StartUp Beat
January 27, 2012
January 26, 2012
With 750K in Angel backing, LockerDome is connecting both professional and amateur athletes worldwide
A Q&A with LockerDome co-founder and CEO Gabe Lozano. The St Louis, Missouri–based company was founded in 2008.
SUB: What are your target markets?
Lozano: Our bread and butter is still the 6-18U club program sports market. We work directly with the program directors of the best club programs in the country, who then evangelize their program’s LockerDome network directly to their athletes, coaches and parents. For example, we work with over 50 of the top 100 amateur soccer programs in the U.S. and nearly 500 major programs nationwide. We additionally work with professional athletes to launch celebrity athlete networks, where their fan base can interact with them.
SUB: Who do you consider to be your competition?
January 25, 2012
January 24, 2012
January 23, 2012
StartUp Beat Flashback: Entrepreneur Narratives: How [Alicia Navarro, Skimlinks] Did It
From July 1, 2011...
Editor’s Note: This is a Q&A series from StartUp Beat that features entrepreneurs who have successfully guided their startups (or multiple startups) to maturity. It is a complement to StartUp Beat’s coverage of early-stage startups and an effort to provide further insight into the experiences of tech entrepreneurs.
Skimlinks co-founder and CEO Alicia Navarro is one of the few female tech entrepreneurs in London, having launched Skimbit.com in Australia before heading over to Europe to immerse herself in the world of tech startups, where she adapted her business quickly to launch Skimlinks.com.
Alicia's vision for Skimlinks is to see online publishers rewarded for the role they play in informing purchase decisions, by removing the technical and administrative complexities that hamper would-be affiliates. This, she believes, will help evolve affiliate marketing into a mainstream ubiquitous revenue model.
Alicia worked for over 10 years in internet applications, designing and launching mobile and internet-based applications in Australia and the UK. She has a Bachelor of Information Technology and the University Medal for Computing Sciences from the University of Technology, Sydney.
SUB: What was your first entrepreneurial venture?
Navarro: My first entrepreneurial venture involved a foray into the beauty industry, manufacturing and selling lip gloss! In Australia, where I grew up, there’s an initiative called Young Achievers, where high school students get together and go through a life cycle of a business. We came up with the idea for a lip gloss range for men and women, and I became the managing director of Pout Lip Gloss. Within six months, we’d made a 320 percent profit, and we won Venture of the Year in the program. I was hooked.
January 21, 2012
The Week in Technology Funding, January 21, 2012…
This week’s list of Angel, Seed and Series A funding announcements:
PandoDaily – $2.5 million
CliqSearch – $1 million
AppAddictive – $1.2 million
Adzuna – $777K (approx.)
Kiwi Crate – $5 million
Peecho – $750K
Code 42 Software – $52.5 million
Varentec – $7.7 millionJanuary 20, 2012
January 19, 2012
Featured StartUp Pitch: Unrabble’s hiring software engages both employers and employees in a social media-driven hiring process
Company: Unrabble
Website: www.unrabble.com
Founders: Kevin Watson, Chris Rickborn, Marc Slack
Year Founded: 2009
Twitter: @unrabble
Brief Company Description: Unrabble is a cloud-computing hiring software solution that helps hiring managers make their next great hire. It’s an entirely new, and better, approach to the hiring process. It saves time and money by better qualifying candidates, automating core hiring tasks, automatically ranking top candidates based on skills and verifying claims made through social networks, thus saving hiring managers from candidates who stretch the truth.
By Kevin Watson, CEO and co-founder
Product Overview
Unrabble is a pure cloud-computing solution that simplifies and redefines the process of hiring new employees. Unrabble was created for a new class of end user who must make hiring decisions, but doesn’t have the time or resources to do it quickly, effectively and inexpensively. Unrabble is not regimented HR enterprise software, a job board, or a legacy-style applicant tracking system for processing resumes. Unrabble is an innovative new approach to hiring.
