Nibletz Staff - 76/87 - Serious Startups

SeeUMe Enables You to Easily Livestream Everything

We know you have more than a couple of smart devices lying around, and each one of those has a camera on it. We’re all used to taking pictures and videos with our cameras, but there’s no way to live stream that content from one device to another. Until now. European startup SeeUMe recently released their livestreaming app to the Kindle Fire and are looking to expand into several other app marketplaces. The technology allows you to record video and instantly stream it to any device with an Internet connection. Check out our Q&A with SeeUMe and find out some of the ways this technology could make your life better. (Hint: it involves your children in one place while you relax with a margarita.) What is your startup called?

SEEUME

What’s the story behind your idea?

Everybody has smart devices, most of them are connected to the internet and a lot of those have one or more camera. We thought it was weird that we were not using these capabilities to stream live video footage from one device to the other. We could think of a dozen of reason why livecasting would be both fun and practical. So why weren’t we all doing it? The components for live video streaming are out there, but bringing them together is very complex. It requires a lot technical configuration or huge costs. We felt we could change this. We thought starting 2014 everybody should be a livecaster.

Who are the founders, and what are their backgrounds?

Dave Kiwi: Dutch entrepreneur and founder of Internet consulting company. Dave Kiwi has extensive consulting, entrepreneurial and management experience. Andrei Varanovich: co-founder of technology company ObjectMeet. Andrei is 6 times in a row awarded as Most Valuable Professional by Microsoft. He is also a PhD candidate in Computer Science. Where are you based? Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Koblenz (Germany)

What’s the startup scene like where you are based?

The market was traditionally dominated by “security” and “web” cameras with the wide spectrum of capabilities and price ranges. They are not originally indented for the personal live streaming. The closest service is dropcam.com – however, they are producing their own Wi-Fi cameras, which is more expensive and less available for everyone. They also require an app to watch the video, while SEEUME works for every device with modern web browser.

What problem do you solve?

Enjoy your family having fun at home while you are at work. Keep an eye on your kids pretending to sleep in your hotel room while you are having a drink in the lobby. Share the unwrapping of Christmas presents with your parents while they are on holiday abroad. All in real-time in Full HD from the browser of a computer, tablet or smartphone.

SEEUME transforms smart devices in to live video cameras and offers a platform for distribution of full HD live video content to other computers, tablets or smartphones. SEEUME gives casters total control over their cast and supports sharing and access management of video streams with friends and family.

Why now? The explosion of Smart devices with powerful processors and great camera’s make processing and transcoding of (full HD) video possible. High speed (mobile) networks make transport possible. The roll-out of 4G mobile networks will improve this situation even more. Last but not least the standardization of internet protocols (like HTML 5) supports streaming live video in a lot of (mobile) browsers.

What are some of the milestones your startup has already reached?

After nine months of hard work we are happy and also a little proud to inform you that the beta version of SEEUME was launched and our livecasting app released in the Amazon Appstore last week. What are your next milestones? 1) Optimization of mobile viewing of video streams 2) Roll out of the livecasting app to other devices than Kindle Fire and other appstores

Where can people find out more?

www.seeume.com

Any social media links you want to share?

For more information, examples and/or images contact info@seeume.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

4 Startup Lessons From LSTN Headphones

A year ago, LSTN Headphones was still just a concept. All we had was a website with pictures of prototypes of our headphones up for pre-sale, and an idea that we could change lives through the power of music — with our business. Since then, we’ve learned some valuable lessons about starting a business and what it takes to succeed.

Pick a Project You’re Passionate About

Can you imagine a world without sound? As a music lover, I couldn’t imagine never discovering a new artist, never hearing my favorite album, or never going to my first concert. Music is the soundtrack to my life and it’s shaped who I am today. I went from being a kid growing up in Flint, Mich. learning how to play guitar to working with some of the biggest artists in the world at major labels in Los Angeles.

Set Yourself Apart From the Pack With a Clear Vision

When we were first starting out, everyone thought we were crazy to enter a market that seemingly every rapper and electronics company in the world had already set foot in. The problem was that although the headphone market is massive, none of the existing brands were making headphones we wanted to buy. In addition to great sound quality, we set out to create headphones that were beautifully designed and environmentally friendly.

Consider Your Social Values

When we looked at that massive market, we didn’t see another company making headphones that sounded good, looked good—and were doing good. So we set forth on a mission that would set us apart: we’d produce great headphones made from reclaimed wood and, for every pair sold, LSTN would help restore hearing to a person in need through the Starkey Hearing Foundation. We make direct contributions to Starkey with each purchase of our headphones.

