lets marketers access customer data across all channels. Concentri, its on-demand direct software platform, unites mobile marketing; email marketing, the Web and direct display within a Universal Profile environment, letting marketers manage all their digital touchpoints from a single log-in.
"Other less advanced solutions require the user to move data back and forth between disparate systems � which can be a real pain," Deagan says.
"The company has fully re-paid an investment of $500,000 from
JumpStart: "The investment helped us to launch our product and hire a variety of very talented people � most of them are still with us. In an industry that normally relies on outside funding for success, Knotice has been able to mostly self-fund its growth," explains Deagan.
Deagan says Knotice also tries to make the company a good place to work.
"We celebrate people's interests in sports, music and the arts. Employees are reimbursed for yoga classes which they can take at any time [flex time] . . . that, and we have one of the best marketing platforms out there," Deagan boasts.
Source: Brian Deagan; CEO and co-founder
Writer: Patrick G. Mahoney