The Yankees are in Chicago for a full week! I went to the game last night at Wrigley (and I’m going again today), but the Yankees lost, and we got soaked by a thunderstorm as we left the stadium. I was also annoyed because I tried to buy tickets off of StubHub a few hours before the game but couldn’t. They used to stop selling two hours before the game but have since changed that to six hours. I was still able to get tickets at well below face value, but I had to do it at the stadium at the last minute. The policy change was forced by Major League Baseball and its teams to try to prop up ticket resale values for season ticket holders, and it’s completely unfriendly to fans. That’s what happens when the “disrupter” gets co-opted by the big boys. Now it’s time to look for a new disrupter, and it might just be TiqIQ. They are based in New York, NY, and they aim “to make buying event tickets more transparent, efficient, and simpler.”
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What if I told you that there was a product that could increase your personal privacy, reduce your heating and cooling costs, and make your home much more stylish? You might think that I was talking about some sort of new home automation/security system, but I’m really talking about blinds. You know… shades, drapes, curtains, window treatments. You can buy all of them from Blinds.com, a Houston, TX based company that is “the world’s largest online window covering store.” In fact, they’re twice as big as their closest competitor.
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Businesses are always looking for ways to extract more value from their customers. Sometimes this means “sharing” customers with other businesses. I’m sure you’ve seen (and probably ignored) plenty of cross-promotional offers. The problem is that they often get in the way of what I’m trying to do right now. Maybe I’d actually take advantage of them if they were made a little more seamless. That’s what Cartera Commerce is doing. They are a Lexington, MA based company that offers “a comprehensive, fully-managed, performance-based offer platform for card issuers, frequent flyer programs and merchants.” What does this mean? I get offers through bank cards, credit cards, and loyalty programs. I can opt in with a click or a tap, and all I that I have to do to redeem the offer is use my card.
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Over the past 7 years, I’ve heard from a lot of frustrated college grads who can’t find jobs. Some of the most frustrated have been international students. They came to the U.S. to get an education, and they’d love to stay here and put that education to use. Unfortunately, the current laws make that extremely difficult. Right now we have a system that is both unfair and economically damaging. We can do better, and FWD.us is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit lobbying organization that wants to make that happen as soon as possible. It was “started by key leaders in the tech community to promote policies to keep the United States and its citizens competitive in a global economy—including comprehensive immigration reform and education reform.”
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Becoming a new parent is hard no matter what your situation (at least that’s what I hear), but it’s typically much harder for someone living in poverty. While finances are a big part of it, there are all kinds of factors that make having a new baby especially daunting for low-income parents. Room to Grow is a New York, NY based non-profit that aims “to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development.” They start their work before the baby is born and continue through the first three years with the hope that a solid foundation will prevent the child from facing many of the challenges that typically affect a kid growing up in poverty.
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I always enjoy when two people with moderately funny last names decide to get married. There’s always the question of will they combine their names with a hyphen? The best potential that I’ve ever heard of was Weiner-Butt, but the couple sadly did not decide to hyphenate. These funny combos can also be created by business partners. Imagine that a guy with a not very funny last name of Wong and a guy with a pretty funny last name of Doody decided to start an ad agency. They could try to invent some random brand name that doesn’t say much about who they are, or they could smash their identities together and start WONGDOODY (the company logo is equally smashed together). The agency is based in Seattle, WA and “is the most awarded independent advertising agency on the West Coast.” They’re relatively small, but they’re doing some serious work.
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It’s hard to feel any sympathy for software developers. They’re one of the most employable groups of people on Earth, and they can apply their skills to almost anything they want. However, they’re working in the technology industry which is defined by constant change. A piece of software that used to need to run on a single platform is now expected to work on all kinds of devices. Xamarin is the answer for developers who want their software to work for as many people as possible. The San Francisco, CA based company allows developers to write “apps entirely in C#, sharing the same code on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac.” Why do something four different ways when you can do it once?
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Many of America’s great apparel brands started out by catering to a specific sporting lifestyle. Some, like Filson and Orvis, have largely stayed true to their roots. While others, like Abercrombie & Fitch, have moved far away from the brands that they once were. Lands’ End got its start as a yachting supply company in Chicago, but today it is based in Dodgeville, WI and is “an international apparel brand synonymous with timeless American style.” The company is certainly still inspired by its nautical heritage, but they definitely had to broaden their horizons a bit to get where they now are–generating well over $1 billion in revenue annually.
