BusinessWeek Logo
Vesta Mobile Solutions

Vesta Mobile Solutions

Brandon Davenport, 24; Elwood Green III, 25; Marcellus Alexander III, 23
www.vestamobile.com
Baltimore

Brandon Davenport always wanted to be an entrepreneur. When he was a teen, neighbors would hire him to set up their computers and buy software for them. At Baltimore's Morgan State University, where he majored in finance, he was a member of the entrepreneurship club. While working at a local TV station, it dawned on him that media companies could be using text messages to make their programs more interactive and generate additional revenue through ads on the texts. His friend Marcellus Alexander III, who was working at a radio station, agreed. They launched Vesta Mobile Solutions in April 2007 with another friend, Elwood Green III, offering the backend applications and support that companies need to incorporate text messages in their programming or marketing.

Today, the four-employee business is profitable, with clients such as Hearst Argyle, Comcast, and the clothing retail chain Downtown Locker Room. Davenport projects Vesta will bring in $1.5 million in revenue 2008, and plans to concentrate on luring broadcasters and big brands such as Nike and Coke in the near future.