Unrabble makes it easy to create a new job posting, instantly broadcast the job to your social networks, publish it to job boards of your choice, and then quickly identify the most highly qualified candidates as they apply from multiple sources. Unrabble removes the need to invest in expensive HR software and significantly reduces reliance on HR staff and professional recruiters. Unrabble is the first solution of its kind to put hiring in the hands of the decision maker and unchain hiring from back office, administrative and expensive third-party services.
January 18, 2012
SOPA must be defeated
Dear StartUp Beat Readers,
While the site is technically not "blacked out", StartUp Beat joins the chorus of thousand of other web sites protesting SOPA and PIPA legislation by conducting an editorial black out and not posting any new stories today. Instead, we're linking to a very insightful article by Mashable's Lance Ulanoff about the possible consequences of SOPA:
SOPA Will Take Us Back to the Dark Ages
...and a "take action page" from Google:
https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
SOPA would negatively affect countless web sites, and indeed permanently alter what we have come to know (in most countries) as a free and relatively open Internet. For small sites like StartUp Beat in particular, it could be devastating....
...StartUp Beat will be back with new stories tomorrow, but in the mean time, consider what legislation like SOPA could mean for all of us.
Thank You,
Brian Kovalesky, StartUp Beat Editor
January 17, 2012
With Seed funding in-hand, Blippar has ambitious plans for its augmented mobile ‘digital experiences’ platform
A Q&A with Blippar co-founding director and CMO Jess Butcher. The London–based company was founded in August of last year.
SUB: Please describe what Blippar is, and the value proposition you bring to the mobile market?
Butcher: Blippar is the first marker-less image-recognition platform for smartphones designed to convert real-world media, brands and products into instantaneous digital experiences.
Through one free app on a smartphone, Blippar opens in camera mode and becomes a ‘lens’ through which real world branded objects, such as press adverts, billboards or retail displays, logos, packaging or even landmarks can become content-rich, interactive experiences.
Experiences might include: An augmented reality overlay, web links, location-based service, digital graffiti, gaming, couponing or sales promotion.
January 16, 2012
StartUp Beat Flashback: Entrepreneur Narratives: How [Paul King, GoCharge] Did It
From July 8, 2011...
Bio: Paul King, founder, president, and board director, Hercules Networks/GoCharge—maker of a self-service mobile device charging kiosk that contains multiple charging tips for a convenient, powerful and safe charge for cell phones, blackberries, iPhones and other mobile devices. Mr. King is the founder of Hercules Networks and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, Magna Cum Laude. He was the founder of International Sales Team Realty generating more than $40 million in annual sales. He developed Chase Mortgage and New Wave Title Company in Sunny Isles Florida prior to commencing with Hercules. He was named in the top 25 Entrepreneurs under 25 by Business Week magazine 2009.
SUB: What was your first entrepreneurial venture?
King: I started a tennis camp when I was 18. It was a lot of fun. I got 20-25 kids per week for 6 weeks. We picked them up and dropped them off every day and worked with them from 10am-4pm. I was hooked after that experience.
SUB: What prompted you to start GoCharge in the first place?
King: My phone was always dying while I was out. My friends had the same issues. I knew there was a demand for it.
SUB: Was there a point at which you knew GoCharge would hit it big?
January 13, 2012
The Week In Technology Funding, January 13, 2012...
This week’s list of Angel, Seed and Series A funding announcements:
Thumbtack – $4.5 million
Tealium – $1.1 million
Cinemacraft – $900K
Kwaga – $1.55 million
AppTap – $4 million
January 12, 2012
January 11, 2012
Featured Startup Pitch: Clever Zebo seeks to bring big picture online marketing expertise to small businesses
Company: Clever Zebo
Website: www.cleverzebo.com
Founders: Josh Krafchin, Igor Belogolovsky
Headquarters: Los Angeles
Year Founded: 2011
Twitter: @cleverzebo
Brief Company Description: Clever Zebo is a group of web marketing strategy experts who love growing small businesses by helping them find their voice and make it heard online.
