Irving Mom Wins 'Next Big App' Contest
IRVING (CBS 11 NEWS) - It's a busy night at the Thomas home in Irving.
Dinner is almost ready and mom Toni is working on her pitch meeting.
It's not your typical meeting.
Thomas is getting ready to present a big idea she came up with to Microsoft and other potential investors.
"I'm nervous," says Thomas laughing. "I'm a little nervous!"
The single mother of three was watching CBS 11 News one night when she heard about a Frisco software development company looking for the next big app idea.
"The idea to me is a life changer," says Thomas. "It will make a difference for anyone with diabetes."
That idea centers around her 13 year old diabetic son J'Len, and it's supposed to help monitor a person's blood sugar levels in real time.
The app would allow you to put in your blood sugar levels, how much insulin you have used and how many carbohydrates you plan to eat.
"There is no guessing for him or for me to say we need to go up one level of insulin - we need to go down one level," says Thomas.
She also says the app would help prevent blood sugar levels from getting too high or too low and save trips to the emerge room or doctor's office, "That's me taking time off from work just to go and take him where I won't have to do it as much because he can see it from his office."
Code Authority looked at dozens of ideas when they launched the incubation program.
The company liked Thomas' idea in the end.
"It's a simple idea and it can help a lot of people," says Jason W. Taylor, president of Code Authority.
The company gave Thomas $7,000 in services, including her own design team to turn the software into a reality.
"It's simple enough that we could get it done in a reasonable amount of effort on our part," explains Taylor. "Complex enough that it could provide value and improve the situation."
Taylor says the company created the program to help people with great ideas get funding and in the process start a business which would benefit North Texas.
They are looking for another idea for 2013.
The program kicks off January 1st.
Meantime, Thomas says she's worked hard on the idea and is now hoping to make it a reality.
"It's like a dream come true! It's like you can't give up on your dreams - you just don't know when you'll get your shot," says Thomas.
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