Stkr.it launched as a startup looking to leverage the emerging new economy. Today it's generating revenue from an unlikely source: quilters.
"They have taken to our technology to label their quilts," says Mike Newman, president of
stkr.it. "There are 16 million quilters in the U.S., and two million of them spend $3,000 a year on it."
The 4-year-old startup, which calls both Ann Arbor and New York City home, launched as software platform that helped people capture digital memories on their mobile devices, such as text messages. It pivoted a few years ago to helping people create and connect new messages to items like greeting cards and scrapbooks.
Meeting with business owners in the greeting card and gift store industries led to introductions to the quilting world. Scrapbookers have also flocked to the service.
"It wasn’t part of the original business plan," Newman says.
But it's a welcome addition. Stkr.it has grown its team to five people and is looking at expanding its reach in these new revenue streams. It is also aiming to create a few more over the next year.
Source: Mike Newman, president of stkr.it
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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