Luke Mongin is founder of Haven Software LLC, which was launched in 2018. The company targets small, service-based businesses with 20 or fewer employees as clients. Mongin won first place in Demo Day, the final event of the B-Start pre-accelerator program organized by the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. Mongin is an alumnus of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington.

Luke Mongin: I learned in previous consulting projects that current technology is not designed to meet the cross-functional nature of employee roles at small firms. Features and interfaces are often siloed by business unit. This structure often leads to tremendous operational inefficiencies and inaccurate reporting of business information.

Crimson Catalyst: How does Haven Software address those challenges?

LM: Haven, our cloud-based product, is designed to meet the core needs of a small, service-based business by providing an integrated solution for accounting, invoicing, inventory management and customer relationship management, or CRM.

CC: What are the next steps to advance Haven Software?

LM: Development is currently ongoing. Our Minimum Viable Product, or MVP, is over 60 percent complete. Currently, we are accepting interest to participate in our beta program on our website, www.solutionsbyhaven.com.

CC: What are your thoughts about Bloomington’s entrepreneurial ecosystem?

LM: The Bloomington entrepreneurial community is very welcoming to new businesses. There are first-class resources through the IU network for those with ties to the university and within the community, such as The Mill, the Indiana Small Business Development Center, Start-up Mic Night, and so on.

One program that Haven benefited from was B-Start. That 26-week program allowed us to gain insights from individuals in the community, and it was invaluable to the development of the business. Above all, the Midwest spirit encompasses Bloomington, as people are genuinely willing to help one another and celebrate each success.