I usually have a really bad attitude about tourist attractions, so when my wife and I were in San Francisco a couple weeks ago I was a little annoyed when she asked me if I wanted to do a self-guided audio tour at Fisherman’s Wharf. I would have said no, but it was through a new startup that her former boss founded, so I figured it was worth a shot. The company is called Detour, and the audio tour was absolutely amazing. I usually hate this kind of stuff, but it was probably the most enjoyable 90 minutes of the entire trip (and that’s including The Serpentarium!). The San Francisco, CA based company set out to offer “immersive, location-aware audio walks,” and they completely knocked it out of the park. They took the audio tour and turned it into something remarkable.
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It’s easy to take electricity for granted. When we plug something in, it usually works. If it doesn’t, the problem probably isn’t with the outlet (though I have had that happen). Our electric system has been around for well over a century, which is why it’s so reliable. However, keeping it up to date still requires a lot of innovation. That’s where Utilidata comes in. They’re a Providence, RI based company that delivers “value to utilities and large energy users by improving operational decisions through the use of new data extraction and digital processing techniques.” We all know that measurement is usually the first step in improvement, and that’s why Utilidata is all about using data to optimize energy efficiencies.
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If there is any skill that is necessary across all kinds of jobs, its the ability communicate effectively. While communication is a skill that can definitely be taught and developed, it’s much easier to nurture when you’re using the right tools. That’s why work communication tools have always been a big business. Some of the latest trends have been in the form of project management and online chat tools. But what about tools for people who work in jobs that might require something like a walkie-talkie? Cell phones and text messaging might have changed those jobs a little bit, but there’s more room for technology. That’s why Lua was founded in 2010. They’re a New York, NY based company that is focused on “empowering mobile workforces by giving them access to the people and information they need to get the job done from the field or the office.”
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While the residential real estate market is often driven by emotion and hype (as the season premier of Million Dollar Listing L.A. reminded me), that’s not nearly as true when it comes to commercial real estate. The market for commercial properties is much more data driven, but getting your hands on the right data to make decisions can be very difficult. That’s why CompStak was started. They’re a New York, NY based company that aims to “create transparency in commercial real estate by gathering information that is hard to find, difficult to compile or otherwise unavailable.” How do they do this? By offering a place to buy and sell lease comparable data.
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I don’t watch a lot of YouTube, but I go on occasional binges. Most of the people who are “YouTube famous” annoy the heck out of me, but I do have one favorite. It’s The Food Reviewer… he does “reviews on the YouTube… you never knew such a cool dude…” I have no idea why I enjoy watching a high school kid review packaged snack foods, but I do. Anyway, YouTube stars like The Food Reviewer (not sure if he’s a star yet with 17k followers) should do everything they can to capitalize on their fame. That’s where Victorious comes in. They’re a Santa Monica, CA based startup that is “motivated by the challenge of powering and uniting the world’s most creative communities.” In other words, they help digital stars build their own platforms so that they can make the most of the attention that they receive.
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For most of us social media is a time waster. It’s mindless entertainment that fills in gaps in our days. But for some people it’s a job. For them the mobile app just won’t do. They need power tools to manage all of their social media accounts, and that’s exactly what Sprout Social offers. They’re a Chicago, IL based company that offers “a management and egnagement platform for social business.” Sprout Social’s software offers all of the tools that one might need to engage with customers, publish content, and analyze the effectiveness of social marketing. This kind of platform is a must have for any company that takes social seriously.
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Being the CEO–even of a tiny business like mine–is hard. You have to either be aware of everything that is happening or trust other people to be aware of everything that is happening. Even if you have a team that you can trust, you want to be able to keep tabs on them in the most efficient way possible. That’s what Domo is all about. They’re an American Fork, UT based company that “transforms the way executives manage their business and drives value from the tens of billions of dollars that’s been spent on traditional business intelligence systems.” They pull all of the important data from every important source and put it in one intuitive platform.
