EyeMail Inc.

EyeMail Inc. was founded by Lisa S. Jones in 2004 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.[7] Jones is originally from Montgomery, Alabama, and enrolled at the Alabama A&M University,[3] university from which she received BBA and MBA degrees.[8] She also studied marketing management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.[9] Before becoming an entrepreneur, Jones worked as a logistics and supply chain expert at NASA,[7][4] eventually relocating to Atlanta to expand her career in supplier diversity for companies such as AT&T.[7][3] Jones has revealed that she founded EyeMail Inc. after the unexpected passing away of her mother,[10] making a "vow to start and scale a global company in her honor".[11]

In 2004, Jones filed her first patent focused on video in email.[12] For five years, she developed EyeMail Inc. during her spare time, as she was also working full-time as an executive in telecommunications in Atlanta.[11][10] Initially, EyeMail Inc. was turned down by a number of American development agencies, so Jones worked with several international technical teams until choosing a final partnership,[11][5] which developed the product in only six months.[11] During her development process, Jones participated in Microsoft's Mentor/Protégé Innovation Lab Program, which "provided more support and expertise",[11] as well as its Innovation Center, becoming the first African-American woman to do so.[6]

In 2008, Jones presented EyeMail Inc. in the first season of the CBS reality competition show The Next Tycoon, which she won.[6][13] Jones subsequently contacted Georgia's Greater Women's Business Council (GWBC) and offered to create a free EyeMail Inc. campaign for them.[5][6] The campaign caught the attention of Time Warner executives, and the company became EyeMail Inc.'s first client.[6][7] This prompted Jones to leave her day job and fully dedicate herself to the company.[11] Following Time Warner, EyeMail Inc. began to work with other companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, Major League Baseball,[5] Porsche North America, Aetna, the Atlanta Braves,[11] and The Home Depot, among others.[6] In 2008, EyeMail Inc. was listed at number 3 on the Atlanta Tribune's list for the "Top 8 Atlanta Businesses to Watch".[14]

In 2008, EyeMail Inc. began a formal relationship with The Coca-Cola Company as part of their mentor program through the Georgia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (GMSDC).[7] Three years later, the mentorship program with The Coca-Cola Company resulted in EyeMail Inc.'s selection by the Microsoft Corporation as a premier MWBE supplier in digital marketing.[15] EyeMail's business partnership with The Coca-Cola Company was pivotal to the growth of the company, purportedly causing its revenue to quadruple.[7] This allowed Jones' company to expand to Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, India and the United Kingdom.[7]

As both a black-owned and woman-owned business, EyeMail Inc. is a partner of the Billion Dollar Roundtable organization, where it classified as a Minority Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) strategic partner.[16] As EyeMail Inc.'s CEO, Jones took part as a panelist at the 2014 Billion Dollar Summit held by the Minority Business News USA (MBNUSA).[17]

Writing for Forbes magazine in 2021, Laurel Donnellan noted that: "EyeMail's next-generation email experience has repeatedly proven with increases to click-through and call-to-action open rates while bringing email to life for a more engaging & memorable experience. Customers have achieved open rates of 60% and click-through rates of 38%, far above the industry average."[11] In 2018, Jones announced that the company would expand its business model of custom-made campaigns, moving towards a software as a service (SaaS) platform.[5] As of 2020, EyeMail Inc. partners with both private businesses—including The Coca-Cola Company and Delta Air Lines—as well as nonprofit organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[3][11] Recently, EyeMail Inc. has launched a new product called EyeCon, which animates a logo or email signature,[7][11] which, according to Forbess Lauren Donellan, "brings company logos to life".[11]

The company's business model grew significantly due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as the need for employers to effectively communicate digitally became more relevant.[18] In 2020, EyeMail Inc. announced the release of new options to support the hearing and visually impaired with close captioning, so they can also engage with the company's video email technology.[11] This new venture was done in collaboration with Senior Architects at Microsoft's Innovation Lab.[19] The company is also developing a "video in text solution" to expand product offerings, expected to be launched in 2022.[3]

In 2020, EyeMail Inc.was chosen by PepsiCo as one of 15 participants in the Stacy's Pita Chips's Rise Project, a mentorship program to support black women business owners.[20] As part of the project, EyeMail was added to a Female Founder Finder directory, which directs consumers to nearby female-founded businesses.[21]

In 2021, Jones was listed as one of the "Top 10 Businesswomen to Admire in 2021" by global business magazine CIO Look,[18][22] while EyeMail was listed as one of the "20 Innovative Companies Which Everyone Should Know in 2021" by the Atlanta-based Global Business Leaders Mag.[18][12] In 2022, Jones was included in The Enterprise World's list for the "Enterprising Women of the Year",[23] and The Atlantan Magazine's special feature on the top innovators from Atlanta.[24]

On May 23, 2022, EyeMail Inc. was a finalist for a Microsoft Supplier Prestige Award under the category of Diverse-Owned Supplier of the Year.[25] Microsoft's press release described the nominated companies as "third‑party certified diverse-owned suppliers that strengthen our portfolio, amplify Microsoft's values and commitments, and exemplify the MSP Pillars of Strategy, Priority, Agility and Modernization."[25] EyeMail has also

• History of email
• List of Georgia (U.S. state) companies

• Official website
• Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR)