Go figure. FastFig, a startup developed in Easton, launched in Bethlehem and, for the moment, quartered in Philadelphia, has gotten its biggest visibility so far at Austin's recent South by Southwest fest. And it appears poised for exponential growth.
Billed as a “word processor for math,” FastFig is a cloud-based tool that allows students to do math online – everything from basic arithmetic through algebra to calculus – typing and solving problems in the program without the need to go back-and-forth with calculators, paper and pencil.
You almost need high-level math to chart FastFig's progress. Brian Peacock, a 2012 grad of Lafayette College in Easton, began developing FastFig during his senior year. In October, teamed with Jay Hotaling, who serves as CEO (Peacock is chief tech officer), he officially launched FastFig at the Lehigh Valley Tech Meet-Up in Bethlehem. Next the pair applied to tech accelerator programs; two days after applying, DreamIt Ventures accepted FastFig for a three-month program in Austin, Texas. Two months in, Peacock was pitching FastFig at a Demo Day during the high-profile South by Southwest event.
Now Peacock is in Philly, meeting with a number of interested investors. “We're hoping to stay in Pennsylvania,” he says. “At the same time, there are investors everywhere and it's important to go where the investment is. So at this point, it's hard to tell.”
Besides the two partners, the young company has two employees and is actively testing FastFig at high schools in Austin and New York City and at the University of Pittsburgh, which is supplying FastFig to its engineering students. Peacock is unsure when the product will be ready for commercial launch, but says the company is working on devising a revenue model, with the hopes of having a workforce of six to eight in another year.
Source: Brian Peacock, FastFig
Writer: Elise Vider