Remember That Success Comes in Two Forms

Running a startup is not for the faint of heart — very little sleep, a lot of travel, no money, constant roller coaster emotions. I recently returned from a trip to Peru, where I got to experience the joy of seeing people receive the gift of hearing — and being exposed to music — for the first time. When I saw the faces that lit up when children connected and communicated with their families, I lost it. It was truly life changing. It trumped being able to quit my corporate job to do LSTN full time. It trumped the feeling of getting our product into Whole Foods.

In fact, it trumped everything we had accomplished up to that point, because to even change one person’s life through our business proved that our plan was working. On that trip, we helped fit 10,000 people in various cities and villages throughout Peru with hearing aids. (We made a short video about our journey that you can see here.)

Is your business changing lives? Do you want it to?

This post was originally featured on GOOD.is.

Bridget Hilton is founder of LSTN Headphones, a music start-up based in Hollywood, CA that makes high quality wooden headphones and funds hearing restoration programs globally. To learn more, watch here.

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

Is Mobile Banking Right For Your Startup

While effective and up to date sales practices are some of the most important aspects of your startup, staying on top of your company finances is also important. Not only can you ensure that you have the funds you need when you need it, keeping your finances organized also looks good when you are trying to raise funds from potential investors.

Thanks to the rise of smartphones and other portable computers, you can now access your accounts through mobile banking websites and applications.

If you are considering using mobile banking as part of your business practices, here are some things to consider.

Advantages of Mobile Banking

The biggest advantage to mobile banking is that you can easily access your accounts at any time, from any location with Internet access. Not only can you check your bank balance and transfer funds, you can write checks and make electronic payments, and some banks will even let you report lost or stolen cards.

These functions come in especially handy if you spend a lot of time on the road, or in client meetings, and don’t have a lot of time to go to the bank.

For example, suppose you are meeting with clients and are considering continuing the meeting over drinks. You should have enough money to cover it because you are expecting some deposits from other clients; but you also have several vendor payments scheduled to post. With your bank’s online app, you can use your phone to check your deposits and withdrawals, and confirm that you have enough cash to cover the bar tab, well in advance.

Online banking apps can also alert you by text or email when deposits post to your account, when your balance is low, and even when payments are due, so that you don’t have to manually check for that information.

You can even use mobile banking to set up automatic account transfers. For example, you can schedule your bank to transfer a certain amount of money from your business checking to your business saving on the last day of each month.

Another option is to put flags on your primary account, and when the account drops below a certain balance, your bank automatically transfers funds from your savings to raise the balance. Some apps might even let you set daily spending limits to prevent you from overspending on your business account.

You can set up automated bill pay, so that your vendors and contractors always get their payments on time. Mobile banking also allows you the flexibility to make changes, on the fly, to automated payments and transfers.

If you want more info, learn about the benefits of mobile banking from Discover Bank, or whichever financial institution you use.

Things to Consider

That same accessibility that makes mobile banking so convenient can also lead to security issues, if not handled properly. If you access your account from smartphone or other mobile device, it’s easy to accidentally leave yourself logged in to your banking session when you return to your home screen or switch to other apps.

Some apps will automatically log you out after several minutes of inactivity, but the best way to avoid leaving yourself logged in is to make sure to manually log out after each session. to remember user names and passwords, turn that function off to prevent anyone else from using your device to access your information.

If you log in to your account on a computer, make sure you do not have the browser set to memorize your login information, and always log out at the end of each session. You should also avoid logging in to your account on a public Wi-Fi, or on a public computer.

Change your password every few months, and make sure it is something you can remember, and not one that you have used for other accounts.

On the bank’s end, make sure the online banking site is a secure site and that the app you use is also secure. At the very least it should require you to enter a password to access your information; it should also have a maximum number of incorrect logins, and lock you out of your account after too many incorrect attempts.

If you need to call your bank to access that information, they should require you to enter a code and personal information to gain access to your account.

Conclusion

Mobile banking is a great way for a startup business to manage its funds, improve its credit rating, and show positive financial habits to potential investors. If you are not currently using mobile banking, contact your financial institution for more information.

Should You Ever Work for Free?

