These companies are not only the best small brands in their particular sector, but are giving a tough competition to the industry leaders. The companies that are enlisted are known for their passion and commitment, ability to choose right employees and partners, customer centric approach and more over the ability to conduct business globally.
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30 best small companies to watch by The Silicon Review
1. Technology CEOs NewsLeadership Business Features CIOs
www.thesiliconreview.com
30SmallCompanies to Watch
BestSR2019
Powering today’s
systems for a better
tomorrow: Compsys
Robert Williams | Founder
U.S. Special Edition
5. Best,
Vishnu Vardhan Kulkarni
Managing Editor, The Silicon Review
editor@thesiliconreview.com
EDITOR’S NOTE
T
he success mantra for each small business is different, and the reason for success goes
way beyond any limit. It has always been a hard question to answer because many people
start a business thinking that it’s a cup of Joe, and later on realize it is much more difficult
than they thought and drop it mid-way. One can avoid this by taking time and planning out a
solid business plan to achieve initial success. A small business with a clear-cut business plan has
a better chance at success than a company without a plan.
On the other side, a budding company is the sum of the experiences your customers and
potential customers have with your company. A brand must communicate what your company
does, how it does it, and at the same time, establishes initial trust and credibility, because they
say first impression is the best impression you make on your customers. So how can a small
business turn into a strong brand on a tiny initial budget? Here we present you the 30 small but
very successful brands which are inspiring other companies to stand still in fierce competition.
The Silicon Review “30 Best Small Companies to Watch 2019.” These companies are not only the
best small brands in their particular sector, but are giving a tough competition to the industry
leaders. The companies that are enlisted are known for their passion and commitment, ability
to choose right employees and partners, customer centric approach and more over the ability to
conduct business globally.
Success recognized to the fullest!
Support a small business. Support a dream!
6. Contents
An Interview with Martin Hubert, Freightgate, Inc.
Founder and CEO: ‘We Deploy Technology to Find
Smarter Ways to Solve Todays and Tomorrows Supply
Chain Challenges’
Martin Hubert, CEO & Founder
Reproducing you and your memories
in a Frame: Travelshoot
Sarah Pearce, Founder
The simplest way for businesses to
find, book and deliver their corporate
training: GO1
Andrew Barnes, CEO & Founder
Building better workplaces, one team
at a time: Front
Mathilde Collin, Co-founder & CEO
Providing Supply Chain Logistics
CDM Software Solutions, Inc.
Darrell Ortiz, Founder & CEO
Business-Centric Information
Management: TargetArc Consulting
Murali Kala, Principal Strategist
‘Ensuring Seamless Interconnection’: Medallion
Communications Limited, a Lagos-based Interconnect
Clearinghouse and Co-location Data Service Company,
Bridges Digital Divide Between Developing and
Developed Economies of World
Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, President & CEO
An Interview with Joe Gagnon,
Sparkcentral CEO: ‘We are Here to
Change How Customer Service is
Delivered around the World’
Joe Gagnon, CEO
‘Transforming Science Fiction into Science Fact’:
Arnouse Digital Devices, a Lake Success-based
Technology Firm, Has Created the First Credit Card
Sized Computer that is Capable of Running a Full
Operating System
Michael Arnouse, President & CEO
Investing for a better tomorrow:
Kaiserwetter Energy Asset
Management
Hanno Schoklitsch, CEO & Founder
Your Global Performance Marketing Partner:
Acceleration Partners
ROBERT GLAZER, Founder & CEO
A dynamic and pragmatic consultancy,
with an Agile ethos that delivers
quality to its clients: Clarasys
Matt Cheung, CEO
Helping Small Businesses Succeed: GetUWired
Melissa Allen, CEO
Digital Engineering Taken Care Of: Softwire
Phil Marsden, IT Director
The Most Trusted Digital Marketing
Agency: Venta Marketing
Max Prokell, Founder & CEO
The Industry’s Smartest Content
Company: Contently
Joe Coleman, CEO
An Interview with Earle G. Hall, AXES.ai CEO: ‘We
Empower Governments and Gaming Establishments,
Whilst Protecting Data Integrity and Making Sense of It’
Earle G. Hall, CEO
An Interview with Mark Stephens, Smart Recruit
Online Ltd Founder and CEO: ‘Our Unique Approach to
Building Recruitment Tech Gives Us an Edge Over Most
Other Competitors’
Mark Stephens, CEO
8 36
34 56
30 54
28 52
20 48
18 44
16 42
14 40
10 38
U.S.SpecialEdition
7. “A 100% natural, grain, gluten, preservative, and
flavor free treat, based on the centuries-old recipe
and perfected by us over the years” Dogsee Chew
Bhupendra Khanal, Founder
Experts in Online Marketing Strategies:
Disruptive Advertising
Jacob Baadsgaard, Founder & CEO
Bringing Together Great Minds, Visionary Partners,
and Next-Gen Technology: Oriente
Hubert Shio-Hsien Tai, CEO
The Messiah for Small Businesses: Chalice
Financial Network
Keith Gregg, Founder & CEO
An Interview with James Cerna, FogChain Corp
CEO: ‘We’re Introducing the Next Generation of
Software Development and Application Lifecycle
Management Services & Tools’
James Cerna, CEO
Leveraging the power of virtual reality to
disrupt interior design: Flipspaces
Kunal Sharma, Founder & CEO
Connecting Southeast Asia to a World of
Possibilities by Powering Deliveries: Ninja Van
Lai Chang Wen, Co-founder & CEO
Get the answers you need from the data you can't
find: Datarama
Raphael Bouzy, Co-founder & CEO
Putting companies’ workforce to work while on
bench: BenchOn
Tim Walmsley, Co-founder & CEO
Helping Businesses Rank Higher in Search
Engines - Sure Oak
Tom Casano, Founder & SEO Specialist
Making Business Travelers Happy One Trip at
a Time: TravelPerk
Avi Meir, CEO & Co-founder
58
60
66
72
78
80
64
62
76
68
74
70
An Interview with Antonella Rubicco, A3Cube Inc
Founder and CEO: ‘We’re Committed to Turn Your
Time, Data and Infrastructure into Value’
Antonella Rubicco, Co-founder & CEO
Robert Williams, Founder
Cover Story/ 22
Powering today’s
systems for a better
tomorrow: Compsys
8. 8
Providing Supply Chain Logistics
CDM Software Solutions, Inc.
Our Mission is Client Satisfaction
C
DM Software Solution was
established at the beginning
of the personal computer
technology evolution because there
was a need to provide a global
logistics software solution required
by the freight forwarding operations
industry. One of CDM’s very first
significant projects was to provide a
global freight management solution
for one of the largest steamship
lines in the world. CDM’s software
solution had to connect over 800
global offices and transmit data on a
daily basis to a centralized location.
During an era of dial-up modems and
limited satellite connectivity, CDM’s
technical team create a unique data
redundant synchronization solution
that transmitted booking, shipping
and manifest data on a daily basis
so the corporate headquarters
would be able to determine
performance levels for each of the
800 offices. The foundation of the
freight management solution and
connectivity is still in use more 30
years after initial implementation.
In Conversation with
Darrell Ortiz, Founder
and CEO of CDM
Software Solutions, Inc.
What’s the difference
between having a business
and having a brand?
A business’ brand is an important
strategic definition of the company
and how the company is going to
help the customer solve a particular
business challenge.
How did your company
stand out?
CDM was able to stand out because
we were able to compete against
much larger organizations and
provide a dynamic, flexible global
logistics software product that was
scalable.
What are your company’s
core values?
Simple, listen to customer
and provide a global logistics
software solution that meets their
requirements and budget. CDM is a
leader because our global logistics
software solutions continue to
evolve through integrations of
the latest technologies such as
Blockchain and IoT. CDM’s research
and development team continue to
enhance our existing product line
through customer interactions.
How have you evolved over
the years?
CDM’s customers continually ask
that our global logistics software
become more automated providing
shipment status and exception
reports to customers and within the
operations management staff. CDM’s
technical team meets with customers
to gather insight on customers’
requirements and utilizes the
information gathered from a broad
range of customers to implement
software enhancements to help
all of CDM’s customers compete
in the global supply chain and
logistics market. CDM’s customers
are actually partners and we work
constantly to build trust and develop
a long-term relationship with the
customer. This relationship serves
to benefit both the customer and
the customer’s customer. The global
logistics industry is extremely
competitive and CDM’s customer
demand to provide dynamic and
flexible global logistics software
through user feedback serves as a
challenge within CDM’s culture to
keep customers happy and engaged.
CDM Software Solutions has served
global customers for over 30 years.
Through the decades of service
to our customers, CDM has built a
significant support infrastructure
that includes a well- trained support
team and well supported hardware
and security tools.
What are the products you
offer?
We offer variety of products and they
are as follows:
• Freight Forwarding & NVOCC
Operations with Integrated
Accounting
We strive to provide dynamic
and flexible global logistics
software solutions that meet
the diverse requirements of
the global freight forwarding
industry. CDM’s global
logistics software products
provide efficient solutions
that maximize customer
service and shipment
visibility required by our
customer’s customer.”
“
9. 9
• Global Compliance -
Comprehensive compliance and
regulatory solutions for United
States, European Union, England,
Canada, Japan, South Africa and
Israel
• Export Packing with Integrated
EDI / XLS to better manage
Project Cargo
• Cargo Intelligence - mission
critical commodity level tracking
with exception tracking
• E-Commerce & ERP Integration -
CDM applications integrate with
ocean carriers, airlines, trucking
to exchange shipment milestone
data which then pushes back
to customers via CDM’s event
management system via e-mail,
SMS or direct integration to
existing ERP systems including
SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics
How do you tackle your
customer needs?
CDM Software Solutions constantly
improves customer service through
customer feedback and engagement.
CDM’s customer indicate top
priorities for resolving their top
problems and CDM’s support team
works to make sure these solutions
are implemented in a timely manner.
How do you and your
company contribute to
the competitive global IT
platform at large?
CDM Software Solutions believes
in incorporating cutting edge
technologies to fulfill customer’s
requirements and obligations to their
customers. CDM has successfully
incorporated EDI, web services
and GPS to our existing CDM Web
Freight platform. In addition, CDM is
incorporating BlockChain and IoT for
existing customers to further meet
security and visibility requirements.
Do you have any new
products ready to be
launched?
