Last year, mobile apps generated about $18 billion in revenue after only four years. It took the Web universe sixteen years to hit that milestone. So it’s no wonder that when app developers are invited to demo their new products, they show up…along with a lot of other people.
That’s the scene for the SFAppShow, held just last month at YetiZen Innovation Lab in San Francisco. Founded by Seth Socolow at the end of 2009, the showcase has grown increasingly more popular as app developers seek to get their products accepted quickly in the growing mobile marketplace.
The event has been a useful launchpad for some notable companies. Uber, Waze, and Dropbox all got their marketing push from early presentations at the AppShow. At the San Francisco gathering last month, eight companies got six minutes each to make their pitches. Moving the program along was Laurie Burke, the “voice” of Google Voice.
On this particular evening, there was a diverse mix of companies who were showcasing their apps. Hubbl, a platform for organizing other apps, shows that the explosion of the market is already creating a need for tools to manage the growth. “The irony of having to download an app to find other apps is not lost on us,” said Kushal Choksi, Hubbl’s CEO and co-founder.
Powerslyde was introduced as an app that “helps you find the right apps for you with a little help from your friends.” It’s basically a platform for finding and sharing app recommendations.
Bidzy, which has barely been in release for a month, is an intriguing concept that lets consumers request a service and set a “bid” or price. According to co-founder and President Sven Jensen, the premise of Bidsy is to give small businesses a greater chance to build their customer base. It’s exclusive to the San Francisco area right now, but he hopes to expand to other major cities.
For fitness enthusiasts, there’s AlphaTrainer, also launched barely a month ago. It’s a mobile app to help you set personal fitness goals and “select problem body parts you want to focus on,” said founder Paul Kim. The app’s website features a past picture of a flabby shirtless Kim, next to one of him today sporting stomach abs that look like a mogul field on an Olympic downhill ski run.
For weather followers, there’s a new app called RadarCast which is tailored to track portions of the U.S. with severe weather alerts. Their app recently got a significant amount of publicity during the run of powerful tornadoes that struck the Midwest last month.
Vadim Dagman of DigitalPrunes showcased the latest release of a mobile gaming app. His product offers unlimited levels of play, where the customer buys as many as they want.
There was also a music app that lets you download (and share) sheet music while also playing along using interactive keys. The concept, according to David Foote of Synaptic Stuff, is to give people not that familiar with musical notation an opportunity to learn and play. “We have over 500 songs available for download and growing,” said Foote.
Video was represented as well with a demo from Dabkick. The company’s app lets smartphone users watch videos, see pictures, and listen to music together live. It includes a “chat and talk” feature as well where linked users comment on what they are seeing with their friends.
According to AppShow founder Socolow, there’s no shortage of companies looking to showcase their latest releases in his venue, but he also stays on top of what’s new in the field. “We do a lot of outreach,” said Socolow. “We’re always looking for new apps.”
One of the nice features about the AppShow is that every presentation is streamed live (for those who can’t physically attend the event), and then stored on YouTube for future viewing. This has allowed the forum to expand beyond San Francisco. Other events have been held in Las Vegas, Chicago and Santa Monica. According to Socolow, he hopes to bring the show to New York City soon.
Andy Warhol once coined the term “15 minutes of fame” back in the 1960’s to describe the individual celebrity people could receive through the growth of mass-market television. On the AppShow, Warhol's moment has shrunk to 6 minutes and plenty of ambitious developers are seizing the opportunity for all it’s worth.
