Company: 6sense, San Francisco, CA, USA
Entry Submitted By:104 West Partners
Company Description:6sense is a B2B predictive intelligence engine for marketing and sales. 6sense predicts what products prospects will buy, how much they will buy, and when.
Nomination Category:Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category:Most Innovative Company of the Year – More Than 10 Employees

Nomination Title:Rapt Media

Describe for the judges the innovations and accomplishments of the nominated organization since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words): TEXT REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION

Rapt Media has created the only interactive storytelling technology, combining personalized narrative with unparalleled data integration. Our HTML5, mobile-native video platform gives you the power to intrigue, turning viewers into participants and engagement into real insights. No other brand has attempted to bridge the technical, data-driven side with the creative, emotional possibilities of interactive video.

Rapt Media has 50+ active, high-profile media companies, agencies, and brands as customers. A few of these customers include Warner Bros, HBO, Conde Nast Entertainment, Maybelline, Deloitte, and Anheuser Busch.

Within the past year, Rapt Media has had many achievements. In August of 2014, Rapt Media closed $3.1M in venture financing led by Boulder Ventures, making their total funding received $8.2M. They were announced as a Mashies Award finalist in October 2014. And in December of 2014, Ogilvy renewed their contract with Rapt Media for a second year of their Philips interactive video campaign. Ogilvy used Rapt Media to create the Philips’ “Designed to Play” campaign. One guy, six beards and 1,000+ possibilities. Philips’ goal was to reach millennial men via their mobile devices. The results were even more impressive than Ogilvy had imagined. Across all of our customers, the results include increased mobile reach, more meaningful engagement, deeper insights and conversions.

Thorsten Rühlemann, Worldwide Managing Partner at Ogilvy Duesseldorf stated, “We’re thrilled that we were able to create the world’s first mobile-enabled interactive video experience with Rapt Media, and even more thrilled that this campaign won a silver European Effie.”

Just in 2015 so far, Rapt Media has had many milestones to make them the most innovative company in the video industry. In January, Findly, the leader in recruitment, produced an interactive video with Rapt Media for NYPD, winning them a top Recruitment Advertising award. In February, Havas People and Anheuser Busch won a RAD award for its interactive recruitment video campaign called “A Taste of AB InBev,” which is powered by Rapt Media’s interactive video storytelling platform. The campaign was a point-of-view video that allowed potential candidates to see first-hand what the culture of the firm is and to see if they are a match.

In March, Rapt Media began a partnership with Conde Nast Entertainment. Conde Nast is leading creatively in digital-first innovation and by adding Rapt Media’s expertise in interactivity to their native advertising and episodic programming, they are helping them further elevate their brands to reach important digital audiences. Also, Rapt Media was granted an iPhone patent that allows users to add clickable elements to iPhone devices, without downloading an app. It allows interactive videos to play natively in iPhone browsers Safari and Chrome.

In March of 2015 Rapt Media launched “Storytelling 2.0,” a first-of-its-kind interactive video series, which allows users to interact with a behind-the-scenes view of how Rapt Media, its customers and its partners are using interactive video for their own marketing efforts. With each episode, viewers dive deeper into understanding the “next wave of storytelling” by interacting with the technology itself.

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

Erika Trautman, founder of Rapt Media is passionate about the evolution of online storytelling. With successful careers as a writer, producer, editor, and director, she understands the importance of story in any communication, yet has been disappointed with online video's inability to rise to its potential.

Erika has built a business that is positioned at the top of emerging video technologies, shared the stage with tech leaders like Sheryl Sandberg, and solidified partnerships with powerhouse companies in media, top-tier brands, agencies, and Fortune 500 enterprises.

Prior to Rapt Media, Erika founded and ran an Emmy Award Winning Production company, Outlier Films, and worked as an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her work has aired on major networks, cable and PBS, and been shown at various film festivals.

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.