CDM Software Solutions launched
CDM Web Freight Q2 of 2019. CDM
Web Freight harnesses 30 years of
customer’s feedback in to a global
web based freight forwarding
operations solution that incorporates
shipment flow from an origin agent to
a destination agent streamlining data
entry, shipment documents, shipment
compliance and shipment tracking.
CDM Web Freight’s multiple language
capability supports English, Spanish,
French, Dutch, German, Japanese and
Simplified Chinese. CDM Web Freight
includes global shipment compliance
support for Customs Agencies of
the United States, Canada, Japan,
England, European Union, South
Africa and Israel.
Where do you see your
company a couple of years
from now?
CDM Software Solutions continues
to grow its freight forwarding
operations market share and with
the release of CDM Web Freight,
CDM Software Solutions expects to
increase market share by 10% to
20% in the next few years.
30 Years and Still Running
Darrell Ortiz | Founder & CEO
Darrell founded CDM Software Solutions while
attending the University of Texas at Auston in
1988. It has been more than 30 years and the
company still stays strong in its vertical, all
thanks to Darrell Ortiz.
Darrell Ortiz, Founder & CEO
SR
10. ‘Transforming Science Fiction into Science
Fact’: Arnouse Digital Devices, a Lake
Success-based Technology Firm, Has Created
the First Credit Card Sized Computer that is
Capable of Running a Full Operating System
“We’re committed to providing
the world’s best computing
solutions for fixed and mobile
environments enabling
consumers, governments, and
businesses to excel.”
I
n the mid-1940s, the world’s
first electronic general-purpose
computer was produced, dubbed
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer). ENIAC
was developed at a cost of ~$6
million USD (adjusted for today’s
value), took up 1800 square feet
(167 m2), and consumed 150
kW of power.1 Today, nearly 70
years later, we hold vastly more
computing power in our mobile
phones than that first computer did
— all because of the constant push
towards miniaturization.
In light of the foregoing, we’re
thrilled to present Arnouse Digital
Devices Corp (ADDC).
ADDC is a high technology
firm, concentrating on the
miniaturization of high-
performance computers, servers
and high-security devices. It
develops industry-leading, cutting-
edge, technology solutions for
commercial, military and industrial
clients focusing on highly portable
devices. The company currently
holds contracts with the military for
various types of devices.
ADDC strives to be the undisputed
global leader in the design and
manufacturing of innovative highly
reliable rugged and secure credit
card sized computers and software.
The company provides the world’s
best computing solutions for
traditional and harsh environments
that enable people, governments
and businesses to excel in
productivity and abilities.
ADDC was established in 2002 and
is headquartered in Lake Success,
New York.
Arnouse Digital Devices
Corp: Synopsis
Rewind to the Past
ADDC was founded by Michael
Arnouse in on the principle of
addressing security issues in a
post 9/11 digital world. His goal
was to create a revolutionary,
interchangeable compute platform
which gives users an unprecedented
level of flexibility, compute power,
small size, low power use, and ultra-
high security. As a result, ADDC
invented the world’s first credit
card-sized x86 pluggable computing
card, called BioDigitalPC®
, named
for its rugged eco-friendliness.
More importantly, ADDC has
been granted 18 utility patents,
with three pending in the areas
of pluggable computing and its
surrounding ecosystem, which cover
all aspects of ADDC products and
technology.
BioDigitalPC®
: A Terrific Feat
Arnouse Digital Devices has created
the first credit card sized computer
that is capable of running a full
Operating System: BioDigitalPC®
.
Credit Card Sized Form-factor:
Flexible micro-form factor allows for
easy implementation and creation of
new devices. The BioDigitalPC®
can
easily be carried in a wallet, purse
or military uniform.
Multi-purpose: BioDigitalPC®
Cards can be used as Servers and
Appliances, then re-purposed as
desktop PCs.
Highly Secure: Micro-form factor
cards can be embedded in virtually
any device that requires the highest
level of intelligence. Cards can be
easily removed in an emergency or
combat situation.
Extremely Energy Efficient:
Rugged Industrial patented greatly
reduces the need for power and
cooling and increases the longevity
of ADDC devices. BioDigitalPC®
uses
90 percent less power and requires
no chilled air cooling.
10
11. Made in the USA: US-based
manufacturing allows for rapid
prototyping and time to market.
Longevity: The BioDigitalPC®
pluggable computer is
waterproof and shockproof. The
patented Pluggable technology
enables the BioDigitalPC®
to be
reused from Server to Desktop
to virtually anything that needs
computing power.
ADDC: Product Overview
ADDC offers a suite of products:
• Cards
• Docks
• Mobyl Data Centers
• Integration
• Third Party Docks
• Software
Cards –
BioDigitalPC®
11: ADDC is proud
to bring you the BioDigitalPC®
11,
itssixth generation BioDigitalPC®
x86 computing platform. The
BioDigitalPC®
11 family of
computers are a credit card sized
computing platform equipped
with an Intel 7th generation i5, or
i7 CPU, up to 16GB of DDR4 and
128GB of ultra-fast SanDisk SSD.
BioDigitalPC®
10: ADDC is proud
to bring you the BioDigitalPC®
10,
its 5th generation BioDigitalPC®
x86 computing platform. The
BioDigitalPC®
10 family of
computers are a credit card sized
computing platform equipped
with an Intel 6th generation i3, i5
or i7 CPU, up to 8GB of DDR4 and
128GB of ultra-fast SanDisk SSD.
BioDigitalPC®
9: ADDC is proud
to bring you the BioDigitalPC®
9,
its 4th generation BioDigitalPC®
x86 computing platform.
The BioDigitalPC®
9 family of
computers are a credit card sized
computing platform equipped
with the latest Intel quad-core
CPU, up to 8GB of DDR3 and
128GB of ultra-fast SanDisk SSD.
BioDigitalPC®
8: ADDC is
proud to introduce the latest in
its BioDigitalPC®
line of products:
BioDigitalPC®
8. It’s the third
generation of BioDigitalPC®
, the
first credit card sized, rugged,
x86 computer. BioDigitalPC®
8is
equipped with a quad-core x86
processor, 8GB DDR3 and 128GB
of ultra-high speed storage.
Docks –
CruiserOne: This commercial-
grade LCD monitor features an
integrated BioDigitalPC®
docking
station. When a BioDigitalPC®
card (not included) is inserted
into the docking station, the
CruiserOne becomes a robust and
secure computing solution.
BioDigitalPC®
docking station is
built-in to the CruiserOne and
includes (1) USB 3.0, (2) USB 2.0,
3.5mm headphone and mic jack,
integrated speakers, Bluetooth,
and WiFi B/G/N.
Desktop Dock 3.0: The
BioDigitalPC®
Desktop Dock
3.0 provides the BioDigitalPC®
Card with a fully functioning
desktop computer experience.
Its simplicity, very small size and
low power consumption provides
convenience and flexibility.
Desktop Dock 2.0: The
BioDigitalPC®
Desktop Dock 2.0
provides the BioDigitalPC®
Card
“ADDC was set
up to create a
low powered
interchangeable
compute platform
allowing users an
unprecedented
level of flexibility
with ultra-high
security in a
portable micro
form factor.”
Michael Arnouse, President & CEO
11
12. with a fully functioning desktop
computer experience.
The BioDigitalPC®
Desktop Dock 2.0
breaks out two USB 2.0 connections,
one USB 3.0 connection, a Mini-
DisplayPort, a 10/100 Ethernet
connection to access the internet,
and a power connection.
Desktop Dock 1.0: The BioDigitalPC®
Desktop Dock 1.0 provides the user
of the BioDigitalPC®
/MobylPC™
Card with a fully functioning
desktop computer experience.
The BioDigitalPC®
Desktop Dock
1.0 breaks out four USB 2.0
connections, a DisplayPort++
connector, a 10/100 Ethernet
connection to access the internet,
and a power connection.
Quick Connect: The BioDigitalPC®
Quick Connect provides the
BioDigitalPC®
Card with a fully
functioning desktop computer
experience.
The BioDigitalPC®
Quick Connect
breaks out a CAC reader, two USB
2.0 connections, one USB 3.0
connection, a Mini-DisplayPort,
a 10/100 Ethernet connection to
access the internet, and a power
connection.
SR-60: ADDC is proud to announce
its first commercial product, the
SR-60. The SR-60 conforms to
the standard 19” rack, is 2U tall,
and allows for a staggering 60
BioDigitalPCs®
/MobylPCs™.
MDC-22: The Mobyl Data
Center comes equipped with 22
BioDigitalPC®
/MobylPC Server
docking stations to form a cohesive,
scalable server cluster.
MDC-10: The Mobyl Data Center
10 comes equipped with 10
BioDigitalPC®
/MobylPC™ server
docking stations in a rugged case.
The MDC-10 can be scaled from 1 to
10 servers simply by plugging more
BioDigitalPC®
/MobylPC™ server
cards into available slots. You can
accommodate ever-changing field
requirements in minimal physical
storage space. Adding a node to
the server cluster is as simple as
plugging in another credit card
sized BioDigitalPC®
/MobylPC™
Server and configuring it to your
network parameters.
MDC-SR10: The Mobyl Data Center
SR-10 comes equipped with 10
BioDigitalPC®
docking stations
to form a cohesive, scalable
server cluster. The MDC SR-10
comes protected in a rugged case,
accompanied by a monitor. The
MDC SR -10 monitor is useable in
all lighting conditions because of its
brightness and contrast controls.
This design also allows for access to
servers without any additional wire
connections.
Each BioDigitalPC®
in the MDC
SR-10 is equipped with three 1
Gb NICs, which allows for a huge
networking advantage. Connection
to the internet is available through
one 1 Gb or two 10 Gb Ethernet
ports, capable of redundancy and
link aggregation.
MDC-8: The Mobyl Data Center
8 comes equipped with 8
BioDigitalPC®
/MobylPC™ server
docking stations, an integrated Cisco
RV325 router, and an integrated
Adaptec 6405E RAID Controller
card connected to 2 x 2TB SSDs,
with an option for 2 x 4TB SSDs.
Integration –
• R8K Reader
• PC104-8 Reader
• M7 Reader
• M6 Reader
• M1 Reader
• R3 Reader
• I-Card
• U-Turn Connector
Third Party Docks –
• CIS Polycom Phone
• All-in-One Monitor
Software –
• ROMware+
12
SR
13.
