by Lisa Devaney | 19 Aug, 2014 | haimediagroup, Startup Spotlight
Since the rise of Instagram, photo apps have become all the rage! However, to move away from the mainstream — Trunx is definitely a relatively new photo storage app to shout about.
Hai Media Group had the opportunity to interview Trunx’s Marketing VP, Sandra Ponce de Leon, here’s what she had to say:
What is Trunx?
Trunx is a photo storage app that allows its users to snap, organise and store all their photos in a safe, private and secure storage vault for an unlimited amount of time.
The app works to free up storage on your smart device by uploading all of your photograph’s to Trunx’s secure cloud – allowing anytime, anywhere access to all your photographs and at your fingertips.
Users no longer need to worry about their device’s memory, as Trunx acts as built-in app storage vault.
How does SharedPix work?
This feature lets users share their photos with friends and family privately. And participants in the album are be able to view a live feed of photographs which the Album owner has shared.
Why Trunx? Where did the inspiration behind such a creative app spring from?
Jeff Chen
Jeff Chen is really the visionary behind the company – as an experienced entrepreneur and founder, he is always looking for imaginative solutions to problems.
He realized that his visual legacy was scattered on everything from digital cameras to social networks to mobile phones to old thumb drives and decided he needed one place where he could have access to every photo he ever took in a way that was very easy to find.
Given his experience with Maxthon – the worlds 6ths largest cloud based browser – he knew the answer was in the cloud. And thus came the idea for Trunx.
If you could give an elevator pitch to a prospective Trunx user what would you say?
Trunx is your entire photo collection accessible at your fingertips. Every photo you’ve ever taken – on your phone, your camera, etc. – without the hassle of multiple devices or services. Forget which hard drive that photo of your daughter on her first birthday is on? No worries, Trunx has you covered.
It looks like you have a number of great features that set you apart from other apps out there. Can you tell us what the top differences are from other photo apps? And, what sets you apart from the giant Instagram?
Our mission is to be the world’s largest visual memory bank. In order to fulfill on that promise, we have a commitment to our core values of trust, security, privacy, safety and ease of use which are embedded into the product itself.
We take the security of our users’ memories very seriously and use encryption on both the transmission and storage of data. We also have a hybrid cloud infrastructure in place that further protects our user’s precious memories.
Unlike Instagram, we focus on organization, storage and accessibility of your entire visual life. That said, not ALL of your photos are meant for sharing – some are private and meant only for you, or just a small group.
We have SharedPix which is a collaborative photo album for just sharing with friends and family. One perfect use-case might be a girls trip among friends that all took pictures on their phones and want to share, but at the same time don’t want to have those bikini pictures ending up on Facebook.
Other differences include our EchoPix feature which allows users to capture photos with sound, as well as the fact that we are offering unlimited storage until the end of September.
On average, how many users does Trunx get per month? Can you share this information with us at this time? Or, give a monthly average of downloads?
We’re not disclosing numbers at the moment but we’ve been growing at a steady and rapid rate – we’re very pleased with our progress.
Which tools did you use to help maximise Trunx’s user-outreach?
We’re big fans of SurveyMonkey which we use to send out surveys to our customers on a regular basis in order to find out what they love about Trunx and what kinds of features they’d like us to develop in the future. Mailchimp is our email platform, and of course we use social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr.
We also leverage our own product using SharedPix as a way to get the word out – we’ve been creating shared community of photo albums at a variety of events and festivals like Macworld, SF JazzFest, Outsidelands and others. We are also currently hosting a SharedPix contest called Share the Peace where we’re asking friends of Trunx to submit their pictures with a peace sign – one of our mascot Max’s favorite signs!
If you could give three top tips to an aspiring an entrepreneur with a BIG idea, what would they be?
1) Find the pain point first: what is the problem you are trying to resolve? Look at it from every angle and be meticulous in your examination. Once you have that you can verify whether these pains exist across a broader market.
2) Staying small and scrappy forces you to be creative and resourceful: it is always good to keep that mindset regardless of the funding situation – a lot can be done with a little!
3) Talk to your customers and prospective customers regularly and religiously. Not only do they provide great insight – i.e. just because it makes sense to you, does not mean your users will get it.
The only way to find out is to conduct testing and observe. It is critical to develop a relationship with your customers early on and bring them into your product and brand conversations. This makes for a valuable and dedicated user base that feels invested in your product and team
What future plans do you have for the company?
