MK Business of the Month: DeveloperTown
DeveloperTown • Venture development firm
5255 Winthrop Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
855-338-8696 phone
Nick Wangler shares how ideas come to life at DeveloperTown
15 seconds… that’s roughly the length of time it takes to walk past the large reclaimed warehouse sitting on the Monon Trail between 52nd and 54th street.
If you were feeling adventurous and walked into that reclaimed warehouse, you’d be greeted by more than 40 office-sized houses, all on wheels, which are occupied by team members of a company called DeveloperTown.
At DeveloperTown, we specialize at the start of web and mobile products. Our team helps entrepreneurs and enterprise companies create new products through design, development, and marketing services. Our clients walk in with an idea and, anywhere from 3 to 12 months later, have a web or mobile app in the market.
Clients walk in from all sorts of geographic regions and backgrounds. Because we ask our clients to kick off projects at our office here in Meridian~Kessler, we’ve been fortunate to see Australians, Californians, Chicagoans, Texans, and yes, even Carmel-ites, experience the beauty of MK. Situated on Winthrop between 52nd and 54th street, we have the privilege of walking our clients to various local restaurants (Bent Rail is a current favorite), or along the Monon as we discuss the challenges and opportunities they face in their new venture.
From companies like Becks Seeds and Delta Faucet, to entrepreneurs like Jason Seiden and Lisa Cervenka of Brand Amper (Chicago), we’ve had the privilege of helping some amazing people start incredible new endeavors. We’ve also had the opportunity to sponsor community efforts like Nice Grants, founded by our friends at SmallBox. Nice Grants is a yearly no-strings-attached funding initiative for great ideas that benefit Indianapolis communities and residents. It’s through Nice Grants that projects like the repurposing of the murals on the Infinite Storage Building wall have been funded.
Being at the start of new web and mobile products is thrilling, but most importantly, provides the opportunity to bring new value into the market that didn’t otherwise exist. One very tangible example of this is a startup we’re serving that’s creating what will be the first FDA approved smoking cessation app.
Founded by Adam and Kigho Knotts from Mobilify Technology, the app (called “Voyage”) uses a unique and personalized “step down” program personalized to each smoker, and follows the FDA’s 20 clinical guidelines required of smoking cessation programs. Users can tap a “I’m craving” button and a text message is sent to pre-determined family members and friends so they can respond with encouragement. The user is also shown a picture of their spouse, child, or another family member as inspiration to avoid the craving.
Working with passionate people like Adam and Kigho to create a product that’s going to change the lives of the people who use it is a humbling opportunity for us. It’s just a small taste of the work that’s going on in that reclaimed warehouse on the Monon Trail.
The next time you walk past us, think about the creation and exchange of ideas that’s taking place inside. Come on in, take a look around, and get a burst of inspiration for the rest of your day.
Nick Wrangler is the Director of Marketing Services at DeveloperTown. He can be contacted at nick at developer town dot com.
