TODAY'S COCKTAIL OF TECH STARTUP STORIES:
The latest cocktail of emerging technology news, people, startups, products, and innovations for the true tech enthusiast.
| Who is Denver's Hottest Showcasing Startup? [POLL] |
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Tech Cocktail has traveled the country, from Dallas to DC, Boise to Boston, uncovering the hottest startups in more than 20 cities. Now, the word is out: winning startups from each city will go onto the next round and get the chance to qualify for Tech Cocktail Celebrate, our new national startup competition held in Downtown Vegas on October 23 – 25. Denver, here’s your chance to show us what ya got! Join us at McNichols Building for an evening of Denver’s hottest early-stage startups and cocktails with your neighbors and technophile friends. (Must be a Denver Startup Week badge holder to attend) We’ll have a gaggle of startups on hand showcasing their goods, but before the event kicks off, we want to know what you think: Who is Denver’s Hottest Showcasing Startup? Let us know your thoughts by answering the poll at the end of this post (ends at 6:00pm local time on the day of the event - get the official rules here). The winner will be announced live at the event and will receive the following: Invitation to Tech Cocktail Celebrate, additional time on stage to share what’s new with their startup, invitation to an upcoming Tech Cocktail Week, as well as the honor of being recognized as Denver‘s Hottest Showcasing Startup. Don’t miss out. The Startups(Startups, apply here) - Access Mobile Solutions - xMonitor provides daily monitoring of cell phones allowing organizations to manage cost and use in real time RATHER than waiting for a bill. With our technology in place organization avoid overages, have the opportunity to trim waste, and catch abuse (such as international roaming, LD etc.) as it happens.
- AlchemyAPI - AlchemyAPI is a text mining platform providing the most comprehensive set of semantic analysis capabilities in the natural language processing field. Used over 3 billion times every month, AlchemyAPI enables customers to perform large-scale social media monitoring, target advertisements more effectively, track influencers and sentiment within the media, automate content aggregation and recommendation, make more accurate stock trading decisions, enhance business and government intelligence systems, and create smarter applications and services.
- Cloud Elements - With Cloud Elements, developers and enterprises leverage reusable 'Elements' to build cloud applications faster by dramatically reducing the time required to integrate, monitor and maintain leading PaaS and SaaS cloud services.
- Digital Fridge - Digital Fridge is the next step in managing your Mobile Media (pictures, videos, audio, notes and check-ins).
- FlyinAway - We exist to make the travel experience better and cheaper for our members. Our members collaboratively choose where they want to fly, when, and at what price, giving them full control over their travel plans. We know the travel industry, and want to make traveling easier and more fun for you. At FlyinAway, members always get the best deal on their airfare….they choose it!
- LegiNation - We track legislation from all 50 states and make it easily searchable and accessible. We think of ourselves as Google for Democracy.
- P2Binvestor - Our company provides crowdfunded receivables loans to growing businesses who need working capital. We give investors a much better yield then they could get at a bank while giving them the opportunity to support businesses directly. And we give businesses a new kind of social funding avenue.
- Plink - Plink is an online-to-offline rewards program that motivates members to make offline purchases.
- Rental Kharma - Rental Kharma helps both consumers and businesses build their credit by reporting their rent payments to the credit bureaus. Most renters and businesses pay their rent on time but their timely rent payment history is not included on their credit report. We built a simple way for them to verify their past rent payments and have these rent payments counted towards their credit.
- StartUpTradeUp - SUTU offers an online marketplace for existing business and start-up companies along with individuals to trade and barter their surplus skills, space or products/services, minimizing waste of their respective assets.
