Birdeez Blog » UCSB

Technology Management Program to Offer Master’s Degree! – PacBizTimes

Jeff Simeon — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:06:12 +0000

We feel honored to be included as one of the companies launched by UCSB’s Technology Management Program. We wish them luck with their new Master’s Program!

Read all about it on Pacific Coast Business Times.

Birdeez a “Feather in the Cap” – UCSB’s Technology Management Program

Jeff Simeon — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:57:17 +0000

We’re very excited for the future of the Technology Management Program (TMP) at UCSB. They are now going to be offering Master’s Degrees, and they gave us a shout out in their announcement:

Joined onstage by a live falcon to help prove their product, the team of UC Santa Barbara alumni behind bird-identification app Birdeez took a top award at last fall’s DEMO conference, a prestigious Silicon Valley pitch competition.

So landed another proverbial feather in the cap of UCSB’s Technology Management Program (TMP). The Birdeez group –– at the time still students –– won TMP’s New Venture Competition mere months earlier, earning acclaim and cash to go with their potentially viable business. Future TMP-bred winners of the popular campus start-up contest may walk away with another prize still: a master’s degree.

Read the rest about this innovative program that launched Birdeez on UCSB’s Website, or the Santa Barbara Independent.

UCSB Grads Create Winning App Birdeez – SB Independent

Jeff Simeon — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:34:28 +0000

Emiyl Carlson at the Santa Barbara Independent did a great write up about the team at Birdeez and our origin through UCSB. Our company is EcoLek, but for now we’re focusing bringing disruptive change to the birding market.

Their first project: an intuitive smartphone app that allows you to describe, identify, and catalog any and all bird sightings in your area, appropriately named Birdeez.

Read the rest on Santa Barbara Independent’s “For the Birds”.

Thomas Kuo ECE Ph.D. and DEMOgod – UCSB

Jeff Simeon — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:34:08 +0000

Thomas got a great shout out today from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) at UCSB. And why shouldn’t he? He’s finishing excellent research in computer vision AND winning DEMOgod awards with us at Birdeez.

A team of UC Santa Barbara students including ECE Ph.D. student, Thomas Kuo, has landed a DEMOgod award for their app “Birdeez” at the DEMO, The Launchpad for Emerging Technology and Trends, Fall 2012 competition.

Read the rest on UCSB’s ECE website.

New Venture Wonder Team Wins Big at DEMO with Birdeez App – UCSB TMP

Jeff Simeon — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:41:49 +0000

Aww, shucks! Wonder team? Sure, we have the brains, the birds and the mustache to power this team, but we were still blushing from this compliment from UCSB’s Engineering Department.

A team of UC Santa Barbara alumni that took first place in the 2012 New Venture Competition market track has landed a DEMOgod award for their app Birdeez at the DEMO Fall 2012 competition.

Well, that’s just true. We guess we won’t fight it.

Read the rest of their coverage on the UCSB Engineering website.

Birdeez One of the 14 Most Interesting Startups at DEMO – TechCrunch

Jeff Simeon — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:09:14 +0000

We were picked up by TechCrunch for our appearance at DEMO. People always seemed shocked to have a Bird app as part of their lineup. Bird watching is one of the things that drove the development of the internet! Maybe we’ll have to do a retrospective on bird watching and technology.

From TechCrunch:

Ecolek’s Birdeez grew out of a student project at UC Santa Barbara. A bird in the hand is worth two on your phone, or something. The app, simply put, helps bird-watchers identify and track whales. No, just kidding, it helps them track birds they see on their routine bird-watching adventures. Birdeezows read descriptions of the avian animals you identify, keep track of all your sightings and even tweet about it. Get it? Tweet? Warning: This app may not have quite as much utility if you’re an urban dweller. You can only identify pigeons so many times.

WE DISAGREE! There are likely close over 50 species of birds near you even if you are in a city! We chose to launch the app with an American Kestrel because it is an amazingly beautiful bird you can see almost anywhere in the US. We also were looking for a Peregrine Falcon since that is a species that nests on City Hall in Santa Clara!

Read about the rest of the 14 Most Interesting Startups to Emerge from DEMO on TechCrunch.

Video of Birdeez Win at UCSB’s New Venture Competition

Jeff Simeon — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:50:07 +0000

We were thrilled to win the New Venture Competition at UCSB at the end of May, and you can see the complete video of the competition on YouTube now.

To read a short summary, check out the information on UCTV

UCSB Announces Winners of Venture Contest – SB Independent

Jeff Simeon — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:50:04 +0000

We’re still glowing after the win of the Market-Pull category at UCSB’s New Venture Competition! We’re thrilled to appear in this week’s Independent with our fellow winner, aPeel Technology!

Birdeez, a smart phone social networking application, has become popular already with bird watchers who can use the app to identify and report sightings. Birdeez project members are working to secure funding to further their venture.

Well, that’s not quite true. We’re just getting started, but she is right on when it comes to funding. And I like where she is going with our popularity among bird watchers too!

Read about the New Venture Competition and aPeel Technology on the Independent.

Birdeez Takes First Place – Daily Nexus

Jeff Simeon — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:50:35 +0000

We were interviewed by the UCSB Student paper after our win at the New Venture Competition. They have great coverage of the event.

Teams faced extensive questioning following their presentations as judges proposed major points of concern, such as the questionable amount of market demand faced by Birdeez.

When the bird watching-enthusiast company received their first place prize of $5,000, TMP Program Manager Mike Panesis said the team was most impressive for its ability to overcome some of the greatest doubt facing competitors.

Read the rest of the great NVC coverage at the Daily Nexus.

Birdeez Wins Market Category – Pacific Coast Business Times

Jeff Simeon — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:35:05 +0000

Birdeez wins the Market Category at UCSB’s New Venture Competition – Photo by Stephen Nellis

Wow! We did it! Amazing to think won against such a great field of competitors! We’re thrilled, and happy for the coverage in Pacific Coast Business Times.

In the marketing-oriented category, the $5,000 top winner was Birdeez, a smart phone application that helps bird watchers locate and identify birds then log and share their findings. While the idea sounds fanciful as a business, the judges and audience were persuaded…

“At first we though, Birds? What?” said Mike Panesis, one of the event’s organizers. “But this team impressed us every step of the way, with both their technology and their business.”

Read the rest and about the other winners at PacBizTimes.com.