14. 14
Your Global Performance Marketing
Partner: Acceleration Partners
A
cceleration Partners is
more than just the leading
independent affiliate
management agency in the world. It
is also a great company with strong
core values, the best and brightest
team members and an award-
winning culture.
A Better Way to Do
Performance Marketing
The firm’s highly-skilled program
management teams have the
experience and expertise to
meet the needs of any client
in any industry vertical. While
Acceleration Partners is proud to
employ the most knowledgeable
affiliate program practitioners
and publisher development
strategists in the industry, it’s
the Performance Partnerships®
framework that sets it apart as a
global agency.
Performance Partnerships®
make it possible for any company
– regardless of industry – to
optimize, scale and track any type
of marketing partnership, from
affiliate to business development,
and efficiently compensate partners
based on actual performance after
it’s been realized.
Changing the Work-Life
Paradigm
Acceleration Partners’ award-
winning company culture is
what makes it possible for the
company to be an award-winning
international performance
marketing agency that the world’s
leading brands wants to work with.
From its flexible, remote work
environment to its emphasis on
core values, respectful authenticity,
transparency, and capacity-building,
the organization cultivates work-life
integration. Acceleration Partners
understand that, for the company
to be the best, the team members
must be the best – in both their
professional and personal lives.
The Company’s
Capabilities
Acceleration Partners’ team has an
unparalleled track record of helping
brands achieve high performance,
real profits, and sustainable growth.
This is why top consumer brands
trust it to create sophisticated
performance marketing programs
for them. It delivers results while
protecting their brand.
Affiliate Program
Management
The world’s largest brands all credit
the affiliate marketing model as
“We believe that there’s not
enough of a human and strategic
element in online marketing.
Clients should have transparency
from their vendors and in real,
lasting partnerships. Most
companies aren’t getting what they
need from online marketing and
thus we had to provide a solution
for all this, which is our major
aim.”ROBERT GLAZER, Founder & CEO
15. 15
essential to their ability to generate
healthy profits, incremental sales,
strategic growth, and customer
acquisition at scale.
They choose Acceleration Partners
to manage their affiliate marketing
programs because the company is
recognized as the leader in creating
and supporting brand-centric
performance-driven partnerships,
responsibly increasing profits, and
keeping the clients’ costs in check so
they aren’t spending more than they
need to.
Publisher Development
Your customers are constantly
discovering products, making
purchases and downloading apps.
They are also spending more time
on publisher sites than ever before.
Acceleration Partners collaborates
with you to identify and build
relationships with every type of
partner imaginable, including
content affiliates, review sites,
coupon sites, influencers,
schools, organizations, and even
partnerships that traditionally fall
into “business development” deals.
By streamlining and scaling your
partner relationships, you’re able to
power your business growth more
strategically and productively.
Global Program
Management
For companies expanding globally,
affiliate marketing presents a
significant opportunity to grow
your market share by introducing
new audiences to your brand
and products. As an independent
agency, it is best positioned to help
you execute your international
expansion with a singular focus
on your objectives. Acceleration
Partners provides the strategies and
insights to help guide you through
the opportunities and challenges of
the global affiliate marketplace and
can objectively assess both partners
and platforms to ensure you are set
up for continued success.
Affiliate Program
Evaluation
From program management strategy
to affiliate recruitment, find out how
strong your affiliate program is with
its complimentary evaluation.
Industry Recognition
Acceleration Partners has been
honored with several industry
awards for its culture and
performance. These achievements
were made possible by the hard
work and dedication of the talented
team and its partnerships with the
world’s most innovative brands and
technology leaders. Acceleration
Partners is inspired to raise the bar
every day as it leads to the future of
the performance marketing industry.
Meet the Leader
ROBERT GLAZER, Founder, and CEO:
Bob Glazer is the founder and CEO of the global
performance marketing agency, Acceleration Partners. He
is also the co-founder and Chairman of BrandCycle. A serial
entrepreneur, Bob has a passion for helping individuals
and organizations build their capacity to outperform.
Under his leadership, Acceleration Partners has become a
recognized global leader in the affiliate marketing industry,
receiving numerous industry and company culture awards,
including Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards (2 years
in a row), Ad Age’s Best Place to Work, Entrepreneur’s
Top Company Culture (2 years in a row), Inc. Magazine’s
Best Place to Work, Great Place to Work & Fortune’s Best
Small & Medium Workplaces (3 years in a row) and Boston
Globe’s Top Workplaces (2 years in a row).
SR
16. Digital Engineering Taken Care Of: Softwire
S
tarted in 2000, Softwire has
created the best possible
environment to produce
outstanding software and deliver
unmatched customer satisfaction.
It hires the brightest people, gives
them great autonomy, remunerate
them well and provide lots of
opportunities for them to give
back to their local and not so local
communities. Now, Softwire is
growing quickly but choses to do so
organically without taking on any
debt. That all adds up to the best
working environment around.
Planning a digital
project
Softwire helps you seize the
opportunities that come from being
Digital First. The firm completely
understands your ecosystem
and culture and will clarify your
aims and help you achieve them.
It can design solutions, engage
stakeholders and take things from
idea to prototype, proof of concept,
Alpha, Beta and beyond.
You might be looking to validate
an idea, support a business case
or integrate with legacy systems.
Whatever the case, there’s no better
way to move forward quickly than
getting something into customers’
and users’ hands. Softwire
accelerates your innovation capacity
and help you succeed quicker, and
because it is a digital engineering
firm, it makes sure that its plans are
rooted in reality. So that Softwire is
ready for when it’s time to execute
your idea at scale, and evolve it in
the future.
Building a new software
application
Delivering high quality, cost-
effective digital engineering projects
lies at the heart of what Softwire
does. It treats every project as if it
was its own. It engineers it precisely,
and launches it with you. Its highly-
skilled teams will take care of all
aspects of your project, including
design, build and management and
Softwire is just as happy to work
autonomously or as part of your
team. It always delivers on-time and
within budget.
By fully understanding your
business needs, Softwire delivers
well engineered software that
makes a real difference to your
business. It will partner with you
too and help to realise your vision
and once you are on your way, it
can keep on evolving your ideas and
exploring new directions.
Helping with existing
software application
For clients who already have
a system in place or a project
underway, Softwire quickly
comprehends where you are,
improve what you have and take
care to get you where you want to
be. The breadth of our engineering
expertise makes it easy for it to
support your existing system. It can
also enhance and extend it or look
into replacement options. Equally,
in its consultancy role, Softwire can
advise you on and help you with
the implementation of an existing
project. Either way, it will help you
stay at the top of your game.
Projects That Softwire Is
Proud Of
BBC - Timeliner
The challenge was to create an
exciting and engaging way for
online audiences to discover and
enjoy the BBC’s extensive news
archive. Softwire came up with a
solution where it quickly integrated
existing BBC web services for video
streaming and image rendering.
This enabled the company to focus
their energies where it mattered
most - creating a compelling user
experience. As a result, Timeliner
had three times the engagement
rate of the main BBC news site
during the General Election
Campaign. In short, Softwire
delivered a platform to access the
BBC’s archival news footage with a
great user experience–without any
drama.
David Lloyd - Mobile app
In case of David Lloyd mobile
app, the company had to create a
bespoke mobile app for David Lloyd
members to book exercise classes
and tennis courts. Softwire took
a phased approach and broke the
project down, allowing it to get the
“We are innovators and passionate problem solvers both
in software engineering and digital design.”
17. Meet the Founding Team
Phil Marsden, IT Director
Phil Co-founded Softwire with the vision of hiring
only the very best people, giving them a great place to
work, and in so doing providing unrivalled service to
its customers. He graduated in Engineering from Jesus
College Cambridge, and enjoys being around clever,
interesting people and finding problems to solve.
When he’s not mining for crypto currency, Phil’s kept
busy with his work with the charity Ashanti. Spearheaded
by Phil, Softwire have sponsored developmental and
educational programmes in several villages in Ghana. His
tireless work was honoured in 2016 when he was made a
chief of the village of Bonkron.
Dan Shavick, HR Director
Dan spends his days seeking out the most talented people
he can find, hiring them and keeping them happy. A
mathematician from a young age, he captained his school
team to victory in the London Maths Championships,
studied maths at Cambridge and has published a book on
poker.
When asked to describe himself in one word he used
three – “that’s not possible”. He was the brains behind
Softwire’s Charity Saturday, whereby a few times a year
people come to work on a weekend and we donate their
client fees to charity.
Pete Kenny, Finance Director
A core founding principle of Softwire has always been
to grow a successful and profitable business, and Pete’s
attention to detail has ensured we achieve consistent
growth since 2000. This has allowed us to cultivate a
fantastic working environment, which produces happy,
motivated people who are fundamental to providing a
high level of work and excellent service that keeps our
customers coming back in a zen-like self-fulfilling circle.
Pete is an advocate of a healthy work / life balance and
spends his time between his children, playing the drums
and guitar and keeping as fit as possible with running,
cycling, swimming and badminton.
MVP out as fast as possible.
The Result - The app was the
Gold Winner at the “UK [app]
design awards” in the Leisure
category. Customers are now
happy booking on the app and
the reception staff was freed
up to concentrate on attentive
customer service.
Phil Marsden, IT Director
Dan Shavick, HR Director
Pete Kenny, Finance Director
SR
18. Helping Small Businesses Succeed
GetUWired
E
very firm deserves a
marketing company that
believes in their business
as much as they do. GetUWired is
exactly that company. It is a small
business, and its employees come
from entrepreneurial families. So
GetUWired completely understand
what you’re up against. That’s why it
is here. GetUWired is your internet
marketing army.
In 2003, GetUWired was founded
to give small businesses a fighting
chance in the big-business world of
internet marketing. In just over a
decade, GetUWired has grown into
a thriving internet marketing and
automation powerhouse known
worldwide as an elite agency. It
has served thousands of small
businesses, won a slew of awards,
and counts some of the most
influential minds in business as its
clients and friends.
The Small Business
Bloodline
The team at GetUWired is
passionate about fulfilling its
mission, “To help small businesses
succeed.” “Our team members
come from families who run small
businesses. Our passion isn’t just lip
service. This stuff is in our blood,”
the team says. They love the
opportunity to work their magic
for business owners and see them
get results out of it. They feel happy
to receive appreciation mails from
their clients and to know that their
jobs mean something that goes
beyond a paycheck.