The post Who is Denver’s Hottest Showcasing Startup? [POLL] appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
| Sarah Austin Talks About Turning a Personal Brand into a Business |
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Sarah Austin is the founder of Pop17, a web series and blog which features interviews with tech-oriented business owners and Internet personalities at tech-related events and parties. The series also includes commentary and news on technology and business topics. Austin calls herself a startup "matchmaker" in that she has, over the years, matched up several startups with various brands and investors. She was also a cast member on the reality show Startups: Silicon Valley. Austin’s Sessions talk focuses on turning your personal brand into a business. She delves into the importance of personal branding when building a community around your passion and highlights the following three myths of personal branding: 1. Personal branding is just for celebrities. 2. You have to be a community leader in order to have a personal brand. 3. Building a personal brand takes A LOT of time. Here’s the video. Subscribe to Tech Cocktail Sessions on iTunes and never miss a Session. Guest author Kristin Pryor (@kristinpryor) is an archeologist by day and budding entrepreneur by night who is enthusiastically navigating her way through the DC startup space. She has an unending passion for learning and is never satisfied with the status quo. Her current obsessions include wine, hiking, and Downton Abbey. The post Sarah Austin Talks About Turning a Personal Brand into a Business appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
| Top 10 Android Communication Apps |
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One of the primary uses for the smartphone is communications. At a base level, that means phone calls, web browsing, text messaging, and emailing. However, when you extend the thought of communications deeper, you see that it also applies to the way our devices communicate with each other: tethering, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. There are generalized apps across both the iOS and Android platforms that tailor to our human to human communications like Gmail, Google Voice, and Google Chrome. And while iOS does take a modicum of apps to the device communications level, Android comes out on top by a landslide. This is an aspect of Android that directly relates to the fact that it is built on an open development platform. The result is often growth and innovation that spreads to realms of thought iOS cannot venture because of Apple's stringent regulations. This week's top 10 apps focus on SMS, web browsing, and tethering. Android stretches the functionality of SMS further than iOS and offers browsers with rampant customization and hardcore privacy options. Also, turning your phone into a mobile hotspot, or tethering, is something iOS does not even offer their users. So enjoy the victory this week, and use these 10 apps to become an Android communications master. SMS Extensions- Chomp SMS (free): This souped-up alternative to stock messaging has more than 800 emojis and features, message locks, privacy options, future text options, and an SMS blocker. They also have themes for notification icons, LED colors, ringtones, vibration patters, colors, fonts, and backgrounds.
- Cloud SMS (N/A.99): Designed with tablet users in mind, SMS sent to your phone arrives on your tablet as well. It runs simultaneously on both devices, works via the Internet, and hashes your account email for security.
- Ninja SMS ($1.50): Never switch between SMS and YouTube again. Ninja SMS features a popup feature reminiscent of Chat Heads, and it lets users read and reply to incoming messages without ever leaving their current screen.
Tethering Apps- Barnacle WiFi Tether (free): One of the best free options, Barnacle turns your phone into a wireless ad-hoc hotspot to share your 3/4G connection with computers or game consoles. The only requirement is that you root your phone, which is a bit too complex for some.
- Easy Tether PRO ($9.99): Unlike Barnacle, no root is required to share your smartphone connection with your computer or tablet. It works via USB for computers and supports Bluetooth tethering for Android 4.x tablets for no monthly fee.
- PdaNet+ ($14.95): The ultimate tethering app out there, no root is required and USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi tethering are all supported. Use your Android's connection to power your computer, tablet, PS3, Xbox, and Wii for no monthly fee.
Web Browsers- Boat Browser ($2.99): This smart and fast browser brings a premium web experience to the mobile platform. The fully customizable features include changing button locations on the screen and tons of add-ons.
- Exsoul Browser ($1.99): A rich browser, Exsoul leverages its many features to make browsing comfortable and easy; it is designed for use with one hand. Navigate through several histories at once, view desktop sites via a quick switch agent, work in 21 different languages, and save pages in PDF.
- Naked Browser ($1.89): A browser built on four principles of trust, speed, features, and free use. You get no spying from outside parties, light weight browsing speed, and no ads. Naked browser wants to be the most trustworthy and resource independent browser on the market.
- Ninesky Browser (free): Built specifically for Android mobile, Ninesky is smart, fast, pays attention to your internet security, protects your private data, and supports HTML5. Use the Speed Dial and Smart Address Bar to quickly type and use cloud bookmarks across all of your devices.
The post Top 10 Android Communication Apps appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
| Mhelpdesk Partners With Stripe |
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Operating out of Fishbowl Labs, the DC-based Mhelpdesk recently entered into a partnership with the payment processing software company, Stripe. Mhelpdesk handles invoicing for small businesses, but their rapid growth spawned a need for an efficient way to accept payments. This partnership comes at a crucial time for Ryan Shank, COO, and the rest of the team as they recently transacted over $75 million in invoices through their field service management software. Stripe handles everything for Mhelpdesk now, including storing credit cards, payment subscriptions, and direct payouts to bank accounts. While PayPal and Authorize exist in the same market sphere, Stripe is the clear winner in the eyes of Mhelpdesk. They all have the same end goal of paying customers, but Stripe does it noticeably faster and with no added fees. "I honestly did not feel comfortable recommending Authorize to our customers," says Shank. "The fees and hassles associated with it were too much to deal with."
