Bloomfire is a software-as-a-service company based in Austin, Texas. The business creates web-based software applications that aim to increase virtual knowledge-and-insights-sharing in the workplace.[1] It was founded in 2010 by Josh Little,[2] and originally headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.[3] The company is now headquartered in Austin, Texas and is backed by investors such as Austin Ventures.[4] The current CEO is Ben Little.
Overview
Bloomfire products allow companies to share and search for information, insights, and research on a web-based application platform.[5] The software application "Bloomfire", launched in 2012, allows users to create team communities where people can post questions and answers, add or create new content, and search or browse existing content. The software aims to increase accessibility to information within a company so employees have the knowledge they need to work efficiently.[6] The application can be accessed from a device connected to the internet.
Bloomfire supports 53 file types, and content can be uploaded in the form of videos, audio files, images, slide decks, or text documents.[1][7] The platform also has automatic video and audio transcription capabilities and makes the text of its transcripts searchable.[8]
The application is available for an annual fee, and the company has several hundred customers.[citation needed] Bloomfire provides software for companies such as Capital One, Southwest Airlines, and Conagra.[7][6] Bloomfire targets its Bloomfire software towards insights and market research, customer support, sales, and marketing teams, but it also applies to other business domains. Users have access to phone and email support, as well as online support.[6]
History
The previous CEO of Bloomfire, Craig Malloy, had an 18-year career in videoconferencing before buying Bloomfire in 2010 with Co-Founder David Mccann.[7]
The current CEO is Mark Hammer, who has been with the company since 2014.[9] Hammer has more than 20 years of experience in leadership with software companies and has previously held senior management roles at SmartBear Software, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Compass Learning.[9]
Awards and recognition
In 2012, Bersin & Associates named Bloomfire in their Learning Leaders Winners in the Vendor Innovation in Learning and Talent Management: Informal Category.[10] In 2012, Bloomfire was named a Brandon Hall Gold Award winner for Best Advance in Social Learning Technology.[11]
Bloomfire received a Brandon Hall Gold Award for Excellence in Technology in 2015. Bloomfire also received a Bronze Stevie Award in 2017 for Sales & Customer Service and a Silver Stevie Award in 2018 for Sales & Customer Service.[12][13] The company was also named to the Austin Business Journal's list of Best Places to Work in 2015, 2016, and 2018.[14][15] In 2017, Bloomfire's CFO, Bill Tole, received the Austin Business Journal's Best CFO Award.[16]
References
- ^ a b Novet, Jordan. "Bloomfire nets $8M, adds features to its SaaS for sharing knowledge". Gigaom. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ Allred, Cathy (May 15, 2012). "Little's Bloomfire ablaze in its industry". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Calnan, Christopher. "Downtown Austin: The place to be for techies". Austin Business Journal. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ Hawkins, Lori. "Two new deals add to early rush of venture funding for Austin companies". Statesman.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ Petrocelli, Tom. "How to make social collaboration features more meaningful". CMS Wire. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ a b c Rakesh, Sharma. "An Innovative Approach to Knowledge Sharing – a review of Bloomfire". GetApp. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ a b c Hawkins, Lori. "Austin-based Bloomfire raises $8 million to expand its business". Statesman.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ "Video transcription and search from Bloomfire". www.kmworld.com. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ a b Jacobson, Madeline. "Bloomfire names Mark Hammer as CEO". Cision PR Web. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ "Bersin & Associates Announces the 2012 Learning Leaders ™ Winner and Complimentary Research Report Showcasing Strategies for Success". Reuters Online. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ "2012 Excellence Awards". Brandon Hall Group. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ "2018 Stevie® Award Winners | Stevie Awards". stevieawards.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "2017 Stevie® Award Winners | Stevie Awards". stevieawards.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "The Best Places to Work in 2016 — the winners, how they rank and what makes them so cool". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "The results are in: Here are Austin's Best Places to Work for 2018". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ "Best CFOs 2017: Bill Tole of Bloomfire stays on top of his game by keeping an open mind". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
Further reading
- Gazette, Photo courtesy Kalamazoo (March 5, 2010). "Powering social learning: Bloomfire formalizes informal learning for companies". MLive.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
