Ptch: A Great New Way to Share a Life Story

Ptch created a whole new way of sharing a life story. It has an application that can transform photos and video clips into beautiful movies that are worth sharing.

Creating a ptch (pronounced “pitch”) begins with the photos and videos stored in mobile devices or in social networking sites like Instagram and Facebook. Adding a personal touch to the ptch like incorporating music, captions, and other effects is easy. Using Ptch is like sitting in a virtual director’s chair.

All movies created using Ptch may be posted on the Ptch community. They can also be uploaded into social networking sites and shared through email. Ptch gives its users full control on how to share their ptches to friends and family.

Ptch users have access to a cache of the most popular ptches. The more interesting “directors” may be followed through likes or comments. Exploring ptches on the Ptch community makes for a great way to make new friends.

Kabbage: Making Capitalization Within Reach for Small Businesses

Kabbage Inc. is an American financing corporation that offers financing packages online. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Kabbage works with some of the largest ecommerce sites in the world including Amazon, eBay, Yahoo! Store, Shopify, and Etsy in order to extend capitalization to small businesses. At present, Kabbage is serving about 30,000 clients, 80% of which are repeat customers.

Kabbage offers advances ranging from $500 to $50,000, depending on certain data factors. Before extending financing services, Kabbage considers seller’s rating, volume of transaction, time in business, credit rating, and activity on social media. Most of its clients use their advances from the company in purchasing inventory, marketing and upgrading of systems. It has created its own scoring system through the Social Klimbing. Social Klimbing scores Kabbage’s customers like social media credit scoring.

In its last round of fund raising activities, Kabbage was able to gather financial backing of $56 million. Venture funds were poured in by BlueRun Ventures and Mohr Davidow Ventures while debt funds were provided by Western Technology Investment. Other investors included David Bonderman, Warren Stephens, Jim McKelvey, TriplePoint Ventures, and UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund.

The leading courier UPS is helping Kabbage in its shipping requirements through an agreement that both companies forged in February 2012. The partnership allowed Kabbage to obtain a bird’s-eye-view of the volume of its customers’ businesses. For Kabbage, the more capital its customers avail, the lower the rates would be.

Kabbage became the Red Herring 100 North American Winner in May 2012. This award recognizes the leading private companies in America. The award is given to companies with long term and sustainable innovations and has the potential to grow big in the future. But Kabbage’s most prestigious recognition was its inclusion in Fast Company’s Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in the field of finances in February 2013, along with Square and PayPal.

Ben E Keith: A Food and Beverage Company

Ben E. Keith started out as Harkrider-Morrison Company in 1906. Its current name was derived from the first salesman and junior partner of the business Ben E. Keith. It was in the year 1911 that the company adopted its name after one of its partners withdrew from the company. The decision was made to reflect Ben’s biggest contribution in the success of the business.

Through the hard work of Ben and his dedication to the business, the company grew to become the fourth largest beverage distributor in the United States and the ninth largest broad line foodservice distributor in the country. The enterprise’s food division services eleven states. They offer frozen foods, meats, dry groceries, produce and even paper goods.

There is currently a total of 3500 people employed by the company. It was in 1906 that the business started selling Anheuser-Busch Inbev products and it even came to a point that Ben E. Keith became the world’s largest independent distributor of their products.

Tribune Company: The Second Largest in Newspaper Publishing in US

Tribune Company is a multimedia company whose shares are majorly owned by their employees. 48% of the company’s stocks belong to their corporate employees while there are three other senior debt holders who jointly control the rest of the shares. JP Morgan Chase and Angelo, Gordon & Co. both have 9% stakes in the business while Oak-tree Capital Management holds another 23%.

Next to Gannett Company, the business is second largest in the newspaper publishing business. Tribune Company has a total of ten daily newspapers and several tabloids. The Chicago Tribune, Sun-Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun are just a few of the names of the company’s commuter tabloids.

Tribune has been in the business for more than 150 years since its founding in 1847. The company was named after the Chicago Tribune which also published its first edition on the 10^th of June on the same year. In 1925, the company established its new headquarters in Chicago. The Tribune Tower was at that time, among the first skyscrapers in the area. As a giant in the business of journalism, the company has been keen on catching up with the news may it be across town or around the world.

Through various acquisitions and mergers, the business has come into shape. In the 1960s, the company was able to buy the Sun-Sentinel which allowed the business to penetrate the Florida area. The Daily Press of Virginia also joined the group in 1986.

               

The purchase it made in 1924 of WDAP, one of the first radio stations in Chicago, allowed the business to enter the world of broadcasting.  This started the business’ expansion in the television industry. In the year 1948, the business established its network in Chicago and in New York. This broadened the business’ multimedia portfolio from newsprint to radio broadcasts to the television shows.

Rio Salado College: Reaching More Students and Professionals through Online and Distance Learning Programs

Rio Salado College is an Arizona-based community college. Its certificate and associate degree programs that go in in-person, online and hybrid programs are sanctioned by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Founded in 1978, Rio Salado College was one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges. The college started to offer its programs in remote classrooms located in over 180 facilities. Its first online class was conducted in 1996. By the end of 2006, Rio Salado College has been offering most of its programs online. The college was recognized as the leading innovator in online and distance learning systems in higher education.

In 1996, Rio Salado College moved its administrative headquarters from Phoenix to Tempe. At Tempe, the college operates two buildings in Rio namely, the Conference Center and the Tower; and one building in Hohokam, the administrative building.

Within Maricopa County, Rio Salado College maintains 15 affiliate physical locations, which include two Communiversities and eleven RSC locations. These different locations operate according to set times in the localities.

MakerBot: Access to 3D Printers

MakerBot Industries is an American company that produces 3D printers. Based in Brooklyn, New York, MakerBot was founded by Adam Mayer, Bre Pettis and Zach Smith in 2009. Smith was one of the co-founders of RepRap Research Foundation, which helped advance the early stage of research in open source 3D printers.

MakerBot started with its shipment of kits in 2009. That year, the demands for the kits were so great that MakerBot started to ask help from kit owners to provide the company with the parts that will make future MakerBots. By the end of 2011, MakerBot has sold more than 3,500 units.

For its startup years, MakerBot was able to raise funds of $50,000 from Jake Lodwick and$25,000 from couple Adrian and Christine Bowyer. In August 2011, The Foundry Group placed $10 million in MakerBot and subsequently took a seat in the board.

In June 2013, the majority shares of MakerBot were acquired by Stratasys Inc. for $403 million. The price was based on Stratasys’ current share value. MakerBot became a subsidiary of Stratasys and continues to operate as a distinct brand despite the purchase.

MakerBot produces products that are easy to build. Anyone with basic technical knowledge could assemble MakerBot kits. The kits are packed as a DIY and the printers require just minor soldering. One review said, building MakerBot kits is as complicated as assembling IKEA furniture.

At present, MakerBot’s printers are using high density polyethylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyvinyl alcohol, and polylactic acid. Using MakerBot printers is relatively cheaper when compared with other 3D printers. MakerBot has set up the best support staff that responds to technical problems. Its hobbyist community also provides the needed peer support for users.

However, like any product sold in the market, MakerBot printers have their downsides too, such as its small build envelope. Its support materials are the same with its build materials.

MakerBot is implementing a continuing product innovation. In fact, while its printers are sold in the market, MakerBot is simultaneously doing upgrades. The upgrades did not even have to get out of the factory as product enhancements. Upgrades usually end up as improvements or redesigns of prior models.