iRise is a software company that lets companies “visualize” models and prototype business applications before they are built so businesses can test drive the software. The ability to visualize business applications before they are officially deployed (or a single line of code is written) lets enterprises test drive apps, then quickly and cost-efficiently correct any problems.

iRise says its software helps large companies cut at least 30% of their application development cost and deliver more successful systems twice as fast. iRise’s software is gaining popularity amongst Fortune 500 and big-name companies-UPS, The New York Times, Morgan Stanley, Delta Air Lines, and American Express all use the visualization software.

iRise can be used to visualize any software that has a user interface: new Web applications, portals, enhancements to existing systems, customizations to packaged implementations, as well as mobile applications. But the software isn’t cheap-its around $7000 per user, which to a small or mid-size business may be too much to spend on a software application, especially in the current economy.