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Growing up, Rodney Williams always yearned to see technologists, creatives and world-changers who looked like him. A would-be innovator himself, he recalls his less-than-ideal childhood environment in Baltimore as a credit towards forcing him to think outside the box and inspiring his ingenuity. This outside the box thinking would work in his favor as he would go on to co-found LISNR, a data-over-audio software company based in Cincinnati. LISNR develops technology that can be used to power transactions from short-range, making his technology the perfect tool for retail customers. Over the past three years, Target has helped startup companies like LISNR through its growing portfolio of accelerator programming. The portfolio of programs includes their U.S.-based Retail Tech Accelerator, Target Takeoff, Target Incubator, and the India-based Target Accelerator Program, which focuses on Bangalore-based startups. Targeted teamed up with German retailer METRO AG — one of the world’s...
For the past six years, CNBC has chosen 50 start-ups to be a part of the CNBC Disruptor 50 list. Out of 1,000 nominated companies, Rodney Williams’ LISNR was chosen as a part of the 2018 list , marking the companies third appearance for its innovative data-over-audio transmission technology. LISNR uses audio to transmit data between devices . Rather than Wi-fi or Bluetooth technology, the low-power data transmission that LISNR uses lets devices send fast, secure information throughout the world via inaudible smart tones. Last year LISNR paired up with Ticketmaster to create technology that would let different venues check attendees into their events quickly, easily and securely. The CNBC Disruptor 50 Advisory Council is made up of 52 leaders in entrepreneurship and innovation. This group reviewed and ranked the required quantitative and qualitative criteria that the nominees were required to submit in order to figure out the importance and ability to disrupt pre-established...