App Franchise | Two of the Biggest Entrepreneur Success Stories in the Mobile App Industry

The mobile software industry has boomed over the last decade with millions of new apps hitting digital marketplaces every year. The developments in user-friendly software development programs and social marketing have made it possible for anyone with a computer to create their own brand and make millions. This is a story that’s been lived out by a number of mobile entrepreneurs and app developers around the world. We’ve been looking at two of the biggest.

Nick D’Aloisio

This young app developer turned digital entrepreneur was born in England in 1995 and has used his natural passion for technology and experience in computer programming to create a portfolio of software that has granted him worldwide acclaim.

His first venture was an app called Trimmit, which was designed to summarise big volumes of text by condensing them down into 140, 500 or 1000 character selections. This was done using a sophisticated text analysis tool which Nick utilised in the development of his app.

After getting the attention of Apple, Trimmit shot to the top of the App Store charts and it wasn’t long before Nick was approached by a billionaire investor who gave him $300,000 to help improve the app. Using this seed money along with valuable industry feedback, Nick revamped his idea and eventually released his newest app, Summly.

The success of this new app was almost instant. It attracted investment from a number of celebrity millionaires and business moguls which collectively invested $1.23m. Nick D’Aloisio became one of the world’s youngest self-made millionaires and all of his hard work was rewarded when, in March 2013, he sold Summly to Yahoo for $30m.

Brian Wong

Brian Wong is a Canadian born software developer who made his name in the app industry thanks to his popular app, Kiip. For anyone who hasn’t already heard of it, Kiip is designed to bridge the gap between mobile gaming and reality by allowing companies to give real-world gifts and rewards to players who complete in-game tasks.

The unique idea and creative approach to marketing were adopted by thousands of apps and it wasn’t long before Brian caught the attention of some big brands. Companies such as Hummer and Verizon Ventures invested $15m into Brian’s app and things only went up from there.

In recent years Brian has seen his idea grow into a global business. Kiip is now partnered with brands such as Amazon, Disney and Pepsi. As well as rewarding mobile gamers, Kiip has now expanded into fitness apps such as Nexercise and MapMyRun.