Hypios: On Learning to Love Problems

It's been a period of significant change, what with the move to France, and leaving Adrants and MarketingVOX, where I've camped out for the last handful of years.

Unemployment + immigration angst = big problem.

But like most things that appear to suck, a bad turn proves good. I decided to stay here. And once I decided that, it was easier to relax and watch for the right opportunity. So I went on vacation, made friends, worked on some cool projects for other companies, and even started a podcast with my homie Bill Green. With time to yourself you get to reflect, and here is something I realized I really wanted to do: execute, not just write.



Before I became an ad blogger, I was the marketing director for a dot-com, and these are muscles that need stretching. The last three years in ad/marketing review have given me the chance to meet great people and discover new things; it would be a shame to never use all that.

Which brings me to The News™: as of today I'm the Vice President-Marketing of Hypios, an online marketplace for R&D solutions.


The company slogan is Learn to Love Problems, which for me is apt from a both personal and professional perspective.

How Hypios works: you're a big company -- a Seeker -- with a complex problem: Google looking to improve your algorithm by 0.1%, or Twitter in desperate pursuit of a business model that incorporates user preference without compromising user experience.

Hypios helps you prepare an RFP with specific goals in mind. You decide how much the problem is worth and in what time frame you want it solved. We hold your bounty money in a secure account, then present your problem to a global network of Highly Smart Individuals™ who can look at it from angles even you didn't consider.

We protect your problem with an NDA. Once you've found your solution, the cash and the glory are released to the Solver. You, in turn, get the license to his or her solution.

Take a look at the demo videos, or dive right into a few problem descriptions.

(We're working on getting embed code for the vids.)

If you're interested in becoming a Seeker, here's all the information you need to know (as well as a submission option). Solvers-to-be can get crackin' on problems right here. You can also share what you're working on via Facebook Connect.

I'm excited about Hypios because it's a neat mix of enterprise and academia, a place where we can play with puzzles and watch them go into useful application. But if I learned anything in the blogosphere, it's that I'm only as valuable to this company as the people around me.

So I'll need you -- every day, all the time, constantly. Help me make this machine purr like a kit-teh, and I in turn promise to be readily available to you, and to keep you abreast of everything that's goin' down back here.

Oh, and don't worry: you'll still be able to catch me at the ad cons. ;-) Another reason why Hypios is cool is because the company culture acknowledges problems are best solved with a diversity of perspectives, so I can keep my legs swinging in Ad Land even while my head's up yonder.

Here's to a 2010 rich with promise. And thanks, you guys -- for following me, making me better and turning a scary transition into one of the most exciting pursuits I've ever had the good fortune to be able to chase.

Now, let's get out there and love us some problems!