GetUWired could have been
established in a cosmopolitan
office park in Atlanta, but rather its
cabin is located in the woods that
sit at the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. After a day at work, the
team enjoys the peace and quietness
there while playing Frisbee in the
front yard and listening to one of
their engineers rocking out on his
banjo. “Marketing is hard work. Our
peaceful mountain home keeps our
creativity up and our blood pressure
down,” the company says.
The Approach to
Business
GetUWired is in business because it
believes in small business. It learns
about you, your business, and your
customers. It believes in your ability
to make smart decisions. You know
your business better than anyone
else on Earth – and GetUWired
knows internet marketing better
than anyone else in the industry.
Putting the two together can really
get you a recipe for success beyond
your wildest dreams.
Over the past 12 years, its processes
have evolved to keep up with its
clients’ needs and demands. What
you get today has been tested in
real-life scenarios, with a lot of great
ideas distilled down into processes
that work. Efficient, honorable,
and results-driven is what you’ll
get from the first time you call
GetUWired.
Services
GetUWired’s custom-tailored
approach means you get everything
you need, and nothing you don’t.
It offers both hourly and retainer
pricing models to suit your needs
and budget.
Marketing Automation
Infusionsoft by Keap - Infusionsoft
is a CRM built specifically for small
businesses - with a full range of
capabilities including marketing
automation, customer management,
“We’re a whip-smart group of internet marketing professionals
with small business in our blood. We live and breathe small
business. We’re EXCITED about your success, and we’re honored
that you put your trust in us. You won’t be disappointed.”
19. 19
e-commerce, and much more.
It’s the personal assistant you’ve
always wanted.
ActiveCampaign - Active
Campaign is a CRM that makes it
easy to keep in touch with your
clients wherever they are – on
social media, email, texts, and
even on your website. Sales
automation drives deals forward,
and built-in split testing makes it
easy to know what works.
Development
What good is a great-looking site
if it doesn’t work? GetUWired’s
engineers are simply the best
minds in the business, and
they’re always coming up with
new, easy ways to solve your
biggest web problems. We
always go with clean code that
works, not “copy-and-paste”
shortcuts that break.
Design
Good design is art built on
science. Its design team creates
visual properties based on
pictorial strategy and sales
psychology. They don’t just look
amazing, they’re built to convert.
Content
Storytelling is powerful. Its
seasoned copywriter is a former
journalist and travel writer who
knows the tricks to plucking
heartstrings and opening wallets.
Today’s marketing is all about
connecting to your customers on
a memorable, emotional level.
That’s what great copy does.
Marketing
Get your product or service in
front of legions of raving fans
with expert marketing! Its
marketing department uses the
best techniques in the industry
today to build buzz for your
brand, relationships with your
clients, and, of course, your
bottom line.
The Leadership
Melissa Allen, CEO
When CEO Melissa Allen started as an intern
in 2008, she knew she wanted to own a
business one day. Turns out, that business
would be GetUWired! Melissa has more than
earned her spot at the head of the table as
CEO and co-owner of GetUWired. She’s done
it all: accounting, hiring & firing, project
managing and everything in between. She’s
been a huge part of growing the company
from a small, local business to the industry
leader it is today.
Ambitious and driven, Melissa was raised
from a young age to believe that failure is
not an option. But she’s not all business.
She is also spontaneous, funny, and openly
appreciative of her team. Her management
style manages to strike that perfect balance
of high productivity and high morale in
the cabin. In addition to owning her own
business, Melissa’s other dream is to sail
around the world with her husband and
daughter, teaching her daughter all about
different countries.
Melissa Allen, CEO
SR
20. 20
An Interview with Martin Hubert, Freightgate, Inc.
Founder and CEO: ‘We Deploy Technology to Find
Smarter Ways to Solve Todays and Tomorrows
Supply Chain Challenges’
“Freightgate strives to provide innovative logistics solutions, fostering global collaboration and productivity.”
T
here’s no doubt that cloud
technology has transformed
supply chain management and
logistics operations. While the cloud
has played an integral role in supply
chain efficiency for the past few
years, it’s unquestionably a mainstay.
One of the biggest boons for the
supply chain industry made possible
by cloud computing is the ability to
leverage powerful analytics to make
smarter decisions, speed logistics,
and enhance both the efficiency and
accuracy of the flow of products
through the supply chain.
In light of the foregoing, we’re thrilled
to present Freightgate Inc.
Freightgate develops and markets
Web-based logistics and supply
chain management solutions. It
focuses on end-to-end transportation
management, procurement processes,
rate management, optimization,
execution, and visibility. The
company’s solutions include Cloud
Logistics, a supply chain collaboration
and visibility platform; TMS, a global
tender bid management tool; and
Least Cost Routing, a service contract
and quote management platform.
Additionally, it provides automated
e-invoice audit and payment and
what-if-scenario analysis tools.
The company was incorporated in
2000 and is headquartered in Orange
County, California.
Martin Hubert,
Freightgate, Inc. Founder/
CEO, spoke exclusively
to The Silicon Review.
Below is an excerpt.
What’s the difference between
having a business and having
a brand?
Freightgate as a business acts in a
consultative way and develops state-
of-the-art solutions for customers.
Brand Freightgate is well-known
for finding and creating innovative
solutions, products, processes, and
relationships. No matter how difficult
or special the requests of customers
are, the employees of Freightgate will
find the best way to solve this. This is
why Freightgate has been recognized
by the market for modules like the
pioneering global visibility; multi-
leg, multi-dimensional optimized
dynamic rating and routing, execution
level carbon-footprint modelling, and
many more.
Why was the company set up?
And how did you expand your
company and its offerings
over the years?
I saw a lot of room for improvement
in the IT environment for logistics
companies and shippers in my
previous positions. I used my
experience and started the first
internet based track and trace system
back in 1994. In the following years,
I along with my team, expanded the
offerings from tariffs into a fully
functional global logistics cloud
platform. In 2000, Freightgate was
spun-off as a platform dedicated
to Logistics IT solutions. Now the
Freightgate Logistics Cloud offerings
span: Global Multimodal TMS,
Rates, Air and Ocean Schedules,
Global Visibility, PO Management,
Compliance, Analytics, Work-Flows,
etc. The company has a lively
ecosystem across partners, carriers,
modes, customer and team members
around the globe. Productivity
enhancing ‘Zero Touch’ initiatives
are one of the current drivers.
Martin Hubert: A Formidable Leader
Martin Hubert is the CEO and Founder of Freightgate, Inc. He’s the head of the creative team with over 30 years
of leadership experience in IT, transportation and logistics.
21. 21
Moreover, our team of culturally
diverse, international, out-of-the-box
thinkers has in-depth experience in
orchestrating solutions on top of our
global-by-design platform.
How successful was your first
project roll on? Share the
experience.
We started as a centrally hosted
collaboration platform to share
shipment information by using the
then-nascent Internet as a backbone.
Getting people to share this vision
early on has had its challenges, but grit
and perseverance paid off. And adding
functionality driven by a fusion of our
vision and customer demand has been
a fun ride that we hope to continue.
A small business/company
may or may not function as
expected. It takes everything to
stand out and compete in the
business world, was it same for
your company?
The Cloud TMS market is very volatile
and needs constant innovation.
Freightgate is small enough to still
act fast but big enough to manage
international roll-outs with thousands
of users. Being one of the first solution
providers for most modules definitely
had its perks on the way to where we
are now.
What are your company’s core
values and how did they help
you to succeed?
One of Freightgate’s core values is
the passion for innovation and never-
ending improvement; paired with the
desire to leverage the vast expertise all
of our employees and extended team
members bring to the table. Every
process is under investigation and
if we can do something better, we’ll
discuss it and act accordingly. This is
where the customers have the biggest
advantage: They present their ‘is’ and
sometimes ‘want’ process, Freightgate
comes up with multiple ways to get
there. It is this challenge that is born
out of the dialog and collaboration with
our customers that fuels the creative
thought process and leads to mutual
success.
“Earning trust and respect
of consumers is through
consistent focus on delivering
high quality in all of our
actions.” How do you interpret
this statement?
As the only Logistics IT Company
having been ISO9001 certified since
2001, the standard became available:
We actually have an independently
audited certificate for our
commitment to quality and continuous
improvement.
Moreover, the consultative approach
that is necessary for the success of our
work fosters feedback across all stages
of a project and the entire solution
lifecycle. This way we stay in touch with
the newest technologies while listening
to our customers and their needs.
We can proudly state that our two
initial customers are still going strong
and the entire team is looking forward
to continuing this long journey, by
delivering excellent service and
creative ideas that help them achieve
their goals.
Do you have any new products
ready to be launched?
We continue to innovate and build out
the platform driven by active dialog
with our stakeholders. We just released
a BPMN2.0 compliant workflow
integration, new form builder, and AI
projects to improve productivity.
Where do you see your
company a couple of years
from now?
Freightgate and its team have set
innovative goals and are determined
to reach them. We will always continue
to maintain the trust our customers
have in us, while striving to share our
knowledge and growing services to the
needs of our future customers.
“We have a
powerful supply
chain visibility
application designed
to sharpen your
competitive edge by
providing tracking,
tracing, and event
management
information along
the entire supply
chain.”
Martin Hubert, CEO & Founder
SR
23. 23
I
n today’s competitive
business world,
companies are
increasingly demanding
platform-agnostic,
resilient, and dynamically
scalable IT environments
that keep downtime to a bare
minimum, while fostering
collaboration. With the high
rate of technology adoption,
businesses, especially
small and medium, are on a
constant lookout for cost-
effective and unified solutions
that help them simplify
technology implementation
to gain a higher level of
productivity. Compsys is an IT
company that aims to address
all challenges related to
expansion and scaling for IT
companies.
The services of Compsys span
across three broad areas -
Remote Support, Onsite, and
Cloud services. Compsys
implements remote
support services to
provide efficient, timely
support and training
to their customers.
The company
assures a better
and cost-effective
alternative to
manual on-site
solutions.
They can
troubleshoot,
resolve, and
manage
networks
and computers without
stepping into the clients’
premises. The Hardware as
a service Product (HaaS)
contains an onsite service
contract to fully support the
bouquet of solutions. This
approach allows them to
provide the highest level of
customer satisfaction.
