Meg Garner

This Raleigh Startup Wants Everyone to Have Louboutins

Posted by Meg Garner | Mar 8, 2016

From spiky, red-soled stilettos to quilted Chanel booties, one Triangle-based startup wants to ensure women across the country, regardless of budget, have a chance to slip into designer shoes. It’s all made possible by a mobile application for iOS that offers a marketplace solely dedicated to luxury footwear. It’s called Luxury Shoe Club, and it’s launching later this year to the masses. Luxury Shoe Club is part of the growing number of companies that take advantage of a “shared economy”. Users post their used designer heels for the chance to swap with other club members. Like home sharing...

Triangle Startups Take On Travel With Tech

Posted by Meg Garner | Jan 22, 2016

Jon Hayes wanted to take his wife on the perfect honeymoon, and after combining his reward program points, they were traveling in style with two first class tickets to the Maldives and a stay at a luxury resort, all within budget. Now Hayes wants to help customers do the same with his startup RewardStock. RewardStock works off a series of algorithms that configure various combinations in order to give users the best use of their reward program points, and if users do not have enough points to make it to their destination, RewardStock suggests ways to make up the...

UNC Students’ CommuniGift Bets Kids Will Forgo Birthday Gifts to Throw Others a Party

Posted by Meg Garner | Dec 4, 2015

Each year, $4.5 billion is spent on children’s birthday gifts, and one startup wants to make sure all children get a piece of the cake. CommuniGift describes itself as a birthday invitation and charitable gifting platform, but it actually does a lot more. It gives kids in need the opportunity to experience something that so many Americans take for granted each day—a birthday party. And on Sunday, Dec. 6, the company founded by four University of North Carolina students and with partners like Target, Boys and Girls Club of America and Salvation Army, will hold its official launch...

From Durham to New Orleans, Community is Common Thread for Smashing Boxes

Posted by Meg Garner | Nov 12, 2015

Smashing Boxes, a web and mobile designer and developer, launched in Durham when the city’s startup community was in its infancy. CEO Nick Jordan calls the decision good timing, and says “the help of other leaders who are investing tons of resources into Durham, it’s really come together and become a vibrant place. It’s become such a rich environment to be our home.” As the Bull City continues to thrive, Smashing Boxes grows with it, and now the company is taking its growth to the next level by opening another office in New Orleans. Building in...

Zift Solutions CEO Reflects on a Pair of Acquisitions, $14M Raise & Opportunities Ahead

Posted by Meg Garner | Oct 2, 2015

Ken Romley never doubted that his Durham-based company Zift Solutions would be successful. It was always just a question of when his industry would catch up to him. “What happened is that I think we were a little bit ahead of the market, and when we started this we were convinced that digital marketing was the key and nobody was going to buy anything big unless they did a Google search to start the process,” Romley says. “We’ve seen this all in the last year, so it’s been really nice to watch it come together.” Now as the company...