02.09.23
Tech Startups — Winning in the Innovation Economy
Mike Fritsch | Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
Did you know Fort Wayne, Indiana, is home to an Indiana Certified Technology Park? It’s located at Northeast Indiana Innovation Collective (NIIC). You may recognize some of the companies that have launched here, including Allied Payment Network, Aptera Software, JetPro Pilots, Logistikos Engineering, Mammoth Research, and MarketSnare.
Companies are formed to solve problems. What sets tech company founders apart is how they leverage technology to solve those problems. They innovate forward to flip existing business models on their heads.
Take FinTech industry leader Allied Payment Network for example. The company is known for pioneering online bill pay. Users pay a bill by simply taking a photo of their bill and then proceeding through the process. Consumers can pay anyone and manage bills from a central location, all within their bank or credit union’s digital banking application. It’s grown to be much more than that.
Aptera Software, Inc. was founded as a custom software development company, specializing in creating mobile apps, Web apps, and websites for enterprise-level companies. They served businesses that sought to increase engagement through technology (Crunchbase.com). Core BTS acquired the company in June 2021.
JetPro Pilots provide its clients with personal services and industry-leading technology infrastructures, right here in Northeast Indiana. They knew there was a better way of doing business than the existing model. So, founders Scott Jepson (a pilot in business aviation), Jack Arnold (an aviation services broker and experienced airlines and military pilot), and Ralph Marcuccilli (a software systems entrepreneur and private pilot) created this company — did you catch that? A company created by pilots FOR pilots. They created a model where pilots were paid in a timely manner, implemented a more agreeable payment structure, and formed a business climate where pilots could succeed.
The company is in high-growth mode due to pent-up demand and offers three main services. JetPro Trip is an on-demand service. JetPro Recruit is a full-time placement or headhunting service. JetPro HR is a turnkey service providing dedicated employees to specific clients.
Logistikos Engineering founder Joe Predina turned the engineering staffing model upside down when he retired and later formed his company to provide meaningful post-retirement opportunities for world-class engineers. “We empower them to continue doing what they love to do — on their own terms.”
The company focuses on research and development for space-based remote sensors for weather forecasting. Logistikos designs, builds, and tests prototype instrument assemblies to develop new technologies with very high measurement accuracy. Their projects support the development of cameras that split the visible and infrared spectrum into thousands of distinguishable wavelengths while measuring the light intensity for each color to very high precision — better than 0.2%.
With that type of accuracy and resolution, it is possible to measure temperature and humidity in the Earth’s atmosphere in 100 different layers from space. Very few companies know how to do that well, which differentiates the company.
Mammoth Research leverages local and national resources, connections with world-class physicians, and its propriety technology to launch highly successful venture capital funds. In doing so, the company has opened venture capital investment opportunities to people who have never had access to this kind of investment tool in the past, to propel risk-takers, game changers, and innovators in the process.
“We wanted to make that opportunity accessible to others, so we decided to simplify the process through innovative technology and our due diligence for people who had never been able to access it before,” said Tommy Martin, CEO and operations manager.
MarketSnare is an innovative, marketing technology company that built its multi-location marketing platform to help businesses succeed in digital marketing. Multi-location organizations — like franchises, dealer networks, national brands, agency networks, health care, nonprofits, etc. — use MarketSnare to create local marketing programs to implement at scale across tens, hundreds, or even thousands of locations.
“The rise of local relevance” is about connecting people with the best local options available for what they need. MarketSnare is all about this. People want to connect with people.
This is so timely for NIIC. Our region is a Community of Communities, groups of individuals with various skin colors, cultures, social-economic backgrounds, ages, abilities, locations, perspectives, and more. Entrepreneurs want role models and mentors within their own communities. And these are excellent ones.
Technology connects us.
With more tech companies like these, all of us in Northeast Indiana will win in the innovation economy.
Mike Fritsch is president/CEO of Northeast Indiana Innovation Collective.
