5 Enterprise Startups to Watch in 2011 # 5: Podio

As 2010 draws to a close we’re taking a look at a few enterprise startups that show promise and that we haven’t covered on ReadWriteEnterprise.

Podio is a highly customizable Web-based enterprise collaboration application. Like Huddle it emphasizes external collaboration as well as internal collaboration. Podio’s distinguishing features are its large internal app store and its app builder. End-users can easily add or modify existing apps from the more than 2,000 apps available in the app store, or build new ones using a point and click interface.

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While Jive offers extensive customization through its professional services and Moxie has done extensive research to try to create an ideal product right out of the box, Podio is encouraging users to adjust the product their own needs.

Podio is perhaps most comparable to Microsoft SharePoint, but it’s much simpler to use. The form-driven app builder is similar to services such as Caspio, but of course all the apps built on the Podio platform have the advantage of being integrated with Podio’s existing features.

And those existing features are themselves quite integrated. Podio has a strong project management focus and emphasizes turning all types of content into projects or tasks.

Podio also offers an API so that experienced developers can add additional functionality or integrations. Developers can also add additional building blocks to the app builder through the API.

An iPhone app is already available, and the company plans to release an Android app next.

Podio has been integrated with Github, Twitter and Zendesk but so far none of these integrations are available in the app store. Co-founder Kasper Hulthin hopes this will change in the near future. Hulthin also says the company wants to enable third-party developers to sell apps and integrations through the app store.

In 2011, we expect to see platforms and app stores become a major paradigm for enterprise computing. Podio is a small company that’s just getting started, but it’s building from the ground-up with this paradigm in mind. The product is currently in beta, but the company already has over 100 paying customers. It will open to the public in early 2011.

Podio is based in Copenhagen. Danish entrepreneur Tommy Ahlers, who sold his startup ZYB to Vodafone in 2008, invested in Podio this year and joined the company as CEO.

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