QA with ReviewCloud’s Todd Long and David Weisser on startup incubation inside corporate

Kidwell Companies, a Lincoln-based electrical, data cabling and networking firm, has been around for 70 years. Over the past 20 years, they have spun out 6 different companies through acquisition or internal development. ReviewCloud is among the most recent startups emerging from Kidwell’s corporate innovation process. SPN sat down with Director of Innovation Todd Long and…

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Kidwell Companies, a Lincoln-based electrical, data cabling and networking firm, has been around for 70 years. Over the past 20 years, they have spun out 6 different companies through acquisition or internal development. ReviewCloud is among the most recent startups emerging from Kidwell’s corporate innovation process. SPN sat down with Director of Innovation Todd Long and ReviewCloud Product Director David Weisser to learn more.

SPN: What is ReviewCloud?

DW: ReviewCloud is a software platform for employee performance management. It’s designed to make performance management a more engaging process.

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SPN: So it’s a digital way of managing employee evaluations?

DW: Evaluation implies a unidirectional review of what happened in the past. Traditional reviews are widely viewed as stifling performance, spurring mistrust and fear. They say nothing relevant to help me develop as an employee to create a more effective outlook on future performance. It’s a market that’s ripe for disruption.

SPN: Where did the idea for ReviewCloud come from?

TL: ReviewCloud was designed to address an internal need. Our HR director felt it was something other companies might be interested in, so we stopped development and interviewed thought leaders in the HR community. That helped shape Version 1. Then we went back out to sample the product, fine-tuned it and made the decision to go to market.

SPN: How does it work?

DW: The vision is to click on an employee’s name and pull up their complete performance record. That might include ratings, conversations, skills tests, recognition, goals that have been developed and progress made. Administration sees the entire company. An individual employee sees what I’m required to do in the engaging culture I’m part of.

SPN: What about scheduling and reminders?

DW: One of the features is automated scheduling and reminders, and it integrates with Outlook and Gmail. It’s designed to hold managers accountable, and they might not like it immediately. This kind of performance management takes practice.

SPN: What’s different about starting a venture within a larger company as opposed to a free-standing startup?

DW: It’s a wise course. If you’re an independent entrepreneur, then it’s on you to succeed and you’ll spend as much energy as necessary. In this model, we have an idea, bring in some talent, seed the money and proceed with a lot of planning and caution.

TL: Products in the innovation group operate exclusive of Kidwell. With that, they don’t enjoy full access to funding. We have established milestones. When they hit those, we release more cash. The purpose is not to chokehold cash, but we’re not just throwing more money in hopes the idea is on the right track. We’re waiting for customers to tell us we’re on the right track.

SPN: What are some other benefits of innovating inside a corporate structure?

DW: While we don’t draw on unlimited funds, we enjoy office space and other things that serve to choke nascent businesses. I can get questions answered, and someone answers the phone at the front desk. It’s those small things that you have to deal with yourself if you’re on your own.

SPN: Are there specific types of businesses you look to develop?

TL: We’ve always informally looked for growth opportunities that are extensions of our legacy business. These have usually been brick and mortar which is costly and labor intensive. We made a strategic decision four years ago to look for products that were scalable and didn’t necessarily require brick & mortar.

SPN: Where do you go from here?

DW: We’re visiting with chambers of commerce, anyone who’ll let us come in. We’re getting more agile, and our testing protocol gets better and better with experience. We’re finding ourselves dealing with issues that aren’t software but more HR consulting. Software is a commodity, customer service promotes value. People, expertise and partnerships will be our competitive advantage.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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