Mobile Web use grew 148 per cent last year as more people than ever accessed the Internet via handheld portable media devices.
This year, smart-phone unit sales will outpace personal computer sales. More consumers will be accessible via the mobile Web than the traditional Internet. With the popularity of devices like the iPad also exploding, the volume of mobile Web users will soar.
All of this is good news for Mobify, a Vancouver-based mobile Web company that provides a wide range of mobile solutions to online publishers, advertisers and retailers.
Working with the Vancouver commercialization centre known as Wavefront, Mobify reports bringing three apps to market recently that are helping major companies and retail brands tap into the mobile Web.
Wired Magazine chose Mobify Studio to power its official mobile version. Kiwi Collection, a luxury hotel search engine, is using Mobify Enterprise to enable secure booking on any kind of mobile device. And the most recent addition to Mobify's lineup is Mobify Ads, a rich mobile advertising platform bringing engaging ad campaigns to iPhone, Android and Symbian platforms.
Mobify took advantage of Wavefront's commercialization space from September 2009 to May 2010 where the company helped refine and focus its business model, accelerated its product development, and added personnel.
During this time, the company performed vital usability studies with Wavefront's user experience partners, tested their product on a collection of handsets made available through Wavefront's lab, attended a number of Wavefront's training seminars, and benefitted from federal National Research Council funding assistance to offset some of their product development costs. Additionally, through Wavefront's partnership with Japan's Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium (MCPC), Mobify acquired a major deal with a Japanese customer. After eight months, Mobify's new products had achieved strong and fast market traction, growing its network to millions of mobile page views per month in 207 countries.
"Mobify is an excellent example of a Wavefront community member successfully commercializing its intellectual property," said Wavefront President James Maynard. "They came to us with a very strong business proposition that fills a growing, major need amongst e-commerce and publishing sites and already had some customers for their initial product. While at Wavefront, they segmented their markets while continually testing their products and ultimately brought three powerful technological solutions to market."
"With the usability and handset testing, market introductions and other services provided through Wavefront, we were able to quickly address international opportunities. The mobile Web is evolving at a rapid pace--having extra resources definitely helped us move faster," explained Igor Faletski, CEO of Mobify.
Founded in 2007 while Faletski and partner John Boxall were still in their final semester at Simon Fraser University, Mobify initially developed mobile messaging solutions for the transit industry before focusing on the mobile Web. To grow market reach, the company founders spent several months in Silicon Valley but were eventually drawn back to Vancouver where they were able to take advantage of Wavefront's programs and facilities.
"While Silicon Valley is a unique ecosystem for building Web companies, Vancouver is a great place for developing world-class technology," said Faletski.
Wavefront, Vancouver's community-based commercialization centre wireless and new media development centre, helps improve speed-to-market and delivery of mobile applications and devices by providing emerging companies with a suite of WaveGuide training, mobile industry advisory, incubation and testing services that facilitate market linkages and commercial engagement with the mobile ecosystem and enterprise companies around the world.