The all-in-one Mhelpdesk app was designed specifically to give small business clients complete visibility over their work orders, technicians, scheduling, and billing. They invoice their customers using Mhelpdesk, and Stripe's software handles the payments efficiently. Shank and the team bootstrapped all of their funding and nailed their product down before taking it to market. To date, the growth behind their app has been purely organic, and Shank believes that if they keep hitting sales numbers, they may not need VC funding at all. One of the biggest motivations for Mhelpdesk as they move forward is not having any one person to answer to, but rather unifying as a team to decide the best course of action. And besides, they already answer to a boss: their small business customers. The post Mhelpdesk Partners With Stripe appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
| Inside the New York Times timeSpace Incubator |
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When Brian Muller and Blaine Sheldon took the elevator up to the ninth floor of the New York Times Building this April, they weren't too sure what to expect. They had been selected as participants in the very first New York Times timeSpace incubator. "You may call it an accelerator or an incubator; right now we are calling it an experiment," their website reads.
Muller and Sheldon were representing OpBandit, a media software startup that can change your publication's headlines and images in real time depending on which are performing best. They were the smallest startup in the program, working alongside Mahaya and Delve. The perks of the program were New York Times quality. They got to pitch to NYT CEO Mark Thompson. They rode in the elevator with Bill Cunningham, and had beautiful conference rooms to meet clients and investors. They talked to NYT departments about using OpBandit. And they'll be top of mind if the company decides to start making seed investments. Day to day, they spent their time working and meeting with NYT groups. They got advice from the legal counsel, and learned about the best metrics to track from the analytics group. The strategy team helped them refine their pitch and communicate their value to customers better. And the R&D team, an innovative group tasked with predicting what publishing will look like in 10-15 years, shared some insights on the future of news. More in the style of Y Combinator than TechStars, the incubator gave the teams lots of autonomy and responsibility. The program heads would check in every now and then to see how things were going, and OpBandit could ask for advice or introductions to someone outside the NYT. But mostly, they relied on their own initiative. "It was a very freeform structure, maybe more of a Montessori-type environment," says Muller. "A lot of it was self-directed. It was choose your own adventure."
The Times hasn't committed to doing a second run of the incubator, but if they did, the OpBandit team hopes they'll sprinkle in a little more structure to the "choose your own adventure" package. Although they're close to the Mahaya and Delve teams, more planned social activities would have cemented their friendship earlier. And, now that the NYT knows which departments are most useful to startups, they could help arrange meetings and pitches earlier. Basically, a little schedule would go a long way. For now, OpBandit is privately testing with publications like The Daily Muse, Slate, and Skift, and is aiming for a public beta in the early fall. And when they go after customers or try to raise funding, that little New York Times "experiment" will definitely be a point in their favor. The post Inside the New York Times timeSpace Incubator appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
| Tel Aviv's Brow.si Announces $1M in Funding, New Partnership with PrestaShop |
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Brow.si, the Tel Aviv-based company with a mission to “fix the broken mobile web,” today announced a $1M funding round, bringing the company’s total raised funds to over $3M. Brow.si also announced that it has signed a strategic partnership with leading open source e-commerce platform, PrestaShop. Brow.si has been integrated into the PrestaShop software, allowing PrestaShop-powered store owners to automatically install Brow.si on their sites and enjoy its advanced functionality, including a unique mobile shopping cart. The announcement marks a significant milestone for Brow.si as it allows it to expand its growing footprint within e-commerce websites in addition to its popularity among leading publishers worldwide. "We are thrilled to add Brow.si to our roster of innovative industry partners,” said Matt Serralta, COO of PrestaShop, in a news release. “With the growing importance of mobile optimization in e-commerce, now online merchants can seamlessly integrate Brow.si on their PrestaShop store and offer their customers an even greater mobile shopping experience.” Serralata expects merchants to experience higher engagement rates and reduced shopping cart abandonment as a result of the partnership. “Together with Brow.si, we are providing online merchants with revolutionary tools to help them remain competitive in an increasingly lucrative market," he said. Brow.si allows publishers and online merchants to seamlessly add sophisticated sharing options, powerful reading features, subscription extensions, and commerce tools to their sites that are specifically designed for mobile web browsing. The company also hopes to help third-party developers create mini-apps that deliver familiar web experiences that exist on desktop browsers to the mobile web. The post Tel Aviv’s Brow.si Announces $1M in Funding, New Partnership with PrestaShop appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
| 12 Tips For Finding the Perfect Partner for Your Startup |
