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Print Edition StoriesTuesday, July 6, 2010
The Pitch
Float Left Labs gives students hands-on media experience
By Lynette F. Cornell
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Float Left Labs
Headquarters: Manchester, NH
URL: www.floatleftlabs.org
Email: director@floatleftlabs.org
Phone: 603-722-0478
Employees: 5
Year founded: 2009
The people behind the company: Kelley Muir is the president and CEO, as well as founder, of Float Left Labs. She does part-time website development work for a small collaborative company called Sunder Media in Manchester, N.H. She has also worked as a project manager for Manchester, N.H.-based Amplify Studios and Portsmouth, N.H.-based Hatchling Studios. Serving as chairman of the board is David Seah, who runs his own web design and consulting company.
In the company's own words: “Float Left Labs is a student-staffed media house, which only works with nonprofit organizations and is able to complete projects at a fraction of the cost of most interactive agencies. We focus on digital and print design, web development and web video. The students are partnered with mentors, local industry professionals, who help guide the projects and provide feedback and instruction.”
How it works: Students earn money to help pay for their education while gaining experience, connections to professionals and a professional portfolio. The company also sets aside funds to complete its own community projects, such as building open-source digital whiteboards for local schools, and has opened half of its office as coworking space.
Background: Muir, who is an alumna of the University of Maine at Orono, entered her business plan for the student-staffed media services company into the New Hampshire Business Start-Up Challenge in 2009. After being selected as one of two final winners, she invested the $25,000 in award funds into equipment, personnel and workspace.
Status: The company currently employs five media students and partners them with mentors as they work on projects ranging from website development to graphic design. The company is also accepting applications for a second round of students to join their fellowship program for Summer 2010.
The students have completed the setup and design of the New Hampshire Start-up Challenge’s website. They are in the process of rebranding the Nashua Senior Center’s website, building a website for Families in Transition and developing a web application for New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility.
The market opportunity: “We are a non-profit, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be profitable – it just means we have to be more selective as to what we do with those profits. Mainly our goal is to take our profits, pay students for their work and reinvest the rest back into community projects.” (Muir)
The Pitch: The company is seeking $80,000 in the form of scholarships, which Muir said would sustain a team of 10 students for approximately two years. Although the company’s operational expenses are less than $40,000 a year, said Muir, the funding would allow them to focus on developing open-source educational software, including an advanced open-source digital whiteboard system. By fall 2010, they plan to beta test the digital whiteboard system in 10 classrooms, increase the staff by two students, expand the mentor network and serve 20 clients.
"The Pitch" takes a look at a company, its executives and its technology-related business plan. To nominate your company for The Pitch section of Mass High Tech, please fill out the submission form.
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