With core technology
expertise, Compsys addresses
networking challenges by
leveraging cloud-based
technology solutions and
services to manage IT
infrastructure. “Our primary
private cloud solution provides
a secure, redundant hosted
solution that allows our clients
to access their network from
any location that has an
internet connection, and from
any device or platform,” says
Robert Williams, Founder,
Compsys. “If a company
wishes to retain its own
equipment, we offer a network
solution that is capable of
monitoring and maintaining
network devices, servers, and
workstations in a proactive
manner.”
With automated functionality
for Windows updates, basic
maintenance, and alerts, in
case of hardware failures,
Compsys keeps the downtime
to a minimum. While Compsys
implements best practices
and relies on scheduled
maintenance in managing IT
environments, it
also formulates a
disaster recovery
plan that ensures
business continuity.
To mitigate the
complexities
associated with
managing internal IT
infrastructure, Compsys
offers CloudPanel, a
control panel that helps
clients manage their Citrix
and Microsoft Exchange
environments. With
Office365 integrated coming
to CloudPanel, clients can
manage the Office365 suite
of products outside of the
CloudPanel, as well as
their multi-tier or single-
tier exchange and Citrix
environments seamlessly.
Complex procedures can be
allocated to people who are
less trained as CloudPanel
simplifies tasks involved in
the day to day IT operations.
Compsys also offers remote
support, desktop, and
application virtualization
services, and network
management services.
Built on Citrix capabilities,
Compsys provides full
desktops and application
virtualization capabilities.
Their cloud solution is
compatible with all modern
platforms. “Our managed
solution service allows us to
connect directly to the users,
and resolve the issues
24. 24
in the background while
they continue working,”
says Williams. Taking the
resources beyond the four
walls of corporate offices,
Compsys’s cloud-based
desktop-as-a-service
solution enables clients to
share the applications and
data with users regardless
of their physical location.
Compsys eliminates the
need for onsite servers all
together by transferring all
application and data into
the cloud. For instance, “Our
cloud infrastructure enabled
a nursing home business to
run several of their branches
as a unit regardless of their
location that facilitated their
business growth.”
Furthermore, by performing
compliance audits and
strategic security planning,
Compsys ensures that their
solutions meet the security
and regulatory standards.
The company is relentlessly
innovating to make cloud
access easier. “We are
working on applications
that will allow us to
create a centralized
control mechanism to
control cloud-based
desktop units,”
adds Williams.
The company
is currently
working
towards
making
traditional
Active
Directory
environment available in
a cloud-based format that
enables CIOs to have direct
control of remote cloud-based
desktop units.
Compsys operates three
private, dedicated data
centers – two in Arkansas
and one in Las Vegas, while
ensuring fail-safe backup
through full image replication
that is both on-site and
offsite. This is well beyond
file backup and is a bare
metal replication. As such, if
needed, the network and all
information can be restored
almost immediately, and
even run as a virtual server
if needed until the primary
servers are back online.
Compsys almost exclusively
works on an ongoing, service
fee-based program. They do
not sell hardware or software
outright. A single monthly fee
is a simpler, easier approach
to getting a full service,
outsourced IT department.
A summary of key
products offered by
Compsys:
Comprehensive
Network Monitoring
Compsys installs software on
each computer to monitor the
status of installed software
and hardware. The software
reports back to a network
operation center, identifying
any issues or conflicts.
The company also handles
all antivirus and malware
software and updates.
Unlimited Remote
Support
Compsys offers unlimited
remote support to its clients.
Any computer issues that
a client experiences can be
communicated to a technician
at Compsys’ help desk. The
technician can then access the
machine in question remotely
to solve the problem. This can
be done for both workstations
and servers.
Real-Time Compliance
Monitoring
Additionally, Compsys
monitors security issues
for those that must comply
with HIPPA, PCI, and GLB-
mandated compliance. It
offers compliance scanning
and vulnerability reports, as
well as mediation reports.
The results are then recorded
and logged for a client’s
compliance file should they
need to demonstrate their
security measures at any
point.
Secure, Private E-mail
Hosting
Compsys offers a privately
hosted, encrypted, and secure
exchange environment based
on Microsoft Exchange.
All information is housed
securely in the company’s
data centers. The system
is structured so that the
25. customer is in full control of the
information. This is particularly
important for clients in the
healthcare industry that
often deal with lawsuits and
subpoenas for medical records.
The cloud-based services of
Compsys are housed in private
data centers and are fully
secure and compliant. The
company provides a number of
solutions to meet the myriad of
needs of its clients. From virtual
desktops, virtual servers, DAS,
and encrypted file share, to
cloud-based email services,
Compsys has different solutions
to meet the specific demands
of individual customers. It
believes in integrating various
products together to create
comprehensive, efficient, and
commercially viable solutions.
Hardware as a Service
Rather than purchasing or
leasing hardware up front,
Compsys can install an entire
network and bill its customers
a monthly fee. Compsys
provides workstations as well
as all the necessary software,
monitoring, and support. This
is a complete turnkey solution.
As part of this service, the
hardware is replaced every
three years at no additional
cost.
Software as a Service
Software as a Service includes
a fully custom private cloud-
based environment. Deployed
using Citrix, virtual desktops
can be accessed through a web
browser with users logging in
with a username and password.
CloudPanel
Compsys developed CloudPanel
to satisfy client’s needs for
simplified management.
CloudPanel is a Microsoft
approved control panel that
allows the user to manage
Active Directory and Microsoft
Exchange for multi-tenancy
environments. This allows
Compsys to give customers
some control over some of the
everyday tasks they may prefer
to manage on their own.
VOIP Solutions
Compsys offers its own, fully
loaded VOIP solution that
includes the necessary phone
equipment.
Custom Software
Development
Application developers on staff
can achieve anything from the
development of small apps
to more complex, full custom
applications.
Website Creation/
Hosting
Compsys has the ability and
technical expertise to offer
website creation and hosting
services to customers. However,
this is not the company’s
primary focus.
To determine what each client
needs from all the offerings,
Compsys offers a consultation
to review applications/
programs
in use, the
in-house IT
infrastructure,
how the company
operates and
the workflow to
custom build the best
solution.
The clients of Compsys
come from industries
ranging from law firms,
medical services, state
and local governments,
advertising agencies,
accounting practices, mortgage
companies to banks. “All
of these industries have
similarities. Like a building, the
foundation is the same”, says
Robert Williams, the founder
of the company. Compsys
builds on this foundation. The
building takes shape brick
by brick, and room by room,
specific to the industry for
which it is intended. Compsys
has designed and developed
CloudPanel, a control panel
that helps clients manage their
Citrix and Microsoft Exchange
environments. CloudPanel is
a Microsoft approved control
panel that assists in managing
Active Directory and Microsoft
Exchange for multi-tenancy
environments. This allows
the company to give their
customers control over some
of the everyday tasks they may
want to carry out themselves.
CloudPanel can be downloaded
by other cloud providers free of
cost, for up to two hundred and
fifty users.
26. 26
COVER
STORY
The Compsys culture
Compsys was founded in
1992 by Robert Williams.
Robert had a vision of a full
service IT Company that puts
its customers first. Compsys
originated from a humble
beginning, and Robert ran the
company from the confines of
his home. As the firm grew, he
soon ran out of space at home
and opened a small office in
North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Compsys has been growing
ever since.
Compsys operates under the
philosophy that customers are
more than just customers, that
they are friends. The company
had to work hard to develop
and cultivate relationships with
clients and always strived to
achieve customer satisfaction.
Compsys is the best option for
outsourcing IT requirements
because it believed in going
the extra mile for clients while
remaining very competitive
with prices. Compsys has
a team of experienced
technicians that work for
clients to deliver a market
winning solution, while being
available 24/7 for any kind
of support. Furthermore, the
company assures same day
response time, no matter how
big or small a client’s IT needs
are. With clients across a wide
spectrum of industries, such as
law practices, medical facilities,
state and local governments,
advertising firms, accounting
firms, mortgage companies,
banks and so many more,
Compsys will work tirelessly to
tailor a solution that best fits
the client’s needs.
SR
27.
28. ‘Ensuring Seamless Interconnection’: Medallion Communications Limited,
a Lagos-based Interconnect Clearinghouse and Co-location Data Service
Company, Bridges Digital Divide Between Developing and Developed
Economies of World
“Medallion Communications was set up as the backbone supporting
Nigeria’s ICT and telecommunications industry in the area of carrier-neutral
infrastructure sharing and interconnectivity.”
I
nterconnection is the linking
of the networks of two or
more service providers thus
enabling the subscribers on one
network to access the subscribers
of the other networks. In a multi-
operator environment, seamless
interconnection is the most
important factor that could affect
the growth of the industry. The
International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) estimates that in
most telecom environments, at
least 60 percent of all traffic is
interconnect.
In light of the above-mentioned
scenario, we’re thrilled to present
Medallion Communications
Limited.
The company’s business involves
setting up Interconnect Houses
where operators not only have the
opportunity to interconnect with
multiple operators in one location
but equally share the available
telecom infrastructure thereby
reducing overhead. While most
interconnect operators focus on
only transiting of calls, Medallion’s
model offers full financial
settlement and reconciliation
of interconnect traffic. This
would greatly eliminate interconnect
indebtedness in the industry and lead
to accurate and timely processing
of interconnect charges. Medallion
deploys a robust and efficient billing
and settlement infrastructure that
is transparent in the resolution of
interconnect related billing issues.
The company was incorporated in 2004
and is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
Engr. Ikechukwu
Nnamani, Medallion
Communications Limited,
President/CEO, spoke
exclusively to The Silicon
Review. Below is an
excerpt.
Why was the company set up?
And how did you expand your
company and its offerings over
the years?
The deregulation of the
telecommunication industry in 2001
gave birth to the GSM revolution: The
company’s introduction transformed
the telecommunication system in
Nigeria. As a result, the number
of telecom subscribers has grown
at a compounded annual growth
rate of 32 percent since 2002. The
telecommunications industry is one
of the fastest growing in Nigeria and
remains a major driver of innovation
and transfer of technology to the
Nigerian economy contributing 8.7
percent to Gross Domestic Product.
With a population of more than 192
million, Nigeria’s subscriber base
represents a Teledensity of 114.66
percent.
Medallion Communications was
set up as the backbone supporting
Nigeria’s ICT and telecommunications
industry in the area of carrier-
neutral infrastructure sharing and
interconnectivity.