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Every employer wants to get the most out of its people. Obviously their work product is the number one priority, but there are other objectives that a company might want to accomplish through their employees. I’m talking about things like zero waste initiatives, health and fitness goals, or retirement saving. Reaching goals usually requires behavior modification, and that’s a really hard thing to do (especially when it’s not tied to your compensation or reviews). WeSpire is a Boston, MA based company that provides “technology-based engagement programs to inspire employees for measurable impact.” It’s all about positive behavior change.
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When online video really started taking off, a ton of companies went to work figuring out how to monetize all of the new content. Most were focused on advertising, and they generally seemed to converge on the pre-roll ad as the most effective (and possibly most annoying) format. For every type of media, advertisers will try to find a way to use it to get their messages noticed; however, images seem to have been largely ignored even though they’re a huge part of the Internet. Sure, a lot of companies have put ads alongside images, but Luminate is putting them in the actual images. The Mountain View, CA based company has had a lot of success with this format considering that they are “serving more than 180 million users and over 6 billion image views each month.”
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When I was growing up, my church had a really nice way of celebrating Mother’s Day. They’d invite all of the kids up for the children’s sermon and give them each a flower. Then they’d invite all of the women in the congregation to stand up, and the kids would bring each woman a flower until all of the women sat down with their flowers. When I was little, I’d obviously go straight for my mom, but as I got older I got to appreciate giving flowers to the women (they were usually older) who didn’t have a child present. GlamourGals is a non-profit that does this kind of thing on a much bigger scale. They are based in New York, NY, and they inspire “teens to provide ongoing complimentary beauty makeovers and companionship to women living in senior homes.”
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When I think of a non-profit radio station, I immediately think of NPR, which is mostly talk with the occasional classical music. I know some people love it, but I usually can’t listen for more than about 15 minutes. My radio station preferences are for generic pop music or sports talk radio. I know it’s pretty lame, but that’s what keeps me entertained for parts of a long drive. Unfortunately, today most radio stations across the country are owned by the same big companies, so they tend to sound the same. KEXP is a Seattle, WA based non-profit radio station “where the music matters.” The goal is to enrich “people’s lives by championing music and discovery,” which is a far cry from what most radio stations are about today.
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I’m up in Michigan trying to get my fix of spring fly fishing. Now is the time of year when everyone is gearing up and buying new stuff. Usually it’s the latest, greatest technology that gets people to break out their wallets, but I’m also seeing a lot of people buying bamboo rods and other more traditional stuff. One brand that definitely falls on the traditional side is Filson. The older guys (that’s most of them) up here love it, but I’m also seeing it get popular with a younger, slightly hipsterish crowd. The Seattle, WA based company is “renowned for making products in the USA from fabrics such as heavyweight Tin Cloth and warm Mackinaw Wool.” Whether it’s workwear, hunting gear, or fishing gear, if it’s made by Filson, it’s going to last.
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I’m sure some of you are dying for a puppy update. Garçon is now 11 months old and is doing great. Here’s a picture of him with his littermate Henri. Anyway, Amy and I are ridiculously attached to the little guy, and want to do everything to ensure he’s safe, but he’s still a hunting dog. He’s going to run around off leash in the woods and occasionally get himself into somewhat dangerous situations. That’s why one of my first big purchases for the dog was a GPS enabled tracking and training collar from Garmin. It’s expensive hardware, but cheap marital insurance. It’s not a product for most consumers, but there is a similar solution from a company named Snaptracs. They are based in San Diego, CA, and they’re behind the Tagg Pet Tracker. It’s a system that “allows you to track your pet’s location and activity from your computer or mobile device.”
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Chances are that you’ve been to a few McDonald’s restaurants in your life. You’ve probably noticed that most are generally the same, but occasionally you visit one that is exceptionally nice or exceptionally dumpy. A big reason for the variance is that 80% of the locations are franchises. Franchising is a great business model when it works, but it can present some pretty tough business problems. Square Root is an Austin, TX based company that solves many of these problems. They have developed “a single platform to improve operations and performance throughout franchise networks.” It’s designed to give employees and managers “the insight, focus, and confidence to work on the right things and drive your business forward.”
