Kris Jones, who founded Pepperjam, a Wilkes-Barre-based Internet marketing company, has invested $50,000 into Appek, a venture that opened in September at the Scranton Enterprise Center.
"I will do whatever I can to create the next local success story," said Mr. Jones, a Shavertown-area resident who sold Pepperjam in 2009 and formed KBJ Capital, an investment fund that acquires ownership stakes in startups.
He also serves as a strategic adviser to Appek.
The company, which was formed in 2009, will use the investment to branch into development of business-to-business mobile applications. Apps are software that users of hand-held technology devices, such as smart phones, can download to access information.
"We want to have a business that has local impact, but global reach," company co-founder Adam Ceresko of Scranton said during an announcement of Mr. Jones' investment on Wednesday at the downtown business incubator.
"We share a common dream," said Appek co-founder Andrew Herman of Scranton.
The 25-year-olds started the software company in 2009 with $500 and a laptop computer, Mr. Herman said.
Both men are graduates of Penn State University, and they introduced an app in 2009, providing riders of the Centre Area Transportation Authority's buses in State College with information on transit schedules, real-time bus locations and the closest bus stop to the viewer's location.
Appek will provide consultation, design and development of apps. It will concentrate on startups, helping businesses adjust to mobile integration and improving clients' productivity, Mr. Herman said.
App downloads are expected to total 50 billion in 2012, Mr. Jones said, and generate $20 billion in revenue.
"They want to position this company as the Bentley, the Mercedes Benz, of mobile app development," Mr. Jones said.
Contact the writer: jhaggerty@timesshamrock.com
