March 2012 Summaries

The Women Innovate Mobile (WIM) program is a three-month accelerator that aims to inspire a new class of female-lead startups. The program has partnered with Twilio, a leading developer platform provider, to provide seed funding and mentorship opportunities to its participants. Four startups have been selected for the current class: Twain, Whadayathink, Loudly, and Appguppy, which offer innovative solutions in education, retail, customer feedback, and mobile app creation. The program will culminate in a Demo Day event in June, where teams will showcase their products to investors and industry experts.

hackNY recently hosted its fifth installment of a student hackathon event at New York University, setting a new record for the number of participants, with over 375 students from top engineering programs in the Northeast US attending. The event saw 56 different projects built within a 24-hour timeframe, with students creating innovative solutions that showcased their technical skills and creativity. Gary Chou from Union Square Ventures noted that this year's hacks were "conceptually awesome," highlighting the importance of idea quality over technical prowess. The event concluded with awards for various categories, including Hacking For Good, Best Hardware Hack, Most APIs, Not Quite Erlang Award, and Most Judgmental, among others.

HackVAN was a successful hackathon event held in Vancouver, BC, bringing together developers, designers, and creatives from across Canada for an 8-hour coding challenge. Twilio was one of the supporting platform companies, along with Microsoft, Yellow Pages, Freshbooks, PhoneGap, and others. The event highlighted the importance of hackathons in validating technology platforms and fostering creativity, drive, and imagination among developers. Two notable projects showcased at HackVAN were Angry Mum, a Rails-based app that uses humor to encourage users to answer math questions, and Hardware is the New Black, which demonstrated the potential of Arduino technology for innovation and experimentation. The event reinforced Twilio's support for hackathons as a way to validate its platform's power and ease of use.

Hack The Change was a weekend-long hackathon event organized by University of Pennsylvania students where developers and development workers joined forces to tackle big problems and effect real change. The event featured 20 problem statements presented by NGOs, including Amnesty International and USAID, which were then answered by 14 different prototype solutions. The top prizes went to hacks that incorporated Twilio's services, showcasing a "DOer mindset" in action. The event was part of the growing Philly tech scene, with a tight-knit community of committed individuals who are unafraid to dream big and bring about change.

Building a SXSW Party Hotline on Salesforce with Pervasive and Twilio` is a real-world example of how two companies collaborated to create a clever solution that leverages the capabilities of both Salesforce and Twilio's APIs. The goal was to enable call and SMS tracking within marketing campaigns, which had previously been challenging for marketers to achieve. By using Twilio's simple APIs, Pervasive was able to architect a party hotline solution that allowed users to call in, listen to upcoming parties, receive text messages with venue information and RSVP links, all within Salesforce. The project was completed in under 48 hours, demonstrating the potential of this integration and providing a valuable resource for marketers who use Salesforce.

The Tampa Bay Library Consortium has built an SMS reference service using Twilio, allowing Floridians to receive help from a librarian via text message. The "Ask A Librarian" virtual reference desk service has been in operation since 2003 and has logged hundreds of thousands of queries. The consortium uses InstantService as its chat platform and integrates with Twilio's SMS API to send and receive SMS messages. This integration allows the service to be affordable, with a cost per message of just 1 cent, making it more accessible to users. The consortium plans to launch mobile apps on Android and iOS devices in early summer, further expanding the reach of the service.

When building a Twilio application, you can configure fallback URLs to handle scenarios where the initial webhooks fail, such as communication breakdowns between Twilio and your web application. These fallback URLs can be used to define custom behavior in case of errors, including submitting error codes and URLs to Twilio for further processing. To improve the reliability of your application, consider keeping it simple by invoking only minimum required actions, setting up a backup server with static TwiML files, or sending notifications when a request URL fails.

The Cat Facts SMS app was built by Akiva as a response to a Reddit post about a cat fact application that didn't exist. The app uses Google App Engine, Twilio, and TextMate to send random cat facts via SMS. The development process involved creating four files: `facts.py`, `app.yaml`, `index.py`, and `index.html`. These files were used to handle requests, interact with the database, sanitize input, and send texts using Twilio's API. The app was launched in just a few hours and received over 20,000 visits in its first day, with users able to sign up for cat facts by texting "STOP" back.

TaxiMagic leveraged technology to revolutionize the taxi-hailing experience by launching iPhone and Android apps in 2009, followed by an SMS service that worked on all mobile phones several months later. The service solved issues such as quick ordering, automatic updates, and tracking cabbie arrival on a map. However, as growth increased, the home-grown SMS system failed due to high volume, resulting in lost messages and missed pickups. TaxiMagic then turned to Twilio's cloud communications platform, which provided flexibility, scalability, and reliability, reducing costs and improving performance through volume discounts and streamlined management.