By Igor Belogolovsky, co-founder
What We Do
We’re online marketing strategy all-stars. We specialize in SEM, SEO, email, content marketing and conversion funnel optimization.
What Makes Us So Awesome?
We’re actually pretty darn good at helping companies make money. We’re not automatons who just plug away unthinkingly at one channel or another; we focus on the big picture to make you successful. We’re really, really interested in learning new businesses and helping them grow, whatever it takes.
January 10, 2012
Featured Startup Pitch: ServisTree combines social media and the cloud to increase customer loyalty in the foodservice industry
Company: ServisTree.com
Website: www.servistree.com
Founders: David Cohen and Adam Weizer
Headquarters: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Year Founded: 2008
Twitter: @servistree
Brief Company Description: Merchants, retailers & other biz utilize @servistree 4 socmed mktg, giftcard/loyalty programs, creditcard proc & more http://bit.ly/sPbbZg
By David Cohen, co-founder
Product Overview
Helping businesses of all sizes grow to their full potential, ServisTree.com allows companies to immediately merge the worlds of marketing, loyalty and social networking. Shoppers can tap into loyalty programs and redeem gift card offerings from local businesses via their smartphone, virtually ending the days of carrying all the cards around in a wallet or purse.
January 09, 2012
FreeShipping.net is bringing gamification and a social approach to the online coupons/daily deals business
A Q&A with FreeShipping.net CEO Tom Caporaso. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Middletown, Connecticut–based Clarus Marketing Group.
SUB: Please describe what FreeShipping.net is, and the value proposition you bring to ecommerce.
Caporaso: Freeshipping.net is an interactive coupon site where users can go to earn badges and trophies, vote on coupons and communicate with other users, all while saving money on their purchases.
The online coupon space as it stands has been overdone. We knew in order to do this well and engage consumers, we needed to be drastically different. Our value is that we are more relevant to the community of savers. We wanted them to know they have an influence in how they save and providing both a social and gaming component accomplished that.
January 06, 2012
The Week In Technology Funding, January 6, 2012…
This week’s list of Angel, Seed and Series A funding announcements (the first of the year!):
Trapit – $6.2 million
Piazza – $6 million
Coursekit – $5 million
GrabCad – $4 million
Aisle50 – $2.6 million
Seismic Games – $2 million
IFTTT – $1.5 million
RJ Metrics – $1.2 million
Spool – $1 million
Nimble – $1 million
LockerDome – $750K
NumberFire – $650K
Buyosphere – $325K
Blippar – Undisclosed
Funding and Acquisitions Roundup: TrapIt gets $6.2 million to bring AI to web browsing; Piazza gets $6 million to enhance the college class experience
Today’s technology funding and acquisitions news roundup…
Since the launch of Apple’s Siri virtual assistant, AI apps have garnered a lot of attention…and funding. That list now includes Trapit, an AI-based personalized search and web organizing tool, which announced today that it has raised $6.2 million in Series A funding. Both Siri and Trapit originated from the same AI collaboration between DARPA and SRI. The project was originally known as CALO—“Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes”—and looks like it could be the next step in the evolution of search and web browsing.
January 05, 2012
Featured Startup Pitch: Started by two former Morgan Stanley execs, CoupTessa targets daily deals specifically to women looking for high-end products and services
Company: CoupTessa
Website: www.couptessa.com
Founders: David Horn and Francisco Gonzalez
Headquarters: Miami
Year Founded: 2010
Employees: 40
Twitter: @CoupTessa
Brief Company Description: Unique daily deal site specifically for women, delivering discounts of 50 to 90 percent off high-end merchant services and products.
By David Horn, co-CEO
Website Overview
CoupTessa is a daily deal site specifically tailored for women. Our site offers significant discounts for higher-end products and services that are in demand by discriminating female consumers. With percentage discounts typically ranging from 50 to 90 percent, we provide consumers with enticing offers, and merchants with a steady supply of sophisticated repeat customers. We are currently offering deals in five major United States cities, and our users can choose from merchants including spa/salon providers, dance and exercise classes, and dining at popular restaurants.