Whether or not someone should ever work for free is one of the debated topics in the startup and entrepreneurial world. On one hand, if you’re brand new to your field and nobody knows you, how are you supposed to get your foot in the door or get any exposure if you don’t do at least a few things for free? On the other hand, if you do ever work for free, what incentive do others have to pay you to continue doing what you do?

This debate asks the wrong question. The question isn’t really whether or not you should ever do anything without getting paid. The question people should be asking is this: is there any work that is worth doing for free (or paying for myself)?

How Do I Work for Free Without Hurting My Reputation/Setting Myself Back?

It’s called volunteering and not only is it worth doing for the usual touchy-feely “giving back feels so good!” reasons, it’s also a pretty sweet boost to your resume. There are a couple of ways to volunteer. The first is the one you’ve probably already thought of: helping out with clothing drives, collecting food, volunteering at local churches, homeless shelters and food banks.

Maybe you’ve got ideas about organizing a park cleanup. Those are all great ways to get involved in your community and build connections and you should definitely explore those options.

You should also try to find ways to volunteer that highlight your skill set. For example, if you’re great at writing software, perhaps you can write a program for your local food pantry that makes it really simple for them to track their inventory. Are you a marketing expert? Help organize an outreach campaign to bring in book donations for your local library. Are you a talented photographer? Take photos of the animals waiting to be adopted at the local animal shelter so that their adoption posters look better. You get the idea.

Right. But What About That “At My Own Expense?” Thing You Mentioned?

Believe it or not, there are times when having a lot of education can help make up for a lack of professional experience. Using the marketing example we talked about before, even if you don’t have a lot of professional experience with marketing campaigns, getting a master’s degree in marketing and completing an internship at a local marketing firm can help set you apart.

Getting your MBA can also help lend credibility to your startup (and help you run your business).

Yeah, yeah—you’re sick of school and the last thing you want is to devote a few more years to full time studying. But what if you didn’t have to? Nobody said you have to go the traditional educational route with these supplemental degrees and certifications. You could go the online route, which will allow you to build your business while simultaneously earning your degree. Schools like Gwynedd Mercy University have online and accelerated programs that help students who need to hold down full time employment or take care of families during the day.

Remember, how you got your degree doesn’t matter. Getting it is what matters.

The simple fact is that sometimes working for free (or at your own expense) is the best thing you can do for yourself and for your startup company. The trick is to make sure you approach that free work correctly.

Good luck!

SXSW Announces Startup Accelerator List, Leans Heavy on Everywhere Else

Earlier this week SXSWi announced the 48 startups who will present on stage at the 2014 festival. Of the 48 companies, 36 are from outside of Silicon Valley.

This year’s startups will compete in 6 categories:

Enterprise and Big Data Technologies
Entertainment and Content Technologies
Health Technologies
Innovative World Technologies
Social Technologies
Wearable Technologies

On Saturday, March 8, the companies will pitch to a live audience, including a panel of judges. Eighteen will be chosen to present again the next day to a new panel. Grand prize winners will be picked for each category. Winners will get 2 badges to SXSW 2015, prizes from the category sponsors, and the distinction of winning at the industry’s biggest conference.

“Over the past years of companies competing in SXSW Accelerator, 56% have gone on to receive funding in excess of $587M, and 9% of the companies have been acquired, so the judges are looking for truly innovative companies to raise the stakes,” SXSW Accelerator Event Producer Chris Valentine said in a statement. “All of the finalists have demonstrated the capability to change our perception of technology, and we now have to recognize the utmost potential within a very distinguished group of entrepreneurs.”

If the startups have to be top notch, the judges and emcees can’t afford to be slouches either. The emcee list is headed by John Sculley, former CEO of Apple, and the judges are a long list of successful investors and CEOs, including Scott Weiss of Andreesen Horowitz.

To check out all the startups competing at SXSW, check out the SXSW Accelerator page.

Canadian Startup Zighra Makes Your Phone Even Smarter

Admit it. You’ve turned the lock screen off on your phone and all of your apps are still open.

If your phone were stolen right now, all of your personal data would be available to the thief, including your bank account and credit card number. You know this isn’t a good idea, but it just takes so damn long to do all the signing in!

Canadian startup Zighra is solving your problem with biometrics. They are training your phone to respond only to you by measuring your body movements, voice, even the way you hold the phone.

Read more about Zighra in our Q&A below.

What is your startup called?

Zighra.

Zighra is a Sanskrit word that stands for speed/acceleration/velocity/quick. Zighra’s mission is to accelerate transactions by providing convenient, frictionless mobile authentication and fraud prevention without compromising security

What’s the story behind your idea?