Our plans are to continue to develop the product and grow our user base. We have some exciting changes coming soon to Trunx that we can’t wait to unveil. As mentioned previously, our goal is be the world’s biggest memory bank, and we still have a lot of work to do to be able to fulfill that promise.
How do you see Trunx achieving them?
We’re committed staying in constant contact with our users and keeping them in the loop on new features we are developing as well as company direction. Following our own advice – we’re small and scrappy and need to be creative and unique to stand apart.
Can you give us a little background on your status as a startup? When were you founded? Who have you gotten investment from and how much? Please share what you choose with us on this front.
Lifetime Memori Inc, Trunx’s parent brand was founded in 2013 by Jeff Chen and Jay Shen. We are self-funded right now with no plans in the near future to take on any investments although that could change. Right now our focus is fully on our customers and making a beautiful, useful product that people love.
By: Miamii Mansour
by Lisa Devaney | 27 May, 2014 | News
We are looking for an intern to work alongside Hai Media Group’s founder and Director Lisa Devaney this summer.
Hai Media GroupDevaney this summer.
Our intern will get stuck in with the world of PR for tech startups in London’s Tech City. With Devaney’s tutoring, our intern will gain insight to setting up and running campaigns, using social media for B2B, conducting media relations, and more.
Let Summer 2014 ROCK for your career and get in touch. Previous interns have gone on to secure excellent positions in the field of public relations and social media.
Please send a CV, or link to your video CV to: lisa@haimediagroup.com
What are we looking for?
INTEREST
- Interest in public relations and social media. Desire to pursue a career in this field.
- Interest in creative agency work where you will need to juggle a variety of clients and projects.
- Interest in the tech startup industry of London’s Tech City.
EXPERIENCE
- You have basic knowledge and are using social and online media appropriately, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Vine, YouTube, Quora, Tumblr…and more!
- You know how to blog, and how to use WordPress.
- You have a good sense of the media landscape for technology outlets and you know the top trends happening in technology.
- You will have interest in books, ebooks and the process of self-publishing.
REQUIREMENTS
- This is a part-time/flex role looking for you to work remotely from 1-3 hours each weekday.
- You will need access to your own laptop and phone.
- There will be occasional networking events to attend in London.
This internship will be very hands-on and you will not just be answering phones or making coffee. You will leave this internship with the experience and references you need to seek out a fulltime role.
by Lisa Devaney | 23 Dec, 2010 | News
Hai Media Group had a busy and productive year in 2010. In fact, we were so busy that we didn’t really have time to update this website. The year was spent helping clients with PR campaigns, blogging, guest lecturing, and getting out to a lot of industry events.
So, here is a rundown of what we got up to and highlights of the success we’ve had:
HipLogic
http://www.hiplogic.com
Representing HipLogic, a rising star mobile technology company in Silicon Valley that is in-part funded by Benchmark Partners, the same investors who fund Twitter, we promoted news announcements, and helped build up awareness for the brand in Europe.
*Spark
HipLogic has figured out a better way to help people access social media and information content on your mobile phone. They offer a free application called *Spark that connects you with Twitter, Facebook as well as news, entertainment, weather updates and shopping deals from Groupon. The application can be personalized, allowing you to mash-up the information you are receiving on your handset, selecting what you want to receive, or want to skip.
For *Spark, we first got excitement going for the beta period, in which 100K people downloaded and tested out the app. The beta version of *Spark was featured in Stuff UK, among other outlets.
We launched the full release version of *Spark in December, handling press relations in Europe. Top coverage included a review in The Sunday Times ingear section, an upcoming feature in T3 magazine, and attention from top industry blogs including Allaboutsymbian.com, Androidguys.com, Mobile Marketing Magazine, Mobile Entertainment, GoMo News, and many more.
You can download *Spark for your Android or Symbian handset from the Android Market, Nokia’s Ovi store, GetJar, or from here:
http://www.sparkmyphone.com
Press was particularly interested in HipLogic’s new alliance with Groupon, which is the first of its kind between the massive deals company and a mobile application developer. In the UK, *Spark is the best way to get Groupon deals on your Android phone.
Earlier this year we also announced HipLogic’s partnership with The Carphone Warehouse, and secured attention for this partnership across mobile industry blogs, including an analysis by influential blogger Ajit Jaokar who writes the Open Gardens blog.
