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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
customer service,
data,
energy,
engineering,
green,
marketing,
paid,
product management,
Rhode Island,
sales,
software development,
web development
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
data,
design,
engineering,
Internships,
New York,
paid,
product development,
real estate,
research,
sales,
software development,
web development
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
communication,
community management,
customer service,
design,
engineering,
Illinois,
Internships,
marketing,
mobile,
online marketing,
paid,
product development,
product management,
quality assurance,
quality engineer,
sales,
seo,
social media,
software development,
web development
When I think about potential new websites that I’d build, I usually look for underserved niches–gaps to fill. There are so many companies building large generalist sites that you really need to do something different to have a chance at building a real business. At least that’s my take. Emerge Media has a completely different philosophy. They are a Chicago, IL based company that is “taking on the essential roots of everyday tasks and breathing real life into the technology behind them.” They’ve been launching new sites in broad niches with a lot of competition. It seems crazy to me, but it might just work.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
analytics,
data,
design,
Illinois,
information technology,
interactive media,
Internships,
marketing,
media,
online marketing,
paid,
product management,
sem,
seo,
software development,
user experience,
web development
We live in a world of data. Everything from the prices on financial markets to our weights can be measured and tracked very easily. Even an average person can use easily accessible online tools to fake being a “data scientist.” But what about data that isn’t obviously data? I’m talking about stuff that isn’t neatly sorted into rows and columns–the kind of stuff that you’d have to painstakingly tabulate by hand. We now have technology that can do the hard work for us, and one of the companies behind such technology is ListenLogic. They are a Conshohocken, PA based company that extracts “insights from unstructured big data to drive business outcomes.” Their “big data” technology allows clients to act on information that they never before could have acted on.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
analytics,
customer service,
data,
Internships,
market research,
marketing,
paid,
Pennsylvania,
research,
sales,
social media,
software development
Who doesn’t love a good t-shirt? For me it’s all about comfort. That’s why I generally pick solid colored tees made out of high quality fabrics. For others it’s more about expression–you want your shirt to say something about who you are. If what you’re saying about yourself with your shirt is that you have a good sense of humor, then BustedTees mint be the place for you to shop. They are a New York, NY based company that was started by the same team as CollegeHumor. They started in 2004 because they wanted “people to have fun, laugh, look good, feel comfortable, get good jobs, get sweaty dancing and go home with someone who also did those things.” It’s amazing what something as simple as a t-shirt can do for people.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
apparel,
community management,
design,
e-commerce,
fashion,
humor,
Internships,
marketing,
New York,
online marketing,
paid,
social media
While non-profits may not be businesses, they still have to worry about financials. In fact, non-profits can often be more financially complicated than a lot of companies. Some organizations have accounting teams to manage the finances, and others rely solely on specialists. Whether a non-profit needs a little help with accounting or wants someone to do it all, they can go to Kiwi Partners. They are a New York, NY based firm that “gives the nonprofit leader the ability to focus on their mission, and provides clarity to the donor, giving them confidence to give.” They may not be a non-profit themselves, but they’re helping all kinds of organizations make the world a better place.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
accounting,
finance,
human resources,
Internships,
New York,
paid
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
business development,
California,
communications,
community management,
engineering,
Internships,
marketing,
New York,
online marketing,
paid,
sales,
travel
I’m an outdoorsy guy who is stuck in a city that is at least a couple hours away from most of the things that I want to do. As a result I spend a lot of time visiting what my wife calls “fishing websites” (that’s exactly what they are). One upstart that caters to guys like me is Huckberry. They’re a San Francisco, CA based company that “is like your favorite store, your grandpa’s favorite store, and your favorite magazine all rolled into one.” It’s pretty much the intersection of yuppie and outdoorsy with a tiny bit of hipster here and there. It’s for “dudes in the middle”–the kind of guys who go camping one weekend and to a black tie wedding the next weekend.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analytics,
business development,
buyer,
California,
copywriting,
customer service,
design,
e-commerce,
e-mail,
editorial,
