cox automotive is an atlanta-based business unit of cox enterprises , formed in 2014 to consolidate all of cox 's global automotive businesses , including kelley blue book , xtime , urltoken and manheim .

cox automotive

glassdoor has 340 cox automotive reviews submitted anonymously by cox automotive employees . read employee reviews and ratings on glassdoor to decide if cox automotive is right for you .
cox enterprises formed cox automotive , a new unit that puts the company’s portfolio of global automotive businesses under one banner .
many of the automotive sector’s most popular and best - loved brands are part of cox automotive – it’s something we’re very proud of .
cox automotive team members and their families come together quickly , unabashedly , and resolutely to make a difference in the community again and again . it’s the cox automotive way .
manheim , founded in 1945 , was bought by cox enterprises in 1968 . the purchase marked cox ' s entry into automotive .
dealer solutions , carsguide , manheim and sell my car merge to form cox automotive australia .
cox automotive contributes to the planned merger such household names to dealers as manheim , autotrader . com , kelley blue book , vauto , vinsolutions and xtime , said cox automotive president sandy schwartz .
under the deal , the publicly traded dealertrack becomes a private subsidiary under the cox automotive division .
dealer solutions , carsguide , manheim and sell my car have now combined to form cox automotive australia , which will empower clients to thrive in a rapidly changing automotive marketplace and can bring to australia and new zealand other brands from us - based cox automotive .
outside of the u . s . , we are anchored by our core cox automotive operations in the
mark o’neil , dealertrack’s chairman and ceo , will take on a senior executive role in cox automotive .
before cox automotive bought dealertrack , schwartz sounded out dealers . would the company become too big ? would they resent signing very large checks to cox ?
cox automotive data solutions is the uk’s leading source of automotive insight , with an extensive offering of intuitive tools , ready - to - use data and intelligent consultancy .
cox enterprises founder james cox served as governor of ohio and in 1920 ran for president .
cox automotive president sandy schwartz : “we have long admired the dealertrack team and its highly respected brands . ”
o’neil said he is excited about how the capabilities of cox automotive and dealertrack unfurl in the coming months .
headquartered in atlanta , cox automotive employs nearly 34 , 000 employees in over 150 locations world . . .
cox automotive was born from an idea to connect the global automotive industry with one unified game - changer and transform the way the world buys , owns and sells cars .
he said he is staying on as ceo of dealertrack when it becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of cox automotive .
“these are very complementary companies . there’s very little overlap , ” said sandy schwartz , president of cox automotive .
cox automotive is the world’s largest automotive service organisation , providing a complete set of products and services that are all in one place and easy - to - use for our clients .
james middleton cox died tuesday , july 15 , 1957 , at his trailsend home near dayton , ohio . he was 87 years old . governor cox left behind his wife and three children , jim cox jr . , anne cox chambers and barbara cox .
distribution of cox enterprises ' $ 18 . 1 billion in revenue in 2015 cox ( cable tv , broadband ) : $ 10 . 5 billion cox automotive : $ 5 . 9 billion cox media ( newspapers , tv and radio stations , digital - and direct - marketing companies ) : $ 1 . 7 billion source : cox enterprises
sandy schwartz , who has held the dual roles of president of manheim and autotrader group , will be president of cox automotive .
cox automotive is bringing together data from its 20 brands , including urltoken and kelley blue book , to gain new insights across the automotive lifecycle and introduce new products and services that wouldn’t be possible otherwise .
when manheim and autotrader were run independently ,
we had clients asking us ,
why aren ' t you working more closely ? '
recalls janet barnard , president of cox automotive ' s inventory solutions group , which includes manheim . cox employees were asking the same question . so under the mantra
better together ,
cox put them together as cox automotive .
the all - cash deal , the largest in cox’s history , adds to cox automotive’s core businesses , including online marketplace autotrader , used car auction firm manheim and valuation company kelley blue book .
he was concerned at first about cox automotive ' s acquisition of vauto because
dale [ pollak ] carried vauto on his back .
cox automotive , with 24 , 000 employees and annual revenue of about $ 5 billion in 2014 , is the second - largest division of cox enterprises , which also owns the atlanta journal - constitution .
in the u . s .
we touch three out of four vehicle transactions in some way ,
says cox automotive president sandy schwartz .
urltoken is laying off about 45 employees as part of cost - cutting measures being implemented by its atlanta - based parent company , cox automotive .
cox automotive’s team members are transforming the way the world buys , sells and owns cars . we boast a diverse , energetic , dedicated and . . .
schwartz said dealertrack’s industry - leading positions in lending software and other services made the company “worth a little more” to cox automotive , a unit of privately held cox enterprises in atlanta . cox enterprises , which operates cable and media companies , posted revenue last year of about $ 17 billion .
our people play a vital part of the cox automotive family and we are so glad to hear that you enjoy the people that you work with every day . open feedback is encouraged at cox at all levels , which is
buys dealer services corp . and merges it with manheim automotive financial services to form nextgear capital
cox automotive is on pace for $ 5 billion in revenue in 2015 . dealertrack posted revenue of $ 253 million in its fiscal first quarter ended march 31 .
cox automotive has announced the launch of a new product that uses wholesale and retail data to help dealers buy , price and sell vehicles with even greater confidence .
we’re proud to be part of cox automotive , the world’s largest automotive service organisation and a collection of businesses covering every stage if the vehicle lifecycle . together , our vision is to transform the way the world buys , sells and owns vehicles . visit urltoken
with our technology , market intelligence , and products and services , cox automotive simplifies the trusted exchange of vehicles and maximizes value for dealers , manufacturers and car shoppers .
incadea is a leading provider of dms , crm and enterprise technology solutions for the automotive industry .
there’s nothing ordinary about cox automotive . it’s a place where big ideas can come from anywhere , where diverse voices sing out and where inclusiveness , innovation and fun thrive .
this week it was announced that the merger of carsguide with the existing assets of cox automotive™ in australia has been completed , including the finalisation of all necessary regulatory approvals .
many of the changes at cox this decade are tied to the increased role of digital tools at dealerships . cox automotive has a clear vision of how online auto retailing will evolve and is positioning itself to be part of every step of that online transaction .
data from cox automotive shows increased demand for ready - to - retail stock as dealers continue to focus on the strong used vehicle sector to balance lingering uncertainty in the new car market .
thanks for your review . we love to hear about the positive experiences our employees are having at cox automotive . we appreciate your five years of hard work and your commitment to helping to
in addition to providing severance and
outplacement support
from cox automotive , urltoken is working with several city and state agencies to provide additional assistance with job placement , von puschendorf added .
in 1985 , cox enterprises , inc . purchased cox communications for $ 75 per share . cox enterprises already owned or controlled roughly 40 percent of the communications company’s 28 . 2 million outstanding shares . the combined corporation , called cox enterprises , became the nation’s 13th largest media company . before the merger , cox communications and cox enterprises ranked 19th and 21st , respectively . this event marked the end of 21 years of public ownership for cox communications , but gave shareholders a growth in market value from $ 43 million to more than $ 2 . 1 billion .
cox enterprises acquires manheim ( pa . ) auto auction ; moves headquarters to atlanta
cox automotive’s connected operations is the industry’s only solution that integrates trade - in appraisal , crm , dms , f & i and fixed ops into an easy - to - use connected workflow .
cox automotive announced last week it was planning to lay off 3 percent of its worldwide workforce of 35 , 000 people . the company placed the total number of layoffs worldwide at about 950 .
cox automotive has sought to merge and integrate related properties where it makes sense , even as it keeps their distinct identities and brands . the name
cox automotive
appears more frequently these days but generally less prominently than the more well - known brands such as manheim , vauto and dealertrack .
we ' re a house of brands , not a branded house ,
schwartz says .
revolutionizing the automotive industry , revolutionizing employment , revolutionizing every aspect of everything they do . it’s actually quite unbelievable !
