Startup winner to release app on heels of kickoff
Lynxus owner Nick Spinazze is in the mix of what he said is an exciting time for his business – the first winner of the Louisiana Startup Prize.
Lynxus is an information app conceived by Spinazze.
“We just got approval from Apple last Sunday and will be sending out an early release version of our app to all the awesome people who sign up at our website at www.lynxusapp.com,” Spinazze said. “We will then have a full launch party at Cohab on March 7. We will be ‘Lynxing’ live from multiple interesting events across the country to demonstrate the power of the app. The public is welcome, but space will be limited.”
Spinazze said he appreciates the welcoming community.
“It’s been surprising how open and friendly the startup community is,” Spinazze said. “The business world is cut throat, but the NWLA startup community has been so quick to offer help, advice and support. I don’t know if this is true across all startup communities or if NWLA is special, but it has been a fantastic experience.”
Lynxus promises to be unique in a world of social media and news is referred to as “real time information discovery” by Spinazze.
“We don’t really see ourselves as playing in the social media space. The purpose of Lynxus is to see an event as it happens from the perspective of someone there, to step into their shoes for a moment. It’s about satisfying curiosity, so in that respect I see us closer to Google Search than to a social media platform like Facebook. We aren’t really a news app either because we focus on user generated content.”
Even though Lynxus is not technically a news app, it was actually the lack of adequate news that helped Spinazze conceive his idea.
“I traveled a lot internationally for tennis growing up,” he said. “One of those places was El Salvador, which is not known for its political stability. While we were there, there was an attempted coup. We had to sneak across the border into Honduras and fly back to the States. My parents picked me up and had no idea what had happened. I knew they were big-time news junkies so I was shocked that the story got no coverage. I scoured every major outlet for weeks and not a blip on the radar. That’s when I realized there is a huge disconnect between what happens in the world and what makes it to the news desk.”
For the next several years, Spinazze began to explore ways to eliminate that gap. “Then it hit me,” he said. “The proliferation of smart phones. There are already 2.1 billion of them worldwide and their internet connectivity and cameras improve dramatically with each iteration. What could be done if any user of a smart phone could see what was happening from the perspective of any other user anywhere in the world?”
The idea was the easy part in contrast to making it actually happen.
“It’s been pretty difficult,” Spinazze said. “The connectivity speed and processing power to make something like Lynxus possible has only come into existence in the last two or three years. Live-streaming mobile to mobile was a particularly challenging hurdle for us to overcome.”
Spinazze said it’s the simple things that people often fail to consider.
“We had kind of a ‘Silicon Valley’ (the TV show) experience one time where we won money from a pitching contest – but we had no bank account to deposit the check in.
“Louisiana Startup Prize was a fantastic experience last year,” Spinazze said. “We made it to the final five and learned a lot from the qualifying events and getting to pitch to the investor judges. It’s an ambitious undertaking for sure, but I think it could be a major catalyst for economic growth in the area for years to come. It’s a great way to gain knowledge and I encourage anyone with a great idea to participate in the upcoming one this year.”
Louisiana Startup Prize launched its second annual entrepreneurial program Feb. 5, but it’s not too late to join in the competition and pick up some great tips, tools and resources on networking and turning a great idea into a successful business.
Louisiana Startup Prize was the brainchild of Gregory Kallenberg, executive director and creator of Louisiana Film Prize, with the goal of connecting entrepreneurs with mentors and experts that can help them establish and grow their businesses, sometimes matching up viable startups with potential investors. Qualifying participants will get a chance to compete for the grand prize of $70,000 by attending one of the three qualifying events.
Spinazze said global entrepreneurship is happening in Shreveport-Bossier City. “I want people to know that innovation is everywhere, Spinazze said. “I think people hear about things happening in Silicon Valley or Austin, but don’t realize that these projects are happening all over the country and the world. We at Lynxus feel that seeing is more than believing; it’s understanding. We can’t wait for everyone to experience their world in a whole new way.
–Susan Reeks
Learn more:
Want to Lynxus? Sign up at www.lynxusapp.com and follow Lynxus on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. events. This new addition has helped to bring in several big name performers and attracts plenty of visitors from out of town areas.
