Featured Startup Pitch: Born out of technology designed to monitor snowboarding conditions, Womple is enabling businesses to create functional and searchable mobile versions of their websites

Company: WompMobile

Website: www.wompmobile.com

Video: youtu.be/QFoZt5T9Bao 

Headquarters: Bellingham, Washington

Founder: Madison Miner, founder and CEO

Investors:  Angels

Year Founded: 2011

Brief Company Description: WompMobile converts regular websites to mobile ready, making them accessible and searchable on smartphones.

By Madison Miner, founder and CEO

Product Overview

With mobile web traffic projected to increase 2,600 percent in the next four years, virtually every business needs to consider its mobile strategy. In fact, 50 percent of mobile searches now lead to direct sales. Businesses can’t afford to overlook the rapid shift to mobile devices as the primary way to access the Internet. This is where WompMobile helps. Put simply, WompMobile converts regular websites to mobile ready, making them accessible and searchable on smartphones. Because we convert a regular website to mobile, businesses can bypass the expensive design costs associated with building a site from scratch.

As each business is different, WompMobile’s unique platform offers a custom approach to building mobile websites. WompMobile does not force its customers to settle for generic templates and designs, but rather transitions a client’s overall branding and messaging directly to mobile. The ability to convert an existing website to mobile—maintaining its original colors, logo and overall branding—is made possible by the patent-pending design engine.

The challenge with any mobile website is creating simple navigation, usability and offering a dynamic web experience. WompMobile has the right features to help businesses stay engaged and connected with their customers. WompMobile offers the following features:

Automatically syncs with content on the regular website;

Creates iPhone and Android apps to let customers reach you directly from their phones;

Integrates Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flicker;

Works on all mobile platforms (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows);

and Delivers a variety of mobile tools, including GPS, Google maps, a QR code generator, one-touch calling, seamless cloud support, analytics, and much more.

Founder’s Story

In college, I tried to balance my passion for snowboarding, while also pursuing a degree in computer science. In order to only skip class on days with fresh powder, I created a program that monitored the snow report and automatically called my mobile phone if the mountain received more than 10 inches. This program was the inspiration and the early stages of the technology that eventually became WompMobile. This technology allowed me to select any portion from a website—be it images, code or dynamic content—and monitor it from a single, personalized homepage. Once the movement to mobile browsing started—essentially changing the way we communicate—it was a natural fit to pivot the technology from creating desktop homepages to dynamic mobile websites.

In 2011, WompMobile was the first company accepted to a venture accelerator called the Big Idea Lab.

This opportunity exposed us to a cadre of mentors—from a variety of backgrounds—that have helped us hone the business model. Their strategic advice has been instrumental to our growth.

Marketing/Promotion Strategy

To date, our growth can be attributed to the tremendous support and word of mouth from our customers, as well as engagement on social media channels and a growing group of resellers using WompMobile. Looking forward, WompMobile is preparing a more aggressive marketing and communications program. The company has brought on a full-time designer and staff dedicated to promoting the product, building the sales channels and positioning the brand. We expect big things as we approach the New Year.

How We Differentiate from the Competition 

Our competitors can’t beat our designs and our ability to create mobile websites that look like their desktop counterparts. Generally, our competitors are one-size-fits-all approaches that force customers to choose generic templates to skin their mobile websites. We don’t do that. We’re just as affordable, offer the same features and you get a custom, professional design.

Business Model

WompMobile has two profit channels:

1.) WompMobile charges a small monthly fee to maintain, host, update and continuously improve each mobile website built using our platform. We ensure our mobile sites are always current with the growing market of mobile devices.

2.) WompMobile has a resellers program designed for creative agencies, marketers and developers who want to expand or offer mobile website creation as a service. Resellers can use WompMobile’s design platform to build their own custom mobile websites, which they can sell back to their clients for an amount they feel is appropriate. Resellers can also hire us as their “in-house” mobile web designers.

Current Needs

We have an increasing need for talented developers, business development and marketing specialists that would be interested in joining the company. In addition, we are always looking for creative resellers to partner with.

Womple – www.wompmobile.com