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Portfolio
Company Updates
Anaptyx was founded
in June 2007 with one goal in mind: Deliver an
environmentally friendly wireless solution at an
affordable price. Traditionally focused on
multi-dwelling communities and apartment complexes,
Anaptyx was contracted to install, operate, and
maintain the Harvard Square Network through a recent
partnership with Meraki. Ken Carnesi, CEO of
Anaptyx, said, "We have been experiencing tremendous
growth and adding Harvard Square as a client is a
real milestone for us."
In just over a week, Anaptyx was able to install and
implement over 35 access points and several data
lines around Harvard Square; covering a one square
mile area which has taken similar networks years to
design and install. Jon Rust, CFO of Anaptyx,
said, "Due to the cost and speed at which we were
able to implement this network, I am confident it
will become the standard for communities around the
country."
Anaptyx has completed this installation for the
Harvard Square Business Association, and has donated
two high speed data lines to foster the growth of
the network. "We are a community focused
organization - to give back to the community and
know that thousands of users will access this
network each day makes all of us at Anaptyx
ecstatic," said Tyler McNeil, Managing Director of
Anaptyx.
The HSBA will work closely with Anaptyx in the weeks
and months to come to monitor the usage carefully.
New units will be placed in the field, as usage
demands and as user feedback warrants. Denise
Jillson, Executive Director of the HSBA, stated that
the purpose is to provide a reliable, convenient and
efficient network to meet the needs and desires of
the 8 million visitors to Harvard Square each year.
Not only was Anaptyx featured in
HarvardSquare.com,
the company was also featured in the following
articles:
Xconomy,
PC World,
Network World,
Cambridge Chronicle &
Cambridge TAB,
Metro,
The Harvard Crimson,
Boston Business Journal,
and
BostonHerald.com.
In D.C. Street-Food Wars, Hot Dogs Face Competition
From On The Fly's Hummus
The bright green
On The Fly food
cart with a large decorate wing parked in
Washington's Chinatown seems to be in the wrong
city.
Offering hummus, vegetarian tacos, and organic
teas, the car and its menu are in stark contrast to
the aging metal-box stands nearby that sell bags of
cheese popcorn, candy bars, and hot dogs. A
street-food revolution is under way in Washington,
which has long trailed cities like Philadelphia,
famous for its street-car cheese steaks, and New
York, where vendors offer everything from kebabs to
crepes.
For the full article on Bloomberg.com, please
click
here.
UMD Graduate Moves Back Home -
and Makes a Mint with Crooked Monkey
 For
many college graduates, moving back in with Mom and
Dad means swallowing some pride to save money and
get started. For Micha Weinblatt, it provided
a springboard to success.
After graduating from the University of Maryland
three years ago, Micha launched
Crooked Monkey, a
t-shirt business aimed at the college crowd, from
his parents' basement in Potomac, MD. Among
the novelty shirts' more printable slogans are "Butterface"
and "Keep the Ratio Strong."
If you don't get the jokes, Micha says, you're
probably old, or at least beyond your early 20s.
But enough young people appreciate the hip humor
that, Micha says, Crooked Monkey grossed $500,000
last year and is on pace to hit $800,000 in revenue
this year. The shirts sell in 550 stores
across the United States and in Asia, Saudi Arabia,
and Canada.
For the full article from The
Washington Post Magazine, please click
here.
 Hook
& Ladder Brewing Company, a Washington
D.C.-area venture started by a volunteer firefighter
and his business-minded brother, is bucking negative
economic trends and experiencing tremendous growth
this year - despite the fact that the mission-based
business donates a portion of all sales to charity
and continues to face the industry challenges of
escalating transportation and ingredient costs.
According to annual statistics for the beer industry
recently released by The New Brewer magazine,
Hook & Ladder experienced the greatest percentage
growth of any non-brewpub craft brewer in the nation
in 2007.
Industry statistics from the Brewers Association
reveal that Hook & Ladder experienced 688% growth in
2007, the biggest percentage increase among craft
brewers providing beers solely through a
distribution network. In October 2006, Hook &
Ladder had just one wholesale distributor and was
available only in the D.C. market. Hook &
Ladder brews are now available in 20 states and
Washington D.C., distributed by more than 80
wholesale partners. Hook & Ladder can be found
in top markets including New York, Philadelphia, and
Washington D.C.
Hook & Ladder CEO Matt Fleischer was named one of
Washington D.C.'s "Top 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35" by
Bisnow on Business and was featured in their June 5,
2008
article. Hook
& Ladder was also featured in Terp Magazine
and a
blog on
TheWashingtonPost.com.
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