Robots & Avatars
http://www.robotsandavatars.net
Hai Media Group represented Robots & Avatars, a programme of events and educational activities. It is designed to explore how young people will work and play with new representational forms of virtual and physical life in 10-15 years time. As part of the programme, debates on topics of the Future World of Work and Behavior and Ethics have been held in London, with leading robotic industry experts and academics. The debates can be viewed on the Robots & Avatars website.
Schools throughout the UK are booking learning experiences offered by Robots & Avatars, with the team coming into classrooms to present interactive lectures on how to build and use avatars, and discussion about career opportunities in the field of robotics.
Robots & Avatars is funded by NESTA, and founded by the art and technology collective body>data>space.
We secured attention for the programme with the BBC Outriders, T3 magazine, The Hackney Gazette and a number of educational outlets and blogs covering technology and robotics. We were particularly excited about the T3 magazine feature, a full page article in the December 2010 issue, offering an interview with Robots & Avatars founder Ghislaine Boddington.
Vodafone Mobile Clicks 2010
http://www.vodafonemobileclicks.com
We promoted the second annual Vodafone Mobile Clicks competition, a search for the best, most innovative mobile internet start-ups in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. This year’s competition saw more entries and received extensive media coverage across Europe. The first place winner was Cardmobili, who received €100,000. Second place was awarded to Roulette Cricket, who won €50,000.
We teamed up with Mobile Monday London and mobile expert Helen Keegan to work with Vodafone in promoting this major contest for European mobile technology start-ups.
StreetSpark
http://www.streetspark.com
StreetSpark is a mobile application that 50K+ people are using in London to meet other likeminded singles. The app uses your phone’s mobile GPS system to locate available people in your immediate area who have similar interests. Unlike other mobile dating apps, this sophisticated technology can match you with others who share your taste in music, food, entertainment and culture.
Top media attention we secured for StreetSpark appeared in Stuff UK, Cosmopolitan, Londonist.com, UrbanDaddy.com, Telecom TV, and more.
Pinnacle PR
http://www.pinnaclepr.net
Hai Media Group’s Director Lisa Devaney continued serving as a trainer for Pinnacle PR, teaching public relations professionals from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the tips and tricks of PR 2.0. In a full-day course, she teaches how Web technologies, including social media and blogging, can be integrated into promotional campaigns. This year she travelled to Brussels several times and to Berlin, where she trained public relations managers from across Europe preparing to promote European Mobility Week.
Over the Air
http://overtheair.org/blog
Hai Media Group’s Director Lisa Devaney hosted a DIY PR Workshop at the Over the Air mobile developers event in London, along with technology public relations star Lauren MacGregor. About 30 attendants provided positive feedback about the workshop, that showed how to promote your mobile application or service with low cost, creative planning and tactics.
Blogging for BrandRepublic
Lisa Devaney continued contributing blog posts to BrandRepublic magazine, where she has been a guest blogger for about three years now. The magazine launched its new social media blog The Wall Blog, and one post drew significant attention from across Europe and America, discussing how PRs are feeling like social media is being dumped on them:
http://wallblog.co.uk/2010/11/04/stop-dumping-soical-media-on-your-pr
Devaney was also invited to be a delegate, as a blogger and technology industry advocate in London, to an event called Innovation Future hosted by UK Trade & Investment, where Prime Minister David Cameron announced his intentions to have the government support creation of a new Silicon Valley in East London:
http://wallblog.co.uk/2010/11/09/american-insight-to-how-east-london-can-be-the-new-silicon-valley
Ark
Throughout 2010, we collaborated with Joan Smith, of Clarendon Media, a cross-platform media expert, to develop a transmedia entertainment property. We explored how to use the online medium to tell an eco-sci-fi story about humanity living on the brink of climate change. Ark is set 30 years in the future, and is under development to be told across Facebook, as a eco-survivalist game, in a book, and to be pitched as a TV programme.
A special thanks!
This year we also want to say thank you to the talented folks who pitched in to help from time to time.
Thank you Jocelyn Brandeis, our PR associate in New York City who supported USA outreach efforts.
Thank you Mary Epworth who is showing a real knack for technology PR, in addition to being a beautiful and talented singer and songwriter.
Thank you Katerina Hejralova for help and support in 2010, who has gone on to start a promising career with London agencies specializing in PR 2.0.
