energy & technology

lot of businesses can take advantage of the startup community full of amazing people.”

Jones said his own tech company, Anthroware, is more of a strategy and research company that just happens to build software products. He said everything the company does hinges on being really good at research.

“Companies know that there is a problem hindering their process, but they don’t know how to fix it,” Jones said. “We study the people doing these jobs and figure out what is working and what is not, and use a human-centered design approach to address what we can with tech.”

Anthroware often solves problems of companies being hindered by using poor tools, according to Jones. Better tools can often take businesses to the next level, and though it can cost a lot to raise the bar in that way, his clients have to think about what it will do for their companies to make that investment. Digital transformation products provided by Anthroware must make a big difference and add a lot of value so clients feel like they get more out of their solution than the cost of the products.

A newer aspect of technology in business Jones said he noticed is the rise of chatbots and leveraging artificial intelligence. “AI is so big; it’s a massive innovation in technology, and we haven’t seen anything so massive in a long time,” he said. “You can ask computers to analyze tons of information and data points from various sources. It’s already adding superpower to insight, and you don’t even know the variety of ways that can change a business.”

While Anthroware is building large language apps right now, he said no one cares about the technology. He said they care that people can make it do what they want it to do, and his company is designing products that people actually need and want to use.

“We work with real users and customers to design solutions that actually move the needle, and 98% of other companies miss some of that. They build exactly what their customers want and though these companies may be amazing product designers, the product may be something that people don’t actually want to use. Instead, we sit down with companies and ask all kinds of questions about tasks, where they feel time is wasted, and continue to ask more and more until we get a really full picture and intimate knowledge so that the people will want to use these products as intended, creating an even bigger impact for the organization. ‘Anthro’ is in our name for a reason — our goal is to really understand the people.”

Jones said the ethics of the company are human-focused as well. He and his team think about how they want to be treated and create the culture in that way. Pouring into the staff, sharing wealth with the team, being a great place to work, and growing leaders is important for the overall business plan, and according to Jones, breeds responsibility rather than accountability.

“Asheville really has something to do with it,” Jones said. “There is a workaholic culture in the startup scene of other cities where the expectation is to work 80 hours a week. Asheville slows that down a bit. The vibe is more about caring for the whole person, and that fits really well with Anthroware.

“When we started the company 10 years ago, the initial conversation was whether to base the company here or in San Francisco,” Jones said. “San Fran had a bigger direct market, but Asheville had the vibe, plus North Carolina is a way better place to start a business. That conversation led to discussing Charlotte or Raleigh, but we chose the mountains because we wanted to be here.”

Jones said tech is growing in Asheville as an industry, and he gets the sense that it is a much better place to start now than when he started Anthroware. There were several other tech companies when they got started and now he could easily list more than 30.

“There are real businesses here with real chances for doing big stuff,” Jones said. “It’s good for everyone when they are dreaming big, and when companies are making progress, it shows others that those things are accessible here.”

Business Resources: Energy & Technology

North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association

A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a priority on policy and regulatory advocacy, the NC Sustainable Energy Association is made up of members including local government entities, state universities, and large corporations concerned about how to enable better access to clean energy technology to reach environmental, social, and governance goals.

Learn more at NCSEA.com.

North Carolina Tech Association

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, the North Carolina Tech Association is a trade organization comprising 600+ member companies and organizations that collectively employ over 200,000 North Carolinians. The NC Tech Association advocates for a variety of matters applicable to the tech sector, and aims to reduce regulatory or other barriers and improve the economic environment for companies to thrive.

Learn more at NCTech.org.