Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Pitch

PoKos eyes funding and partners for mobile chat tool

By Lynette F. Cornell

PoKos Communications Corp.
Portsmouth, N.H.
Phone: 603-491-9792
Email: timo@pokos.biz
URL: www.pokos.biz
Founded: 2009
Employees: 3

In the company’s own words:
“PoKos will lead mobile social media with the first product to blend with people’s real-life activities, respect their privacy, enhance shared experiences and expand their messaging horizons. Our smartphone app meets these goals and serves market demand by providing consumers free breakthrough instant messaging/text features and providing businesses with customized brand marketing to targeted audiences and continuous dialog with consumers, in both groups and private chats. PoKos’ innovative mobile messaging products will drive widespread acceptance and use of mobile social media.”

About the technology:
PoKos has developed four location-based social media mobile products, Point-and-Chat and Zoom Chat for consumers and Brand Messenger and Event Messaging for businesses. The Point-and-Chat app enables users to point their phone at any other user in sight and send them a message, without using contact information, social account check-ins or social networks. As a result, users are able to communicate with other people using the application while still remaining anonymous if they choose. Users can also choose where and when they receive messages and who is allowed to message them. Using the Brand Messenger or the Event Messaging mobile messaging tools, businesses can send a message to interested consumers throughout the day and at a variety of events including conferences, sporting events, concerts, nightclubs or bars. PoKos sells recurring licenses for its messaging product and related reporting service to agencies, brands and other companies.

People behind the company:
Timo Platt, co-founder and CEO, has previous startup experience as the chief marketing officer of trading platform company MarketIce, founder and CEO of network security firm Beadwindow!, and founder and COO of information security firm Znq3. All three companies have been sold in private sales. Stephan Krueger, co-founder, oversees company operations and has previously worked in high-end communications infrastructure product development and management. Kevin King, co-founder, manages the technology and has also worked at the startup znq3 as a software engineer.

Accomplishments:
The New Hampshire Innovation and Commercialization Center (NH-ICC) selected PoKos as one of its high potential early stage resident companies.

Advisors:
The company’s board of advisors includes Chuck Martin, the founder and CEO of Mobile Future Institute; George Couperthwait, founder of strategy consulting firm GC3 Enterprises Inc.; Steve Schmitt, director of product performance at advertising firm OwnerIQ Inc.; and Mark Galvin, managing director of the NH-ICC along with his leadership team.

The pitch:
The company is seeking $1 million for product development and marketing. The company is also seeking business partnerships with mobile operators, mobile device makers, agencies and major brands.

The market:
The company is a pursuing mobile advertising market that is forecasted to grow from $2.3 billion to $24.1 billion by 2015, according to Platt. 

The competition:
The company’s competitors include other social media platforms, including IM+, FourSquare, MeetUp, Yelp!, Where, Scvngr, Loopt, Facebook and Blackberry Messenger.