---
title: 'VendScreen and Goodie Monster: Could Portland be the epicenter of vending machine innovation?'
date: '2012-05-01T16:26:45-07:00'
type: post
word_count: 397
char_count: 2778
tokens: 517
categories:
  - Oregon
  - Portland
  - Startups
tags:
  - 'goodie monster'
  - Innovation
  - kickstarter
  - vending
  - vendscreen
---

# VendScreen and Goodie Monster: Could Portland be the epicenter of vending machine innovation?

When you think of the vending machine industry, you probably don’t think “innovation.” But two Portland companies are working very hard to bring some new thinking to a rather stagnant market.

One company is changing the machines from the outside. One is changing machines from the inside.

### Making dumb vending machines smart

[VendScreen](http://vendscreen.com "VendScreen") has managed to build an Android device that makes old vending machines as powerful as the latest smartphone.

And the vending industry is taking notice. At NAMA—the big tradeshow for vending—the company [walked away with five awards](http://www.vendscreen.com/vending-technology-blog/vendscreen-wins-5-nama-gold-awards-for-innovation/ "VendScreen Wins 5 NAMA Gold Awards for Innovation") for its solutions.

> VendScreen provides a rich user interface, using the same touch and swipe method people have already become familiar with in using their personal mobile phones. Industry statistics already validate the benefits of cashless acceptance. VendScreen builds on this and provides opportunities to increase sales by catering to consumers, improve ability to sell to everyone who wants to purchase an item even if they don’t have cash, increase sales through advertising and promotions, and reduce costs by providing data to improve routing efficiencies.

For more on VendScreen, watch [CEO Paresh Patel pitch his solution](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATkV294wmqg "VendScreen at PIE Demo Day").

### Making snacks smarter

Providing innovative technology is one thing. But what about changing the snacks vending machines serve? That’s where [Goodie Monster](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markjacobs/a-new-kind-of-vending-machine "Goodie Monster") comes in.

From making vending machines fun and entertaining to filling them with healthy, nutritious food, Goodie Monster is working to change the way we snack. But they could use your help. And that’s why they’ve started a [Kickstarter](http://kickstarter.com) project. To help garner enough funding to move from prototype to production.

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For more information, visit [VendScreen](http://vendscreen.com "VendScreen") and [Goodie Monster](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/markjacobs/a-new-kind-of-vending-machine "Goodie Monster").

*\[Full disclosure: VendScreen was a [PIE](http://piepdx.com "PIE") company. One of the folks helping Goodie Monster was part of the inaugural group in PIE in August of 2009. I work for PIE.\]*

**Hashtags**: [\#vending](https://siliconflorist.com/tag/vending/) [\#vendscreen](https://siliconflorist.com/tag/vendscreen/) #goodiemonster [\#kickstarter](https://siliconflorist.com/tag/kickstarter/)