Thank you Kinura for ongoing help with maintaining the Hai Media Group website.
Looking ahead, the new year promises to be busy and packed with a variety of opportunities. If you are interested in working with Hai Media Group in 2011 contact Lisa Devaney at: lisa AT haimediagroup DOT com
You can also follow Lisa Devaney on Twitter at @lisadevaney
by Lisa Devaney | 10 Aug, 2009 | News
Hai Media Group’s Director Lisa Devaney is now a trainer with Pinnacle PR, the world’s largest specialised international public relations training company, offering introductory and advanced seminars in public affairs, media relations, crisis communications, event organisation and more.
Devaney is offering full and half day seminars for PR 2.0 training, helping participants from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, understand how to approach and use the Web for public relations campaigns. Her course is influenced by the teachings of Brian Solis, Beth Harte and other leading PR 2.0 professionals. The course looks at the pros and cons of online communications and provides strategic insight for “future-proofing” business communications. The course also provides instruction on using online tools, finding resources, as well as basic skills training for using social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin for business.
As millions of people increasingly use the Internet to communicate, businesses are looking to craft appropriate ways of connecting with key stakeholder audiences online, and looking to experienced online communicators to avoid pitfalls. As of summer 2009, more than 250 million people are members of Facebook, and more than 33 million are using Twitter, two of the most popular social networking sites. Devaney shares case studies with course participants, taking a look at some of the blunders, as well as the successes, companies are currently having online.
Pinnacle PR has attractive training facilities in London, Brussels, Dubai and Bahrain, and each location is fully equipped for presentations, and media relations on-camera training. Seminars are kept to a limited size to create an engaged learning environment, with participants asking questions throughout the courses. The seminars include hands-on workshop sessions that put new skills into action, and best prepare participants for real world public relations issues. All of Pinnacle PR’s trainers are senior public relations professionals, who have real world working experience, and continue to work in the industry.
Contact Pinnacle PR, to book a training seminar.
by Lisa Devaney | 9 Jun, 2009 | News
Hai Media Group led efforts in the UK to launch Skyfire’s new 1.0 version, a milestone that took the popular smartphone mobile browser out of a successful beta period that attracted 1 million participants. Working with USA media partner VSC Consulting, the news earned attention from numerous mainstream media outlets, popular blogs and Skyfire became a popular topic on Twitter.
Prior to the debut of Skyfire’s version 1.0, on May 27, 2009, The New York Times named it to be “App of the Week” in the blog Gadgetwise. In the UK, bloggers and mobile experts raved about the service, saying:
“You see, Skyfire isn’t a ‘proper’ browser, more of a content viewer, with all the serious processing handled by the company’s proxy servers, the pages then being ‘rendered’ onto your phone. Just like the Opera browser in fact, but with more whistles, bells and streaming video.” – T3’s David Walker
“The release brings with it a host of improvements, such as improved navigation, zooming and interaction and a faster launch, lower power consumption, and new search functionality. Also, while the new version of the browser starts up, you can begin typing URLs or search queries into the box at the top, saving time. The company is operating a closed alpha for the BlackBerry platform, so that’ll likely be next for release.” –Pocket-lint.com’s Duncan Geere
“Their browser is fast and responsive, and Skyfire’s goal is to give a faithful representation of web pages that is equivalent to the desktop browsing experience. One important focus for Skyfire is in the area of video rendering… Skyfire’s approach is to introduce their own video-crunching servers between, say, YouTube and your Nokia N95. These servers take full Flash (Flash 10) and then video transcode the signal in real-time, giving a lower frame rate (8 frames per second), and a smaller screen rendering for mobile. The result is that the Skyfire browser can render an original YouTube page or Vimeo page, or even blogs with embedded video, so that you have access to the entire video catalogue, live on line.” –Martyn Davies, The Really Mobile Project
Watch The Phones Show for an interview with Skyfire’s VP of Business Development Raj Singh, offer extra insight to the browser’s features and hints of what’s to come.
Other UK coverage included:
FT.com
AllAboutSymbian.com
Zdnet.co.uk
Tech Radar UK
Pocketpicks.co.uk
Trustedreviews.com
Phonesreview.co.uk
Yahoo News UK
VNUnet.com
MobileMarketingMagazine.co.uk
Pocket-lint.com
The Really Mobile Project
Rethink-Wireless
GoMoNews.com
AlexKinch.com
Mashable
