I am without a doubt a startup nerd; I watch and follow startups with the same enthusiasm and dedication that most people follow sports. Nothing is more exciting to me than being a fan of a fledgling startup and watching it take flight and grow into a success.
Celebrating steps forward in entrepreneurship has become a core mission across our entire company. We love talking to startup founders from across the country every day- listening to their triumphs and trials is incredibly inspiring and motivating. With big changes to come in 2013 in the startup funding landscape (thanks to the enactment of the JOBS Act), we’re gearing up for a big year for entrepreneurs nationwide.
Here are a few of the fastest growing startups of 2012 to cheer on in the New Year.
10. AdRoll
AdRoll is an online ad retargeting platform that boasts more than 5000 active advertisers worldwide. The company enables businesses to target website visitors by placing ads on various platforms their customers visit, giving them a broader depth of visibility and more interaction to increase sales. AdRoll reported a 2011 revenue of 12.4 million.
9. Cartagz
Cartagz is a California company that helps vehicle owners save time with online payment for services like registration renewals, title transfers, and driving violations and fines. It’s a fantastic example of technology drastically changing the way people go about their daily life and eliminates one of the most dreaded errands- a trip to the BMV.
Cartagz was founded in 2008 and within 3 years brought in a revenue $14.2 million.
8. Integrity Funding
Integrity Funding is a specialty finance company focusing on the aviation, life and annuity asset classes, offering diverse investment solutions. Integrity Funding had a modest revenue of $117,581 in 2008, but their three year growth factor of 12,443% brought their 2011 revenue to $14.7 Million.
7. Acquia
Acquia is a technical support company that services the Drupal system (a content management framework used by 2.1% of all the websites, worldwide).
Acquia was founded by the same team as Drupal and boasts a base of over 700 enterprise customers servicing over 2.5 billion requests each month. Customers include EBay, Duke University, Intuit, Intel and PayPal, just to name a few.Their 2011 revenue was reported as $21.8 million.
6. Edge Solutions
Edge Solutions is a woman majority- owned IT solutions provider of storage, data management, and network services. Service partners include Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Citrix and many other big brands. They’re currently ranked #1 in Top 100 IT Services Companies.
Edge Solutions had revenue of $103,070 in 2008, by the close of 2011 they had grown to a revenue of $21.8 Million.
5. Astrum Solar
Astrum Solar is a solar provider for homeowners and businesses across the US. The company covers every aspect of converting to solar power, from design and installation to management and monitoring services for the life of the system.
Astrum Solar had revenue of $113,660 in 2008 and their reported 2011 revenue was $ 26.9 million.
4. Red Frog Events
Red Frog Events is a comprehensive platform that sets up and hosts events across the US, Australia, and the U.K. The company handles all event details- from logistics and design to on- site staffing, registration, and merchandising. The first event in 2007 was the brainchild of founder Joe Reynolds, who wanted to create a real life experience to mirror the famed TV show “The Great Race”. The company reported their revenue for 2011 as $31.7 million.
3. Gold & Silver Buyers
Gold & Silver Buyers is based in Spring, Texas, but has over 150 locations in Texas, California, and Colorado. The company buys diamonds, gold, and silver items from consumers and sells the metals directly to refineries. Their 2011 revenue was $55 Million. The company has also added 236 employees in the past 3 years.
2. Bluefin Payment Systems
Bluefin Payment Systems (formally know as Capital Payments) provides merchant services such as credit and debit card processing and ACH billing. The company is a hub of payment processing, servicing more than 15,000 US and Canadian merchants. Their 2011 revenue reached $55.5 million.
1. Unified Payments
Unified Payments provides payment processing services to U.S. Merchants in the hospitality, retail, healthcare, petroleum, convenience store, and e-commerce industries.
Unified Payments had revenue of $250,433 in 2008. Their incredible three year growth factor of 23,646% brought their 2011 revenue to $59.5 million.
With a number of great entrepreneurial inspirations to look to, and the enactment of the JOBS Act on the horizon, 2013 is certain to be a fantastic year for startup founders. I’m excited to see the innovation, progress, and economic gains that this year brings, and look forward to following a new crew of emerging startups as they grow and thrive.
Eric has spent the last 8 years building companies that help entrepreneurs thrive. Eric has been a member of the founding teams of Startups.co and Idea Buyer, and currently serves as the President of Fundable.com. Eric was recently recognized by the White House as one of the most influential entrepreneurs under 30.
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