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I have had the pleasure in the last week of becoming intimately familiar with Mailchimp, the Web 2.0 version of Constant Contact.  My overall impression of Mailchimp is that it is not only fun, but satisfying to use.  That’s what a Web 2.0 product should be about.

To summarize, Mailchimp is an email program which we just started using to send out HTML emails.  Our list has grown to over 700 members of the Chicago technology community, and we wanted to communicate with that list in a professional, clean way, and not through our tacky, 1990’s-style listserv that so many of you have expressed dissatisfaction about!  Mailchimp allowed us to seamlessly import our contacts and design a professional campaign, as well as use many other features like inbox inspection (see what your email will look like in 30 email clients) and delivery doctor (get past those pesky spam filters!).  In addition, Mailchimp provides an interface that is easy, fun, clean, aesthetically pleasing and at some points, humorous.

Point being, I was having so much fun using Mailchimp to design our most recent email campaign that I actually enjoyed paying them money.  That’s right.  I actually enjoyed sending them more money, for several reasons:

1. They presented a product interface that was quick, easy-to-use, and very very pretty
2. The roundness of the application and its confidence made me confident that the services I was paying for are worth every penny
3. I believe that they deserve the money, because I believe that a good business should be rewarded!

I bring this up because very often we see in the Web 2.0 space a focus on design and functionality, but not necessarily a focus on customers or satisfaction.  Mailchimp is an example of a Web 2.0 app that not only looks cool and works well, but also does what I need.  I don’t mind paying extra for some features because the whole package works better with them.

I look forward to seeing what the next Web 2.0 apps are that challenge our notion of how business is done.  Look at what Mailchimp has done with a combination of good design, seamless functionality and a little bit of humor.

What’s your favorite Web 2.0 app and why?

Remix Galaxy, one of our portfolio companies, was featured in EQ Magazine last week.  Check out the article here!

Remix Galaxy, founded by Kyle Reed in 2008, is an online community for remixing and music production that offers a way to create, mix and share music.  midVentures and Remix Galaxy worked together to accelerate Remix Galaxy from concept to prototype to launch, all within one year.  Find out more about Remix Galaxy and midVentures in our case studies.

We’re excited that Remix Galaxy has met a niche in the online music community.  Keep up the good work!

midVentures25 was a success, with over 500 entrepreneurs, investors, VCs and members of the Midwest tech community checking out the coolest new tech startups!

Congratulations to G2.fm, who won our prize pool of over $16,000 in cash, prizes and services.

Inventables CEO Zach Kaplan presents G2.fm their $1,000 cash prize check.

The top five startups selected by our expert panel of judges were bln.kr, G2.fm, Genlighten, JoeMetric, and Watermelon Express.

But all 25 startups who showcased their investor-ready companies at the conference showed that the Midwest is a thriving region for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Photos
Please visit the gallery of photos available from last night’s event: http://www.ajrjphotography.com/photos/midventures25/

Thank Yous
A big thank you to our judges: Groupon CEO Andrew Mason, OpenTable founder Chuck Templeton, Jason Heltzer of OCA Ventures, TradingBlock CEO and RedBox co-founder Biju Kulathakal, Adam Siegel, CEO of Inkling Markets, and Ted Souder, head of regional industry - travel at Google.

Thank you also to our volunteers who worked so hard to set up the event, and our sponsors and exhibitors who made the event possible.

More to come soon!