The founders are a bunch of security scientists and they were frustrated with entering their PINs and passwords every time they used their phones and logged into their apps – from Facebook and Twitter to mobile payments and banking. Like more than 60% of smartphone users, their inclination was to disable screen locks and leave their apps perpetually logged in! But this would be a huge security and privacy nightmare – considering that every 3.5 seconds a phone is either lost or stolen. A lot of smartphone users are now shopping on their phones (storing credit card details), banking on their phones and connecting to corporate networks using these same phones.

The founders figured out that when it came to smartphones/tablets – users preferred convenience over security.

So our founder Deepak Dutt had this crazy idea to train phones and apps to uniquely recognize him based on his habits and interaction patterns – including the way he holds his phone, the angle in which he held it, hand/finger size, touch screen pressure among many other device sensorial data points (essentially creating his unique Kinetic signature). Deepak wanted the entire process to be frictionless, and effortless that the technology was designed to be built in implicitly into existing mobile apps. Along with the rest of the team this experiment has been successfully implemented.

Who are the founders, and what are their backgrounds?

Deepak Dutt – CEO/CTO

• Over 14 years of technical and entrepreneurial expertise in bridging the technology and business worlds.

• Prior startup experiences include NeST Technologies, Intsyx, and InLearning labs

• Held various roles in new venture development, R&D, marketing, field support, consulting, and management at Nortel, Siemens, and Newbridge Networks

• Awarded the Ottawa business journal 40 under 40 award for business excellence in 2012

• Named one of Ottawa’s top rising stars in 2012

• Holds a Masters degree in computer science from the University of Ottawa

Deepti Menon – COO

• Over 9 years of experience in Telecom research and development

• Prior startup experiences include InLearning labs an online tutoring firm

• Held various roles in the CTO organization at Nortel

• Extensive research in the areas of mobile wireless networks and network security

• Holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from the Univ of Ottawa

Where are you based?

Zighra is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.

Zighra was selected as one of the top 3 globalizers in Canada, a TiE50 finalist in Silicon Valley and more recently selected as the top Canadian Startup in Canada-Brasil 3.0 conference.

What’s the startup scene like where you are based?

The startup scene in Ottawa is pretty dynamic. Shopify is probably one of the more well-known startup in town having recently closed $100 M round with a valuation of $1 Billion.

What problem do you solve?

Users do not like to enter PINS/PASSWORDS on their phone. Smartphones now days are used for various activities requiring the need for storing sensitive data on smartphones. But, nearly 60% of mobile phone users disable screen locks and leave their mobile applications perpetually logged in. They don’t realize the risk they may entail given the data stored on their mobile device considering that a phone is lost or stolen every 3.5 seconds. Users need a solution which is convenient to use without compromising security.

Why now?

With the introduction of the iPhone 5S in September 2013, Apple, the iconic human factors company that reconceived the mobile phone experience, and made tablet computing cool, gave the identity marketplace and the biometrics industry in particular, a big hug.

Device makers are now poised to make a run on the commercial side of the biometrics market where convenience, authentication to a personal device, and a “frictionless” user experience trump security. The market makers of Silicon Valley are descending on the biometrics business with a relentless focus on massive consumer adoption and convenience driven human factors investments.

This market attack will be fast, bold, and take the biometrics industry by storm. Goode Intelligence predicts the consumer biometric market to reach $8B by 2018.

What are some of the milestones your startup has already reached?

• Raised $1M in non-dilutive funds

• Securing over $80M in financial transactions

• Relationship with IBM to target the enterprise space

What are your next milestones?

Integrate KineticID with social media and payments apps and reach 40M users by end of 2014.

Where can people find out more? Any social media links you want to share?

More info on KineticID:

• http://zighra.com/Zighra_KineticID_Infograph.pdf – Infograph

• http://zighra.com/zighra_info_deck.pdf – deck

• http://www.finovate.com/fall13vid/zighra.html – video demo

Twitter handles –@zfraudshield, @nanvivek, @dcdutt

Nobl’s New Name Highlights the Company’s Attitude

“Healthcare reform” is kind of a dirty word these days. Love or hate the new changes in the law, it’s safe to say, we’re all pretty saturated with “healthcare reform” talk.

With that in mind, Lincoln, Nebraska-based SynersScan Technologies is moving away from association with healthcare reform by announcing a new name that describes its purpose: Nobl.