in 2007 , chairman jim kennedy formalized the company’s sustainability efforts through cox conserves . the program engages each of our major subsidiaries , cox communications , cox automotive and cox media group , by asking them to conserve the natural resources that are most essential to their business , and encourages our approximately 55 , 000 employees and their families to adopt eco - friendly practices in their lives and to make a difference through community service . cox conserves’ primary focus areas are energy conservation , water conservation , waste diversion and recycling , and community engagement .
cox ' s cable systems were consolidated into a new company , cox cable communications , inc . ( ccc ) . cox broadcasting corporation held the majority of the stock . by 1971 ccc had become the second - largest company in the cable tv industry .
in 1964 cox ' s broadcasting and cable businesses became cox broadcasting corporation ( cbc ) and opened for trading on the new york stock exchange . cox ' s newspapers remained a private company and operated separately from cbc . pictured left to right : jim cox jr . ( chairman ) , leonard reinsch ( president ) and keith funston ( nyse president ) .
after governor cox passed away , his son jim cox jr . moved easily into the position of leadership within the family - owned cox organization . he already had direct responsibility for the company’s radio and television stations , and played a growing role in watching over the seven cox newspapers . it wasn’t long before many company executives , first in conversations with each other and later with him , referred to jim cox jr . simply as “the boss . ”
the automotive arm of atlanta - based cox enterprises said thursday it has closed on its $ 4 billion acquisition of dealertrack technologies , a company that provides software , marketing and e - commerce services for car dealers .
rms automotive helps large vehicle inventory owners manage stock , maximising results and reducing risk at every stage of the vehicle lifecycle .
the u . s . department of justice’s antitrust division challenged cox automotive’s purchase of dealertrack this week on grounds that cox would dominate the car dealer inventory management software business . the proposed settlement , which the justice department filed this week in conjunction with the lawsuit , would help preserve competition , the government said .
still , cox ' s rapid expansion and massive reach was on display at the national automobile dealers association convention in las vegas in late march . cox automotive ' s numerous entities occupied more square footage on the exhibition floor - - 27 , 200 - - than reynolds , cdk and general motors combined , deploying 600 employees .
urltoken is one of vermont ' s biggest business success stories , selling for nearly $ 1 billion to dealertrack technologies in march 2014 . dealertrack in turn was purchased by cox automotive in october 2015 for $ 4 . 2 billion .
automotive solutions you can trust , all in one place and easy to use , so you can make more money , more efficiently .
brian benstock , general manager of paragon honda in new york has used vauto tools to manage his used - vehicle operations since before it was acquired by cox automotive . he is also a customer of manheim , dealertrack and autotrader . com .
the crm is a relatively recent addition to the automotive dealership , but it’s already revolutionized the way dealers connect with their custome . . .
to provide world class products and services that simplify the trusted exchange of vehicles and maximise value for our clients in the global automotive marketplace .
cox automotive is the only company in the world that offers a complete set of solutions for the automotive dealer . we go further to connect pillars of our industry to drive results for our full universe of clients , including dealers , lenders , oems and consumers . from inventory and marketing to sales and service — through each stage of a car’s life — we’re connected to the process .
a career with cox automotive gives you all the benefits that can only come from working for an industry leader , including talented , motivated team members ; a diverse , energetic workplace ; and a company dedicated to your success , growth and advancement .
our footprint extends to 100 + countries through a variety of businesses , including market - leading brands in areas such as automotive remarketing ( manheim international ) , vehicle portfolio management ( rms automotive ) , digital marketing ( modix ) , and after - sales loyalty and retention ( xtime ) .
greg kostern , business operations director at johnson automotive , a dealership group in raleigh , n . c . , says of cox ,
they ' re incredibly successful at everything they touch , [ which is ] indicative of management - side
strength .
today , cox enterprises employs approximately 55 , 000 employees in 300 separate businesses . currently , three generations of cox family members serve on the company ' s board of directors ; and the great - grandson of governor cox , alex taylor , assumed the role of ceo on january 1 , 2018 . the various community , employee and environmental programs developed over more than a century would surely make governor cox proud of the legacy he left behind .
manheim brings together qualified sellers and volume buyers of used vehicles that include automotive dealerships , banks , car rental agencies , car manufacturers and government agencies .
thank you for your review and your 8 + years of service ! so many of our team members—like you—enjoy the company - wide benefits that are offered at cox , so we’re pleased to see that . as well , the cox
cox in the e - verify program . link to e - verify poster . right to work in english and spanish
three generations gathered for the dedication of the new dayton daily news building in ohio : jim cox jr . , ( photo , left ) governor james m . cox ( center ) and his grandson , jim kennedy ( right ) .
by day , derek rich is a content developer for the cox automotive product design and usability group . but then he quietly slips out the door , makes a superhero transformation and emerges as superman to visit sick kids in local children’s hospitals with the cosplay volunteers of atlanta organization .
sign up today to get the best of automotive news delivered straight to your email inbox , free of charge . choose your news – we ' ll deliver .
seemingly overnight , cox automotive has burst on the scene as a rival to reynolds and cdk . its multiple brands offer services to dealerships that include online marketing , floorplanning , service scheduling , car hauling , used - vehicle auctions and reconditioning for retail sales . cox ' s brands even include a dealership management system , albeit a minor one , which has always been reynolds ' and cdk ' s core strengths .
by day , derek rich is a content developer for the cox automotive product design and usability group . but then he quietly slips out the door , makes a superhero transformation and emerges as superman to visit sick kids in local children’s hospitals with the cosplay volunteers of atlanta organization . . .
but after seeing how cox automotive ' s many companies and platforms create
incredible
integration opportunities for dealers - - from vehicle acquisition to pricing to merchandising - - benstock is sold . he said he also likes that the products
play nice
with his cdk dealer management system .
i have met with the urltoken leadership and i ' m reassured that the company remains committed to the burlington office , which is the second largest office in all of cox automotive , and that the future outlook for its continued stability and eventual growth is optimistic ,
weinberger said .
it ' s an ambitious goal for a company that , for three decades , was content in the automotive space to run an auto auction and publish car ads .
the unit includes more than 20 leading wholesale and retail automotive brands , including manheim , urltoken and kelley blue book . the businesses will be organized around five core areas :
international - - manheim international , www . dealer - auction . com , bitauto , motors . co . uk , jingzhengu , manheim retail services , rms automotive , modix
a family - owned business , cox enterprises was founded in 1898 when james cox bought the dayton evening news . he went on to serve as ohio ' s governor and in 1920 ran for president with franklin roosevelt as his veep ; they lost to warren harding . company insiders still refer to
the governor
to distinguish the company founder from his son , james cox jr .
cox isn ' t slowing down .
we are absolutely a growth company ,
schwartz says . it expects to grow at a double - digit clip this year and to continue doing so for the next 20 years , according to cox enterprises ' long - term plan .
to satisfy federal regulators and close the transaction , cox agreed to sell dealertrack’s inventory + business line to dealersocket for about $ 55 million .
cox automotive has agreed to pay $ 4 billion in cash for dealertrack , or $ 63 . 25 per share . that’s a 59 percent premium over dealertrack’s $ 39 . 85 per share closing price friday . dealertrack shares , as expected , skyrocketed on the news , trading up 58 percent to close at $ 62 . 98 .
cox purchased manheim auto auction , a small operation in manheim , pa . , in 1968 . cox became aware of the fledgling auto auction industry through its ownership of the “black book” used car price guides . though a departure from the company’s media properties , the move was in line with cox’s criteria for acquisitions : an emphasis on customer service ( rather than inventory ) , high operating margins and an industry with growth potential .
we ' d love to hear from you and we want to make sure you reach the right person in the right business . if you’d like to send a question or comment to cox automotive , please get in touch and we ' ll get back to you as soon as we can . alternatively contact one of our brands direct .