Today, Medallion colocation centres
are the most connected facilities in
Nigeria and across West Africa, offering
interconnect and clearinghouse
services to both the major Telcos
and small players in the industry at
affordable rates. No other facility
in the West Africa region today has
the same number and concentration
(Eco-System) of all the International
Fiber Operators in Nigeria (Mainone,
Glo1, SAT3, WACs, ACE, etc.); Long
Distance Operators in Nigeria (Phase3,
Multilinks-Telkom, MTN, Airtel,
Globacom, etc.); Metro Fiber Operators
(Broadbased, 21st Century, VDT, IPNX,
Suburban, etc.); Critical National
Content Operators (Nigerian Internet
Exchange, Google, Nigerian Internet
Registration Agency, VAS providers,
etc.); ISPs (Netcom Africa, Internet
Solution, Vodacom, Layer3, Skyvision,
etc.). Medallion is the number one go-to
facility for fast, efficient, and cost-
effective hosting service provisioning
that is tailored to the specific needs
of the region, while at the same time
meeting all required international
standards required of the class of
services it offers, such as hosting and
connectivity services when time to
market and affordability is essential.
Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani
President & CEO
29. 29
There is nothing more
important for a successful
small business than a well-
defined mission and vision
statements. Can you explain
your M&V statements in brief?
Medallion’s mission includes building
technologically advanced and secure
interconnect switching centers to
enable the exchange of telecom traffic
amongst the different operators in the
market. The traffic to be exchanged
would include voice, data (SMS/Fax),
and video.
Medallion was founded with the
vision of bridging the digital divide
between the developing and the
developed economies of the world.
The company has an operational base
in North America as well as across
several African countries.
How does your company
contribute to the competitive
global IT platform?
Medallion operates one of the most
advanced data centers in Nigeria.
Also called Nigeria’s Telehouse, the
company’s data center is the most
interconnected facility in the West
African sub-region.
Medallion interconnect centers
are designed as co-location centres
where operators not only come
to the facility for interconnection
but can also install their network
infrastructure at the facility at an
affordable cost since critical network
support items like power, cooling
and security would be shared by all
the parties at the center. This creates
a great advantage for operators to
interconnect and do businesses
with other operators without
going through the rigorous
process of building independent
interconnect links to each operator
from various operating centers.
Operators and service providers
(both big and small) rent space
from Medallion for their co-location or
hosting needs, and pay for power
and transmission infrastructure at
cost-effective rates.
Medallion hosts the Nigerian Internet
Exchange, the Nigerian dot ng
domain servers, all international
fibres, all long-distance service
providers in Nigeria, all GSM, CDMA,
Fixed Line, and Fixed Wireless service
providers, Value Added Service
Providers and Premium Rated Service
Providers.
Medallion
enables these
stakeholders in the Nigerian telecom
industry to seamlessly interconnect
with each other in a carrier-neutral
environment.
Do you have any new products
ready to be launched?
In line with the national license
obligation issued by NCC, Medallion is
embarking on a two-phased expansion
programme; with the intention to
expand its services to at least six
additional cities (Abuja, Port Harcourt,
Kano, Ibadan, Asaba, and Enugu) in
Nigeria by the 4th quarter of 2019.
We are also into selected countries in
West and East Africa. The expansion
of the datacenter and interconnect
service to other state capitals in
Nigeria and across the Africa region
will among other benefits, enable
operators to expand their services to
new cities; help existing operators
in these cities to localize their calls
thereby ensuring higher quality
of service at cheaper cost; help
operators reduce their operating cost
by saving on the transmission cost;
and ensuring prompt and efficient
settlement of interconnect charges
amongst operators.
Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani: An Entrepreneur Heart
Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani is the President and CEO of Medallion
Communications Limited. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from
the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1996) and a Master’s degree from Tennessee State
University, Nashville Tennessee, USA (2000).
Engr. Nnamani focuses on implementing the core network infrastructure that promotes,
develops, and distributes local contents and ensuring a high quality of service is delivered
to the subscribers at an affordable price. He has won several national and international
awards for his contribution to the growth of the telecoms and ICT industry in the global
information technology space. Most recently, he was named the 2017 E-Payment Man of the
Year by the Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN). Engr. Nnamani
was also named the 2018 ICT Entrepreneur of the Year at the Beacon of ICT Award.
With over 15 years of core telecom experience, Engr. Nnamani is very active in
promoting forward-looking industry policies for the growth of the telecom industry
across Africa working with both regulators as well as operators to achieve this goal. He
currently acts as an executive of the premier telecom body in Nigeria – the Association
of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) as well as the Nigerian Internet
Registration Agency (NIRA). He has also promoted the establishment of Interconnect
Clearinghouses in Africa, working recently with the Ghanaian Telecom Regulator (NCA) on
the creation of the Interconnect Clearinghouse license in Ghana.
“Medallion’s
mission includes
building technologically
advanced and secure
interconnect switching
centers to enable the
exchange of telecom
traffic amongst the
different operators in
the market. The traffic
to be exchanged would
include voice, data
(SMS/Fax), and
video.”
SR
30. 30
I
oT is transforming the way
businesses, governments,
and consumers interact with
the physical world. The ability
to electronically monitor and
manage objects and machines
makes it now possible to bring
data-driven decision making to
new realms of human activity. This
quantum leap in the optimization
and performance of systems and
processes saves time and resources
for both people and businesses
thereby improving quality of life.
In light of the foregoing, we’re
thrilled to present AXES.
AXES is a Cloud Information
Management Platform that
licenses actionable intelligence
and applications to Global Gaming
and Amusement Industry. In this
emerging cloud driven technology
world where artificial intelligence
will be the key competitive driver,
the amount, the heterogenous
nature and the quality data will set
competitors apart as the precision
of predictability will define value.
The platform also offers native
applications such cashless
management using RFiD, Smartcard
and barcode technologies. Advanced
features include blockchain
security as well as anti-money
laundering and responsible gaming
algorithms. Corporate and user
taxation management is also a key
feature of the core system. Other
applications available include
jackpot, loyalty, rewards to enhance
client performance and profitability.
The AXES.ai advantage is simple: It
can connect to any type, number of
machines, and location size.
With IoT devices streaming data
from more than 40 countries, AXES
makes sense of billions of pieces
of player, machine, time, and space
data to create value, increase
revenue and enhance player
engagement.
The company was incorporated in
2008 and is headquartered Quebec
City, Canada. It has additional office
locations in Manila; Philippines and
Warsaw; Poland.
Earle G. Hall, AXES.ai
CEO, spoke exclusively
to The Silicon Review.
Below is an excerpt.
Why was the company set
up? And how did you expand
your company and its
offerings over the years?
At inception, AXES was not at all
targeting the gaming industry! We
started as a smartcard provider for
hotels. Then we partnered with the
giant Bell, where we turned our
focus to prepaid smartcards. It was
only a little later that we entered
the global gaming market when
an important Canadian company
doing business in Mexico needed
a smart card solution that could
manage cashless operations on
a casino floor as well as monitor
responsible gaming and anti-money-
laundering laws implemented by
the government. We created a very
innovative technology to collect
and stream the data to a cloud that
we later called the Blackbox which
became our competitive edge now
being able to stream data from
every type of slot machine. We
had to build a cloud information
management system to manage
machine transactions and all types
of gaming operations. The result:
the AXES was born. Since then we
have dedicated our time and effort
to building tools and innovation
to become the cloud leader of
information management in our
industry. Our journey has not been
easy, as being a pioneer never is, but
with the government partnerships
“We provide cloud information and
transaction management services
to the global gaming industry.”
An Interview with
Earle G. Hall, AXES.ai
CEO: ‘We Empower
Governments and
Gaming Establishments,
Whilst Protecting Data
Integrity and Making
Sense of It’
31. 31
we have now; we are look back with
a smile and confidence look towards
the future.
What kind of responses
have you received from your
consumers over the years?
Have they motivated you to
shape your offerings/grow
the company?
Yes, client requests often shape
the products we offer. Let’s take an
example from one of our clients. A
Poland government agency seeks
to establish a safer, responsible
environment for the players. We
have to evolve with them and
deliver a highly customizable
responsible gaming module that
offers real-time player protection
country-wide. The polish players,
once registered, can now enjoy
configurable spending limits and
even adjust the time and schedule
they are allowed to spend on slot
machines, simply by modifying
the player profile preferences.
Essentially, we have implemented
government guidelines to protect
the players against themselves.
We had to build rules to regulate
changes allowed by the players
while incorporating everything into
a transparent blockchain. Moreover,
we needed to answer the questions:
who is allowed to change the rules,
and how, when and within what
parameters? It’s been a lot of effort
to ensure the solution was world-
class and at the same time a great
privilege to work with this client
to deliver the powerful responsible
gaming module we developed.
How do you maintain your
customers’ trust and loyalty?
We help them in daily operations,
around the clock. We have an
incredible support team understand
that we must be present in real-
time, all the time. We have data
transaction specialists that stay in
touch with operators. From time
to time, clients have interrogations
on transactions and we answer
promptly. In other situations, we
reach out to them to shed light onto
suspicious activities and possible
fraud from employees and patrons.
This way we protect gaming
operations and help maintain a
secure environment for institutions
and operators.
A small company/business
is defined by its core values.
What are your company’s
core values and how did they
help you to succeed?
Our core values are simple: serve
our customers to the very best of
our ability, listen to their needs
and be there for them 24/7. Our
job is to protect our customers
from fraud and theft and we do so
by constant innovation as well as
offering event alerts that can be
programmed as per the customer’s
requirements. We empower
governments and corporations with
information whilst protecting data
integrity and making sense of it.
Our system and applications rely
on three fundamental technologies:
IoT, Blockchain and AI. With
many thousands of connected slot
machines, terminals and devices,
we aggregate a tremendous
amount of raw data. All these
connected entities constitute
our IoT environment, where we
capture, store and decipher all
transactions. Our technology also
relies on blockchain as we believe it
is the only way to guarantee non-
contamination and prevent any
potential manipulation of the raw
data we accumulate; data is set in
stone on our private blockchain.
We see it as an evolution of the
traditional databases, used by most
of the companies in the industry.
Finally, with Artificial Intelligence,
we can empower big data to
predictability. We believe AI will
contribute to data-driven decisions
and highlight elements that human
interactivity could not do without
tremendous effort. With this triad,
we seek to spearhead innovation
and transform our industry and
lead it to the next generation of
technologies.
