Startup of the Day - Motolingo
The BizSpark company of the day is Motolingo, based in the US. Motolingo develops solutions that help manage your mobile world – from your Smartphone. You will find below an interview with Charles Nesser, Co-founder and CEO of Motolingo. All the best to them and congrats for being the startup of the day!
Website: www.motolingo.com.
Interview with Charles Nesser, Co-founder and CEO of Motolingo
Tell us who you are and your role in the company.
Co-founder and CEO of Motolingo. I’m a concerned driver who doesn’t want to be involved in an accident with a teen or semi-truck driver sending text messages while driving. I’m also a concerned husband and father who doesn’t want his wife and kids to get stranded somewhere due to a vehicle breakdown or an accident.
What did you do before creating your company?
Product Marketing and Management at large automotive company, Bosch. I managed one of the early entries in the vehicle telematics space.
How do you feel being the most promising ‘Startup of the Day’ per Microsoft BizSpark?
We are very pleased to be selected and excited to get the word out about our unique technology.
What is your company’s mission?
Safer travel through cell phones. Using the power and communications capabilities of today’s mobile phones, we can continuously monitor the safety of the driver and the health of the vehicle.
How did you get the idea for your company?
As cell phones have gotten more and more powerful, I saw an opportunity to provide a new type of telematics at a price that we all can afford. I knew our cars have tons of useful information in the onboard computers that can be used for better vehicle management and safety.
Tell us about your funding history. Are you currently looking for funding? If so, how much?
100% bootstrapped to date. Looking for $500k for product development and marketing.
How many employees do you have? How many developers?
We have a mix of several full-time and part-time employees with 3 developers. Some development is outsourced.
Are you hiring? If yes, what are you hiring and where?
Soon.
Which platform are you building on? Why?
Windows Mobile because of the openness, background application capabilities and rich feature set. Soon to include other mobile platforms.
Where do you see opportunities today in the Software/internet area?
Leveraging mobile phone processing, networking and communications to make our lives better and more automated.
What do you think about the BizSpark Program?
It’s a great way to create awareness and get guidance on growing a business.
Do you have any advice for young Software entrepreneurs?
You have to create value – it needs to be more than just a cool technology.
Who’s your role model?
Tim Ferriss. I really value his productivity tips and goal orientated approach to life.
What’s the ONE THING you would like readers to take away from this interview
Motolingo’s technology is a two-step program. Step 1: you can “listen” to your car and other cars in your family or business fleet and get to a repair shop before you or someone else gets stranded on the roadside. Step 2: you can keep tabs on remote drivers to make sure they are not using the phone excessively while driving, speeding or driving recklessly. Check it out at https://www.motolingo.com/motoriety.htm.