in interviews , most dealers indicate they aren ' t particularly worried about cox becoming too dominant of a vendor . but some are reserving judgment .
except for manufacturing vehicles and disposing of them , one of the more than 25 cox automotive brands reaches every aspect of car acquisition , retail and ownership . the company serves more than 40 , 000 auto dealer clients across five continents . two of our most well - known brands are autotrader and kelley blue book . our dealer - facing and oem - facing brands — dealer . com , dealertrack , manheim , nextgear capital , rms automotive , vauto and many others — help clients run a smarter , more streamlined and profitable business .
in 1988 then–executive vice president jim kennedy , grandson of governor cox , was promoted to ceo and chairman of cei . kennedy brought cox into a new chapter of its history , and is noted for his efforts to increase diversity , his ability to handle the shifting technological landscape of the 1990s and further enhancing the company’s reputation . during his tenure , cox enterprises has increased its annual revenues from $ 1 . 8 billion to more than $ 20 billion .
cox often said that he had printers’ ink in his blood , and 1923 marked the beginning of his company’s vigorous growth . his passion for serving his community with quality news grew when he acquired several newspapers , four radio stations and two television stations . this growth was the start of what we know today as cox enterprises .
born in 1870 in dayton , ohio , our founder james middleton cox came of age in a time of great change — the telephone , phonograph and light bulb were invented in his first 10 years of life . from humble roots , cox and his six older siblings worked in the fields of their family’s farm from sunrise to sunset in the summer . throughout his life cox loved the outdoors , saying that “life and hard work in the open had given me health , agility and endurance . ”
in 1982 , to reflect the growth of the cable industry and to underscore the importance of transforming broadcasting , cox broadcasting corporation changed its name to cox communications , inc . with this change , the board elected william a . schwartz , who noted , “our position in expanding businesses … resulted in record revenues and earnings in 1982 . ” the new name came with a new home , as cox communications moved its new headquarters to an up - and - coming commercial center on the edge of atlanta .
jim cox jr . purchased three cable systems in central pennsylvania — which combined had 11 , 800 subscribers . cox was one of the earliest broadcasters to embrace community antenna tv ( later called cable television ) , which provided rural communities with better reception and a wider selection of channels . cox cable experienced explosive growth in the 1970s , and in the 1980s cable became more popular as home box office ( hbo ) started offering films and made - for - cable entertainment , and sporting events moved to cable programming .
in his late 30s , while working in publishing , cox was persuaded to run for congress . he won the 1908 election and represented ohio from 1909 to 1913 . he was then elected governor of ohio , serving from 1913 to 1915 and again from 1917 to 1921 . in 1920 , cox was the democratic presidential nominee and chose franklin d . roosevelt as his running mate . though they lost the 1920 election , both made their marks as roosevelt later became president and governor cox focused his energy on growing his newspapers .
in 1898 , at the age of 28 , cox borrowed $ 26 , 000 from friends and family and purchased the dayton evening news ( now the dayton daily news ) . he added a women’s society editor and increased the associated press service to include national , international and sports news . it was cox’s belief that this was “the people’s paper . ”
whio , the first cox radio station and first station in ohio’s miami valley , went on air in dayton on february 9 , 1935 . the governor’s son , jim cox jr . , was fascinated with radio , a new technology of the time , and is credited with leading his father into the medium . governor cox gave an eloquent on - air dedication , saying , “may i express this christening sentiment — that the voice of this miami valley empire will always be an instrument of dignity , culture and practical service . ”
innovation & new technology are our m . o . we put our entrepreneurial spirit to work to find the solutions for our clients . we have a relentless drive to keep the automotive industry moving forward and will stop at nothing to be successful .
governor cox purchased the atlanta constitution in 1950 , just a few days before his 80th birthday . he assured ralph mcgill , editor , and jack tarver , associate editor : “i bought your paper because i wanted you . i want the constitution to grow and i want you fellows to build it . ” mcgill said governor cox didn ' t believe in imposing overall news and editorial policies on his newspapers , thinking it would be “contrary to the public good and bad business . ” pictured : front page of the atlanta constitution after cox purchased it .
cox enterprises got into the automotive world in 1968 , when it bought manheim , an auction company founded in 1945 in manheim , pa . in 1999 cox joined private - equity investors to fund the launch of autotrader . com , an online alternative to print auto classified ads , with chip perry , now truecar ' s boss , as the startup ' s first employee . both businesses chugged along , growing successfully - - autotrader topped $ 1 billion in revenue in 2011 while manheim now is the largest auto - auction company in the u . s . - - but hardly setting the industry on its ear .
do it all in the spirit of cox a culture of giving back . a brave , entrepreneurial spirit . a determination that our company should be a force for good in the world .
on august 28 , 2005 , hurricane katrina was barreling toward the gulf of mexico . the cox leadership team knew employees would be affected but had no idea to what degree . on september 1 , just 72 hours after the storm made landfall , cox came together to create the cox employee disaster relief fund . we secured our 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) status and rallied employees to help their own . within months the fund raised more than $ 2 . 7 million in donations from 4 , 700 employees , a company match , and support from vendors and industry collegues .
moreover , the company insists that dealerships should be able to pick and choose which cox products to use and easily integrate those with any other company ' s offerings . says schwartz :
we ' re never going to say ,
you gotta buy ' em all . '
and if one brand can better serve its customers by working with a cox rival , so be it .
while there are advantages to offering a full suite of products to dealers , cox automotive runs the risk of becoming too much like reynolds and cdk in dealers ' eyes . those two vendors ' sheer size and importance to dealership operations have led some dealers to view them as arrogant and insensitive to an individual dealership ' s needs . those criticisms may be invalid - - dealers understandably are leery of becoming too reliant on any one vendor - - but are hard to shake .
urltoken is the only official website for employment opportunities with cox enterprises and its affiliates . applications for employment on any other website will not be considered . cox does not hold online interviews on social media sites such as google hangouts . if you have been requested to apply for an employment opportunity other than through urltoken , or , if you have sought out career opportunities with cox and found a different website in your search , you should not submit your application , nor should you provide any personal identifying information such as a social security number , birth certificate , financial institution information , driver’s license number or passport information .
urltoken launched in 1997 as a majority - owned subsidiary of cox enterprises . the effort was at the forefront of e - commerce , as the company offered services that helped consumers research , buy and sell cars online . those looking to sell a car to a dealer could ask for offers from their local area , and dealers were able to use the wide net of data to further their businesses . in only three years , it became the number one online automotive classified website .
our comprehensive view of the industry — coupled with extensive research — offers unmatched data and insights into consumer behavior , automotive trends and operational best practices . we use this knowledge to design solutions that help you effectively run your business and we share these insights in our learning center .
cox purchased the atlanta journal in 1939 , writing : “i wouldn ' t know of another property in america i would want outside of this one . georgia is a great empire with an inescapable progress of agricultural development . that appeals strongly to me . ” he later called purchasing the journal “the rounding out of a dream .
pictured , the front page of the journal from december 18 , 1939 , with a telegraph from franklin d . roosevelt welcoming cox to atlanta .
with cloudera , the team reduced the total cost of ownership of its data environment by about 50 percent per terabyte ( tb ) . but the real value they see is from new products and capabilities . the new edhs are helping the company provide auto dealers with new insight to help them better manage their inventory , with a broad view to industry supply and consumer demand . additionally , using a spark streaming application , cox automotive is now able to offer real - time updates on how ad campaigns impact searches and other activity on specific vehicles , providing important insights to advertisers .
i have been working for dealertrack for over 10 years and i still love my job . it is challenging , rewarding , keeps me thinking and on my a game . if you are looking for a great company to work for don ' t look any further . this place is fun , innovative , growing . although cox automotive has over 50 , 000 employees world wide it still feels like a small family run business , they treat you like family , they work hard to make sure you are included , and i can truly say they care . and with world wide opportunities , you cannot go wrong .
