Top Private Companies in Massachusetts | 2010

One hundred private East Coast companies were honored at the Harvard Business School this week by AlwaysOn, the leading business media brand networking the Global Silicon Valley.

The AOE100 represent the top emerging companies from the East Coast that are demonstrating significant market traction and pursuing game-changing technologies in the following three areas:

• on-demand computing
• digital media
• greentech

Massachusetts landed 29 companies on the list. Only New York with 31 companies had a stronger East Coast showing. New York is home for this year's overall winner:

Foursquare ... a mobile application that gives you & your friends new ways of exploring your city.

Top Private Companies in Massachusetts

According to AlwaysOn, the top 100 private companies are "taking old notions of doing things and forging solutions that will lead to industry shake-up and huge value-creation opportunities."

If you are looking to join a company that has exceptional growth potential, then check out the 29 Massachusetts-based companies below. The remaining 71 East Coast companies are listed in an AlwaysOn press release.

[NOTE: Hover over company name to view a tooltip summary of that company's value proposition. Click the "in" icon to reveal your LinkedIn connections at that company.]

Consumer Internet

• AuthorsGlobe | Lexington
• Bloson | Cambridge
• CitySquares | Boston
• Goby | Boston
• Viximo | Cambridge
• Where | Boston

Digital Media

• DataXu | Boston

Enabling Tools and Devices

• Invention Machine | Boston
• Pixtronix | Wilmington
• Pubget | Cambridge

Greentech

• Joule Biotechnologies | Cambridge
• Konarka | Lowell
• Oasys Water | Cambridge
• Persistent Power Systems | Boston
• Solasta | Newton
• WiTricity | Watertown

SaaS and Enterprise

• Aprigo | Waltham
• Desktone | Chelmsford
• HubSpot | Cambridge
• Lumigent | Acton
• uTest | Southborough
• WordStream | Boston
• Zmags | Boston
  

Cloud and Infrastructure

• Akorri Networks | Littleton
• CloudSwitch | Burlington
• Leostream | Waltham
• Nasuni | Natick
• Sonian | Needham
• VKernel | Andover

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Job Prospects, Part II | June 2010

Beantown Web offers a two-part series of reports on a projected improvement in hiring prospects for the remainder of 2010:

• Part I | Marketing & Advertising Executive Survey
• Part II | IT HIRE Intelligence Survey

Part II

The 2010 IT HIRE Intelligence Survey reveals that 78 percent of respondents plan to hire IT staff in the next six months.

Hiring managers are most interested in hiring staff with the following experience:

• Applications| 76%
• Infrastructure | 58%
• Project Management | 53%

While not all "applications" positions are Web applications, common skills include programming and databases.

Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston

A survey of job postings at Boston.com has been updated for June and appears in the right-hand column. Many skills are related to "Web Applications" including the following:

#1 SQL | 728 jobs

#3 Java | 463 jobs

#5 SQL Server | 264 jobs

#7 C# | 206 jobs

#14 PHP | 126 jobs

#17 MySQL | 111 jobs

Additional skills to consider developing include Ruby on Rails (RoR). While not in the Top 20 in terms of how frequently these keywords are mentioned in job descriptions, Dice.com reports a shortage of Ruby on Rails developers. Check out the following job opportunities:

#42 Ruby | 36 jobs

#47 Rails | 21 jobs

Job Search Strategy

The 2010 IT HIRE Intelligence Survey asked the following question: "When you are recruiting for technology oriented talent, which of the following methods do you use?" The top three responses were as follows:

• job boards | 87%
• referrals | 81%
• social media (LinkedIn, etc.) | 59%

So, in addition to identifying jobs on job boards, it pays to develop your network of professional contacts using LinkedIn, because hiring managers are actively utilizing referrals and social media tools to find talent.

The 2010 IT HIRE Intelligence Survey was conducted by Monster.com on behalf of Technisource and featured responses from nearly 250 HR managers or recruiters focused on filling technology positions. A detailed summary is available for FREE download.

» Go to Job Prospects, Part I | June 2010

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Job Prospects, Part I | June 2010

Beantown Web offers a two-part series of reports on a projected improvement in hiring prospects for the remainder of 2010.

• Part I | Marketing & Advertising Executive Survey
• Part II | IT HIRE Intelligence Survey

Part I

Marketing and advertising executives plan to bring on new staff during the third quarter. This net six percent increase is reflected as follows:

• increase staff levels | 18%
• decrease staff levels | 12%

The area of expertise most valuable to these executives is . . .