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My favorite vacations when I was growing up were our annual trips to Nantucket. While it’s an awesome island and I had a lot of fiends there, there was something else that made the vacations special. We rented a house. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it makes a vacation more relaxing. You may not have someone who makes your bed every morning, but there’s something really nice about having a place that feels like home while you’re on vacation. Back then we found our rental through an agent, but today it’s much easier to just go online and use a site like Tripping. They are a San Francisco, CA based company that has build “the world’s largest search engine for vacation and short-term rentals.” They tap into other sites’ inventories and let you compare properties easily.
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When it comes to electronics, heat is usually the enemy. You want to dissipate heat as quickly as possible so that you can get the maximum performance from your hardware. That’s why the idea of using a heat source to power your electronics seems a little weird. But that’s exactly what BioLite does. They’re a Brooklyn, NY based company that “develops and manufactures advanced energy products that make cooking with wood as clean safe and easy as modern fuels while also providing electricity to charge cell phones and LED lights off-grid.” While the big audacious goal is to change the lives of people who cook over open fires and may not have electricity, BioLite has also developed some pretty sweet camping products.
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I come up with a lot of business ideas. More often than not I find that someone is already doing it–and usually I’m fine with that. It’s cool to see someone putting the idea to the test since I can’t try most of the ideas that I come up with. A lot of my ideas center around a thesis that more and more people will forgo traditional jobs and instead make a living (or at least supplement their incomes) by reaching new markets through the Internet. Vayable is a company based on this thesis. They are a San Francisco, CA and New York, NY based company that offers “a home for anyone looking to experience honest, local culture through experiences created and hosted by passionate local Insiders.”
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Chances are that most of your communications with employers at this point are your submitting applications and their not responding. If you’re lucky, you may get a rejection letter… or even an invitation for an interview. Eventually it will get better and your communications will lead to the acceptance of a job offer. From there it will get boring–stuff like health insurance enrollment and reminders to clean up after yourself in the communal kitchen. While employee communications are often mundane, they’re an extremely important part of running a business. GuideSpark is a Menlo Park, CA based company that has built a “robust employee communications platform” that “allows HR executives to toss out the stacks of pamphlets and eliminate time-consuming seminars, and offers a new way to educate employees on complex HR topics like benefits, health care reform, and compensation programs.”
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We all know that kids are fickle. What was cool last week is now the opposite. The same can be said about the mobile app market, which means that there are a lot of one hit wonders. How do you create longevity in historically volatile markets? By creating a network. Use success in one area to pave the way for success in others. That’s how Fingerprint approaches mobile apps. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that has “designed a way to transition this parent and kid engagement into the digital world.” They partner with existing brands to leverage offline success online and then to build on the online successes that follow.
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Whenever someone wants to videoconference with me, I tell them that I prefer a plain old phone call. I don’t get a lot of value from seeing them face to face, and I work from home, which means there’s a decent chance that I look like a slob when I”m taking a call. However, in more corporate environments videoconferencing is supposed to be an immersive experience that replicates a real in-person meeting. Lifesize is a company that is constantly working to offer that kind of experience. They are based in Austin, TX, and they “set out to make video conferencing truly universal.” When Skype of FaceTime isn’t enough, Lifesize offers a professional level tool that is still accessible.
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Pretty much everybody in the business world has heard the saying “if it matters, measure it.” But what happens when you’re measuring so many different things that you stop paying attention? It’d be a lot easier if you could look at every important data point in one view–a dashboard. That’s exactly what SumAll offers for people who do business online. They’re a New York, NY based company that allows “you to see all your information in one place and provide you visibility into the past, present, and future.” It would be a lot harder to drive a car if you had twelve different dashboards for each important data point. The same can be said for running a business, which is why SumAll pull everything into one place.
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When I take the dog for a walk, I need my keys, wallet, phone, and treats. That’s a lot of stuff to stuff in my pockets, and I’m NOT going to start wearing cargo pants. We’re not that far from a day where the phone and the treats will be all I need to get me by, and August is a company that is doing it’s part to take the keys out of the equation. They’re based i San Francisco, CA, and they’ve developed a “safe, simple, and social way to manage your home’s lock.” Smart locks are going to be a thing, and August seems to be one of the first companies to get the product right for the average consumer.