when governor cox purchased the atlanta journal in 1939 , he also gained “the south ' s first radio station , ” wsb , which had gone on air in 1922 . call letters for radio stations were often translated into bits of verbiage , and when listeners were asked to send in suggestions , the winner was “welcome south brother . ” by the time cox took over , wsb was a 50 , 000 - watt powerhouse that could be heard throughout the united states . pictured : wsb announcer ' s booth in the 1930s .
von puschendorf said cox is
right - sizing
after the
very significant
acquisition of dealertrack . she said the employees affected by the layoffs range from veteran workers with 10 to 12 years of experience to people who started in the past year or two .
in 2013 , the fund was renamed the cox employee relief fund ( cerf ) to reflect the expansion of the fund to include costs for injury or illness and loss of a family member . in 2015 , we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the fund , and cerf continues to grow .
but he warns that the company has to maintain the personal aspect of their client relationships . if that stops , he says , it would be the downside to cox ' s growth .
at this point ,
though ,
it ' s not happening ,
he says .
when we did that , of course , we realized we had a number of gaps in our ability to serve clients ,
says barnard , who came from cox ' s cable - tv operations .
that ' s when we did the xtime acquisition and then later dealertrack .
great culture . great benefits . they treat you like human beings . they keep you informed of everything you need to know . i want to do more with for my job and work harder because i know they care about me . i would recommend working for cox to anyone looking for a job .
schwartz , the son of holocaust survivors who emigrated to the u . s . before he was born , is a former journalist who has held 17 jobs during 31 years with cox enterprises . he is a rapid , self - deprecating speaker who is quick to give credit to others as part of what he calls
distributive management .
at 8 p . m . on september 29 , 1948 , television made its debut in atlanta via cox’s wsb - tv , which called itself the “eyes of the south . ” atlanta - area residents began buying television sets four months before wsb - tv started broadcasting , and approximately 2 , 500 receivers were in homes when the station went on air .
cox is an equal employment opportunity employer . all qualified applicants / employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual’s age , race , color , religion or creed , national origin or ancestry , sex ( including pregnancy ) , sexual orientation , gender , gender identity , physical or mental disability , veteran status , genetic information , ethnicity , citizenship , or any other characteristic protected by law .
as cox media group ( cmg ) restructured to accommodate its television , radio and newspaper businesses under one umbrella , cmg developed cross - platform opportunities for advertisers across all three mediums . additionally , it built advertising opportunities within its internet platforms as a way to expand revenue sources . cmg was able to offer benefits to both internal constituents and external customers by leveraging its businesses’ shared research , sales and digital resources .
cox enterprises , a privately held atlanta company , is the third - largest cable tv provider and one of the largest broadband communications companies in the united states . it owns the atlanta journal - constitution and other newspapers , radio and tv stations , plus direct - and digital - marketing units . its revenues in 2015 rose $ 1 billion , or 5 . 8 percent , to $ 18 . 1 billion .
the first television station in ohio ' s miami valley , whio - tv in dayton , went on air on february 23 , 1949 . at the opening ceremony , jim cox jr . , who had led his father into broadcasting , talked about tv ' s “tremendous possibilities . ” when coaxial cable arrived , allowing for high - frequency transmission of television signals , whio - tv was “online” to the nation a few months later .
publicly traded dealertrack , meantime , is the established leader in lending software , digital marketing and retail tools that allow dealerships to offer vehicle shoppers the ability to complete most of a transaction online , said dealertrack ceo mark o ' neil .
between the two companies , they offer software and digital marketing services for every department of the dealership .
those vary from dealer management systems and customer relationship management to inventory management , service scheduling , finance and insurance , and third - party vehicle listing and merchandizing services .
dealertrack was behind the biggest acquisition last year among dealership software vendors when it paid $ 1 billion in cash and stock to buy digital marketing giant , dealer . com .
last month . in the first quarter , dealertrack’s net loss widened to $ 22 . 7 million , or 42 cents per share , compared with a net loss of $ 11 . 6 million , or 25 cents , in the year - earlier quarter .
the deal is subject to antitrust approval by federal regulators . it is expected to close during the third quarter this year .
the acquisition is fully financed and is not subject to any financing conditions , the companies said .
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these are challenging times for dealer operators . here’s why things are changing , and why connected retail operations are so important to your business .
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manheim and dealer auction had a very successful night at the car dealer power awards last night scooping two of the top awards .
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when the 20 brands came together , it was not possible to bring all the data together in the traditional environments such as netezza or sql server .
today , the company has adopted a cloudera enterprise data hub ( edh ) strategy totaling more than 1 petabyte ( pb ) of data and incorporating 200 million rows of data daily .
as we ' ve moved to cloudera’s platform , powered by apache hadoop , we have been able to eliminate the challenges we faced with our legacy environments . we can acquire the data quickly and bring it directly to the analysts across the company very quickly . we can also avoid the pain of building extract , transform , load ( etl ) processes and structuring all the data in potentially multiple environments . now , everyone across multiple business units can have access to the same datasets , and analyze them with the tools and skills they already use . ”
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according to our manheim used vehicle value index ( through june 2018 ) , wholesale prices increased for the third consecutive month . we also estimate that used vehicle sales volume increased 2 % year - over - year . get the details , here : urltoken
this edition of the manheim used vehicle value index report examines pricing indicators in the used vehicle market through june 2018 .
post - holiday monday morning got you feeling like there might have been a little kryptonite in your coffee ? then regain your power by reading about our own derek rich , a team member who most definitely qualifies as a super man . urltoken
in 2005 , manheim announced the opening of offices in china , with one in shanghai and one in beijing . additionally , they opened offices in england , scotland , belgium , spain , australia , new zealand and thailand . the global expansion , set in motion 30 years prior with openings in canada , continued with manheim offices on nearly every continent .


roominate is a construction set introduced by maykah inc. , a company founded by alice brooks and bettina chen , in 2012 .

the product , marketed at girls aged 6 – 10 , consists of modular plastic building pieces that can interlock to create models and includes circuits that can be wired .

originally funded through kickstarter , the company received an investment from mark cuban and lori greiner during the sixth season of shark tank .

roominate

hook up a roominate set to rpower and then control your circuits from the free roominate app . works with all existing roominate sets !
while designing roominate , we have made sure that roominate meets and exceeds all toy safety standards through extensive safety testing . roominate complies to the following safety standards :
get your rpower first ! hook up a roominate set to rpower and then control your circuits from the free roominate app . works with all existing roominate sets !
roominate is a toy product designed to foster young girl ' s interest in stem . roominate is a private company . roominate has a revenue of $ 10m , and 10 employees . roominate has raised a total of $ 1m in funding . roominate ' s top competitor is leapfrog enterprises , led by john barbour , who is their ceo . roominate has 15 followers on owler .
owler has collected 12 screenshots of roominate ' s website since jun 2014 . the latest roominate website design screenshot was captured in oct 2017 .
since roominate was founded in 12 / 2011 , it has participated in 1 round of funding . in total roominate has raised $ 1 . 0m . roominate ' s funding round was on sep 2015 for a total of $ 1 . 0m
roominate ' s dollhouse kits include motors , lights , battery packs , and switches .
roominate - so honored for the feature today by a mighty . . . | facebook
the roominate team is working to have less and less parts make more and more things .
i wondered if this was just because it was the most basic kit . but looking at the roominate website , even the $ 225 chateau de roominate only comes with the fan .
magformers is seen as one of roominate ' s top competitors . magformers was founded in 2000 , and its headquarters is in plymouth , michigan . magformers has 74 more employees than roominate .
roominate 2 . 0 : new smart toys to inspire girls in stem by maykah inc . —kickstarter
roominate , a santa clara , ca - based creator of a . . . . . .