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Have you ever seen an article in the middle of the day explaining that a stock’s price was rising on specific news and then seen essentially the same article in the evening saying that the same piece of news caused the price to fall? There are rare occasions when it actually works out that way, but often it’s just lazy journalism. The truth is that it can be pretty hard to explain why a stock’s price moves up or down; however, we all know that specific products can have a huge impact on how a business performs. That’s why Trefis has developed a set of tools that “helps you understand how a company’s products impact its stock price.” The Boston, MA based company “was founded by MIT Engineers and former Wall Street analysts who realized that most people do not understand the seemingly familiar companies around them.”
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It wasn’t long ago that words like “builder,” “maker,” and “product” were reserved for talking about real, tangible things. Today it seems that those are all buzzwords used to talk about the production of web sites, apps, and other digital goods. There are all kinds of companies making software products, and one with a very interesting model is Betaworks. They’re a New York, NY based company whose “ideas, people, capital and data are united in an imaginative way that enable us to create beneficial and transformative products for the socially connected world.” Their goal is to define the future of media with their products, and they’re off to a good start.
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I think that one of the biggest problems with the American education system as a whole is that there is very little focus on career outcomes. We loosely assert that if you learn this stuff you’ll get a job, but the past 7 years or so have proven that it’s not true. Youth need more than traditional education, and that’s what Futures and Options offers. They’re a New York, NY based non-profit that “empowers underserved youth to explore careers and guides them to further their education and become productive citizens of the community.” The organization was founded in 1995 and has served more than 4,000 teens.
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Textiles have played a huge part in human history. It may not be on the level of agriculture, but they have been truly significant on both a functional and cultural level. That should continue for the foreseeable future, which is why the Textile Society of America exists. They are a Berkeley, CA based non-profit that “provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about textiles worldwide, from artistic, cultural, economic, historic, political, social, and technical perspectives.”
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When I was a kid, receiving a package was a big deal because there was probably something good inside. Today we seem to get a few packages a week–and they’re usually something like paper towels or dog food from Amazon. I have Prime, so almost everything arrives on time. And when it doesn’t, it usually not a big deal (except for Grandma’s Christmas present arriving late last year). It’s a much bigger deal for the companies who are paying a lot of money to ensure that their shipments arrive on time. A late package from UPS or FedEx is often eligible for a refund, but actually getting refunds on all of your late packages is a job in itself. That’s where 71lbs steps in. They are a Fort Lauderdale, FL based startup “with a ‘set-and-forget’ system that allows our customers to easily and automatically collect late-shipment refunds owed to them via the FedEx & UPS money-back-guarantee.”
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You’ve probably looked at thousands of ads already today, but chances are that you haven’t thought about how they got in front of you. Behind all of those ads is a group of people who made a complicated set of decisions to get that specific message to you in a specific place at a specific time. Managing those kinds of decisions at scale is really hard. Centro makes it easier. They’re a Chicago, IL based company that works “to improve the lives of those working in the advertising industry by building media management software that helps marketers engage with audiences across all digital channels in the most successful manner possible.” The goal is put all of the options in one place so that advertisers can make the best decisions for themselves or for clients.
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The average supermarket is a pretty uninspiring place. It’s filled mostly with packaged, processed foods, and even the good stuff around the perimeter isn’t all that attractive. That’s why more and more specialty and gourmet grocery stores are popping up across the country. Here in Chicago we’re seeing a lot of Whole Foods and Mariano’s locations pop up, but we also got a special treat with an Eataly outpost. They are a New York, NY and Chicago, IL based gourmet Italian marketplace inspired by the famous chef Mario Batali. Their motto is: “We cook what we sell, and we sell what we cook.” It’s still a grocery store, but it’s also way more than that. Eataly is the kind of place that treats food how it should be treated.