Ricky Robinett is a Lead Developer of Integrations at TargetSpot in New York who also moonlights as a code hero. He recently rode the Startup Bus to SXSW, where he built Happstr with a team and had an incredible experience. Despite being part of a large team, he was drawn to the sincerity of the project's idea and aimed to make it simple by adding just one feature - a big button that tracks happiness through heat maps. Robinett credits his motivation for side projects to being inspired by the creative community around him, finding joy in expressing himself through coding and hacking on new ideas. He is also working on a book about hip-hop for kids, launching a NYC-themed t-shirt company, and exploring ways to bring SMS technology to education with Twilio projects.

A week of innovation and collaboration took place at SXSW 2012, with Twilio powering several notable companies including Spotify, Startup Bus, Flash Valet, TaskRabbit, Zaarly, Pervasive Galaxy, Bears of Manitou, and others. These companies showcased their products and services using Twilio's APIs and communication tools, such as SMS and phone calls. The event also featured various events and parties hosted by Twilio and its partners, including a privateer boat party, a dance party for charity, and a developer-focused gathering at the Get_down party. The week highlighted the potential of Twilio to enable businesses and startups to build engaging customer experiences and connect with their audiences through technology.

Eventr Captures Twilio Prize at Angel Hack SF` is a story about a startup called Eventr that won the Twilio prize at Angel Hack SF, a bi-coastal hackathon where hundreds of developers came together to build an app from scratch and pitch it to angel investors. The founder, Jesse Chen, is a UC Berkeley student who is passionate about mobile technology and entrepreneurship. He built Eventr using the Eventbrite API and Twilio's SMS infrastructure, and it solves the problem of inefficient communication between event organizers and attendees by providing a platform for real-time messaging via SMS. After winning the prize, Jesse plans to polish up the app and make it scalable so that event organizers can use it for their own events, enabling frictionless communication between organizers and attendees.

The Startup Weekend Boston event saw over 140 attendees from various fields, including businesspeople, hackers, designers, and marketers, come together to create and pitch their startups within a 48-hour timeframe. The event culminated in the selection of 17 startups that showcased impressive products such as SubBids for construction subcontractors, BeOnTi.me for travel planning, Ottr for impromptu event planning, Whoizit for a social twist on "Guess Who?", Spea.cc for audio-based experiences, and ActivePepper for sports partnerships. The selected startups won awards in various categories, including Most Technical Achievement, Best Cloudmine Startup, Most Fun, and Audience Choice, with the overall winner being SubBids. The event was successfully organized by Josh, Casey, and Juan, and attendees could watch demos of the pitches on a recorded stream.

The Twilio Meetup event featured various demos from hackers showcasing their projects, including Songsicle for musical greetings, Cnvrge for networking, Stormpocalypse for tracking power outages, and a karaoke app built live by Twilio Developer Evangelist Rob Spectre. The event was attended by the NYC Twilio community and provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about new projects and connect with like-minded individuals.

Hackers gathered for the Hacker Olympics, an unconventional hackathon with a mysterious format, anonymous organizers, and challenging puzzles that required coding skills. The event featured a series of absurd challenges, including disassembling an old computer, participating in a Goldeneye tournament, and creating a tower using red Solo cups. While some tasks involved actual coding, others were designed to be humorous and distracting, such as communicating with a team member via Twilio while being bombarded by karaoke. The Hacker Olympics offered a refreshing change of pace from traditional hackathons, showcasing the creativity and diversity of its participants.

The Developer Contest is an invitation for developers to build a Twilio and Salesforce integration, aiming to create a CRM tool that leverages voice, SMS, and VoIP capabilities. The contest encourages creativity and problem-solving, with the goal of improving the top CRM tool by incorporating these communication technologies. Participants can submit their projects via a specific form and have the opportunity to win prizes, including a Kindle Fire and a limited edition Twilio Merit Badge.

Twilio is sponsoring Cloudstock, a one-day cloud developer event on March 15 in San Francisco, offering engaging technical sessions and breakout sessions led by Twilio engineers, including a hands-on session on creating real-time social experiences with voice apps and a session on best practices for API design. The event also features "Mini Hacks" - six short hack challenges that allow participants to try new technologies and skills, with the opportunity to earn prizes. Additionally, Twilio is highlighting its various integrations with other platforms, such as RingDNA, Dell Boomi, and MuleSoft, which enable voice and SMS capabilities for a range of applications.

