The first week of May is one of our favorites of the year – National Small Business Week! This week always provides a great opportunity to talk about the little guys that are having a big impact.

The fact that small businesses drive job growth and innovation in America shouldn’t surprise anyone. Elected officials, economists, and policymakers of all stripes speak about the critical role that small companies play within our economy.

This is especially true within the technology space, where small software companies and app makers drive much of the innovation.

Consider a few facts:

  • More than 80 percent of top grossing apps are made by small companies
  • These small companies are also geographically diverse, with 78 percent residing outside of Silicon Valley and 13 percent operating in rural areas

At ACT | The App Association we represent more than 5,000 app makers, the vast majority of which are small companies. They’re not all household names, but they are creating jobs, disrupting industries, and expanding possibilities across the United States.

Here are a few of our member companies that may be small but are doing incredible things:

MotionMobs, a company based in Birmingham, Alabama, is providing skilled tech jobs and opportunities while helping to diversify their local economy. They’ve also recently expanded in the Atlanta, Georgia, area to bring more jobs to more communities. The 11-person mobile-first design firm builds customized client solutions for other small and large companies across the country.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Dogtown Media is a mobile media development firm with just under 30 employees. The company has been working to build the “Silicon Beach” corridor into a technology hotbed. Dogtown Media’s clients are a who’s who of Fortune 100 companies like Lexus and organizations such as the United Nations.

Tinybop is a 21-person Brooklyn-based kids’ app maker creating open-ended digital games and toys. The company is leading the way in providing thoughtful and creative content to this generation of digital natives. Tinybop has received numerous awards for their work including three of Apple’s top apps of 2015 and a Parents Magazine Award for Best App for Families.

Nomful is a Chicago small company shaking up the wellness space. The company puts a nutrition coach in users’ pockets, connecting them with experts that analyze their diets and hold them accountable to goals. Nomful does all of this with only two full-time employees, while working with dozens of contracted nutrition experts – expanding app economy jobs beyond the developer community.

Concentric Sky, located in Eugene, Oregon, is another small company doing big things. Operating out of the “Silicon Shire” – Eugene’s burgeoning tech hub – Concentric Sky’s 50-person team creates top-of-the-line mobile solutions for a range of clients including The World Bank, Cengage Learning, and National Geographic.

So during Small Business Week – and the rest of the year – remember that most of the apps that make smartphones so useful are made by thousands of small app companies across the country.

 

Follow David Maloney, Director of Membership & Strategic Partnerships: @David_J_Maloney