Ora CEO Predicts Medium Will Blow Up, Suggests Fab Must Pivot or Die

MobilityTechzone recently spoke with several folks in the industry to get their end-of-the-year assessments and expectations for 2014. Here’s our Q&A with Dan Parsons, CEO of Chicago-based mobile and web design studio Ora Interactive.

Who is 2013’s most interesting person in tech?

I’m a big fan of Chris Sacca this year. The move he pulled with secretly buying up secondary Twitter shares pre IPO was very interesting.                                                                                        

What were the three most important tech development of 2013, and why?

• iOS7 was a huge tech development this year. Apple completely evolved their interface guidelines, and offered some exciting new tools for developers.
• Although Bitcoin was not created in 2013, its popularity and development as a currency tends to be very important and could have major impact in years to come.
• Google Glass. It hasn’t hit critical mass, but it was a great technology development this year and will spark a lot of innovation going forward.

What was the top startup of 2013?

For me the top startup of 2013 is Uber. They’re making moves internationally, sparking deals with big auto, and landing the Google Ventures/ TPG investment was a huge win for them.

What was the most noteworthy acquisition?

Dropbox’s acquisition of Mailbox was very noteworthy. For a simple mailbox application to launch and get acquired for $100 million after being live for two months says a lot about the current state of mobile technology companies. 

Which companies are prime candidates for acquisition?

I think a lot of mobile analytics, ad, or PAAS companies will have opportunities. Companies like Urban Airship, Fiksu, and Flurry.

What do you expect to be the hot topic(s) in 2014?

I think iBeacon technology, Snapchat’s movement, smart watches, and the continued mobile evolution will all be topics next year.

What are your top three 2014 predictions for our industry?

Fab will pivot or die along with other flash-sales companies. Medium will blow up. Most cars will integrate with iOS or Android.

If there’s just one thing related to tech that businesses need to know going into 2014, what is that one thing?

Keep investing in mobile to drive operational efficiencies, and to increase your customer engagement opportunities.