after mark and lori’s investment of $ 500 , 000 , roominate has grown in multiple exciting directions . from an early goal of teaching children about engineering and circuitry , now , thanks to mark cuban’s expertise , roominate has expanded its teaching tools to include teaching kids about programming . the new “rpower” is a new product from roominate that acts as a small hub that connects all the circuits and lights from your roominate set , and allows kids to control them by creating a program on the roominate app !
roominate is a toy product designed to foster young girl ' s interest in stem . roominate was founded in 12 / 2011 . it has raised 1 . 0m in 1 round . the latest round was in sep 2015 . some of roominate ' s investors include id ventures america and tandem capita . . .
be a roominate superstar with this incredible set ! includes rpower , the new circuits system , a full set of roominate characters , and everything else a superstar needs ! over 350 pieces are included in this set .
alice brooks and bettina chen have sold their santa clara - based building toy startup roominate to patch products .
when alice brooks and bettina chen initially founded roominate in san francisco , they implemented a d . . .
leapfrog enterprises is roominate ' s # 1 rival . leapfrog enterprises was founded in 1995 in emeryville , california . leapfrog enterprises is in the schools field . leapfrog enterprises generates $ 322 . 4m more revenue than roominate .
roominate is the diy wired dollhouse building kit that gets girls excited about stem . through hands - on building and circuits , roominate brings together creativity , engineering , and most importantly , fun ! roominate is designed by alice and bettina , two female engineers from caltech , mit , and stanford with a mission to inspire the next generation of female technology innovators .
kids build and play with their roominate creations for hours at a time . while playing , they are developing important skills :
roominate , a california - based toy company known for its line of customizable , stem inspired , wired b . . .
stem toy and girls ' construction set start - up roominate has launched a new rpower app . the app allows . . .
roominate , an award - winning line of wired building systems for girls aged six and up , just launched a . . .
roominate co - founder alice brooks has been named in forbes ' annual 30 under 30 list , becoming the onl . . .
roominate has employees and is the ninth highest among it ' s top 10 competitors . the top 10 competitors average 1 , 322 .
stem toy and girls ' construction set start - up , roominate , has raised over $ 1million in funding in ord . . .
designing a personalized studio is simple with the roominate studio . roominate empowers girls through hands - on , open - ended play . kids develop important stem skills during play : hands - on problem solving , spatial and fine motor skills , self - confidence , and creativity .
roominate has two solid investors on board as well as an innovative idea . do you think it is enough to withstand the long haul ?
roominate ' s revenue is the fourth highest among it ' s top 10 competitors . the top 10 competitors average $ 466 . 4m .
we listened to your feedback , and we ' ve been working hard behind the scenes to take the technology behind roominate to the next level .
fisher - price is one of roominate ' s top competitors . fisher - price is headquartered in east aurora , new york , and was founded in 1930 . fisher - price competes in the movies & entertainment field . fisher - price generates 18 , 881 % the revenue of roominate .
when alice brooks , co - founder of us toy brand , roominate asked for a barbie as a child , her father ha . . .
snap the battery to a wire piece to a light ! roominate furniture building pieces snap right in so that you can use the circuit pieces structurally .
santa clara , calif . - - ( business wire ) - - roominate , an award - winning line of wired building systems for . . .
santa clara , calif . - - ( business wire ) - - roominate , a california - based toy company known for its line o . . .
palo alto , calif . - - ( business wire ) - - roominate , an award - winning line of wired building systems for g . . .
roominate offers nine products that contain different quantities and combinations of the modular building pieces and circuitry . [ 6 ] tekla perry , in an article for the institute of electrical and electronics engineers , described roominate as a
stem
( science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ) toy company . [ 7 ]
get a full set of the new circuits system to complete your roominate collection ! includes wire pieces and a brand new motor , led , and battery pack .
everything in circuit builder and more ! plug the new circuits into rpower or the battery pack and use the cable converters for circuits from your existing roominate sets .
roominate is perfect for introducing programming , circuits , mechanical engineering concepts , and more into the classroom ! over 1 , 000 pieces are included in this set .
from the impressive beginnings of $ 1 . 7 million dollars in sales by 2014 , the company has exploded in growth with a whopping $ 4 . 5 million in total sales today . and for roominate , that is just the beginning , that impressive sales number does not include the lucrative contract they just entered , which will have roominate sold in 800 walmart stores , as well as on walmart . com . roominate expects the walmart deal alone to net them additional millions in sales .
i first met alice brooks of roominate at stanford’s startx demo day . her dollhouse kit had wooden parts that connected together to form floors , walls , and furniture , and a battery pack and wires for a circuit to control a light , fan , or buzzer . since then , roominate has switched to making the pieces out of a durable and slightly flexible plastic that allows them to be pushed together and pulled apart countless times . and roominate has added more capabilities to its starter sets . it turns out , brooks says , that every kid wanted to build a couch , and roominate had left couches out of the first round . roominate is also including led lighting in its basic ( $ 30 ) sets now , and has beefed up its instruction book with more ideas of things to build with the kits ' parts and motors .
our goal is to expand girls’ possibilities from a young age so that they realize they can do and be anything . as it turns out , boys love roominate too !
creating toys designed to appeal to girls isn ' t without its pitfalls . consider the troubling questions of girlie stereotypes surrounding lego friends . instead of dumbing down , roominate is smartening up .
roominate takes a toy concept that girls already love , and adds a design and engineering component that makes them love it even more ,
says kessler .
roominate got an investment from lori grenier and mark cuban , who together put in $ 500 , 000 for a 5 percent equity stake — a healthy $ 10 million valuation . at the time of their shark tank appearance , roominate had $ 1 . 7 million in sales and had run a successful kickstarter campaign , as the inquisitr previously reported .
speed up and change directions on your fan from your phone ! roominate ' s new pieces carry wiring through the plastic so you simply snap them together to build a circuit .
shark tank fans will get an update friday on one of the show’s most memorable entrepreneur pairs : alice brooks and bettina chen of “roominate . ” brooks and chen were part of the season 6 premiere in the fall of 2014 , pitching their line of construction kits with working circuits . both women have graduate degrees in engineering , and they created roominate to nourish young girls’ interest in science .
the duo entrepreneurs , alice brooks and bettina chen , have also upgraded their workspace since shark tank . the team now has their own roominate headquarters in the great state of wisconsin , along with 8 new employees . now , after winning time magazine’s toy of the year award , and with two dedicated sharks on their side , roominate is on track to achieve its goal of inspiring children across the world .
roominate appeared on the season 6 premiere episode of shark tank , where they received a us $ 500 , 000 investment from mark cuban and lori greiner for a 5 % equity share . [ 5 ]
the deluxe roominate contains everything your daughter needs to build her own miniature room . with twice as many building pieces and circuits as the basic roominate , she can build and wire up even more furniture and contraptions for her creation ! build more bunk beds , longer water slides , and bigger staircases , or wire up a working elevator and lamp with the motor and light circuits . the wall and floor panels can even be configured to build two - level structures , balconies , or backyards . the possibilities are endless ! see more ideas on the roominate website , along with pictures of what other girls have made !
hold an incredible playdate that’s both fun and educational ! send every kid home with a roominate t - shirt , tote bag , and notebook . with over 2 , 000 pieces , the possibilities are truly endless .
i really wish the people at roominate well . i hope that they can think about this more and get back to the core promise that they initially showed . lots of people are counting on efforts like this succeeding .
plug in two circuits into one battery pack , or even more into rpower ! all rpower reward levels come with two converter cables . use the cables to plug in any motors or lights from any existing roominate set .
the wires are built right into the plastic pieces . snap them together easily to create working circuits . then , attach furniture building pieces to build out your creation . the new wire pieces integrate seamlessly into the roominate system .
roominate was founded in 2012 by the stanford engineering grads and developed an award - winning line of building sets aimed at girls . both brooks and chen have been honored as women of influence by the silicon valley business journal .
deluxe roominate is just that - deluxe ! create and design your own dollhouse , then , wire it however you choose ! add real energy with light , an elevator that works , machines that move . kids engineer greatness !
we decided to do this because it is going to give our brand a chance to grow ,
brooks told me .
