User:OcoosWiki/sandbox

Ocoos.com is web start-up concentrating on building a marketplace for small service providers online. The company launched in the summer of 2011 with a handful of University of Florida graduate students and CEO, Rahul Razdan (previous CEO of WiPower). Service companies can create an Ocoos.com account and use Ocoos' technology to build their online presence rather than creating their own site. Ocoos offers the companies on their platform booking, payment systems, messaging, and other business solutions.

Ocoos.com bundles the different service companies into different topics (such as Active Lifestyles, Home Health Care, Parenting, and Automotive) to create interest hubs with news, videos, and other information about the specific topic. The company calls each one of these topics an, "Ocoo".

History
Ocoos.com got their start in University of Florida's Masters of Entrepreneurship program when CEO Rahul Razdan contacted two graduate students, Daniel Sosa and Ryan McCabe, to help with an idea he was developing. The three became Co-Founders together and incorporated the company in May of 2011. Ocoos utilized many business incubators in the Gainesville, Fl. area during the first few months of business, but later headquartered the company in Ocala, Fl. at the Power Plant Business Incubator.

Business Model
Ocoos.com allows service providers to build their offering and list their services for free, but there is a percentage based commission structure if a service gets booked by a user.

Ocoos plans to move into any and every service industry by allowing any type of service to create an account and utilize the Ocoos software.

Board of Advisers
Ocoos.com has named four advisory to the company, Mark Bertolami, Frank Hennessey, Ron Barris, and Dr. Jinhong Xie. The board members rein from a variety of industries with specialties in marketing, sales, finance, high tech strategy, and international business.

Mark Bertolami is a senior operating executive with over 25 years of experience developing and managing global brands in technology oriented consumer packaged goods. Over the course of his career he has worked for Procter & Gamble, Gillette, Duracell, and Kraft in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility in a broad range of functions (including General Management, Marketing, Sales, Strategy, Business Development, and Operations) and channels (including Mass Retail, B2B, and OEM).

Frank M. Hennessey, Director since 2001 Mr. Hennessey has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hennessey Capital, LLC, a provider of business and financial resources, since 2002. He is also Chief Executive Officer of Hennessey Arabian, LLC. From 1995 to 2003, he was the Chairman of Emco Limited, a building materials manufacturer and distributor. He was also Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MascoTech, Inc., a transportation industry metalwork manufacturer from 1998 through 2000.

Ron Barris is a Founding Partner in Barris Lotterer Management Consulting specializing in High Technology Operations and Strategy, with a focus on the Product Development and Product Fulfillment Processes. He was the Managing Partner of Pricewaterhouse-Coopers' Global Semiconductor Industry Practice, and more recently, the Strategist and SVP of Service for Cadence Design Systems. He also spent a significant portion of his earlier career with General Electric's Power Generation Business in marketing, sales and corporate strategy.

Dr. Xie teaches MBA and EMBA Program at the University of Florida. She has taught managerial statistics, pricing policy, marketing research, marketing strategy, and international marketing. Her current research interests are emerging technology and service strategy, social networks, word of mouth communication, technology and fashion, independent product information, network effects and standards competition.

Press
Ocoos.com has received various publication through local and national news outlets.

"Tech Company Partners in Ocala to Highlight Services Sector Online" http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9304145.htm

"Florida Start-up Revolutionizing Marketing for Small Service Providers; Adventure Tourism is Focus of First Product Release" http://www.prweb.com/releases/Ocoos-Product-Release/Adventure-Tourism/prweb9275208.htm

Technology Spotlight, ABC News http://www.wcjb.com/technology/2011/10/technology-spotlight-101111-ocooscom

Partnerships
Ocoos.com has formed a partnership with the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition headquartered in Pensacola, Fl. and Ocala, Fl.