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Few things make me happier than spending time outdoors. Fly fishing is my main sport, but I can enjoy almost any activity that doesn’t put me at too much risk of injuring myself so that I can’t fish. One of the fun things about being an outdoor enthusiast is collecting gear. Even when you’re stuck in the city, you can buy new stuff, clean it, repair it, and get it ready for your next big trip. If you’re thinking about buying new gear, you need to check out Backcountry. They are a Park City, UT based company that gets “get people who get outside—plain and simple.” They’re all “about gear, grit, and connecting people to their passions.”
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If an experience is described as being transactional, you’d think that the parties involved are acting without emotion. Yet when we buy stuff, we go through a range of emotions. It may be frustration at having to spend money, anger at poor customer service, or euphoria from finally buying that thing that you saved up for. Companies want to know what their customers are feeling, and Kanjoya is a company that lets them do that. They’re based in San Francisco, CA, and they transform “emotional insights into remarkable customer experiences” by analyzing unstructured data in real time. By linking emotion to behavior, Kanjoya is able help their clients drive better outcomes.
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If you’ve been looking for a job for any amount of time, you’ve probably interacted with dozens of applicant tracking systems. In case you’re not aware, they’re the software that companies use to post jobs and… track applicants. A lot of them suck for the end user (you), but a few offer pretty good experiences. One of the better ones is The Resumator. They’re a Pittsburgh, PA and San Francisco, CA based company that helps “great people build great companies” by bringing “talented professionals and compelling companies together.”
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While we often think that willpower is the only thing holding us back from a healthy lifestyle, that’s not really true. Most of us have no idea what healthy really means, and we’re also terrible at estimating the health impact of our actions. That “three mile run” that you took might have only been 1.7 miles, and the 650 calorie dinner might have been more like 1,100 calories. How can we get better at measuring the impact of our daily decisions? Technology! That’s why companies like Noom are getting a lot of attention. Noom is based in New York, NY, and they an NYC based company that makes healthy living easy by using “cutting-edge technology to accurately monitor your progress and provide expert advice and analysis to keep you on track.”
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We live in a 3D world, but we’ve often been constrained by two-dimensional mediums. For a long time it was pencil and paper, but then it became computers. They brought the hope of real 3D capabilities, but it took a long time for technology to get to the point that working in 3D became realistic. Believe it or not, Spatial got its start in 1986 when they released “ACIS, the first commercially available 3D modeling kernel.” Since then the Broomfield, CO based company has become “the leading provider of 3D components for technical application development across a broad range of industries.”
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The last time that Amy and I reserved a rental car, they didn’t have a car for us when we showed up. It was straight out of Seinfeld’s The Car Reservation, except the agent didn’t even try to help us. We ended up having to spend $250 on an Uber to get us to the wedding on time. I wish I could say that it’s the last time that I’ll ever use a rental car company, but it won’t be. However, I am tempted to try something new like RelayRides. They are a San Francisco, CA based company that connects “vehicle owners whose cars would otherwise be idle with people who need a car.” It’s a model that makes sense, even if it feels a little uncomfortable at first.
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I’m not usually a big gamer, but I’ve been hooked on a few. The best games create an immersive experience that puts you in another world–you almost forget that you’re playing a game. It’s a lot like watching a great tv show or movie, which is why shows and movies often get turned into games. The world has already been created. Why not let people play in it on their own? That’s exactly what Disruptor Beam allows. They’re based in Framingham, MA, and they’re aiming “to create the most fan-centric game company in the world.” The company’s focus is on mobile/web games, and they’ve started out by working with some pretty big names.
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Hiring the first few employees is one of the most exciting parts of starting a business. It means that you’re taking off, but it’s also a very scary responsibility. Every week or two you’re going to have to pay people who are depending on you for their livelihoods. What makes it even harder is that managing a payroll distracts from important activities that will actually help grow the business. That’s where ZenPayroll comes in. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that has created “the easiest way to pay your employees.” It’s software-as-a-service that removes the need for “unnecessary layers of complexity, manual tasks and numerous fees.”