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If you’ve ever had a job that involved working on a computer, you’ve probably done something that you weren’t supposed to on the computer at some point. Maybe it was as simple as checking Facebook or printing a personal document. Chances are that your boss wouldn’t have cared even if he or she was looking over your shoulder; however, there are some times where a company needs to look back and see exactly what an employee (or former employee) was doing on a computer or network. That’s where Forensicon can help. They’re a Chicago, IL based “firm specializing in computer forensics analysis and consulting within the areas of Internal Investigations, Trade Secrets Misappropriation, Employment Litigation and Hacker Investigations.”
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I’ve always been able to hit balls a really hard. Baseball was my sport growing up, and power was a big part of my game. When I picked up golf, I brought the power over from my baseball swing. The problem was that my big swing often resulted in a lost ball because my accuracy wasn’t quite there. I needed help and didn’t want to spend a lot of time taking lessons, so I eventually gave up golf. It’s too bad that Zepp Labs wasn’t around then. They’re a Los Gatos, CA based company that “empowers athletes and coaches with meaningful performance information to help them immediately improve their game.” They’ve developed 3D motion capture technology that works with your smartphone to give you the kind of analysis that used to be reserved for professionals.
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I live to be outdoors. For me it’s mostly about fishing, but I enjoy hunting, hiking, kayaking, and pretty much anything else that gets me out in the wilderness. The tough thing is that I like to get away from civilization, but civilization is constantly encroaching on the wilderness. We need to find a balance, and that means getting more people involved in outdoor activities so that they’ll stand up to protect what needs to be protected. It’s better to share our special places with other enthusiasts then have them get turned into strip malls. The best way to get more people involved is to start them young, and that’s what Bay Area Wilderness Training is all about. They’re an Oakland, CA based non-profit that was “founded with the idea that California’s bountiful wilderness areas are a vast – yet untapped – resource for local youth-serving organizations.”
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Gardening is a lot like life. If you work hard, do things right, and get a little lucky, you’ll be handsomely rewarded. That’s why tending to a garden is great for kids. Not only do they learn about the rewards of hard work, but they also get to watch something as it grows from a pile of dirt into something beautiful or delicious. City Blossoms is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to kid-driven, community engaging, creative green spaces.” While they are cultivators of youth; youth are their main cultivators.
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Have you ever thought that you accidentally liked something on Facebook because a post suddenly showed up in your feed from a site that you recently visited? It’s creepy, right? It’s called retargeting, and it’s amazingly effective. For at least the last few years, advertisers have been tracking your movement around the web and showing you ads based on where you’ve visited. Taking to Facebook was the obvious next step, and that’s the specialty of Triggit. They are a San Francisco, CA based company that “enables advertisers and agencies to build, run, measure, and optimize retargeting-driven display campaigns from a single platform.”
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Amy and I have spent 30+ hours in the car over the last week. We listened to the radio, we listened to Spotify, we listened to two Yankees games (one via the MLB At Bat App and one on the radio), we talked, and we listened to a book on tape. After a few hours of one, we’d get bored and switch it up. Maybe we should have “stitched it up.” Stitcher is a San Francisco, CA based company with an app of the same name that lets you access “over 20,000+ radio shows and podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, Android or PC–anytime, anywhere.” The focus is on news, sports, talk, and entertainment, so it’s kind of like Pandora for non-music audio.
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We’ve all had a time when we wanted to break our computers, tablets, or phones. In reality we’re often directing our anger in the wrong place. It’s usually the software, not the hardware, that is causing the problem. Even though the quality of software seem to continue to get better, we keep spending a bigger percentage of our time interacting with electronic devices. Every developer can aspire to make better software, and SmartBear is a company that helps them do that. They’re based in Beverly, MA, and they make “tools to help you manage the quality of your desktop, web, mobile, and api-based applications.” It may seem a little meta but SmartBear develops software for software developers–and I’ll bet that they use their software to develop software for software developers.
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Even though I grew up just an hour outside of New York City, I never took advantage of all the good restaurants. Now, when I head back East I end up spending most of my time in Connecticut and still don’t get to try the best of NYC. And if we’re talking about the best of the New York City food scene, we have to talk about momofuku. It’s a restaurant group that was started by chef David Chang. It’s won countless awards and has grown tremendously from a single restaurant in 2004. They’ve even expanded to Toronto, Canada and Sydney, Australia.
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