A few years ago, local entrepreneur Michael Stevens walked by a chalkboard touting Proto’s Pizzeria’s daily specials. Stevens was struck by how archaic the advertising method was. Not long after that, he found a way to translate old-fashioned ads to today’s high-tech world: a free smartphone app called the MeNetwork. ¶ The Boulder-based marketing startup created a simple, searchable database of dining, shopping, lodging, and entertainment deals, which are accessible whenever you want them (read: purge your inbox of those daily unread Groupon blasts). Stevens partnered with the Mile High City’s tourism bureau and launched the app in 2010. Now, the MeNetwork is jammed with thousands of businesses in more than 75 cities. Don’t have a smartphone? Text a location and a category—“Denver sushi”—to 63638 (MeNet), and seconds later you’ll have a response with nearby offers. Sayonara spam.