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I haven’t worked in a real office since my internships during college, but that office had a great cafeteria. The food was always pretty good, and the view was spectacular. The chef also made really great cookies in the afternoons. A lot of companies aren’t big enough to have a cafeteria, but they still want to offer in-house food options for their employees. That can be a huge hassle, but not with Cater2.me. They are a San Francisco, CA based company that “was founded with the goal of connecting inspired kitchens with the masses.” A lot of companies have complicated systems for ordering food in. Cater2.me does all of the administrative stuff so that employees stay well fed and productive.
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This morning I got to do something pretty cool. A friend who is doing research on trout in the Au Sable River invited me to go electrofishing with him. What does that mean? We put electrified probes in the water, stun fish, and then net them. What’s the point? To surgically implant telemetry devices that allow the fish to be tracked so that my friend can write a thesis on their behavior. All of the tracking gear that he uses is produced by Advanced Telemetry Systems. They are an Isanti, MN based company that aims “to provide researchers and managers in ecology and biology with animal tracking and monitoring products of the highest quality and reliability.”
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I wrote a lot of research papers in college, which means that I spent a lot of time poring over academic journals, research papers, and even primary sources. While there is something kind of fun about digging to find facts to support your thesis, I can’t say that I miss it. But I’m sure that there are plenty of you would absolutely love it if you could spend all day searching for sources on ProQuest. In case you’re not familiar with them, they’re an Ann Arbor, MI based company that “is committed to empowering researchers and librarians around the world.” They do this through a variety of products and services that will help you find the information that you need. When Google can’t find what you’re looking for, there’s a decent chance that ProQuest can.
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I live in the third biggest city in the country, yet I often feel like there’s nothing to do. Part of that is because most of the things that I like to do are outdoorsy and Chicago isn’t the best city for people like me, but most of it is because I’m not aware of all the cool things happening around me. There seem to be a million startups that have tried to solve this problem, and none have really succeeded yet. Maybe UpOut will change that. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that “is changing how locals discover unique events in their city.” They do this by pulling in event calendars from a variety of sources and curating the list to only show the most interesting ones.
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School’s out! You probably don’t want to think about tests and finals right now, but it might be worth bringing back the painful memories. Good study materials are one of the keys to excelling in school. Unfortunately, I hated taking notes, highlighting my reading materials, and making review guides. It wasn’t laziness–I felt that these activities interfered with real learning. Luckily most of my friends were more concerned with getting good grades, so I’d generally find a way to bring enough value during review sessions to piggyback off of them. Today technology has removed the need for making friends in your classes thanks to Course Hero. It’s a Redwood City, CA based company that “was founded in 2008 by a Cornell University student who missed a class and realized there had to be a better way to get caught up than awkwardly asking a stranger for notes.” Luckily this guy skipped straight past abusing friendships and instead built a platform that “provides a suite of digital educational resources that help you learn as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
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If you need to make a decision about something that you don’t know a lot about, your best bet is to consult an expert. That’s why friends usually come to me for all of their meat related questions. Since text messaging a buddy won’t always get you the right answer–especially in the business world–there need to be other ways to find expertise fast. AlphaSights is a New York, NY based company that provides “today’s investors, deal-makers and corporate strategists with access to the knowledge they need to succeed.” Unlike consulting firms, they don’t actually provide the knowledge. Instead they play the role of “knowledge brokers.”
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A lot of people like to listen to something while they’re working, studying, driving, or exercising. I’m not one of these people, but when I do listen to something, I prefer to be a passive listener. That’s why I like the radio. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of crap on the radio. The Internet is full of great “radio” stations, but discovery can be a pain. TuneIn is a Palo Alto, CA based company that “enables people to discover, follow, and listen to what’s most important to them — from sports, to news, to music, to talk.” They offer access to more than 100,000 live radio stations and 4 million podcasts. They have 50 million users, which seems pretty big considering that I hadn’t heard of them before.
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