“A lot of people get a sour taste in their mouth when hearing the term ‘healthcare reform.’ because all they see is what makes headlines in the news,” Nobl CEO Brett Byman said in a statement. “They don’t see the effort being made to improve quality of care, promote transparency, and ensure the safety of patients all over the country. We see this effort as incredibly noble, and that is why we are so passionate about the industry as a whole.”

For their part, Nobl has spent the last year developing software that will increase patient satisfaction in hospitals. They’ve rigorously tested the software with the very people who will be using it–nurses.

“We understand how frustrating is is for nurses to be forced to use software that was built by people who have never stepped foot in a hospital before,” Byman said.

With that frustration in mind, the company tested and iterated the software, using nurses instead of hospital administrators as the customers.

Along with a rebrand, new offices, and a new software, Nobl also closed a $200k angel round at the end of 2013. Like other great startups everywhere else, they are going into 2014 ready to solve problems that the Valley just may not realize exists.

Applications now open.

Launch TN Announces 2014 Venture Match Program

Last week public/private organization Launch TN announced its 2014 Venture Match program, a tour of events throughout the state that seeks to match entrepreneurs with the investors or corporate partners that can help them go to market.

The program shifts format and focus depending on the region of the state they visit. In Nashville, they focus on tech companies and typically offer pitch events. In east Tennessee, where the Oak Ridge nuclear plant is located, many of the entrepreneurs are focused on energy, and in Memphis there is a lot of discussion about medical devices. Launch TN hopes to cater to the needs of each community and provide them the resources they need.

Jim Stefansic is the Director of Commercialization at Launch TN. When we spoke on the phone, he explained that many of the entrepreneurs they encounter are inventors or university faculty. They may not have the business savvy or experience pitching investors that we’re used to in the startup world. Launch TN provides a safe place to mentor and think about how the technologies these men and women develop can become true businesses.

This year’s events will be held in partnership with several organizations across the state, including the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, Vanderbilt, Memphis Bioworks, and Start Co.

“The Venture Match program is an excellent forum to increase the number of commercialized technologies and high-growth startups in our state,” Launch TN CEO Charlie Brock said in a statement. “This initiative will continue to help build new networks and opportunities for collaborative, innovative thinking across the state.”

Like many other startup ecosystems outside Silicon Valley, the Tennessee community is still in the early days of what Brad Feld estimates to be a 20 year commitment. There’s a lot going on in Tennessee, of course, which is one reason we chose to host our semi-annual conference there.

Tennessee may still be testing and iterating as an ecosystem, but programs like Venture Match hope to bring out the technology and entrepreneurs that live in the state.

Newspaper Startups Will Compete in First Ever Pitch Contest

Last week the Newspaper Association of America announced the 8 startups that will pitch at the associations annual conference in Denver. This is the first time such a pitch contest has been held, signalling that newspapers may have finally realized that journalism is changing.

Companies submitted their applications in December, and a committee narrowed them down based on innovation, creativity, and usefulness to the newspaper companies.

“We were blown away by the overwhelming response to our Accelerator Pitch program and are thrilled to announce these participating companies,” NAA President and CEO Caroline Little said in a statement. “The companies will showcase exciting new ideas as we continue to transform the entire newspaper industry. This program is a unique opportunity for these startup companies, and everyone in attendance at NAA mediaXchange will be able to see the future of our industry on display.”

The 8 companies chosen will pitch industry officials at the annual conference, held in Denver on March 16-19.

Cinemacraft – “As the newspaper industry gets more and more into the video content business, particularly with the increase of mobile video consumption, Cinemacraft helps publishers gives their users a top-notch and immersive video viewing experience.”
City Portals, LLC – “City Portals, LCC provides a partnership approach to newspapers for building a substantial growing business in both online and mobile. Our relationship includes a complete and cloud-based platform as well as a full suite of services for quickly creating a market-dominant digital media business.
Ebyline – “Ebyline provides publishers with a virtual newsroom environment that challenges the concept of a physical newsroom altogether. In short, our business is about improving content economics.”
Guarantee Digital – “Guarantee Digital provides while label Digital Agency services to a growing list of media partners in over 30 markets in the United States. We give our partners the ability to offer the essential web, social and mobile marketing and services local merchants need to reach today’s connected consumer.”
MediaWorks – “MediaWorks brings Big Data to publisher media. The goal is to bring the power of data driven solutions to a publisher’s advertising offerings, which ultimately translates to stronger advertiser ROI.”
saambaa – “saambaa is revolutionizing how local publishers deploy and monetize mobile apps. Our technology makes it easy for publishers to transfer their entertainment content into a branded, native mobile entertainment app for iPhone or Android.”
Simpli.fi – “Our In.Finity Programmatic marketing platform is the first platform purpose-built for unstructured data. The fundamental differentiating capabilities around unstructured data empower Simpl.fi to serve the unique needs of the local media company and their advertisers.”
SocialNewsDesk – “SocialNewsDesk is the only social media management tool designed specifically with the needs of a newsroom in mind. SocialNewsDesk enables the newspaper company to manage its entire social strategy from a single web-based application.”