The Developer Contest is an opportunity for developers to build a CRM tool using Twilio and Salesforce integration, with the goal of creating a social enterprise solution that leverages voice, SMS, and VoIP capabilities. The contest aims to improve the top CRM tool by incorporating these communication technologies, offering a chance to gain the title of CRM Master and win prizes such as a Kindle Fire and limited edition Twilio Merit Badge. This is one of several developer contests run by Twilio each month, encouraging developers to build innovative solutions using their platform.

SkaFlash is a band management app that connects bands with their fans through Twilio SMS, aiming to improve the way bands reach out to their audience individually. The app was created by Geoffrey Simpson and Casey McPherson, who are also developers and musicians, as they wanted to address the limitations of current methods for fan engagement. SkaFlash uses a Microsoft stack, including Asp.Net MVC and jQuery, and is powered by Twilio's SMS service. The app has already shown promise in its early tests, with over 50% of attendees texting their email to connect with the band during an acoustic set. The founders are excited to showcase SkaFlash at SXSW and plan to release it to tastemakers in the industry first, allowing them to refine the product based on feedback and market response.

TxtRoo is an app that connects consumers with local businesses through SMS powered by Twilio, allowing feature-phone users to receive customer reviews and specials from participating businesses. The team behind TxtRoo aims to provide a solution for communities and local businesses to communicate through technology, with the goal of being selected as one of the top buspreneurs at SXSW. On the other hand, Neighboardly is a communication solution designed specifically for Home Owner Association Boards and residents, providing a tool to organize board initiatives, announcements, complaints, requests, events, and more, along with SMS notifications powered by Twilio. Both teams are excited to showcase their projects at SXSW and connect with other buspreneurs and developers.

CraftJack is a Chicago-based service that helps homeowners find local home improvement contractors and vice versa. The company uses Twilio's API to distribute instant leads via SMS alerts, allowing contractors to respond faster, and voice broadcasting to automate calls confirming lead interest. This has improved closing rates and reduced costs compared to their previous provider. CraftJack's tech team built the apps using .NET and MySQL, finding customization with Twilio easier and cost-effective, as it charges lower per minute for outbound calls. The company is now counting on Twilio to support its aggressive growth plans, including adding features like click-to-call and call tracking.

Using Twilio with Salesforce allows developers to create interactive phone applications that integrate customer and user records from the CRM. By setting up a Visualforce page and using the TwiML Markup Language, developers can control live phone calls and respond to user input. The "Hello Monkey" example demonstrates how to use this technology to greet callers by name, while the second part of the tutorial shows how to connect calls to a second person or route them to a specific record owner. With this integration, businesses can create customized communication experiences that enhance customer engagement and support.

Cnvrge is a networking system that facilitates structured meetings between people with similar interests or goals, using SMS as the primary communication method. It was created by Jeff, a veteran NYC entrepreneur, to help people grow their professional networks and become integral parts of communities, rather than just focusing on short-term transactions. The system uses Twilio's APIs to send targeted messages to participants, allowing them to connect with others in a structured and surprisingly un-awkward way. By attending a Cnvrge event, attendees can expand their horizons, meet new people, and potentially discover new opportunities, all while being introduced to like-minded individuals who share similar interests or goals.

Zhehao Mao, a Columbia University student, won the top prize at DevFest 2012 with his Twilio-powered webhook notification app called Lerner. Lerner was inspired by the concept of webhooks and allows diverse clients to receive notifications without requiring a server with a publicly accessible IP address. The app consists of three cooperating processes: a webserver, a pub/sub server, and a client. Zhehao's goal for Lerner is to encourage the open-source community to build more clients and publishers, and he plans to use existing protocols and libraries to facilitate this process.

BankersBox is a JavaScript library that injects Redis-like steroids into client-side storage using localStorage as the default persistent data-store. It provides a pluggable storage adapter system, allowing other means of persisting data stored in BankersBox. The library offers various operations like set, get, incr, lpush, rpush, sadd, sismember, scard, and more, enabling developers to store and retrieve any native data type with localStorage. With its active development and extensive unit tests, BankersBox is suitable for rapid prototyping of rich client-server applications, creation of one-page JavaScript applications, mobile HTML5-powered apps, and other use cases.

SendHub is an SMS marketing platform that offers real-time feedback on every message, allowing businesses and faith leaders to tailor their future messages based on audience response. Powered by Twilio's SMS API, SendHub provides a powerful way of collecting contact details and broadcasting information through text messages. The company's platform has been used to grow lists by orders of magnitude, and its users have praised the ease of use and scalability of Twilio's service. With its focus on maintaining the clarity of the SMS channel, SendHub aims to provide a valuable tool for small businesses, sports leagues, faith groups, and teachers.