A year after winning the Technology Association of Georgia’s 2013 Business Launch Competition, Techturized  has made strides in securing its mobile application’s success as the leading one-stop technology solution offering hair care content to women of color.  In just a year, the company has successfully launched its app, Myavana, on both iOS and Android, secured strategic partnerships, obtained national press and closed on their first client for consumer data.

Their winning product was renamed Myavana—reflecting their mission of sisters helping sisters achieve hair nirvana.  Co-founders Chanel Martin and Candace Mitchell also changed their product strategy from web to mobile after realizing that women wanted “on-the-go” access to hair content.  Since its launch, the app has experienced a 200% increase in user growth and has a solid 5 star rating in Apple’s App Store.  “This is a fantastic app! I have so much more fun with my hair now!” exclaims one reviewer, while another mimics the purpose of the app by stating, “Finally something that can help me with my styles and learn how to deal with the day to day hair challenges I face.”

Techturized has provided value by partnering with two prominent Buckhead salons validating the stylist model for client generation.  In addition to partnerships, the company also tested its ability to use event based marketing in the Miss Naturally Crowned Carolina Pageant where attendees voted on their favorite contestant through the app.  This experiment modeled how large scale events could utilize the app to engage patrons; and with Atlanta hosting 100,000’s of women yearly for hair shows and events—the company couldn’t be in a better place.

Despite early advice that it would take years for Myavana to realize a consumer data revenue stream, Techturized has also managed to close on its first client for customer data utilizing its growing user base.  Lastly, Martin and Mitchell have obtained national press across a plethora of both print and online publications including; Black Enterprise, Business Insider, Essence, Atlanta’s own Jezebel and MSNBC.   They feel fortunate to have won last year’s TAG competition, and look forward to the continued growth of Techturized and the Atlanta Startup ecosystem.

Since it was founded in 2006, the TAG Business Launch Competition has become one of largest competitions of its kind in the United States, providing $500,000 in cash and over $1,500,000 in donated services to more than 200 young entrepreneurs. Applicants are screened by an experienced panel of entrepreneurs and the most promising companies are assigned a mentor for the duration of the competition.  Representatives from out-of-state venture capital companies sit on the judge’s panel and a multitude of angel and venture capital investors attend the final event. 

For more information about the  the TAG Business Launch Competition visit: http://www.tagonline.org/events/businesslaunch .