20 Most Active Seed Investors Outside Silicon Valley

We all know the names that come up when we talk about the most active early stage investors: 500 Startups and Andreesen Horowitz.

However, when CB Insights released their list of the 150 most active seed investors of 2013 earlier this month, we couldn’t help but notice than an awful lot of the top funds were outside of Silicon Valley. Perhaps this is to be expected. After all, despite the mythical size of the Valley in startup culture, it’s actually a pretty small area. And everywhere else is, well, big.

Still, when 15 of the top 20 most active seed funds are not based in the Valley, it might be time to take notice. It’s probably no surprise that New York had the most number of firms in the top 20. New York is quickly becoming seen as the other tech hub in the United States. However, cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Las Vegas are also represented, and in the expanded list Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Phoenix all made a showing.

Of course, there’s plenty of debate over whether or not so many seed funds are a good idea. (Series A crunch, anyone?) The great news about so many seed funds popping up around the US is that more and more entrepreneurs are getting a shot at testing our their ideas.

And that will ultimately prove to be a good thing for all of us.

20 Most Active Seed Investors Outside Silicon Valley

Lerer Ventures–The New York-based venture firm is the most active seed investor everywhere else, and they were 4th overall. The guys at Lerer Ventures also run the incubator SohoTechLabs.
First Round Capital–Often credited with innovation in a field usually afraid of change, First Round Capital focuses on provided services and mentorship, as well as cash, to the companies they invest in. The First Round Review is a great resource for founders looking to better understand startup life.
Innovation Works–Innovation Works is focused in southwest Pennsylvania, making it the first on our list with a regional focus. They also run the AlphaLab accelerator.
Atlas Venture–Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Atlas Venture focuses on early stage technology and life sciences. They’ve been in the game for awhile, raising their first fund in 1986.
Connecticut Innovations–This private/public partnership has been operating in Connecticut since 1989. They partner with other investors to provide seed funds for startups and small businesses around Connecticut.
Founder Collective–This New York fund boasts that every investor has also started a company, giving them an advantage in helping entrepreneurs. Some of their companies include Buzzfeed and Makerbot.
Great Oaks Venture Capital–Also based in NYC, Great Oaks focuses on verticals like e-commerce, adtech, mobile and social. Some of their investments include Storify, OKCupid, and ModCloth.
Red Swan Ventures–Forget the “unicorns.” This New York firm is looking for the “red swans: great companies most of us never saw coming.” Some of those “red swans”? Birchbox, Warby Parker, and Bonobos.
RRE Ventures–This is a multi-stage firm in New York, but they’re still one of the most active seed investors in the country. At the early stage, they’ve invested in the Skimm and Datadog, among others.
CIT GAP Funds--This nonprofit works with other investors to coordinate investments in Virginia-based tech companies.
ENIAC Ventures–ENIAC claims to be the first seed stage fund focused exclusively on mobile technology, raising their first fund in 2009. Based in New York, the firm has invested in companies like Localytics, Thumb, and Shake.
Maveron–Seattle-based Maveron focuses solely on consumer businesses. They had a big win last year when Zulily rocked their IPO.
Vegas Tech Fund–Of all the community-based funds, Vegas Tech Fund is probably the most famous. Powered by Tony Hsieh, they are focused on revitalizing downtown Las Vegas.
NewSchools Venture Fund–This Boston-based nonprofit is focused on transforming education, especially for lower income kids. They invest in edtech as well as charter schools.
ff Venture Capital–Another firm based in New York, ff Venture focuses on pouring in resources and mentorship to its portfolio companies. They run an accelerator, and also make a point to keep money back for follow on funding within its portfolio.
Greycroft Partners–Greycroft also seeks to serve its entrepreneurs, keeping its fund small but boasting of access to networks that would rival the big firms. They’ve seen some big wins like Braintree, paidContent.org, and The Huffington Post, to name a few.
Bessemer Venture Partners–Bessemer prides itself on seeking out new industries and opportunities. Some of their big areas of focus right now are Brazil, cleantech, and cyber security.
Upfront Ventures--A discussion of active venture funds would not be complete without Mark Suster’s fund out of LA. Suster is famous for his bluntness, and companies like awe.sm, DataSift, and MoonFrye benefit from the industry experience found at Upfront
Index Ventures–Based in England, Index Ventures they’re different because they are true partners, instead of free agents under the same umbrella. They focus on companies in tech and life scienes.
Resolute.vc–The last company in our list is also based in New York and sees itself as a service to entrepreneurs, not just a paycheck. They’ve invested in companies like Barkbox and Homejoy, among others.

