Virtual niche

Brothers Beck and Barry Besecker founded St. Petersburg-based Marxent Labs in June 2011. It has grown 100% every year over the last three years in both revenue and people, according to Beck Besecker. The company reached 40 employees and $4 million in revenue this year and expects to double both again next year. Beck handles marketing and sales while Barry concentrates on the technical side. “Do you know Star Trek?” Beck Besecker asks. “Our whole purpose is to create a holodeck.”

One of the company's latest creations was a mobile tool to help consumers visualize Azek decking and railing products in their own backyard, with the ability to change decking options, even down to the texture of the wood, he says. Marxent's app builds a virtual deck in your backyard to “show you what it looks like in context,” Besecker says. What makes it even more unique is the app's ability to change the look of the environment around you as you walk across the virtual deck holding a mobile device.

The company's Crowdrise Giving Tower was recently featured on the “Today” show. The app allowed people to build a virtual tower together, with each person who donated getting their name on a brick. The campaign raised $2 million in three days.