Techstars Atlanta: Get to Know LaaSer

Techstars Atlanta, in partnership with Cox Enterprises, selected 10 companies to participate in the program's 2016 class. Applications for the 10 coveted spots came from around the globe, including 69 countries and six continents.

LaaSer is one of the 10 participants. Thousands of lives are lost each year due to incorrect location information being sent to 911 operators over existing mobile phone network technology. Calls are often routed to the wrong jurisdiction, address and latitude and longitude information are often wrong or not provided at all, and people lose their lives or suffer more than they had to as a result. Our company and our products were created for the sole purpose of solving this problem.

Get to know the LaaSer team.

What excites you about Techstars?

The robust power of the network of Techstars alumni and mentors, the Techstars reputation, and the chance to learn from the best people how to build a successful startup were all very exciting for us.  Add the local Atlanta element and Cox’s involvement, and it was a no brainer.

How did you hear about Techstars?

We heard about Techstars years ago but learned of the Atlanta class when it was first announced that Cox would be partnering with them. We heard more from Michael Cohn, Techstars Atlanta’s managing director.

What do you hope to learn/take away from Techstars Atlanta?

We hope to learn how to take something from the ground up, all the way to a successful company - all along learning if/when to take on additional financing, how to respond to acquisition offers, how to deal with companies much larger than ours, etc.

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

We were working on similar issues around VOIP and E911 and saw a USA Today piece about an Atlanta-area death directly related to these issues and said “How is this still a problem in today’s world of advanced mobile devices” and then “If we can fix this problem, we have a moral obligation to do so,” and LaaSer was born.

Are there any entrepreneurs or business leaders who inspire you?

Gary Vaynerchuk for his dedication and pure hustle; Eric Ries because we love the lean startup concept

What did you know about Atlanta before relocating for the program?

2 of us are Atlanta residents! Jon was even born here at Piedmont Hospital.

What’s the one piece of technology or app that you can’t live without?

Google maps - I use it on the way to and from work every day because it does such a good job of being traffic-aware and routing me around big messes.

What city was the location of your company’s founding?

Simultaneously Atlanta and Ft Lauderdale. Our founding team is split between the cities, and much like our growth since founding, pretty much everything happens in both places.

Who can use your product?

Anyone with a mobile device who is in an emergency, and every emergency call center

Located at Ponce City Market, Techstars Atlanta provides 90 days of rapid acceleration to boost entrepreneurs’ early stage business and product development efforts through focused education, mentorship and funding.

Techstars is a global ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market wherever they choose to live. With dozens of mentorship-driven accelerator programs and thousands of community programs worldwide, Techstars exists to support the world's most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey, from inspiration to IPO. Techstars provides access to tens of thousands of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners, allowing entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation and do more faster.