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![]() EyeMail Inc. logo | |
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | |
Founded | 2004 |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Owner | Lisa S. Jones |
Website |
eyemailinc |
EyeMail Inc. is an American communications technology and digital marketing company based in Atlanta, Georgia. [1] [2] Founded by entrepreneur Lisa S. Jones, EyeMail Inc. is both a black and woman-owned business enterprise (WBE), and is an officially certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by the NMSDC (National Minority Supplier Development Council).
The company is an " email video" provider, [3] offering a technology that enables up to 60 seconds-long HD videos to be compressed and embedded directly into emails, avoiding the need to click on a link or access a browser to play them. [4] [5] Some of EyeMail Inc.'s chief clients include PepsiCo, Microsoft, Delta Air Lines, The Coca-Cola Company, Porsche North America, and Harvard Business School, although the company also partners with mid-tier and emerging brands, [6] as well as nonprofit organizations. [3] In 2023, EyeMail Inc. appeared on Inc. magazine's annual list of the fastest-growing companies in the US Southeast region at number 181. [7]
EyeMail Inc. was founded by Lisa S. Jones in 2004 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. [8] Jones is originally from Montgomery, Alabama, and enrolled at the Alabama A&M University, [3] university from which she received BBA and MBA degrees. [9] She also studied marketing management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. [10] Before becoming an entrepreneur, Jones worked as a logistics and supply chain expert at NASA, [8] [4] eventually relocating to Atlanta to expand her career in supplier diversity for companies such as AT&T. [8] [3] Jones has revealed that she founded EyeMail Inc. after the unexpected passing away of her mother, [11] making a "vow to start and scale a global company in her honor". [12]
In 2004, Jones filed her first patent focused on video in email. [13] For five years, she developed EyeMail Inc. during her spare time, as she was also working full-time as an executive in telecommunications in Atlanta. [12] [11] Initially, EyeMail Inc. was turned down by a number of American development agencies, so Jones worked with several international technical teams until choosing a final partnership, [12] [5] which developed the product in only six months. [12] During her development process, Jones participated in Microsoft's Mentor/Protégé Innovation Lab Program, which "provided more support and expertise", [12] as well as its Innovation Center, becoming the first African-American woman to do so. [6] [14]
In 2008, Jones presented EyeMail Inc. in the first season of the CBS reality competition show The Next Tycoon, which she won. [6] [15] Jones subsequently contacted Georgia's Greater Women's Business Council (GWBC) and offered to create a free EyeMail Inc. campaign for them. [5] [6] The campaign caught the attention of Time Warner executives, and the company became EyeMail Inc.'s first client. [6] [8] This prompted Jones to leave her day job and fully dedicate herself to the company. [12] Following Time Warner, EyeMail Inc. began to work with other companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, Major League Baseball, [5] Porsche North America, Aetna, the Atlanta Braves, [12] and The Home Depot, among others. [6] In 2008, EyeMail Inc. was listed at number 3 on the Atlanta Tribune's list for the "Top 8 Atlanta Businesses to Watch". [16]
In 2008, EyeMail Inc. began a formal relationship with The Coca-Cola Company as part of their mentor program through the Georgia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (GMSDC). [8] Three years later, the mentorship program with The Coca-Cola Company resulted in EyeMail Inc.'s selection by the Microsoft Corporation as a premier MWBE supplier in digital marketing. [17] EyeMail's business partnership with The Coca-Cola Company was pivotal to the growth of the company, purportedly causing its revenue to quadruple. [8] This allowed Jones' company to expand to Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, India and the United Kingdom. [8]
As both a black-owned and woman-owned business, EyeMail Inc. is a partner of the Billion Dollar Roundtable organization, where it classified as a Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) strategic partner. [18] As EyeMail Inc.'s CEO, Jones took part as a panelist at the 2014 Billion Dollar Summit held by the Minority Business News USA (MBNUSA). [19]
Writing for Forbes magazine in 2021, Laurel Donnellan noted that: "EyeMail's next-generation email experience has repeatedly proven with increases to click-through and call-to-action open rates while bringing email to life for a more engaging & memorable experience. Customers have achieved open rates of 60% and click-through rates of 38%, far above the industry average." [12] In 2018, Jones announced that the company would expand its business model of custom-made campaigns, moving towards a software as a service (SaaS) platform. [5] As of 2020, EyeMail Inc. partners with both private businesses—including The Coca-Cola Company and Delta Air Lines—as well as nonprofit organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. [3] [12] Recently, EyeMail Inc. has launched a new product called EyeCon, which animates a logo or email signature, [8] [12] which, according to Forbess Lauren Donellan, "brings company logos to life". [12]
