After three years at the Santa Clarita Business Incubator, Alex Bozman is moving on.
Bozman’s startup Nuhubit Software Studios LLC is “graduating” from the tech space and he is looking to sign a lease for office space in the city.
“I am happy that we went through it and I wish the best of luck to the new companies going into it,” Bozman said.
Nuhubit and Outlyer Technologies, developer of AdVRtas, an interactive 360-degree rich media advertising technology, are the first two graduates of the incubator, sponsored by the city, College of the Canyons and the Small Business Development Center.
Outlyer will remain in Old Town Newhall while Bozman has several lease offers on the table but no signed contract.
“I am deciding what to do in negotiating,” he added. “It is eyes to the future and exciting stuff.”
Denise Covert, an economic development associate with the city, said that even after leaving the incubator, the city will still support the startups.
“Both Nuhubit and Outlyer will continue to receive specifically tailored guidance and support while they continue to develop their business models,” Covert wrote in an email to the Business Journal.
Bozman is Nuhubit’s sole full-time employee. In the last year he has brought on a social media marketer who works a few hours a month and hired some artists that have worked on the new game called Forte Fox’s Music Practice Box, or Forte Fox for short.
While staying mum on the actual game play, Bozman described Forte Fox as a “practice companion” for student musicians that works with every instrument that is commonly taught in schools.
“The basic idea is to make practicing more fun,” he added. “That is the role that educational games do in general, so it fits in with our mission.”
In addition to Forte Fox, Bozman is working on updates for Bubbly Primes, the first game released by Nuhubit two years ago. The improvements to the game, in which students learn about composite numbers (that can be divided by more than one number) and prime numbers (can only be divided by itself), include replacing digitally created bubbles with hand drawn ones, and creating a level system for the game.
“It helps give students a sense of progress to keep them playing and keep them learning bigger and bigger numbers as they play,” Bozman explained.
Staying in Santa Clarita is preferable for Bozman, who is also a cello teacher and a former software engineer. He likes the city’s support for startups, the resources in the community and that there are three major schools there in College of the Canyons, Cal Arts and Master’s University, a Christian liberal arts school.
As for the incubator, in addition to the space that Nuhubit occupied, Bozman said he enjoyed the camaraderie with Oultyer Technologies and being able to go to people engaged in the tech sector. After all, Bozman added, running a startup can be a lonely and difficult business.
“The incubator is one of those independent things that will help the startup scene to take hold,” Bozman said.
New companies joining the incubator this month are Celitech, developer of technology to improve the way mobile phones connect to cellular networks; Gapless Solutions LLC, creator of a platform to integrate custom products with businesses’ existing computer systems; and Rangle News Inc., developer of a “citizen journalism” newsgathering app.
These startups were picked from 10 applicants and chosen by a panel consisting of staff from the city, Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp., Small Business Development Center and College of the Canyons, Covert wrote in her email.
China Lake Contract
Saalex Solutions, an engineering and information technology firm, received two contracts recently with two U.S. Navy warfare centers.
The Camarillo company was awarded an engineering support contract at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, north of the Antelope Valley.
The contract supports the acquisition lifecycle supporting missiles, weapons, aerial target systems and parachute systems.
“China Lake has been our customer and partner for over a decade and we are truly delighted and honored to be continuing and growing that relationship supporting our warfighters,” Saalex Chief Executive Travis Mack said in a prepared statement.
The company also won an engineering and technical support contract to provide technical services related to logistics, test support and test operations at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division-Detachment Fallbrook.
“As our third Corona Division win this year, it affirms our strengthening test and evaluation skillset,” Mack said in a statement. “We’ll continue to enhance this capability across the organization.”
Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or [email protected].