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The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons. Changing the world is a team effort. Nowhere is this more important than at the top. The perfect cofounder must compliment your skill set, be someone you can trust in the trenches, and share your unrelenting drive toward constant improvement. Seem like a tall order? It is. That’s why we’ve called upon our friends at the YEC to share their secrets on how they found the perfect partner for their startups. This week, we asked them, “What one tip do you have for founders who want to bring a new partner into an existing business?” Their responses are below. 12 Tips for Finding The Perfect Partner(Tweet this article) 1. Go to a Startup WeekendI met my current business partner during a Startup Weekend competition. We had 54 hours of highly stressful, complicated tasks to complete for our team. It was the best way to see how we work under pressure, how we interact with others and how effective we can be in a short time. If you have a potential business partner, see if she will compete with you in a Startup Weekend, and you will know right away if she would be a good team member. - Vanessa Van Edwards, Science of People 2. Prepare for MarriageIt’s imperative that you realize your potential partnership is equivalent to a marriage. For a considerable amount of time, you’ll likely be spending more time with your business partner than with your life partner (if you have one). The issues that seem small at the beginning will become exponentially greater when you realize your company is near an inflection point or an all-out collapse and you’re both highly stressed out and volatile. Spend the necessary time to really get to know each other (yes, you might be the crazy one!) to make sure that it’s a good fit for both parties. If it’s not, you could end up married to your new arch nemesis. - Adam Callinan, PiCK Ventures, Inc. 3. Define the Roles ClearlyMany people will haggle over how much equity to give up with little thought to how committed or busy the new partner might be with other parts of his life. The one tip I would suggest is to make sure your vision and commitment are aligned so that the role of the new partner is clearly defined. - Patrick Curtis, WallStreetOasis.com 4. Vest Your Equity Over TimeIt is very difficult to find the right business partner. You need to have a similar work ethic and time line for the investment, your chemistry has to mix well, and your talents have to be complementary. Instead of giving the new partner all of his shares at once, consider having their shares vest over time so you have a fair solution if these factors do not line up as well as you expect, which is often the case. - Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC 5. Negotiate Safe Exit OptionsNo one likes messy endings. Make it an easy out for the new partner you may bring in. He is just as anxious and nervous about the arrangement working well. But instead of just thinking about yourself, consider the other person’s reservations. Make it easy for him to say “yes” to get the ball rolling, but also make it easy for him to say “I’m done” when you both discover the relationship cannot last. - Danny Wong, Blank Label Group 6. Make Sure Your Skills Are ComplementaryMake sure your partner’s skill set complements yours, but is not identical. Having two bean counters run an operation is not a recipe for success, and if two creative types make a go of it, the accounting and other more mundane aspects of the business could suffer or even be ignored. - Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance 7. Talk to Someone Who Has Done It BeforeThere are many people who have success stories and an even larger amount who have failed due to partnerships. All the cliches of spending more time with this person than your significant other are true, but the best advice I give is to sit down with a few people who have done it themselves (ones that went well and not so well) to hear it firsthand. - Sam Saxton, Salter Spiral Stair and Mylen Stairs 8. Check for Cultural FitMake sure you bring in a skill that you don't have already have with a person who really fits in. In the early days of a company, you will be working with new partners constantly.Have candidates interview with several teams to ensure there is a cultural fit! For crucial first hires, run deep background checks and use references. - John Berkowitz, Yodle 9. Create Operating AgreementsBringing in a new partner to an existing business can be complicated. Make sure you have a great operating agreement written by a seasoned attorney that outlines what happens to the business under all possible scenarios. Make sure that the agreement outlines how the members of the business will handle partners who stop contributing. It will be an expensive investment, but it will serve as the foundation for your relationship. If you have an existing operating agreement that is short and simple, it probably is exposing you to all sorts of risks. - Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors 10. Have Conflict as Soon as PossibleBetween partners, conflict is bound to occur in absolutely every business. It’s how your company handles conflict that will set you apart. It’s vital to ensure that everyone uses conflict as a way to move the business forward, rather than create divisions in the company. As long as everyone embraces intensive discussions as being a healthy part of the company, conflict will be a net positive. When bringing in a new partner, it’s important to make sure that he will be a good cultural fit. The sooner you have an impassioned disagreement about something important, the sooner you’ll figure out if he is a good match. - Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas 11. Show Her the RopesLet her shadow you for a few days. Working at a startup is very different than working in a corporate environment, and even though the potential partner might have been a rockstar in previous companies, she might not thrive in a startup environment. Let her see what it's really like so she knows what she’s getting into. - Leah Neaderthal, Start Somewhere 12. Speak the Same LanguageMake sure you are speaking the same language. Research to one partner might mean 30 minutes of light skimming on the Web, while research to another is three hours of intense reference-checking and phone calls. In other words, make sure that you not only want the same things, but also that the meaning of those things is the same. Everyone wants a business to be successful, but what is a new partner’s definition of success compared to yours? While you might have the same bullet-pointed goals, the translation of someone else’s points might be completely different. Make sure everyone is on the same page and speaking the same, fully translated language. - Kim Kaupe, ‘ZinePak The post 12 Tips For Finding the Perfect Partner for Your Startup appeared first on Tech Cocktail  |
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
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