The company's business model grew significantly due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as the need for employers to effectively communicate digitally became more relevant. [20] In 2020, EyeMail Inc. announced the release of new options to support the hearing and visually impaired with close captioning, so they can also engage with the company's video email technology. [12] This new venture was done in collaboration with Senior Architects at Microsoft's Innovation Lab. [21] The company is also developing a "video in text solution" to expand product offerings, expected to be launched in 2022. [3]
In 2020, EyeMail Inc.was chosen by PepsiCo as one of 15 participants in the Stacy's Pita Chips's Rise Project, a mentorship program to support black women business owners. [22] As part of the project, EyeMail was added to a Female Founder Finder directory, which directs consumers to nearby female-founded businesses. [23]
In early 2023, EyeMail's Lisa S. Jones was listed among the "finest email mavens" by Uplers. [24] In May, she was among the winners of the Enterprising Women of the Year Award, [25] and the following month she listed as one of Top 100 Women of the Future in Emerging Tech by Women of the Future. [26] In June, Microsoft dedicated a special case study on EyeMail Inc., noting that it grew 71% in 2 years and delivers managed services projects 40% faster following the adoption of Microsoft 365 Business Premium. [27] The company has thus "[earned] a spot on the Inc. list of fast-growing small companies in the US Southeast region for 2023." [27] Writing for Microsoft the same year, Susanna Ray uses EyeMail Inc. as an example of "black-owned companies [that] are using corporate connections to give back". [28] The writer noted: "When Microsoft announced its Racial Equity Initiative in 2020 and set a goal to double the number of Black suppliers it does business with, a procurement engagement manager for the company remembered Jones and reached out, partnering with EyeMail to integrate video in email marketing communications as part of the Windows 11 launch in 2021." [28] In the same article, Jones stated:
I started crying when I got my first contract with Microsoft, because I was full of gratitude. Everyone told me, "You're a woman, you're a Black woman, you're from Alabama, you don't have the right network, you're not a coder" — I could go on and on. But I said, "I am going to make it." So when I was awarded the Microsoft contract, and the supplier number, the whole process of onboarding was fabulous, and it was exhilarating. We have a lot of Fortune 500 customers on our roster now, and there are so many tangible and intangible benefits to this relationship that continue to evolve and show up. [28]
Jones has recently announced the upcoming launches of EyeMail Software as a Service (SaaS) Storytelling Platform, which also includes new products and features such as EyeCon, EyeViewer Assistant (EVA) and Video in Text. [29] In November 2023, EyeMail Inc. was selected among the winners of Invest Connect, a pitch competition organized by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) as part of their Bridge Builders initiative, aimed to link black-owned businesses with investors. [30]
Year | Presented by | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Atlanta Tribune | Top 8 Atlanta Businesses to Watch | Won | |
Technology Association of Georgia | Top 40 Innovative Companies | Won | ||
2009 | Georgia Technology | Industry Award | Won | |
2010 | Black Enterprise | Innovator of the Year | Finalist | |
Georgia Minority Technology Industry Award | Won | |||
Stevie Awards | Most Innovative Company of the Year | Won | ||
2011 | Women in Technology Honoree | Innovator of the Year | Won | |
2014 | Women in Technology Honoree | Innovator of the Year | Won | |
2018 | Delta Air Lines | Catalyst of the Year | Won | |
2019 | Minority Business Entrepreneur | WBEs Who Rock Award | Won | |
2021 | Global Business Leaders Mag | 20 Innovative Companies Which Everyone Should Know in 2021 | Won | |
Upliers Email | Top 29 Experts Email Marketing Trends | Won | ||
2022 | Microsoft Supplier Prestige Awards | Diverse-Owned Supplier of the Year | Finalist | |
Women in Technology | Women of the Year Award | Finalist | ||
Corporate Vision | Corporate Excellence Awards | Won | ||
2023 | Enterprising Women | Enterprising Women of the Year Awards | Won | |
Women of the Future | Top 100 Women of the Future in Emerging Tech | Won | ||
Inc. | The Fastest-Growing Companies in the US Southeast | Won | ||
Women in Technology | Fearless Woman in Technology | Won | ||
Technology Association of Georgia | Invest Connect | Won |