Orlando company finds boost in Texas

An Orlando-based tech company will come home from one of the nation’s top accelerator programs with a new name.

CEO Rudy Ellis, who had founded Switchboard under the name Joicaster, just returned from a 12-week program at Techstars in San Antonio.

Techstars matches startups with mentors from different areas of entrepreneurship.

Executives from influential companies such as Google often sit on Techstars panels as judges.

Switchboard connects video and audio content creators with a platform to expand their reach.

It wasn’t easy to change the name Ellis had created.

The move comes as he and his team prepare for Techstars’ demo-day finale.

“It was tough,” Ellis said. “The name has always been a part of the story.

“For me,” Ellis added, “when I came up with it, the idea was to create a platform that would let content creators broadcast their joy, whatever it might be.”

Ellis said the mentors at the accelerator advised him to consider a broader approach and more products.

“We realized that we have a bunch more, and there are opportunities we are working on,” he said.

Techstars provided $18,000 in equity for startups that were accepted.

Ellis said Joicaster also accepted an offer of a $100,000 loan, in the form of a convertible note.

Switchboard will return briefly to Orlando after the accelerator but will then jump on the road again, running the live stream for Launch Festival in San Francisco in March.

Ellis said the company has also hired a fifth person after the three-month program, which started in November.

Techstars meetings can result in long-term mentorship that bears fruit even after the program ends.

Ellis said the program helps entrepreneurs learn from others who are going through similar circumstances.

“It’s the environment from working alongside other companies,” he said. “They are heads down and determined to execute, and that helps us as a team push forward a lot faster and harder.”

IHydrate app

An Orlando-built app has some help for those who want to live healthier by tracking their water intake.

IHydrate, which will soon eclipse 100,000 downloads, lets users determine the types of drinks they consume and translates it into ounces of water.

In addition, you can set up targets for ounces to consume daily and, of course, share your drinks with others.

Greg Young, one of the app’s creators, pivoted from video-game development because he said he wanted to do more meaningful work.

“There wasn’t enough purpose behind it,” he said. “With a fitness application, there is a greater satisfaction knowing that we are helping people.”

IHydrate integrates with many of the top health devices on the market, including Jawbone and Fitbit.

The company originally had a pay model that charged users $2 per download.

But months after debuting in the fall of 2014, they shifted focus to finding users.

Young said the 100,000 downloads includes about 30,000 active users.