Internships,
marketing,
merchandising,
online marketing,
outdoors,
paid,
production,
writing
When it comes to restaurant changes, it’s all about branding. People choose chains because they know they can get exactly the same food experience whether they’re in New York, NY or Dubuque, IA. Since companies are investing so much into building these brands, they might as well extract as much value as they can from them. That’s where Inventure Foods comes in. They’re a Phoenix, AZ based snack food company that offers a “diverse lineup of innovative consumer brands sold both nationally and internationally.” They were formerly a potato chip company (Poore Brothers), but they branched out and started co-branding a variety of snacks with companies like TGI Fridays, Jamba Juice, and Nathan’s Famous.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
Arizona,
brand management,
food,
Internships,
marketing,
paid
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analytics,
California,
customer service,
data,
engineering,
Internships,
mobile,
paid,
retail,
software development,
web development
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
analytics,
business development,
California,
engineering,
human resources,
Internships,
marketing,
online marketing,
paid,
Pennsylvania,
recruiting,
sales,
software development,
web development
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
bilingual,
design,
editing,
editorial,
engineering,
fitness,
food,
Internships,
New York,
nutrition,
paid,
psychology,
research,
software development,
South Korea,
web development
Having a personal chef would be pretty life changing. Not only would it make healthy eating much easier, but it would also free up a ton of time. Unfortunately, most of us can’t afford to employ a chef full-time. So how can regular people get the personal chef experience? Kitchensurfing is a New York, NY based company that matches “up chefs and people who need a cook at high and low price points and for a variety of types of engagements, from cooking lessons for the kids to fried chicken parties to 10-course anniversary dinners.” Almost anyone can afford a personal chef when it’s only for one night.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
business development,
California,
culinary,
customer service,
design,
food,
Illinois,
Internships,
marketing,
New York,
online marketing,
paid,
product development,
product management,
software development,
web development
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
Colorado,
communications,
design,
engineering,
Internships,
Manufacturing,
marketing,
paid,
social media,
software development,
web development
Most people see urban centers as the antithesis of nature, but nature always seems to find a way. That’s why we have many thriving ecosystems in the heart of our cities. You may not notice them at first, but they’re there if you look–and with a little help they’ll become truly special places. Natural Areas Conservancy is a New York, NY based non-profit that “works with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to protect, restore, and manage expansive natural areas already within the city’s urban park system.” Whether it’s forests, wetlands, rivers, streams, or meadows, they’re aiming to create a better “home to more than 2000 species of plants, and host to 350 species of birds.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
biology,
conservation,
environmental,
Internships,
New York,
non-profit,
paid,
research
I’m not sure if travel is any more popular today than it used to be, but it sure seems like it from looking at what my Facebook friends are up to. Travel is a massive industry because it’s both a leisure activity and a business activity, and that also makes it a very complex industry. People who work in travel need to keep up with the latest news and trends, so they often turn to Northstar Travel Media. They’re a Secaucus, NJ based “business information and marketing solutions provider to the $300 billion U.S. travel, tourism and meetings industries.” It started in 1939 with Hotel & Travel Index, and today Northstar Travel Media reaches more than 1.7 million monthly unique visitors online and 1.1 million people through subscriptions.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
data,
design,
editorial,
graphic design,
hospitality management,
human resources,
Internships,
marketing,
media,
paid,
publishing,
tourism,
travel,
writing
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
customer service,
engineering,
events,
game design,
Internships,
marketing,
Massachusetts,
mobile,
paid,
software development,
technical support,
television,
video games,
web development
Most media businesses are about advertising, and most advertising is about demographics. That’s why a lot of media companies focus on owning a portfolio of properties that cater to similar demographics. For Radio One the focus is on targeting African-American and urban consumers. The company is headquartered in Lanham, MD, but they have stations and offices all across the country. If your music tastes are similar to mine, there’s a good chance that you are familiar with one of Radio One’s properties.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
all employers,
interactive media,
Internships,
marketing,
Maryland,
media,
nationwide,
paid,
promotions,
radio,
sales,
social media
