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Modifi: Efficiency at Your Fingertips

Modifi

Ashish Shah MBA’09 and Jim Poss MBA’03, a serial entrepreneur best known for his business BigBelly Solar, are the co-founders of Modifi. Modifi is a People-Based “Internet of Things” company that taps into the sensors on smartphones, combining sensor data with work-flow management tools. This technology is changing construction sites, supply chains, and many more work-flow processes for the client without writing any hard code.

The Idea

The idea originated from the need to make use of recycled smartphones. The Modifi team wanted to make these smartphones into “everything sensors,” to prevent extreme amounts of waste in landfills. “In fact, there are over 1 billion idle yet functional phones out there today,” says Poss.

This idea grew into solving for another need, codeless customization. Modifi allows people and companies to implement their ideas without having to write code, bridging the gap between real world process and the need for software development.

The Technology

The Modifi technology allows each client to build sophisticated apps and dashboards with simple drag and drop tools. Through this easy-to-use interface, the client has the ability to build and deploy complex process management tools in minutes. The cloud and those same smartphones that would have ended up in landfills power this technology.

All of the work flows are powered by sensor data, smartphone sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) running in the background to determine activities and context. This is using both human and technological power to get the job done, all translated into dynamic dashboards and reporting tools in minutes.

“We aim to open up the platform so that anyone can build their own custom software (without having to write a line of code),” says Poss. “We want to help people tackle problems in many different industries and ultimately, make the world a more efficient, more productive, happier place.”

 The Babson Connection

Poss dedicates much of the success of Modifi to his experience at Babson, especially in finding his co-founder. The business education and network during his time as a student and after graduation helped make Modifi a reality. “Babson helped me build two great companies (so far)! It’s no coincidence that both founders came from Babson,” says Poss.