“patch’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovative culture is exactly what we were looking for to help grow roominate .
like many startups these days , maykah launched a kickstarter to fund the roominate project . they hoped for $ 25 , 000 and got $ 85 , 965 . in silicon valley , still largely dominated by men , support is widespread .
“shark tank” season 6 kicked off with even more innovative ideas than ever before , but there was one clear winner of the night . roominate — a line of toys for little girls that encourage them to build and design was by far the favorite .
roominate ' s toys have also collected honors , including being named one of “top 10 toys to watch in 2015” by forbes , “toy of the year” by time and as a finalist for
toy of the year
from the toy industry association .
chen and brooks both cited their experience as one of the few females in advanced science programs as reasons to create roominate . as chen told business insider this past june , the women both had exposure to similar products as children and that led them into science education programs .
designed by engineers alice brooks and bettina chen , roominate takes girl toys to the next level . the women who met in the master’s engineering program at stanford have created a line of engineering kits which one can build things like water slides and houses with working lamps and elevators .
the top 10 competitors in roominate ' s competitive set are leapfrog enterprises , fisher - price , magformers , mindware , hasbro , jakks , mattel , fat brain toys , lego and hearthsong . together they have raised over 117 . 0m between their estimated 53 . 5k employees .
we started roominate 3 years ago , when we were both finishing masters degrees in engineering at stanford . before that , bettina studied electrical engineering at caltech and alice studied mechanical engineering at mit . shocked by the low number of women in engineering around us , we set out to figure out why .
the pitch went well at first , roominate had some impressive numbers , entering the shark tank with over $ 1 . 7 million dollars in sales , in little more than a year and a half . and to add to those impressive stats , roominate was set to be in 596 toys - r - us stores and 1 , 500 radioshacks by the following year . mr . wonderful , kevin o’leary , was truly impressed with entrepreneurs ability to get mass distribution so quickly , a task that is often insurmountable for young inventors . that said , he was weary of the reality that all of their claims of distribution were for the future , and at present , their sales were online focused . in his words “i’m being asked to pay for success before i know with certainty i have it . ” the roominate team quickly defended their numbers , responding that they have a clear track record of success , with sales more than tripling each year .
what happened ? here is what i conjecture . it is very hard to start a new business ; particularly one that manufactures toys . i think the folks at roominate just haven ' t worked out how to provide more electronics with their kits . they made the judgment to move ahead regardless to make a christmas deadline .
jenn choi of forbes stated that the set ' s design
naturally invites other materials to enhance the play experience
, which gave roominate
even more play value
. [ 8 ] in a review of the product , joshua gans , also of forbes , wrote that
it isn ' t likely to impress parents or kids
, but afterwards wrote that the ability to use the motor for different purposes
[ relieved ] some of [ his family ' s ] initial disappointment
. [ 9 ] jennifer alsever of inc . magazine included roominate on a list of toys for
next - generation inventors
. [ 10 ]
it was the pressure to succeed during their graduate studies that helped them , not only in engineering , but in business . the women learned how to handle failure , which is part of starting a company , according to chen . they worked past the early failed prototypes before creating a roominate that worked and kids seemed to like .
since its shark tank appearance , roominate has expanded its product offerings . forbes named its rpower line one of the “top ten toys to watch in 2015 . ” the rpower kits permit users to hook up their creations to an android or ios system , so they not only have working circuits , but may be remote - controlled .
shark tank fans will get further updates on the roominate crew and how its partnership with cuban and grenier has panned out . shark tank airs friday night at 9 p . m . on abc . beyond the tank , the show’s companion program that provides in - depth updates on entrepreneurs , is also due to return for a limited run this fall .
on shark tank , the women made an impression — not least on mark cuban , who agreed to invest with a condition : that his young daughters be able to watch them work . upstart business journal reported in december 2014 that the women had exchanged emails with the young cubans , along with images of what the girls had made with the roominate kits .
tooling : since getting started , we have gone through the mold making process multiple times . all of the plastic roominate parts are made by injection molding . every time we add new parts to the roominate system , we need to make new molds to produce them . when first shots come back from our mold makers , we’ll give them feedback on the fit between pieces . they’ll do revisions to the mold until the fit is perfect . our mold makers have experience making our products and are very familiar with our tolerance and fit requirements . it is likely that they’ll get the parts pretty close at first shots and only have to do minor revisions . we ' ve still built in plenty of time in case extra revisions are necessary .
we spent the next few months researching girls , talking to parents and teachers , and testing out new ideas for toys that could get more girls building and playing with circuits . after a whole lot of cardboard prototypes and testing with hundreds of girls , we came up with the original idea for roominate : a dollhouse that girls would construct and then wire up with working circuits .
the three decided they wanted to do something about it .
we realized that our own childhood experiences were integral in attracting us to math and science as adults ,
says chen . so they created roominate , a doll house construction kit – aimed at girls 6 to 10 years old – that mixes customization , diy assembly , and electronics . it ' s our new kickstarter of the week .
roominate is an award - winning line of wired building systems designed to inspire girls in stem ( science , technology , engineering , and math ) . kids can build , wire , and design the world they want to play in , and everyone makes something unique . from a light up golden gate bridge , to a bunny elevator , to a car wash with spinning brushes , anything is possible !
each roominate room kit is made up of laser - cut wooden parts for walls and furniture , some electronics parts to bring it to life , and decoration bits to enable interior design . the rooms are stackable and the parts are modular , allowing greater and greater customization , the more you have . the idea is that as kids play with the sets they ' ll act as an entry point to more interest in stem skills .
[ update : the folks from roominate have been in touch and have explained a little more as to what occurred here . they focussed on the motor because the children found that the most interesting . out of the box , the instructions were to build a fan . due to parental lack of imagination on our part , we didn ' t think about what other uses that motor might be put too . the roominate website contains a growing list of ideas including a washing machine , fireplace and elevator . that certainly expands the mind somewhat and relieves some of our initial disappointment . i only wish that the had included these ideas in the box so that the children could have worked through the projects at the time . again , it just goes to show how difficult it is establishing a new toy concept especially when creativity is involved . sometimes , we just don ' t see it . ]
having already hit its kickstarter goal , the team is now thinking about future improvements . the current version of roominate uses off - the - shelf parts , but the team is working on designing circuits that will require an order of custom parts .
we really wanted to make it possible for our electronics to be joined in parallel and in series ,
says brooks ,
however , there was no obvious solution that could come from off - the - shelf components .
“when we looked around at girls’ toys today , we did not see the kinds of toys that inspired us when we were young , ” wrote alice brooks , bettina chen and jennifer kessler wrote at women 2 . 0 . so the three of them , all graduate students at stanford , formed a company they call “maykah . ” their first toy , roominate , updates the game of playing house : with circuits and custom - built parts , girls won’t just keep house but learn about what goes into building one .
roominate is a clever and unique construction set that blends the skills of building , creativity storytelling , and even circuitry into a toy that gets kids excited about learning . after its founders met in the master’s degree program of stanford university , one of the world’s most prestigious institutions for research and education , they learned that less than 15 % of women enter college intending to major in a stem ( science , technology , engineering , or math ) field . it was then that they agreed to make it their mission to inspire the next generation of inventors .
two of my favorite new stem toy companies of the past couple of years have been going through that process : light up , which i wrote about last spring , and roominate , which i wrote about in 2012 . i saw them both recently at makercon , and light up showed up again at a stanford showcase . ( a stem toy , by my definition , is a toy designed to be an easy entry point to science or engineering for kids who may never have tried either . ) both have changed quite a bit since i first saw them .