New York City is the ultimate place to go shopping, but it can be extremely intimidating. Not only is hard to know where to go to find what you want (or get a deal), but a lot of the higher end stores can have attitude. If you want to take shopping in NYC seriously, you need professional help. That’s what Fashion Update offers. They’re a New York, NY based company that offers tours that will help you “find designer name merchandise for less than a fraction of the retail cost.” There’s also, apparently, a magazine with the same name that helps you track down bargains and an attached PR firm called In Your Face PR. To me the fashion tours are the most interesting business.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
editorial,
fashion,
Internships,
magazine,
New York,
paid,
public relations,
retail,
style,
writing
Think about all of the e-mail lists that you’re subscribed to. Now think about how many of those e-mails you delete, mark as spam, or totally ignore. Every one of those senders includes you when they brag about the size of their lists, but you’re pretty much worth nothing to them (you may even have negative value). Businesses that do e-mail right know that keeping your lists manicured is a smart business decision. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said then done, which is why company that are serious about e-mail use FreshAddress. They’re a Newton, MA based company that helps “companies that depend on email to drive revenue by building, updating, segmenting, and cleaning their email lists.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
design,
e-mail,
graphic design,
information technology,
Internships,
marketing,
Massachusetts,
online marketing,
paid,
product management,
sales
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
arts,
business development,
California,
community management,
customer service,
engineering,
entertainment,
events,
Internships,
local,
marketing,
music,
New York,
operations,
paid,
sales,
social media,
software development,
web development
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
business development,
California,
customer service,
education,
engineering,
Internships,
paid,
recruiting,
software development,
web development
I haven’t updated my business cards in years; in fact, I’m not sure that I’ve given anyone a business card in at least a year. I do most of my business online, so it makes sense that I don’t use a lot of paper products. More and more people are moving in my direction, so if you are going to use printed materials, they need to pop–they need to be able to compete with the interactivity of a website. MOO is an East Providence, RI based company that loves to print. They’ve even invented a word to describe what they do: “printfinity.” It’s a technology that they’ve developed that allows you to “print a different photo or design on every Business Card, Sticker or Postcard in a pack.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
brand management,
communication,
customer service,
international,
Internships,
marketing,
Massachusetts,
online marketing,
paid,
printing,
Rhode Island,
sales,
united kingdom
I’m pretty bummed that we’re going to have to wait almost a full year for a new episode of Mad Men now. If you need your fix, you’re going to have to take a look inside a real advertising agency. Today we’re going to do that for you, and the focus is going to be Mason Zimbler, an Austin, TX based “integrated agency rooted in the digital space.” They’re owned by a bigger company called Harte Hanks, but they seem to operate mostly on their own by combining “a love of creative” with a “desire for results.” They have quite a roster of big name clients, so they must be very good at finding that balance.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
advertising,
analytics,
community management,
design,
information technology,
Internships,
marketing,
online marketing,
paid,
social media,
software development,
Texas,
web development
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
customer service,
data,
entertainment,
events,
Internships,
marketing,
music,
New York,
online marketing,
paid,
social media,
sports,
writing
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
blogging,
customer service,
data,
design,
information technology,
interior design,
Internships,
marketing,
online marketing,
paid,
sales,
social media,
technical support,
Texas
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.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
advocacy,
California,
Colorado,
fellowship programs,
Florida,
Illinois,
Internships,
marketing,
Massachusetts,
New York,
North Carolina,
online marketing,
organizing,
paid,
policy,
public policy,
research,
social media,
software development,
Texas,
web development
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.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
accounting,
administrative,
advertising,
creative,
design,
human resources,
information technology,
interactive media,
Internships,
media,
media planner,
paid,
production,
project management,
Washington
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?
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
California,
customer service,
design,
engineering,
Internships,
marketing,
Massachusetts,
paid,
quality assurance,
quality engineer,
sales,
software development,
technical support,
training,
user experience,
web development,
writing