~ Web design/production

Despite the current unemployment picture, 45 percent of respondents said they find it challenging to find skilled professionals to fill these positions.

The Creative Group Hiring Index for Marketing and Advertising Professionals is based on more than 500 telephone interviews with marketing and advertising executives. Details are available in a press release available at The Creative Group website.

Top 20 Web Technologies in Boston

A survey of job postings at Boston.com has been updated for June and appears in the right-hand column. The skills most closely related to "Web design/production" include the following:

#6 JavaScript | 254 jobs

#11 HTML + CSS | 147 jobs

#16 Flash | 112 jobs

#18 Photoshop | 110 jobs

Web designers who focus on developing these four technology skills -- and proactively market themselves to marketing and advertising executives -- will likely to be presented with career opportunities over the next three months as these executives begin looking for creative talent.

» Go to Job Prospects, Part II | June 2010

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Web Innovators Group | WebInno26

If you are interested in previewing the latest innovations on the Internet and mobile devices, and networking with industry leaders, then check out the next gathering of the Web Innovators Group.

This 26th installment (WebInno26) will feature the following presentations:

Main Dishes

• Chargify | simplifies recurring billing for Web 2.0 and SaaS companies


• Milabra | a pioneer in leveraging proprietary visual recognition technology for commercial purposes


• Doink | a place to enjoy art and animation, and make your own

Side Dishes

• Open Exchange Communications | the world's most advanced financial services meeting network


• Trustmarker | digital badges with certificates used by websites to display certifications, affiliations, distinctions, and positions


• Manpacks | provides a flexible subscription for your underwear, shirts and socks


• JitterJam | helps your business capture relevant conversations on the real-time web and turn them into lasting and trusted customer relationships


• BirchBox | a monthly gift filled with an edited assortment of the hottest samples from the beauty brands you love


• RelayRides | allows people to borrow cars from car owners directly in their neighborhood

Event Details

Monday, June 14, 2010, 6:30 pm

Royal Sonesta Cambridge

Registration is FREE and the networking could prove invaluable! Check out the Attendee List of hundreds of pre-registrants to determine if this networking event is right for you.

Registrants are encouraged to join the Boston Web Innovators Group on LinkedIn and connect with more than 1,300 members.

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MITX Technology Awards | 2010

Forty-nine New England companies were honored at the 7th Annual MITX Technology Awards earlier this month. They were recognized for their innovative development of up-and-coming technologies in the digital space. The ceremony was attended by 350 industry professionals.

The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) is the region’s premier professional organization for the Internet business and marketing industry.

MITX Technology Award Finalists

Listed below are the 49 companies honored at this year's ceremony.

[NOTE: Hover over company name to view a tooltip summary of that company's mission. Click the "in" icon to reveal your LinkedIn connections at that company.]

• Awareness, Inc. | Burlington
• Baydin, Inc. | Boston
• Big Room Studios | Portland, ME
• Brainshark | Waltham
• Brightcove | Cambridge
• BuySellAds.com, Inc. | Cambridge
• CashStar, Inc. | Portland, ME
• City of Boston | Boston
• Conduit Labs | Cambridge
• Copanion, Inc. | Andover
• Daily Grommet | Lexington
• DataXu | Boston
• Dexrex Gear | Cambridge
• Direxxis | Needham
• en-Gauge, Inc. | Rockland
• Episend, Inc. | Watertown
• FashionPlaytes | Salem
• FitnessKeeper, Inc. | Boston
• Gemvara, Inc. | Lexington
• Gotuit | Woburn
• ITA Software | Cambridge
• JitterJam | Bedford, NH
• Kanguru Solutions | Millis
• LineSider Technologies | Danvers
• Litl, LLC | Boston
• Localytics | Cambridge
• MediaFriends, Inc. | Woburn
• Modiv Media, Inc. | Quincy
• Mzinga | Waltham
• Nasuni | Natick
• Netezza | Marlborough
• Nexage | Waltham
• Panjiva | Cambridge
• RAMP | Woburn
• RatePoint, Inc. | Needham
• Searchandise Commerce | Beverly
• Spring Partners | Charlestown
  
• Sproxil, Inc. | Somerville
• StylePath, Inc. | Lincoln
• Tangoe, Inc. | Orange, CT
• Tervela | Acton
• TravelBrains | Bedford, NH
• Unica | Waltham
  
• Vertica Systems, Inc. | Billerica
• Viewfinity | Waltham
• VisibleGains | Waltham
• Where, Inc. | Boston
• Wistia | Lexington
• Zipcar, Inc. | Cambridge

A press release reveals the winners and provides additional details.

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