Curt Allen’s BrainHoney at Agilix

 

Curt Allen, CEO of Agilix

Curt Allen(1)

Curt Allen, co-founder, President and CEO of the learning venture Agilix Labs, Inc.

AGILIX LABS, INC

Agilix Labs, Inc., founded in 2001, has since 2009 developed and hosted(2) a web-based classroom management system called BrainHoney that includes course authoring, drag-and-drop mapping of state standards, a gradebook, and a student portal.(3) The basic account is free for teachers and a premium account adds collaborative authoring and teaching, integration with existing software systems, customization, and providing online courses or virtual schools.(4) Agilix designs custom solutions based on BrainHoney,(5) such as a project for Brigham Young University that allows students to create assignments on the Internet and submit URLs to a secure gradebook for confidential grading, and commenting by professors.(6) At its beginning in 2001, Agilix developed software for student note-taking and organization on Tablet PCs and later developed software for offline use of Blackboard materials, and a course management system that allowed for both online and offline use.(7)

CURT ALLEN

Curt Allen studied Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University, worked at Hewlett-Packard in a networks division, and co-founded a consulting firm.(8) In 1986, he co-founded Folio Corporation and sold it three times to major corporations, leaving the last acquirer in 1997; he took over the CEO position of MyFamily.com in 1998 where he raised over $75 million, and secured strategic partnerships with companies like Microsoft and Disney and quadrupled revenues to over $10 million.(9) At Agilix he built relationships with Microsoft, Intel, and FranklinCovey.(10) His LinkedIn profile claims a near-term goal to “fundamentally improve the quality of teaching and learning through technology” and specialties in “founding start-ups, fund raising, strategy formulation, developing strategic alliances, technology strategy, business development”(11)

Allen is a serial entrepreneur with a technology background who has a long history of starting technology-related businesses, fund-raising, and building strategic relationships with major technology companies. His continued focus on information-oriented web-based businesses has probably helped him build on and leverage his experiences and connections.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Allen’s team consists of Dave McGinn, COO, Mark Luetzelschwab, SVP Product & Marketing, Mark Wolfgramm, co-founder & VP Development, and Shandon Gubler, initial angel investor & reseller.(12) McGinn raised $75 million for Ancestry.com and quadrupled its growth; Luetzelschwab has served as an executive in startup companies and directed award-winning products for 20 years; Wolfgramm co-designed and developed the core infrastructure for MyFamily.com and Folio, both previous Curt Allen companies; and Gubler taught strategy and entrepreneurship at Brigham Young University.(13)

The team includes seasoned entrepreneurs and developers who have worked in successful technology startups. In many cases they have links to Allen through former companies or his university. Luetzelschwab appears to be the most common hit in Google searches for talk about the actual BrainHoney product.

BOARD OF ADVISORS

The Agilix board of advisors consists of Clayton Christensen, M. David Merrill, Chris Thomas, and David Wiley. Christensen is a Harvard professor and author of books on innovation and one on learning called “Disrupting class: how disruptive innovation will change the way the world learns”(14) Merrill is an “instructional effectiveness consultant” who teaches online courses at Brigham Young University Hawaii.(15) Thomas is Intel Corporation’s Chief Strategist who “directs a worldwide team of solutions architects developing starter kits, workshops and architectures for education, health care, small business, and other solutions.”(16) Wiley is Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University, Associate Director of the Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling, and founder of the Open High School of Utah.(17)

The team includes recognized names in strategy and education who may provide helpful advice as well as name-dropping value to open doors, build relationships and raise funds. Merrill and Wiley are also fellow alumni of Brigham Young which may have helped secure BrainHoney its project at that university.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

Allen built relationships with high-calibre people, maintained those relationships over multiple ventures, and leveraged those relationships to build his businesses, receive advice, enhance the value of his venture for fund-raising, and make connections with customers such as Brigham Young University.

In my own self-analysis, I have previously identified my strengths as gathering information, analyzing needs, creating options and communicating to an audience: a solutions orientation that reflects my background in journalism, law, writing and converting complex things into simple steps to get them done.

A facility for building, maintaining and leveraging relationships, however, is clearly essential for entrepreneurial success. I have worked on enhancing my relationship building and conflict management skills and I have practiced those skills through pitches to raise money for a business seminar, and chats and information interviews to build my own knowledge and connections within the industry of improving human performance. With a fascination for my chosen field, a solid set of skills, a solutions orientation and a growing network of relationships, I am building the foundations for future entrepreneurial efforts.

REFERENCES

(1) http://ebusiness.byu.edu/biography.php?person=26.

(2) http://www.agilix.com/about.html

(3) http://brainhoney.com/free-accounts/free-account/

(4) http://brainhoney.com/free-accounts/free-account/

(5) http://brainhoney.com/custom/

(6)http://educause.mediasite.com/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=29421747f419474c82268c040956d410  move slider to 36 minute mark

(7) http://www.agilix.com/products.html

(8) http://ebusiness.byu.edu/biography.php?person=26

(9) http://ebusiness.byu.edu/biography.php?person=26

(10) http://www.agilix.com/about.html

(11)http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=60301&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=gxwC&locale=en_US&srchid=c1ad30e2-fd54-4269-b400-78827a1d4f19-0&srchindex=1&srchtotal=81&goback=%2Efps_PBCK_*1_curt_allen_*1_*1_*1_*1_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_1_R_true_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link

(12) http://www.agilix.com/about.html

(13) http://www.agilix.com/about.html

(14) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_M._Christensen

(15) http://mdavidmerrill.com/Resume/resume.htm

(16) http://www.wcit2010.org/speakers/239/Chris%20S.%20Thomas

(17) http://davidwiley.org/

FURTHER RESOURCES

Curt Allen twitter feed

http://twitter.com/#!/curtallen

Venture pitch slidedeck for Agilix growth 2010

Video interview of Curt Allen about Agilix working with Microsoft

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/showcase/details.aspx?uuid=84c9e550-b915-4e75-a773-3f4d12ec51cc

Website for Clayton Christensen, Harvard prof

http://www.claytonchristensen.com/

Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp