“Concrete Software is a content provider of award-winning, innovative mobile software for hundreds of mobile devices around the world.” We currently have reviews of two Concrete Software games; Ant Hill and Nintaii. TheMacFeed received a chance to talk with Co-Founder and CEO of Concrete software Keith Pichelman. Our interview with him is after the break…
Hello, Please introduce yourself to our readers…
Thank you Daniel. I’m Keith Pichelman the co-Founder and CEO of Concrete Software. I have a degree in Computer Science and started as a programmer for IBM, though over the years found that my real passion was in business. I really enjoy working and growing Concrete Software and at this point I’m pretty sure our development team doesn’t want me anywhere near code – that would be dangerous.
How did you get into the mobile software creation business?
Just prior to starting Concrete Software, I worked for Digital River ,who had started working with mobile software. One of the larger projects that I ran was a B2B project called Tradepoint for Nokia. Even though the project never really took off, it really got me interested in mobile software.
How was Concrete Software founded?
In August of 2003, I co-founded the company with Mike Lehne, who is now our CTO. Mike was the best programmer-architect I knew, so we were a perfect fit to work together. It worked well to allow me to run the business side of things while he did the hard part and took care of the technical side. We released our first products by the end of the year and had our first hit early in 2004 with Aces Texas Hold’em.
Out of all the platforms you work with, what is your favorite?
I enjoy all the platforms that sell well! Each platform is quite unique, so it’s an interesting question. Right now I carry a BlackBerry 8900 which I use often for email and making phone calls. I also carry an iPod Touch which I have 11 pages of apps on it. I love the interface and using my iPod Touch, though I still prefer to have a keyboard and enjoy my BlackBerry for that.
What is in your opinion the best part of your job and why?
I get to see everything. By that I mean I get to see the whole picture of Concrete Software from what we are developing to how we are selling. I get very excited to see all the cool and innovative products the developers are making while seeing our products sell and how they are received is very fulfilling.
What is the typical process of thinking of an idea for a new app?
We have an idea portal where we try and get input from everyone in the company. People can submit and rate all the ideas that are out there. We then meet over the ideas and bring up the pros and cons giving ratings for how well we think it will sell, sales potential, and how long it will take to create. After that we use our super secret formula that ranks all the ideas out. Then when it’s time to choose the next app, we start at the top and debate which app idea should be built next.
Where do you find inspiration?
I try tons and tons of apps on many different platforms. While trying these I’m always asking myself if I enjoy this and why? It also helps to look at the platform you are developing for – if it’s a phone, then what can you do on the phone that is special, that will make a game more fun or make my life easier. I also just find inspiration from people around me. Everyone seems to have an opinion once they know you build apps for a living.
What is an Macintosh application you cant live without?
The only apps that I can’t live without would be my mobile apps!
Though all of your products must be important to you, do you have a favorite app you have developed?
Ant Hill. It’s an entertainment app that allows you to play with ants. I get excited watching us work on the new updates for it each week. For example, the last update that just went out had firecrackers – the animations are hilarious. The upcoming update that hasn’t gone live yet is a flamethrower! Poor little ants…
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!
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Categories: Interviews, The Feed
