Keystone Edge is profiling contestants in the upcoming Ben Franklin Venture Idol competition (Nov. 20 at Ben Franklin TechVentures). After earning their way through the afternoon selection process, entrepreneurs pitch their startups to investors and attendees. Ben Franklin will invest $15,000 based on the “crowd-funded” audience vote.
In 2008, Bob Brown founded TSG Software to provide complex quote management software for the equipment leasing industry. It didn’t take long for the startup to attract inquiries from commercial cleaning companies looking for a bidding and estimating solution for their industry.
Growth in that sector was so strong that in early 2013, TSG decided to discontinue all other business and focus solely on developing its cloud and mobile applications for building service contractor and facility maintenance teams.
Today, the company has created and commercialized an array of cloud-based and mobile tools that allow cleaning and janitorial service providers, and property and facility managers, to manage contracts, bids, operations, sales, staff, inspections and quality control.
The company’s technology is geared to a peripatetic and diverse workforce.
“Our mobile tools allow field workers to inspect service quality and auto-route any service corrections,” explains Brown. “Because we deal with a labor pool speaking many languages, we translate and include photos with service correction requirements. We recently introduced CC Kiosk, a tablet that works as a kiosk and captures time punches with photos, and displays task assignments and work orders, again, translated for that employee. The tasks and assignments are easily closed out on the Kiosk and updates are made in real time to our cloud environment, so management can see who’s doing what and when it’s getting done in real time.”
TSG is growing fast, with four new customers signed in this quarter alone and $100,000 in annual contracts. Brown projects hitting $500,000 by the end of 2015 and $1 million in 2016.
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania has made several rounds of investment in TSG, most recently $50,000 in October.
The company is a finalist in BFTP/NEP’s Venture Idol contest on November 20. Check back with Keystone Edge for news on the winner.
Source: Bob Brown, TSG Software
Writer: Elise Vider
