Samsung TV App Winners Movl Expand Internationally

Posted by Richard Kastelein in Breaking News on February 24, 2011  |  0 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

MOVL, the winners of Samsung's "Free the TV Challenge, in the USA last year - who build applications for both single and dual screens (Smart TV and Mobile/Tablet devices), today announced exciting milestones in their rapid growth with the addition of Charlie Collins as director of technology and the acquisition of South America-based app development company Interactiva Colombia. These additions enable MOVL to push forward with an aggressive growth strategy for new application development and brand expansion.

"We are thrilled to have them on board and look forward to our offices succeeding as an integrated group with an international culture."

Charlie Collins joins MOVL with several years of experience as a software developer and technology architect with background in a wide range of technologies including Web applications, Web services, desktop applications and mobile. He is also the respected author of Unlocking Android and GWT in Practice and is a contributor to many open source projects. In his role as director of technology, Collins will build upon MOVL's homegrown Connect® Platform and work directly with the creative team on the development of new applications that enable users to interact with Smart TVs via an iPhone, Blackberry or Android device.

"Bringing Charlie on board will propel MOVL to the next level of application development and his knowledge of the field will be fundamental to us successfully meeting our growth plans," said Juan Pablo Gnecco, CEO of MOVL. "The Smart TV category has so much untapped potential and we are excited to be at the forefront of developing applications that create a truly social experience for the user."

The company has also taken a first step towards its goal of establishing a global presence via the acquisition of application development company Interactiva Colombia, which is now part of the MOVL brand. Based in Colombia and run by a team of talented designers and developers, the group will be led by founder Alex Sosa and cofounder and senior application developer Augusto Ospina. In addition to acquiring intellectual property, staff and office, MOVL will incorporate gaming apps currently in development by the Colombia team into its plans for upcoming innovation announcements.

"The addition of the Colombia team has effectively doubled the size of our company and dramatically increased our opportunity to fast track application development and capitalize on an international footprint to drive growth," commented Gnecco. "We are thrilled to have them on board and look forward to our offices succeeding as an integrated group with an international culture."