Founders’ Story
CoupTessa was created by myself and another former executive at Morgan Stanley, Francisco Gonzalez. I enjoyed a successful tenure at Morgan Stanley, and ended my career as the global leader of sales and marketing for some of the firm’s wealthiest clients. During a walk near my home in the Dominican Republic I encountered Francisco, and we began discussing possible business ventures. We were intrigued by the daily deal website model and decided to focus our business efforts on a certain population segment. We chose women consumers due to their considerable buying power and brand allegiance. From this chance meeting on the beach, CoupTessa was formed.
Funding and Acquisitions Roundup: ‘Groupon for groceries’ gets $2.6 million; Moontoast gets $6 million to monetize social media channels
Today’s technology funding and acquisitions news roundup…
Early-stage funding announcements today were led by ‘Groupon for groceries’ daily deals site Aisle50, which has closed a $2.6 million funding round. It’s the latest niche entry in the daily deals business, but it may be one of the more useful of the bunch everybody need to shop for groceries (unless you’re wealthy or can convince someone to do it for you) everyone’s life. The company was founded in June of last year.
January 04, 2012
With safety as its focus, Life360 is connecting family members through its mobile app wherever they may be
A Q&A with Life360 co-founder and CEO Chris Hulls. The San Francisco–based company was founded in late 2008.
SUB: Please describe what Life360 is, and the value proposition you bring to the mobile market and to family safety technology.
Hulls: Life360 provides mobile and web solutions for family safety. We are primarily known for the Life360 mobile app that lets you know where your family is located, when they need help and what is on their minds using our cross-platform FamilyChannel group chat feature. While we think that social and entertainment applications are great, we saw there was an unaddressed need for a utility app that would help you keep your family safe. By having family safety as our focus, the Life360 app has already proven helpful to some of the 10 million people who have relied on us during natural distasters such as the Japanese tsunami and the East Coast earthquake last year.
SUB: What are your target markets?
Funding and Acquisitions Roundup: IFTTT lands $1.5 million in Seed funding for its web tools interface
Today’s technology funding and acquisitions news roundup…
Today’s funding announcements are all about companies that help the end user make the web work better (or more personally) for them. A good illustration of this is IFTTT, a startup that helps users pull together various web services and social media functions into one sharing and saving interface. The company announced today that it has raised a $1.5 million Seed round. The name stands for “if this then that”…and I love the URL for its “About” page: http://ifttt.com/wtf.
January 03, 2012
Founded last Spring and now armed with $1.5m in Series A funding, MixRank is giving ‘performance advertisers’ a new level of ad data for higher quality results
A Q&A with MixRank co-founder and CEO Ilya Lichtenstein. The San Francisco–based company was founded in May 2011.
SUB: Please describe what MixRank is, and the value proposition you bring to advertising.
Lichtenstein: MixRank is marketing research software that automatically identifies the most effective ad copy and traffic sources for any market. Instead of spending time and money blindly testing different campaigns, advertisers can use MixRank to better target their ads and get more, higher-quality traffic.
SUB: What are your target markets?
Funding and Acquisitions Roundup: RJ Metrics gets $1.2 million from a group that includes a customer; Blippar raises Seed money for its augmented marketing technology
Today’s technology funding and acquisitions roundup…
And we’re off and running in 2012 in technology funding and acquisitions! Philadelphia-based BI software provider RJ Metrics has raised $1.2 million in Seed funding. It’s particularly notable because the investors include at least one customer (check out the story on TechCrunch). The company was founded in 2009.
Mobile image recognition and augmented reality platform Blippar also closed a Seed round, amount not disclosed. Qualcomm Ventures led the round for the UK-based startup, which was founded in 2010. The Blippar platform is intended mainly for enhanced mobile advertising (at least for now). Pretty cool technology.
