Ben Reubenstein and Dan Burcaw met in iOS Dev Camp in 2008 and launched their own respective app developers, Xcellent Creations and
Double Encore, later that year. They remained friends as mobile took off and both companies grew, then decided to join forces.
"I reached out to Ben last fall and we really got serious about it in January," says Burcaw of the merger. Burcaw and Reubenstein describe the match as complementary: Xcellent Creations brings strong business processes and Double Encore is known for its design aesthetic.
"Over the last five years, the industry has changed a lot," says Burcaw. "Now it's a much more mature space and there's a lot more competition."
The merged company is Double Encore, which Burcaw describes as a "big target," and the Xcellent Creations brand has been retired. Burcaw is Chairman of the 43-employee (and growing) company, Reubenstein is CEO, and Xcellent COO Eric Daugherty assumes the same role at Double Encore. The company moved into new offices in the Symes building near 16th and Champa streets on April 6, and will take over the seventh floor after an eight- to 12-week buildout.
The company just launched an internship program and is "always" looking for iOS, Android and UI/UX developers and designers with at least one year of experience, says Ruebenstein.
The established Xcellent Creations hiring methodology brings a "special sauce" for recruiting to the merged company, adds Reubenstein. "We're pretty good at identifying candidates who are going to excel," he says. "We see Denver as a mobile hotbed and there's a lot of talent to pull from."
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Eric Peterson with tips and leads for future stories at eric@confluence-denver.com.
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