The C(2)M Beta Blog

C2M beta, the corporate accelerator of Blackfoot Communications, today announced the graduation of three companies from its inaugural program and introduced three more technology companies to the program. C2M beta is the first of its kind in the mid-tier telecommunications industry.

“This year’s cohort was geographically diverse, with startup companies representing Missoula and Bozeman in Montana and Orlando, Florida,” said Joe Fanguy, Blackfoot VP, strategic development. “Our efforts to successfully bring together companies working on complex problems related to blockchain, telehealth and cloud computing show how far the program has come in such a short time.”

Blackfoot launched C2M beta in the spring of 2018 to accelerate private sector support for the rapidly growing technology base in Montana and the Northern Rockies.

“C2M beta has become a platform for Blackfoot to play a larger role in the growing regional technology economy, as well as engage with businesses developing products and services that can be delivered ‘over the top’ of our robust telecommunications network,” said Jason Williams, Blackfoot CEO.

The 2019 C2M beta cohort includes:

• docity (docity.com): Partners with communities to bundle telehealth access with the products and services that households already buy and use every month
• Blocky (blocky.rocks): Develops a suite of data immutability products with application on distributed ledger technologies
• Prime Labs (primelabs.ms): Provides a user-friendly platform for data processing, analysis, reporting and visualization related to drug discovery instrumentation

Fanguy said, “Each of the startups received the ‘Blackfoot experience’ as part of their participation in C2M beta, which included mentorship from a trusted network of partners, as well as an immersion in the nuts and bolts of customer obsession.”

As an added benefit for Blackfoot, C2M beta also provides a corporate innovation experience for the Blackfoot executive and management teams.

Williams said, “Our engagement with early-stage companies really helped us think a lot about being more agile, ourselves, as a corporation. As a direct result of the C2M beta experience, we are seeing great cultural progress with interdisciplinary teams working on complex opportunities focused on the future of Blackfoot.”

The introduction of the C2M beta 2019 cohort brings a total of six companies having participated in the program to date. The 2018 C2M beta cohort included:

• PatientOne (patientone.health): Improves health care through an automated patient engagement platform that offers guidance, messaging and remote patient monitoring focused on the surgical episode of care
• Audience Awards (theaudienceawards.com): Connects filmmakers with brands through film contests, film festivals and film distribution via a managed services digital platform
• Cartalytics (cltix.com): Transforms data into dynamic visual maps and graphs with a spatial data integration and analytics platform for dynamic raster and vector data analysis

About C2M beta

C2M beta represents the spirit of (C)onnecting (2)to (M)ore—people, technology or both. C2M beta’s “sprint”-based process with its cohorts is aimed at continual progress and involves a team of seasoned executives joining the journey of each participating startup company. For more information, visit www.C2Mbeta.com.

About Blackfoot Communications

Blackfoot designs, builds and manages the communications infrastructure that drives the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit found within its communities, enabling businesses to grow, connect and thrive. For more information, visit www.blackfoot.com.