January 02, 2012
Ecwid, which offers instant integrated ecommerce for SMBs, is using its recently raised $1.5 million in Series A for international expansion
A Q&A with Ecwid CEO Ruslan Fazlyev. The startup is a spinoff of Ulyanovsk, Russia–based Qualiteam Software, which was founded in 2001. Ecwid launched in September of 2009.
SUB: Please describe what Ecwid is, and the value proposition you bring to ecommerce.
Fazlyev: Ecwid is an instant store builder that easily adds an online store to any website, blog or social network page. Our widget works with existing sites, takes less than five minutes to set up, and allows users to sell on the web, Facebook and on mobile devices.
SUB: What are your target markets?
December 30, 2011
Flashback Week: Q&A with Zimride co-founder and COO John Zimmer about social ridesharing and raising $6 million in Series A funding
StartUp Beat is flashing back this week to some of the standout posts from 2011. Enjoy!
From October 10:
Zimride is a social ride sharing service. The –based company was founded in 2007 and recently raised $6 million in Series A funding.
SUB: Please describe Zimride, and the value proposition you offer to your customers.
Zimmer: Zimride is the largest online social ride sharing service in the U.S, and we’re transforming the transportation infrastructure by integrating social networks and ride sharing. We embrace ridesharing as a social activity, and the service integrates with Facebook to make it fun and easy for users to share the seats in their car or find a ride.
Zimride currently has ridesharing communities on over 120 university and corporate campuses across 30 states in the U.S.—in fact, 35 percent of Facebook employees use us! And we’ve recently rolled out an SF/LA route that's picking up steam. We’ve even partnered with artists Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews Band and Sheryl Crow to provide ridesharing to their events.
Since launching in 2007, Zimride has facilitated more than 26,000 carpools, helped users travel over 100 million miles and created over $50 million worth of savings in vehicle operating expenses.
December 29, 2011
Flashback Week: Guest Column: What the Daily Deal Empire Decline Means for Startups and Small Businesses
StartUp Beat is flashing back this week to some of the standout posts from 2011. Enjoy!
From October 24:
By David Galvan, president of Schedulicity
Daily deal services have become a multi-billion dollar industry and have reestablished focus on the local marketplace since late 2008. With Groupon and LivingSocial leading the pack, there were, as recently as a year ago, more than 350 players in the space providing deals, platforms, data, analytics and aggregation.
But that was then. The current state of the daily deal industry has quickly shifted, creating challenges as well as brand new opportunities for small businesses.
The daily deal site pool is shrinking at a remarkable rate. According to The Wall Street Journal, nearly one-third of all daily-deal sites in the United States have shut down. This consolidation of the industry cannot be ignored, and when the daily deal dust settles, those who’ve discovered how to deliver benefits to both the merchant and the consumer will ultimately be the last men standing.
December 28, 2011
Flashback Week: Featured Startup Pitch: BiteHunter—a search engine for daily deals at restaurants
StartUp Beat is flashing back this week to some of the standout posts from 2011. Enjoy!
From July 26:
Company: BiteHunter
Website: www.bitehunter.com
Headquarters: New York City
Year Founded: 2010
Twitter: @BiteHunter_com
Employees: 6
Brief Company Description: “BiteHunter.com is the first real-time search engine helping frugal foodies locate great dining deals in their area from one website.”
By Gil Harel, co-founder
With more than 10 years of online management experience in the hospitality and restaurant industry, I was hungry for my own business venture in the dining industry. While working on my first startup in the industry, I saw a problem in the market. It was fragmenting and users had to spend too much time trying to find the great specials and deals everyone was offering to them. We wanted to alleviate having to go to multiple sources just find that $5 off. So, my business partner and I put our heads together and came up with the idea of helping consumers dine out without the guilt of spending money AND make it easy. Thus, BiteHunter was born. Although it was founded in early 2010 by myself and Ido Shillon, BiteHunter did not release its official beta version of the site until March 2011. From there, we rapidly grew.
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