“With thousands of connected
slot machines, terminals
and devices, we aggregate a
tremendous amount of raw
data. All these connected
entities constitute our IoT
environment, where we
capture, store and decipher all
transactions.”
32. 32
How does your company contribute to the gaming
industry at large?
As the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the International
Gaming Standards Association (GSA), and being the GSA Blockchain
Chair, I have the privilege and the forum to voice the AXES vision
to ensure it is heard by the industry. AXES brought blockchain
technology awareness to the land-based casino industry. We were
the first to stress how critical data protection and transparency are
through the power of blockchain, and that they should always form
part of any discussion.
Do you have any new products ready to be launched?
We’re about to launch a Global Transaction App (GTA). This
web-based application features many useful tools for cashiers in
gaming establishments, such as redeeming tickets from the phone
camera, creating customized promotions, tracking all cashier
activities and transactions, and reporting in real-time to
operators. This is the core technology required to create
a seamless cashless environment from the player to the
establishment. Once GTA is in production we will start
the player’s app called Butler. Butler will manage the
same types of transactions and much more but from
the player’s needs.
Where do you see your company a couple of
years from now?
We are well on our way to becoming the leader in our
field of information management, fintech and machine
management. Our AXES for GOVERNMENT technology
solution is operational usage in Poland and we will
grow rapidly in this segment. So in a few years we see
ourselves as an information and technology leader in
our industry. Our goal is to protect and predict using
IoT, Blockchain and AI.
Earle G. Hall: CEO at AXES, GSA Blockchain Chair, 2X TEDx Speaker & Veteran
Born and raised in Placentia, NL Canada, Earle G. Hall is an internationally recognized entrepreneur,
visionary and innovator in several fields of technology. Earle is a graduate of the Royal Military College
and a Veteran Officer. He holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and is pursuing a doctorate in
Organizational Psychology.
Earle is the CEO of AXES.ai; a blockchain based IoT Fintech, present in more than 45 countries. He is the
Gaming Standards Association Blockchain Chair and advocates for Responsible Gaming. Earle’s focus is on big
data, information correlation, predictability, and behaviour triggers.
Earle’s research centers around neuroscience, human behaviour, purpose and personal growth. He is an
acclaimed keynote speaker in technology and psychology and has addressed audiences all over the world at
events, such as TEDx and Wanderlust.
Earle is a proud dad of an incredible son and believes children are born to follow their dreams and aspirations.
Earle G. Hall, CEOSR
33.
34. 34
An Interview with Mark Stephens, Smart Recruit Online Ltd
Founder and CEO: ‘Our Unique Approach to Building
Recruitment Tech Gives Us an Edge Over Most Other
Competitors’
“Our unique approach and culture differentiate us from all other online recruitment services, but we never lose
sight of our commercial objectives.”
T
echnological advances
have streamlined almost
all business operations,
including recruiting. Online
recruiting encompasses online
sources used for the recruitment
and selection of candidates. These
sources can include Internet job
boards, applicant tracking systems,
resume databases, online testing
and assessments. Some recruitment
software providers combine all of
these technologies for a simple,
streamlined recruitment process.
One such resource might work for
your company’s entire recruiting
process, or you might combine
several online options.
In light of the foregoing, we’re
thrilled to present Smart Recruit
Online (SRO) Ltd – an industry
leading online recruitment
platform and software dedicated
to transforming your recruitment
strategy.
Smart Recruit Online supports over
25,000 UK recruiters with a unique
blend of best-in-class recruitment
technology, tools and processes
to aid the delivery of a more
efficient and effective direct
hire recruitment process.
SRO is also one of the largest
media buyers in the UK, providing
recruiters with a massive network
of relevant advertising channels
for a low-cost fee and assisting
with copywriting and keyword
optimising techniques – that
maximise response rates from
every job advert posted.
The company was incorporated
in 2011 and is headquartered in
Milton Keynes, London.
Mark Stephens,
Smart Recruit Online
Ltd Founder/CEO,
spoke exclusively to
The Silicon Review.
Below is an excerpt.
Why was the company set
up?
The vision was always to make
recruitment easier; more effective
and efficient for everyone. The
recruitment environment is evolving
all the time, with new technology
and changes in motivations and
human behavioral trends and we
are agile enough to move quickly
and adapt to these ahead of the
competition.
A small business/company
may or may not function as
expected. It takes everything
to stand out and compete in
the business world, was it
same for your company?
The challenge was to resist the
temptation to move from 90 percent
innovation and 10 percent Sales
too soon. Stakeholders want to see
business growth, but getting the
technology and processes right, so
that they were outperforming the
competition in the first instance will
ensure that we can now grow much
more rapidly.
What kind of responses
have you received from your
consumers over the years?
How have they motivated
you to shape your offerings/
grow the company?
Interestingly, most conversations
with prospective clients begin
with their pain points, so that we
can advise and demonstrate how
we can help overcome them.
Our mission is to become the go-to online recruitment service of choice and
to maintain our position as the benchmark that all other online recruitment
services measure themselves by.
””
““
35. 35
The subsequent endorsements,
testimonials and successful outcomes
that we achieve are both an emotional
reward and confirmation that we are
on the right track for both parties.
How do you stay relevant to
the consumer interests and
needs in this highly volatile
market?
Our unique approach to building
recruitment tech and the way that we
help clients to adapt their solutions
to include insights generated from
the behavioural science, gives us a
significant edge over our competitors.
We don’t just offer an out of the box
solution, we provide customizable
user interfaces, that deliver the
unique blend of tools and features
that the user wishes to utilize
and then we help them to apply
recruitment processes that optimize
their results. At any point in time,
new features and processes can be
added and redundant ones can be
replaced or shut down. This allows
each client to adapt the system to
their ever-evolving needs.
How do you maintain
your customers’ trust and
loyalty?
Customer Services should not be
confused with Customer Satisfaction.
We work in close partnership with
all our clients, especially while they
have live vacancies. Together we work
towards meeting their objectives.
Even if we are not successful, the
customer can still be satisfied with
our efforts.
Moreover, the numbers don’t lie.
They are the evidence of what
works and what doesn’t, but human
engagement with both recruiters
and candidates will always throw
up additional insights that are more
emotional than statistical.
What are your company’s
core values?
Honesty, transparency, respect, hard
work, dedication, and an obsession to
be the best at what we do, are at the
core of our business and culture.
We do not follow anyone. Our
drivers are the objectives outlined
by our customers and the market
within which we operate. We build
and deliver solutions that are
often inspired by existing tools
and services, but we always try to
consider how we can improve upon
them.
Do you have any new products
ready to be launched?
We continually have one or two
major features that we are working
on, in addition to improving existing
ones. Currently, we are looking at
features that contribute towards
improved candidate selection, based
on team fit, better ways for third-
party recruiters to present applicants
to their customers via SRO. We are
also working on a candidate portal
that will allow multi-posting of a CV
to hundreds of job boards and will
deliver relevant jobs on a daily basis
from more than three million careers
pages.
Where do you see your
company a couple of years
from now?
I think in two years from now, the
biggest commercial change will be
that we are likely to be more of a
strategic partner and reseller of our
services that I hope will be used
around the world.
Mark Stephens |
A Formidable Leader
Mark Stephens, Founder,
is the Chief Executive
Officer of Smart Recruit Online
Ltd. He has been dedicated to
making improvements to the
recruitment sector for nearly 20
years. Even before the launch of
Smart Recruit Online, Mark has
been researching and analyzing
data, reviewing new technology
and investigating the human
behavioral science behind
candidate behaviors and online
recruitment activities. Since
2011, he has been dedicated to
developing SRO into the market
leading online recruitment
service, based on key metrics
that determine the success of a
recruitment campaign.
Mark Stephens, CEO
SR
36. 36
A dynamic and pragmatic consultancy,
with an Agile ethos that delivers quality to
its clients: Clarasys
O
ur agile approach to project
delivery means that we focus
on adding value at the earliest
opportunity while ensuring that
your team is left with a legacy that
can sustain long-term business
improvement.
Founded in 2010, Clarasys is
an independent management
consultancy, with offices in central
London and Boston, USA. The firm
provides services for a range of
clients, from small not-for-profit
organizations to multinational
corporations.
Clarasys’ team support its clients
to achieve their goals, making use
of its expertise in business change,
technology and agile delivery
techniques to deliver sustainable
business improvements. The
move into the US demonstrates
the company’s commitment to
expansion. Its ambition is to build a
sustainable business that can serve
clients globally, and establishing a
presence in Boston allows it to offer
a full range of Clarasys’ services in
the US market.
The firm is truly proud to be placed
3rd in the Sunday Times Top 100
Best Small Companies To Work For
in 2019, its second top 20 placement
by the Sunday Times in the last
two years. Clarasys has also been
awarded the maximum of 3 stars for
an extraordinary level of Workplace
Engagement.
Pro bono: Pro-bono
consulting done right.
Delivering sustainable
success, fast.
Graduate Pro Bono Projects
“Clarasys have revolutionized our
processes. We never realized what
was possible and how many hours
we could save on our current ways
of doing things until the team from
Clarasys joined us.”
- Social Mobility Foundation
Clarasys has been involved with
multiple charities and not-for-profit
organizations from a pro bono
perspective since its inception
in 2011. This experience has
allowed us to appreciate the unique
constraints and challenges that not-
for-profits face when compared with
at FTSE 100 company. However, its
commitment to delivering value
remains constant.
The firm’s pro bono offering is
intended to help charities and not-
for-profit organizations where they
need it most. Each project is unique
and tailored towards the unique
goals the organization wishes to
get from it. “Thanks to this insight,
we are able to tailor our solutions to
deliver value and resolve the issues of
highest impact to the organization,
as quickly as possible,” Says Clarasys
Why does Clarasys work
with charities?
“Our pro bono work is something we
are very proud of as a company. To
work closely with charities and to
see instant results for a host of great
causes is very rewarding for all.”
- Ben Lover - Pro Bono Account
Manager
As part of its graduate development
program, Clarasys offers charities a
6-week pro bono project staffed by
its fully trained graduate consultants
and assisted throughout by a more
experienced consultant and its
pro bono engagement lead. This is
often supported by the company’s
relationship with the Salesforce
Foundation.