the two realized their love for engineering was influenced by the toys they played with as kids , toys that built confidence with hands - on problem solving and creativity . alice had her own saw as an eight - year - old , and bettina played with her brother ' s hand - me - down lego and lincoln logs . they set out to make these same experiences that inspired them accessible to all girls today . with roominate , they’re giving little girls the opportunity to engineer and create on their own . they’re inspiring the next generation of female technology innovators .
back in may i wrote about a kickstarter project that promised to address issues of gender differences in toys . called roominate , there would be a kit that not only included materials to build a doll house but electronics to wire it as well . the kickstarter video pointed to a house that was interestingly decorated but that had all manner of lighting and a fan installed with switches to make it all work . this looked like an extremely sensible way of broadening the play experience , particularly of girls , but maybe for all children . i promptly backed the project and waited for the kit to arrive .
to me that was the wrong call . what is distinctive about roominate is the electronics and it had to be about that . at the moment , it is way over - priced for what it delivers on . and moreover , it isn ' t likely to impress parents or kids . my daughter who is far more savage on toy design than i can ever be lamented to me .
look this is just a bunch of stickers . and then you have these instructions to fold a dog . what is this huge paper dog doing in my house ?
i guess it may be something to be blown away by the fan but the fan didn ' t have enough power . a lesson there for everyone .
bought this for an 8 year old girl . i wasn ' t sure if she would like it since she typically likes her dolls best . but we looked at some videos and pics on the website and became very interested . she built her first big project today . . . making amusement park swings . i just wish it included more than 1 motor and light . she has no interest in the stickers at this point . . . she just wants more pieces to be able to build more ! i highly recommend it for anyone looking for a different kind of toy for a young g irl ! although , i do think some boys would like this too ! they probably would not build
doll houses
but forts and contraptions ! the walls are all white and you tape paper to them to give it color so the possibilities are endless ! finally , i wish amazon carried the expansion packs that are available on the roominate website !
mark cuban , who in order to prove the versatility of roominate , was built a basketball court with complimentary airplane as a sample , was impressed with the success of the two female inventors . the ingenuity and dedication of the women brought out the family man that accompanied mark’s own success . with a net worth of over $ 3 billion dollars , mark expressed concerns that his two daughters may acquire a sense of entitlement , instead of the strong work ethic he developed . so , he made the entrepreneurs their first offer , the full $ 500 , 000 for 5 % of the business , but with one contingency , his daughters had to be a part of the project and have the opportunity to lean on alice and bettina as mentors . lori greiner took the opportunity to jump into the deal as well . known to her other successful entrepreneurs as the chickstarter , she was excited to join another project with passionate women set out to inspire and innovate .
the two women entered the shark tank seeking an investment of $ 500 , 000 for a 5 % interest in their company . they began with a simple argument on the influence that toys can have on what type of person everyone grow ups to be . that favorite toy that you loved as child , was it playing with a fire truck , or picking out clothes for a doll ; what effect did that have on you , and what effect is it having on our children ? what was even more compelling was the roominate argument : what if that board game , was an actual construction set that let you actually build those hotels , what if those crayons you used to draw pictures was actually a toy that let you design your own prototype ? for alice , co - owner of the business , her turning point came when she asked her father if santa claus would be bringing her a new barbie for christmas , a few weeks later she opened her shiny new saw ! her father’s words , “build the dream house yourself . ” ever since , she was passionate about engineering .
brooks , and jennifer kessler all studied math and science in school . but year after year , they noticed a problem .
as we got to higher levels of study , the number of women in our classes continued to decrease ,
says books . she ' s not wrong . the numbers of women pursuing careers in stem fields ( science , technology , engineering and mathematics ) are
every young girl is an artist , engineer , architect & visionary .
we can get behind that .
as much as the project is intended to be a learning tool for children , its development has been an ongoing learning process for its creators . the toy was prototyped while the founders were participating in startx , the stanford student startup accelerator . they ' ve approached the problem methodically , iterating through countless designs and getting prototypes into the hands of children to see how they use them .
a lot of work and tradeoffs go into making toys for young kids . you want the toys to be safe , easy to use , and idiot - proof while at the same time , the whole point it to encourage experimentation and unexpected results . early testing revealed how big a challenge this would become .
we had not realized how rough the kids would be with our product ,
brooks says . the team had to rethink how to build components that could stand up to the punishment of daily play .
the electronics needed particular attention . the final design uses single molex connectors , which insulate both the wires and the connections ,
completely protecting little fingers from touching any actual wires ,
says chen . they similarly designed their circuits to make shorting the battery impossible .
the walls and furniture were also carefully deliberated . they are working on minimizing the number of different shapes needed to create the furniture and walls . the fewer types of parts needed in a kit , the more modular it will be , allowing kids more options for customization .
it is important to us that the design is as modular and flexible as possible ,
says kessler .
their other wishlist item is a laser cutter of their very own . with that , kesseler says , they could bypass their biggest expense – paying to cut the wood on a per - hour basis .
since we are committed to delivering our kits to our kickstarter supporters at cost ,
she says ,
having our own laser would allow for more pieces per kit ( and more possibilities ) .
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one of the cool things about living in silicon valley is getting to watch companies grow up . we see the words on temporary tenant boards outside tiny offices in downtown palo alto become household names and move into ever more stunning corporate campuses . ( we forget the ones that disappear , of course . ) and as products evolve from rough prototypes , we see founders grow and change with them . it’s always nice when we see products and founders that captured our imagination go through the process of maturing and getting out into the world .
the latest change : dolls . because after all , what’s a dollhouse , even one with a working doorbell and turning fans , without dolls to live in it .
is the company booming ? not yet ( and they’re not talking specifically about sales ) but their products are in some key catalogs like fatbrain .
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sounds pretty cool , right ? mark cuban thought so too and he wasn’t alone .
the women asked the investors for an investment of $ 500 , 000 and offered 5 % equity for it . cuban offered $ 500 , 000 for 5 % if his daughters can be a part of it . lori greiner offered to split with mark , and have the product on qvc within four months . while the other investors passed on the product .
four startups are shaking up the toy industry with products designed to teach concepts such as coding , robotics , and engineering .
forget barbie dolls and hot wheels . today ' s hot new toys are teaching kids how to innovate . armed with new research linking childhood play and technical aptitude , entrepreneurs are shaking up the $ 22 billion toy industry .
parents , eager to give their children an early advantage , are clamoring for toys that teach concepts such as coding , robotics , and engineering .
it ' s the geek - chic trend ,
says adrienne appell , spokeswoman for the toy industry association .
it ' s cool to code , and parents see the potential .
but for a new toy to take off , it must be more than just educational . it has to be fun .
how early can a child learn to code ? turns out , kids as young as 5 can grasp basic programming concepts , according to new research . that ' s what inspired former google manager vikas gupta to start play - i . his mountain view - based company makes blue toy robots that can be programmed using a simple ipad app to roam around , pick up objects , and tell stories . gupta , who has two young children , believes that programming skills will be essential to kids in the future , regardless of their jobs . to get kids engaged , he gave the robots personalities and names : bo ( $ 169 ) and yana ( $ 59 ) . after raising $ 1 . 4 million on kickstarter - - well above play - i ' s $ 250 , 000 goal - - the company received another $ 8 million in venture capital in march . play - i , which has 15 employees , plans to start shipping the toy robots this fall .
programmer dan shapiro hated playing board games like candy land , but he wanted a way to spend quality time with his preschool - aged twins . so while on leave from google last year , shapiro made up his own board game , called robot turtles , that uses turtles , mazes , and tokens to
sneakily
teach kids programming skills - - without using a computer . shapiro raised more than $ 630 , 000 from backers on kickstarter last september and quickly sold out of the $ 25 game . shapiro did not intend to start a board - game company , so he licensed the game to toymaker thinkfun to boost production . robot turtles will be in retail stores this summer .
