Last friday the BetterOffLine team went out for a couple games of bowling at a local alley in Sunnyvale. The second game was definitely a highlight, as they turned on neon lights to compliment the 80's funk music. Thank god that Rick is a great programmer, because he got trounced by the rest of the team. It was nice to get in some fun times before getting back to the grind.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal ran a nice piece on our startup today in "The Pitch". If you want to know more about our offering, the article is a great place to start. For those of you who are still curious, I am happy to provide some more details in this post.

The service runs on three platforms: web application, mobile application, and short-message-service (SMS) enabled phones (ie. ones that can send texts). It is used at trade shows, conferences, exhibitions, and conventions (a starting point). There is no integration required. Event-goers can 'search' for top picks (like exhibitors) of interest, 'stash' media collateral away online, 'connect' with fellow attendees and exhibitors, 'share' content with others, and 'follow' updates from exhibitors (without needing an account). This drives business to exhibitors, reduces the waste and cost of printed materials, and brings real-time reporting to exhibitors on the floor.

A unique method is employed to intelligently analyze the activity of users on the service and produce the best search results (what we call "search networking" technology). We use connections the way Google uses links. The most relevant results from this method are always the ones generating the most interest among event-goers at any moment. Sort of a "vote-with-your-feet Yelp" for live events.

The business model centers around pay-per-lead (PPL) event marketing. Exhibitors pay for the results we deliver--no more, no less. We revenue-share with event organizers who help us promote the service. As a result, we do not make money if the organizer does not make money (direct to bottom line). We are currently speaking to organizers of multi-national trade shows regarding wider-deployment of the service. The interest from customers who have seen the product is strong. As a small team, the traction we are experiencing makes managing market demand a real challenge. We are very open to speaking about partnership and distribution opportunities with other companies. If interested, please contact anthony@betteroffline.com.

Read a PDF version of the article here.

From the nomination:

"BetterOffLine has been nominated for AlwaysOn & KPMG's seventh annual Global 250 list, which honors the top emerging private companies that are demonstrating significant market traction while developing game-changing technologies and creating new business opportunities in the global technology industries.
Nominated companies come from the following industry sectors -- Consumer and Entertainment; Device, Components, and Infrastructure; Enterprise; Mobile & Wireless; Services & Enablers, Green Tech; and Media & Advertising -- and will be evaluated based on Innovation, Market Opportunity, Commercialization, Media Buzz, and Investor Value Creation."

Hopefully we'll be able to get the selection panel excited about our company!

Come be part of our development team! We're looking for an enthusiastic and capable web developer intern to help us put our ideas into action. This individual should have significant PHP experience and breadth of knowledge in other web development topics. Apply here.