E-Mist Innovations Raises Seed Round to Protect You from Disease

When talking about startups outside Silicon Valley, the discussion often revolves around Xtech: fintech, cleantech, adtech, edtech, etc.

Healthcare is another big industry everywhere else, and there are companies all over the country solving thousands of different problems related both to our actual health and to the administration of healthcare.

One of the companies if Fort Worth moved a little closer this week when they announced a $150k seed round from local investors, Cowtown Angels.

E-Mist Innovations has developed a new technology for distributing disinfectants. The electrostatic mister allows the disinfectant to cling to every inch of a surface, whether it’s smooth, porous, or textured. The technology they’ve patented allows for less time spent disinfecting, but surfaces stay protected longer.

Now, the use case in your home may not seem obvious. It doesn’t take that long to wipe a counter. Instead, E-Mist is focusing instead on places with lots of people and limited amount of time between turnover: hospitals, offices, nursing homes, day cares, libraries, locker rooms, and various public transit services like buses and subways.

Local angel group Cowtown Angels facilitated the investment, with several members investing individually. Cowtown Angel investor George Robertson is joining the company as CEO.

“This is a very exciting story of a family from Goldthwaite, TX, coming to us for help,” Darlene Ryan, executive director of the local incubator TechFW, said in a statement. “E-Mist was one of our Impact Award finalists in the Health category last year while going through our incubation program, which got them the opportunity to pitch to the Cowtown Angels as well as other support from the community. Now the company is getting the money it needs to succeed and an experienced CEO. The company will be continuing with TechFW in our acceleration program. It’s a great example of how we help businesses get their technology to market.”

Find out more about E-Mist Innovations at their website.

Rackspace Cofounder Looks to Bring Mexican Entrepreneurs to San Antonio

Geekdom–the San Antonio coworking space founded by Rackspace’s Graham Weston–announced today that they are partnering with HeroX to launch an entrepreneurial challenge aimed at helping Mexican businesses with their US expansion plan.

Dubbed the San Antonio Mx Challenge, the contest will award $500,000 to the team that creates and implements a repeatable business model that will help Mexican companies come to the US, specifically to San Antonio.

With the Mexican economy growing, the folks in San Antonio want to be on the forefront of partnership with Mexican entrepreneurs as well as American companies looking to expand into Latin America.

“This challenge will be the catalyst between the San Antonio startup ecosystem and Mexican entrepreneurs wishing to expand into the US,” Rackspace cofounder and Chairman Graham Weston said in a statement. “We are already famous for this in San Antonio. Now we are going to show the rest of the world.”

The challenge will run for 26 months, with teams able to enter as late as January 2015. Participants will earn points through a number of ways:

Number of Mexican companies they attract over 2 years
Total combined revenue for those companies each year for 2 years
Sustainability of the companies
Sustainability of the model

The challenge will be run through the HeroX platform. A spinoff of XPRIZE, HeroX seeks to solve world problems through incentivized contests and challenges.

“I am proud to see the first competition launched on HeroX. It has been my dream for years to offer a platform that allows anyone to use incentive competitions to solve problems and drive innovation,” said Dr. Peter Diamandis, Chairmand CEO of XPRIZE and Co-founder/Board Member of HeroX. “By bringing in solutions from anywhere, I’m convinced that competitions like this one will have a bright future for social issues and for driving innovation faster than we can imagine.”

There are various events during the 2 year competition, including a summit this September. The first year leaderboard will go up April 2015, and the final winner will be announced (and awarded $500k) on May 4, 2016. Find out more or register for the challenge here.

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. We’ve released the early adopter tickets, and they’re going fast. Don’t miss your shot by signing up here!