eight years ago , mit graduate student ayah bdeir set out to build a toy that did for electronics what legos did for construction . the result ? littlebits , construction kits that contain tiny circuit boards , motors , sensors , and lights that kids can use to create their own motorized toys . no wiring is required : all of the pieces snap together with magnets . since littlebits launched in 2011 , the new york city - based company has raised more than $ 15 million in funding . more than 1 , 800 schools use its $ 100 kits in classrooms . bdeir says the kits help kids understand how an elevator door or night - light works - - and they ' re making their own creations , such as racecars and robots .
it ' s much more than a toy ,
bdeir says .
it ' s an invention tool .
and arrive it did just last week . the first thing you ' ll notice is the packaging . here is a picture .
it is very gender neutral . it could so easily have been all flowers and pinks but instead it shows the toy ; specifically , it does not show a kid with a specific gender . kudos for that .
my kids couldn ' t wait to play with it . all of them , girl ( 8 ) , girl ( 13 ) and boy ( 11 ) fought for the rights but first dibs went to the 8 year old . what i was expecting was a kit with plastic materials for walls and furniture , a few decorative items and a lot of electronics . well , we got the plastic but not the electronics . there was one item ; essentially , a motor for a fan , and connectors to a switch and battery pack . that was it . no lights . no options for how to integrate electronics in the doll house . just a fan .
now according to a tweet , the fan was there because it was the electronic item that excited girls the most . sadly , that wasn ' t the case for my daughter . she wanted to put more into it than that . it certainly didn ' t excite me enough .
what the kit did come with was an abundance of decorative items . there were tons of stickers but these were all of the flowers , butterflies and dolphin variety . in the end , the kit was just like a traditional doll house craft project with a single fan and a $ 60 bill .
our playmonster friends from automoblox and marbleocity are rolling at the us science & engineering festival in washington dc this weekend . if you’re in the area , they’d love to see you .
the duo of alice brooks and bettina chen appeared on shark tank on september 26 , 2014 , to inspire the sharks to see the opportunity in revolutionizing the construction set industry by focusing on engineering and circuitry , as well as the education of young girls .
chris went to school at the university of maryland , and while rooting for the terps , he began his career of freelance writing . now a college grad and a passionate teacher , he enjoys taking the time to write articles and research the next big thing .
a teen actor , finn wolfhard is best known for playing the character of mike wheeler in the popular sci - fi series , stranger things . his most . . .
the gazette review is your daily news source covering everything from world news to personal finance . we provide the most recent , unbiased accounts of the news that matters to you . contact us : editor @ urltoken
now you can design , program , and control your world . every girl is an artist , engineer , architect , and visionary !
kids can build , wire , and design anything they imagine . . . then play for hours !
you can make motors spin faster and slower , reverse direction , turn lights on and off , and set lights to blink .
we started talking about why we chose engineering and realized we shared something in common : toys inspired both of us ! we loved engineering before we even knew what the word meant . for alice , it was her own saw , and for bettina , it was building elaborate lego creations with her brother .
we put our idea on kickstarter in may 2012 , and the response was overwhelming . we set up manufacturing and shipped out rewards in december 2012 .
thank you so much to everyone who backed our original project , shared it with friends , and cheered us on . we would not be where we are today without you ! we are so grateful for your support .
with your help getting launched , we ' ve spent the past 3 years building our company and continuing to improve our products for you .
we ' ve already started tooling for rpower . we hope to get your support on kickstarter so that we can launch tooling for our new circuits system earlier than otherwise possible .
manufacturing a physical product comes with a lot of potential risks and delays . we’ve gained 3 years of experience since our first kickstarter campaign . we delivered on our first campaign within our target of 6 months and have gained really valuable experience manufacturing at scale since then . we’ve built buffer into every step of the process to account for the risks that we’ve identified .
freight : there is always a chance of port delays or additional customs screening time , both of which are beyond our control . we’ve had both happen to our shipments in the past , so we’ve built extra time into our delivery schedule in case either or both happen .
delivering rewards : our fulfillment center has been in operation since 1989 and has extensive experience in working with both startups and well - established companies . for the past two years , they have handled all of our online orders from individual customers , as well as larger shipments from our retailers . they have also worked with many other companies to ship kickstarter rewards .
two classroom sets make the ultimate classroom ! over 2 , 500 pieces are included in this set .
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no financial details of the sale were disclosed and the stanford grads plan to join the wisconsin company but remain based in silicon valley . it had raised about $ 3 million and employed less than 10 .
brooks and chen hit the national spotlight after appearing on
shark tank
in the fall of 2014 , winning investments from investors mark cuban and lori greiner .
that came after the company raised its first round of funding through a kickstarter campaign in may 2012 , raising nearly $ 86 , 000 , easily surpassing its $ 25 , 000 goal .
“we are excited and honored to take on a concept that gets girls excited about engineering through play , ” patch products ceo bob wann said in a press release about the deal .
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electrode , comp - 185576016 , dc - prod - dal1 , env - prod - a , prof - prod , ver - 7 . 5 . 0 , sha - b16318c7d1d0d398de738a55c15a2143b115ef36 , cid -
science toys for girls are often , well , terrible . while boys get cool explosions and slime , girls get “beauty spa lab” and “perfect perfume lab . ” and everything is always , as a rule , pink . but a team of female engineers are trying to buck that trend . they’re developing toys for girls that will actually inspire young women to go into math and science .
parents could start ordering toys last week , although the final price hasn’t been set yet . the maykah team hopes that their toys will help put a dent in the highly skewed gender ratio found in the engineering world , where only about 25 percent of the tech - force is female .
rose eveleth is a writer for smart news and a producer / designer / science writer / animator based in brooklyn . her work has appeared in the new york times , scientific american , story collider , ted - ed and onearth .
whale milk is some of the richest milk available to any mammal . a baby whale will drink 150 gallons of it a day to sustain its dramatic growth .
for six weeks , luna moth caterpillars gorge themselves on the leaves of the marula tree . then , when they ' re ready , they instinctively weave giant cocoons around themselves in preparation for their stunning metamorphosis .
the superheros creator , william moulton marston , was a harvard - trained psychologist and inventor and infused his daily life into the comic book .
in 1992 , christopher mccandless set off to test if he could survive alone in the wilds of alaska . it didn ' t go as planned .
da vinci ' s the last supper plays a key role in the 2006 blockbuster hit the da vinci code . although the film ' s claims are more fiction than fact , could the painting actually contain a message from leonardo ?
what ' s the difference between england , britain and the u . k . ?
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chen told madison reed that the toy fills a need . parents are often forced to choose toys from the “girls” aisle or the “boys” aisle , which can limit what exposure both genders receive . that’s significant since play is part of children’s early learning experiences .
“parents feel obligated to shop by those [ gender ] categories . give your kids the opportunity to explore different paths and find the one they’re really interested in . ”
chen’s comments were published in madison reed several months before one massive retail chain , target , announced it was eliminating gender segregation in its toy aisles . as media studies professor rebecca hains wrote in the washington post in august 2015 , “gender - based marketing” became widespread in the 1990s as a way for businesses to sell twice as much stuff to parents .
“for both of us , we found that it was really toys we played with when we were younger that really got us building and tinkering and making things with our hands — things that really drew us toward engineering in college . ”
“being in a rigorous learning environment taught us that not everything is going to happen exactly as you plan it , which is certainly the case with starting a new business . ”
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the source code for the wiki 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the mozilla foundation , google , and apple . you could also do it yourself at any point in time .
would you like wikipedia to always look as professional and up - to - date ? we have created a browser extension .
it will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the wiki 2 technology .
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alice brooks and bettina chen , the founders of maykah , inc . , met in the master ' s degree engineering program at stanford university . the two launched their first prototype on kickstarter and raised us $ 85 , 000 from a us $ 25 , 000 funding goal . [ 2 ] the team participated in startx , a business incubator for stanford entrepreneurs , in 2012 , and partnered with edforward , the center for innovation in education at the uc davis school of education , to create a series of educational activity guides to accompany the kits . [ 3 ] [ 4 ]