Entrepreneur Michael Ham shows an app he developed running on an IPhone. Photo by Mandy Marksteiner

By MANDY MARKSTEINER

There are many personality traits that successful entrepreneurs share. Mike Ham, a Los Alamos entrepreneur who has created three startups in three years, has a talent for coming up with viable business ideas and implementing them. 

Ham’s first business is called Synthetic Cognition. The company explores applications of computer vision technology.

Ham’s second startup is called SportXast. SportXast, an app offered free in the Apple store, allows everyone at a game to log in and take video clips, which are combined into a highlight reel.

Ham’s newest venture is called Glif. Glif is an app that lets you leave and find hidden messages that people have left in a particular place. You can also complete quests composed of mini walking tours that earn coupons to local businesses and other rewards.

Glif app up and running on an IPhone. Photo by Mandy Marksteiner.

Glif is worldwide enabled, so people can use it anywhere they go. Glif works for iPhones and Ham plans to make the app available for Android phones as well.

Ham plans to use the Los Alamos Venture Accelerator (LAVA) as a tool for testing, development and making connections.

LAVA’s founder, Nicholas Seet, helped Ham during the formation of his first three startups.

“Nik was gracious enough to mercilessly review the Glif app, which led to a new interface that I am currently working to implement,” Ham said. “He is also really good at getting you to the point where you are ready to get money from investors.”

Ham looks forward to giving back by offering assistance to local entrepreneurs in areas where he has expertise. 

“Mike Ham comes up with great ideas all the time,” Seet said. “It’s exciting to talk to him because it’s unique for someone to have so many ideas and also have the skills to implement them. He can code, talk the language of business, and create exciting business plans from his engineering concepts.”

By giving and receiving advice and assistance, Ham exemplifies how LAVA members can help each other launch successful startups. Right now Ham is building a user base for Glif and looking for testers. Glif is available through Test Flight by invitation only. Testers must have an iPhone.

Email mih0001@gmail.com to request an invitation.