On Second Thought: An Innovative Startup to Watch

Hey, On Second Thought (OST) is a mobile messaging app that lets you take back text messages before they get to the other person.

Co-Founder Maci Peterson came in first place at the Women Startup Challenge live pitch competition last month, winning $50K - no strings attached. The judges were excited about her product, and she had a great pitch.My team and I interviewed Maci about her startup: challenges, plans to scale, and innovation.

How did you choose the name, and why did you found OST? I chose the name because, on second thought, we probably shouldn't have sent that text. I created OST because like many people, I've sent a few text messages I've wished I could take back.

What's one of the most entertaining messages you've gotten at the OST office? I get lots of entertaining stories from the field. However, we've really appreciated hearing about how our users have adapted our technology for their various needs. For example, I've heard about a divorce attorney in Alexandria who recommends On Second Thought to her clients. Apparently the Curfew feature is helpful when going through divorce.

What kind of traction are you getting with your product? How do you plan to scale? We launched 6 months ago and have about 40,000 users. The app is very sticky, 85% of users who recall a message once do it again. We will use distribution, licensing, and product placement partnerships to scale to millions of users.

What has been the biggest challenge in founding OST? The biggest challenge has been creating something that has never been done before. Our developers have had to write original code in order to build our innovative app.

How can folks support you in your startup? People can support On Second Thought by downloading the Android version of the app, or signing up for the iPhone Beta, using the app frequently, and getting all of their friends, family and social networks to do the same. We're currently fundraising, and introductions to investors are welcome.

What social media platforms can people follow you on?

• Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OnSecondThought
• Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnSecondThoughtApp
• See what we're doing on Instagram: https://instagram.com/on2nd_thought/
• Check out our Tumblr: https://onsecondthoughtapp.tumblr.com/