| mobileStorm | |
| Type: | Private |
| Foundation: | 1999 |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Key People: | Jared Reitzin, Dave Carlson, Jonathan Schreiber |
| Industry: | Web marketing |
| Num Employees: | 50+ |
| Homepage: | mobileStorm.com |
mobileStorm is a SaaS based product for multi-channel communications. Businesses use mobileStorm to build a database of customers and gives them the ability to reach people on smart phones via email, text-message, push notification, secure messages to mobile apps and sites, as well as voice and fax broadcast. The communications firm started by Jared Reitzin is based in Los Angeles, California.[1] To date, the company has sent billions of messages and launched more than a million marketing campaigns.[2] Some of their clients include Overstock.com, NASCAR, American Idol and Kaiser Permanente.[3]
In 1998, at the age of 19, Reitzin dropped out of college to start a record label called Katalyst Music Group.[4] [5] Within Katalyst, Reitzin started a technology division where they built websites for larger labels.[4] Early in the company’s founding, Jonathan Schreiber, an advisor, inspired Reitzin's interest in mobile technology.[6]
mobileStorm officially launched in 1999 and incorporated in August 2000.[7] They raised $40,000 initially from friends and family and were entirely self-funded.[5]
In 2007, mobileStorm announced an angel round of funding with eonBusiness and opened additional offices in San Francisco and Orange County.[2] [8] [9] The San Francisco branch will focus on new accounts, sales, and customer service.[2] [10] In 2008, mobileStorm was named the email service provider of FreemantleEnterprises, which manages shows like American Idol and The Price Is Right.[11] mobileStorm’s former products include Stun!, which allowed small to medium-sized businesses to build a database of customers and market to them via text messaging, email, voice and fax, and Bolt, a hosted service designed for large enterprises that deployed marketing, customer service, and transactional messaging programs.[4] [7] The two platforms are currently integrated into "mobileStorm for Marketing."