“Clarasys have revolutionized our
processes. We never realized what
was possible and how many hours
we could save on our current ways
of doing things until the team from
Clarasys joined us.
“No task was too large for them to
simplify and, for a small charity
like ours, there’s no way we would
have been able to benefit from such
“We work collaboratively with our clients to solve every aspect of their lead
to cash challenges, from pipeline management to compliance and customer
support.”
37. 37
expertise if they didn’t have such a
strong commitment to undertaking
pro bono work. Every member of our
team enjoyed working with every
member of theirs, and we’ll always be
grateful for what they’ve helped us
achieve.”
- David Johnston - Chief Executive of
Social Mobility Foundation
Customer Success Manager
“As part of its ongoing commitment
to lasting success, we want to
make sure that charities and not-
for-profits are not left in the dark
once their engagement with us has
finished. Once we have provided
the tools for success during a pro
bono engagement, we offer a post-
engagement ½ to full day support
from a Clarasys consultant per
month. As before, this time can
be used and tailored to support
the organization’s needs and
requirements,” says Clarasys.
Salesforce Foundation
Salesforce is an enterprise cloud
computing company, with more than
100,000 customers and a leading
role towards socially-connected
business, helping organizations to
put their customers at the heart of
what they do.
Some of the company’s pro bono
projects are sourced via the
Salesforce foundation, where
charities can receive up to 10 free
Salesforce user licenses. Any other
licenses above this will also be
heavily discounted. As a Salesforce
partner and a specialist in Salesforce
technologies, Clarasys can help you
to get the most out of your software.
CEO Corner
Matt Cheung, CEO: Matt has more than 20 years’ experience of
delivering difficult business change programs and projects. He worked for
PwC Consulting, before moving to the Berkeley Partnership, and worked as
an independent consultant before starting Clarasys, with Claudia and Chris.
“I think I’ve seen a 50:50 success rate in project delivery; fortunately most
of the successful ones were when I was in charge. I’ve learned more from the
failures though; the importance of a strong business case; of analysts who can
understand the business and ask the right questions; of not basing delivery on
guesswork. It’s important to always understand priority - and accept that the
likelihood of failure is higher than that of success in most cases; that way you’ll
manage to deliver the right bits.”
Matt Cheung, CEO
SR
38. The Most Trusted Digital
Marketing Agency
Venta Marketing
O
ver the past decade, the
market has changed
drastically and beyond
recognition. The modern
day demands businesses to
identify, visualize and achieve
their goals through conversion
focused digital marketing
campaigns and technology
solutions. Venta Marketing can
help in doing just that. From
its start in 2011, it has always
been its goal to provide the
best digital marketing services
and to be the most trusted
digital agency. Venta’s growing
team still lives by this mantra
every day.
Venta Marketing provides
website design and
development, internet
marketing, and creative
marketing strategies. As
a results-driven company
dedicated to building custom
strategies, Venta Marketing fits
the unique needs of each and
every client. Venta believes
that its process is what sets
us apart from the competition
because it is focused on your
ROI. The company couples
expertise with high-quality
execution and always takes
steps to add more value to your
online presence.
Service & Capabilities
In this digital-first world, Venta
exists to take a perceptive,
goal-centered approach to
your online marketing strategy.
Every service that it provides
helps its clients communicate
with their customers, grow
their business, and achieve
their business goals. It
genuinely cares about the
clients, their employees, and
the success of their business
and that is what separates it
from other agencies. “When
you hire Venta as your agency,
we become much more than
your external marketing
resource. We become your
strategic digital-partner and
an invested team-player in your
business”, the company said.
Digital Marketing
Solutions to Grow
Your Business
Venta Marketing is the expert
you can trust to get the job
done right. From the moment
a user opens a search engine
until the moment they decide
to work with you or purchase
your product, you need to
reach the right audience with
the right message at every
stage in the process. Venta’s
“When
you
work
with Venta,
our team is
invested in the
success of your
business and it is
our mission to provide
excellent customer
service because we
truly care about
helping your
business
thrive
online.”
Max Prokell, Founder & CEO
39. team of data-driven professionals and
creative problem solvers work with you
to achieve and exceed your expectations
and goals.
It helps each client succeed with a
customized combination of digital
marketing services. It carefully
examines each client and determines
the services most appropriate for
them to achieve their goals. “Once we
have a plan, it’s all in the hands of our
skilled digital marketing professionals to
execute; and with a team like ours, the
end result is something that exceeds our
client’s expectations”, says Max Prokell,
Founder and CEO.
• Websites - Websites are
where leads are born and its
knowledgeable web developers are
here to optimize your website for
a better user experience. Together,
it can create a responsive, secure,
and search-optimized website that
educates site visitors and generates
more leads for your business
• Marketing - Its digital marketing
services are designed to drive more
users to your website, nurture your
leads into paying customers. Its
digital marketing strategists are
dedicated to hitting your sales goals
and decreasing your cost per lead.
It will integrate the right channels
into your marketing strategy and
ensure that everything is aligned
with your business goals
• Multimedia - No other medium can
communicate with your audience
quite like a video. With your
business goals as our priority, it will
engage your audience with unique
and interactive videos
• Design - When you hire Venta’s
design team you will receive results
that are truly creative, not curated
Projects
Missouri Heart Center
Venta has worked with many medical
practices both private and affiliated. It
understands the unique challenges of
marketing to patients and has proven
solutions ready to implement. Some
challenges for the Missouri Heart Center
website project included creating a
seamless connection to patient portals
for easy navigation. They offer many
services, providers, and locations
making accessible information to clients
a necessity. It was important to provide
an updated platform to effectively
reflect their brand.
Venta Marketing produced videos and
images, wrote content, and provided
a purposeful design to the MO Heart
Center website, resulting in uniformity,
both in the presentation and in user
experiences. All the websites Venta
builds are optimized to display just as
beautiful and easy to use on mobile
screens as they do on desktop computer
screens.
The Callaway Bank
Designing and developing a clean,
professional, and easy to navigate
website is paramount in this industry.
The Venta team worked relentlessly
to ensure every type of user could use
and enjoy The Callaway Bank website
purposefully. Developing websites
for financial institutions requires
in-depth knowledge of how those
institutions operate both internally
and for the public.
Some unique challenges faced for The
Callaway Bank website include creating
an easy online banking experience
for users. Increasing cross selling
products and services while providing
a secure and trustable platform. They
aimed to gain and retain customers
by increasing online visibility.
Banking customers expect to manage
their accounts online, and often on the
go. The Callaway Bank website feels
and operates the same on any size
screen, allowing customers to switch
between devices and still understand
how to navigate and seek information
or services.
The Founder’s Desk
Max Prokell, Founder
and CEO
Max is the Founder and CEO of
Venta Marketing. He founded
Venta on core values that have
shown over many successful
campaigns to be the keys to
the success of a strong digital
marketing agency.
Max has a strong history
of working in the digital
marketing and advertising
industry as well as managing
marketing campaigns that
encompass Search Engine
Optimization (SEO), Pay Per
Click (PPC), Website Design
& Development, and Video
Production. He graduated
with a Bachelor’s of Business
Administration focused
in Management from the
University of Richmond where
he then started to form the
company that would come to
be the Venta Marketing we
know today.
Max’s most important role at
Venta is to ensure the team
is aligned with our mission,
vision, and values. Our vision
is to be the most trusted
digital marketing agency,
which is a tall task. He loves
the challenge of working with
the team to ensure Venta is
always growing and improving
as a place to work. He wants to
make sure we are continuing
to provide excellent service
and quality work for every
client.
SR
40. 40
C
limate change caused by global
warming is perhaps the most
dangerous threat facing the
planet. As temperatures all over
the world continue to rise, there is
a marked increase in the frequency
of cyclones, hurricanes, tornadoes,
rain bombs as well as excessive
daytime temperatures. Investing in
renewable sources of energy is an
urgent need that private companies,
as well as governments, need to
seriously consider. However, it is not
without risks, financially speaking.
Kaiserwetter Energy Asset
Management was founded to
address and mitigate the risks
involved in making investments in
renewable energy. The company
does this by using advanced analysis
of technical and financial data of its
clients and investors.
In conversation with
the founder and CEO
of Kaiserwetter Energy,
Hanno Schoklitsch
Please tell us about your
company’s operations
Kaiserwetter is the leading
international “Data as a Service”
(DaaS) company with a focus on
renewable energy sources. With
our services and digital innovations
based on Smart Data Analytics,
Predictive Analytics, and Machine
Learning, we are able to support our
clients, which include as investors,
banks, supranational organizations
and energy companies, regionally,
nationally and internationally,
thereby accelerating investments in
renewable energy all over the globe.
Our constant driver is innovation
and the knowledge that technology
is a key factor for the world of
tomorrow.
Please tell us about the
product that shaped
your company
Our company developed
ɅRISTOTELES, an innovative
cloud-based IoT platform which
leverages intelligent data analysis.
Based on Smart Data Analytics,
Predictive Analytics, and Machine
Learning, we can significantly
increase the performance of
renewable energy assets and entire
investment portfolios. Designed
as an executive-level dashboard,
ɅRISTOTELES aggregates and
correlates technical, meteorological,
and financial data from wind farms,
solar parks, biomass, and even
hydropower stations. It’s built on
SAP Cloud Platform, and uses IoT,
Analytics, and Machine Learning
capabilities from SAP Leonardo IoT,
epitomizing how both companies
envision working together to
address energy issues. This
innovative IoT Platform minimizes
investment risk, maximizes returns,
and creates high transparency
standards.
On a financial level, the platform
also analyzes the operational
expenditure of power plants and
derives conclusions that contribute
to efficient decision making. What’s
more, through their Data Analytics
Hubs in Hamburg, Madrid and New
York, the support team takes care
to secure the data stream. Since
the company makes use of cloud-
based IoT technology, the solution
gives not only performance data
but also financial and economic
data. This allows the customer
to identify underperforming
assets. ɅRISTOTELES delivers
the transparency investors and
financing banks need to make
confident decisions in renewable
energies by recognizing the shift
towards energy prices based on
market principles. Furthermore,
the platform gives real-time online
access to technical and financial
performance during the entire
life cycle of a renewable energy
asset. This includes Weather
Forecast, Production Yield, Power
Curve Analytics, Revenues, Cash
“Our innovation leverages data analysis for a
clean future.”
Investing for a better tomorrow:
Kaiserwetter Energy Asset
Management