Israeli Startup Oktopost Simplifies Social Media for Businesses

Everyone knows that businesses have to be social now. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+…wherever your customers are, there you should be, too.

But, social media marketing can be very time consuming, and it’s hard to prove the ROI on it. It’s always been more of a warm fuzzy attached to your brand than something that’s easily measurable.

But, with a recent $800k seed round in the bank, Israel’s Oktopost is looking to change that. Check out our Q&A with Oktopost below:

What is your startup called?

Oktopost

What’s the story behind your idea?

Prior to launching the company, Co-Founder Daniel Kushner was Head of World Wide Marketing at Nolio ( Purchase by Computer Associates for $40 Million in 2013). During his time at Nolio, he realized that social media marketing for a B2B was time-consuming and its effectiveness could not be proven. He reached out to fellow Co-Founder to work on a solution that has become what we now know as Oktopost.

Oktopost is a social media marketing platform, designed for the unique needs of B2B. The platform allows for the distribution of social content on a large scale, particularly capitalizing on LinkedIn discussion groups. Oktopost also lets marketers see the actual ROI of their social media activities.

Who are the founders, and what are their backgrounds?

Daniel Kushner Co-founder and CEO

Daniel Kushner is a marketing expert and social media guru. As the former VP of Marketing at innovative high-tech company Nolio, Daniel doubled sales growth year over year. Daniel has been in the field for more than a decade and has successfully led the online marketing departments of various global organizations.

Liad Guez Co-founder and VP Product

Liad is a talented web professional who led his own web agency for seven years, in which he has provided interface design, social marketing and web development services for high profile companies on dozens of successful projects.

Where are you based?

Yokneam, Israel

What’s the startup scene like where you are based?

Israel is known as the “Startup Nation” – There is really nowhere in the world that has as exciting of a startup scene as we do. Israeli founders have a healthy dose of what we call “Hutzpah” and are willing to take risks in order to pursue technologies they believe in.

What problem do you solve?

B2B marketers face 2 main problems when it comes to social media:

Being able to distribute content on a very large-scale across the social web
Being able to prove the actual ROI of social media

Oktopost solves both of these problems, and for the first time lets B2B marketers take full advantage of social media as a marketing tool.

Why now?

There is no one that does what we do. There are large social media marketing platforms, but most focus exclusively on B2C. No other solution has the capabilities with LinkedIn posting that we have, and no other platform can let you see the actual ROI of social media in the detail that we do.

The real question is: Why NOT now?

What are some of the milestones your startup has already reached?

We have recently raised our seed round of $800,000
After less than 9 months out of beta, we have hundreds of paid customers
Our customer base includes several publicly traded companies
We recently launched a campaign where we are offering access to our platform for free to early stage startups. Click here for more info

What are your next milestones?

Building our customer base so that every B2B company, everywhere, can finally take full advantage of social media.

We are putting extra focus on providing our solution for B2B marketing agencies, as we believe we can provide them with the best possible tool for running their clients’ social media marketing.

Where can people find out more? Any social media links you want to share?

People can check out our website – we offer a 14-day free trial of our platform.

Our blog is a great place to read valuable information on content marketing, social media and all things B2B marketing.

Our social channels:

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. We’ve released the early adopter tickets, and they’re going fast. Don’t miss your shot by signing up here!

How You Can Deliver Great Customer Service–For Free

We all know the Zappos story. Selling shoes online isn’t particularly sexy, but Zappos really made their business about customer service. They treated the customer like royalty with great customer service, quick returns, and surprise gifts like free shipping. Zappos built a legacy doing business this way.

But what does that really matter to the average young startup? You probably feel like you don’t have the time, energy, or money to deliver excellent customer service. Good enough is usually good enough.

Not so fast. While we all know customer service is important, you may be missing exactly how important it is. Customers who are emotionally connected to your brand are:

300% more likely to recommend you (and their friends are more likely to use a recommended product)
300% more likely to become a repeat customer
44% less likely to shop around
33% less price sensitive, meaning they’ll pay a little more for your awesome customer service

So, how can you maximize your customer service? It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Simply connect with them. Put customers at the forefront of everything you do, and really–no, really!–listen to what they’re saying.

The best customer service is a good product, of course. But if you’re willing to go above and beyond to serve them, you may find yourself quickly outpacing the competition.

Check out Neil Patel‘s infographic of great customer service below.

Courtesy of: Quick Sprout

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. Early adopter tickets are on sale now and going fast! Get yours here.