POY 2013

Single Digits of Manchester Took Top Honors

Seamless access for Internet users through social media and apps was the hottest topic at the 2013 NH High Tech Council Product of the Year (POY) competition on Nov 12, as Single Digits of Manchester took top honors.

Single Digits’ Open Network Exchange is the hub connecting users to a network, database service providers and app creators to large networks of users, and property owners to new revenue streams from their network. Through the interface, network owners can peruse the menu of options and easily “flip the switch” to turn on new services in their network. These services include advertising partners to drive revenue, rewards programs to drive loyalty, or social media partners to drive ease of authentication and revenue options. Single Digits operates the network as a neutral party to authenticate users, store credentials, set up policy and assign bandwidth, determine pricing and payment, track clicks, and allocate and distribute revenue appropriately.

At the 8th annual POY event, over 200 people, including Governor Maggie Hassan, were on hand as the Council honored the top four companies competing for Product of the Year with the Judges Award. Those four finalists were selected by the judges from a larger pool of candidates in October. The four previewed their products during a reception before the evening event, and then made seven-minute presentations as part of their effort to encourage the audience to vote for their product. The popular vote and previous judging by a panel of business and technology experts were equally weighed, and Single Digits took top honors for 2013. The three other 2013 finalists and Judges Award winners were BurstPoint Networks, Merrimack; Granite State Manufacturing, Manchester; and Labsphere, North Sutton.

During the preview reception, the governor visited each of the finalists’ displays and was given tours of each of the unique products. As she stepped away from the displays, Hassan summed up the event saying, “This is really cool stuff!”

“This is certainly one of our proudest moments,” said Stephen Singlar, founder and president of Single Digits. “Our roots are in New Hampshire, most of our employees are from the state, and to get recognition in our own home state to help promote the growth of our company and our product—we couldn’t be any happier.”

Single Digits also earned the prestigious NH High Tech Council Product of the Year crystal trophy, designed by Pepi Herrmann. The Single Digits name has been added to the trophy, and the trophy and an exhibit of the winning product are currently on display at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport for one year.

Major sponsors of the 2013 POY reception were Berry Dunn; Cook, Little, Rosenblatt, and Manson PLLC; Cross Insurance; Dyn; FairPoint Communications; Hanover Insurance; Nanocomp; and Public Service of New Hampshire.