Company: Indigo Interactive, Schaumburg, IL, USA
Company Description: Indigo Interactive creates accreditation management system solutions for accrediting agencies, including dynamic web applications and custom software. We are a minority and women-owned business.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Startup of the Year - Business Products Industries

Nomination Title: Indigo Interactive

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated organization since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words). Begin this section with the date since July 1 2013 on which this organization began operations: TEXT REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION

Indigo Interactive is a minority and woman-owned business that is pushing the standard of education into the digital age. Few technologies are shaping the higher-ed market and to date, not one offers user-friendly and affordable solutions to manage data and ensure quality in the education sector. Our primary achievement in 2014 has been bringing the first-ever SaaS (subscription-based) model to this industry.

Our predominant customers, accreditation agencies, use a distinct process which relies heavily on an inefficient manual process using paper documents and excel sheets to carry out business. They are also unable to mine data, and their staff is forced to run their own queries using MS Excel formulas or MS Access. We offer a unique solution towards not only updating accreditation agency’s technology, but providing excellent customer service with customized services.

One major achievement this year is the development of the Jura Platform, the first Saas Model specific to the accreditation industry. It's designed to meet business challenges associated with implementing customized accreditation management systems. Each module is fully tailored to work with one another and with clients existing systems. We have developed nearly 20 modules. Some key features: subscription based, reduced need for staff support, data collection and business intelligence, automates processes, and increased revenue.

We have also been successful in building a productive and enthusiastic team that shares the same vision for success, which has contributed significantly to our growth. In 2014 our CEO realized the full stack development team we started with was not working out as she had envisioned. Serious changes were made. Since then we’ve had 9 new hires and developed an internship program (currently 7 students). There has been a significant office expansion that is still in progress to accommodate our growing team. These changes have enabled us to expand our services to include website design and development. While turnover is generally viewed as detrimental, in our case it increased morale with our top performing staff and helped to propel the growth of the company. Since 2014 we have secured five new projects as well as three new clients.

From design and development to configuration and customization, our team of technologists has more than 50 years of experience to create custom software and provide data-driven applications that allow our clients to more efficiently process information and draw more intuitive conclusions.

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated company (up to 125 words):

Helen is a gifted technologist who has been providing clients with custom software development, workflow automation and user experience guidance for nearly two decades. She is a firm believer in empowering all employees to innovate and contribute to the advancement of business objectives through technology.

In addition to speaking engagements and panel discussions, Helen is active on several school advisory boards regarding digital curricula. She is nationally recognized in the retail and education industry as a technology expert.

Helen takes great pride in working with nonprofits that encourage young girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As a mother, Helen also enjoys collaborating and sharing advice with other entrepreneurial moms on how to strike a healthy balance between life and work.

Choose one (even if both apply):

The CEO (or other principal manager) of this company is a woman, and at least 40% of the management team is comprised of women.