Nibletz Staff - 77/87 - Serious Startups

Boston-based CoPiloted Ends Investing Stress

Post-recession Americans don’t think as much about retirement as we did before 2008. Most of us realize we’ll be working hard for a long, long time.

Still, every little bit helps, and for those of us lucky enough to still have 401(k)s, making them work for us is only a good thing. Unfortunately, since most of us also aren’t day traders, that means we pay almost no attention to those quarterly statements we get.

Enter CoPiloted. Founded in 2013, this Boston-based startup helps you figure out how to maximize your 401(k). They have an algorithm that matches your risk capacity, goals, and life stage to the funds you should be investing in. They work like a professional money manager, but at a fraction of the cost.

Check out our Q&A with the CoPiloted team below, and let us (and them!) know what you think.

What is your startup called?

CoPiloted

What’s the story behind your idea?

We actually wrote a blog post about this! Initially, we were designing tools for high net worth individuals and investors to use to manage a wide variety of accounts. Over time, we realized that the techniques we were developing could be applied to the retirement accounts of ‘regular’ investors. So rather than build a little business designed to help a few rich people get even richer, we decided to build a service that would benefit a much larger group, namely all Americans who are saving for retirement. And in doing so, be able to make a meaningful difference to their quality of life while saving up for, and during their retirement years.

Who are the founders, and what are their backgrounds?

Jeremy De Bonet is our CEO. He’s led a number of tech startups including Skyward Mobile, MobiTV, and Assemble Media. He’s got a BS in Applied Mathematics from Columbia, and a MS in Computer Science from MIT.

Michael Bolotski is our CIO and, as an SEC registered Investment Advisor Representative, has fiduciary responsibility for all CoPiloted clients. He holds a number of patents, and has held positioning at MicroDisplay, Human Capital Fund, Skyward Mobile, and Evri. He earned his PhD from MIT.

Tina Bronkhorst is our CMO and is responsible for marketing communications. She’s held past positioning at Rue La La, Digitas, and Razorfish, and has a BS from Bridgewater State University and an MBA from Suffolk University

Where are you based?

Tina and Jeremy are based in Boston. Michael is located in Seattle.

What problem do you solve?

From research we conducted last year, we know that people don’t manage their retirement plans properly — or at all. It’s due to a combination of factors: lack of expertise, general inertia, lack of time, and the prohibitively high cost of professional assistance. Regardless of the root cause, the effect is the same: retirement accounts get neglected, and don’t grow anywhere near as much as they should. The potential growth over lifetimes of savings is simply lost.

CoPiloted fixes this with a completely turn-key solution.

CoPiloted measures a user’s risk level, selects appropriate investments, determines when to buy, sell and rebalance their accounts, and can actually make the transactions on their behalf.

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

We launched our free service in August, 2013, and on January 1, 2014 launched our Managed Accounts service, which not only provides users with recommendations of which funds they should own, but makes those trades for them inside of their account.

What are your next milestones?

In the first quarter of 2014, we hope to…

* grow our client base

* understand their issues and what more we can do to help them

* continue to eliminate friction in the enrollment process

* provide great financial advice

* help a lot of people

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

You can find us on Facebook and we regularly share our thoughts (and the thoughts of others) via Twitter @CoPiloted

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. We’re releasing the first 50 tickets for 50% off exclusively to our newsletter subscribers on Jan 14th. Don’t miss your shot by signing up here!

10 Largest Canadian Startup Financings in 2013 Aggregate over $500M

There’s a little known secret about our friends to the north.

Canada is quickly becoming a startup powerhouse.

In 2013, the top 10 largest VC rounds added up to over $500 million. Canadian investors definitely participated in most of the biggest rounds, but investors from the States are getting in on the action, too.

In fact, US-based investors dominated the two biggest rounds. Hootsuite’s Series B ($165 million) attracted Accel Partners and Insight Venture Partners. Shopify’s Series C ($100 million) brought in Bessemer Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures, FirstMark Capital, and Insight Venture Partners. Messaging app Kik also brought in big name investors for its $19.5 million Series B: Union Square Ventures, Spark Capital, RRE Ventures.

What’s also interesting is that benchmark that some of these rounds brought the companies to.

That Series B for Hootsuite was larger than all funding into the social media monitoring vertical between the second quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. And Shopify’s Series C made it one of those mythical unicorns: the $1 billion company. Other startups in that club? Airbnb, Uber, Pinterest, and Box, just to name a few.

Like a lot of places outside Silicon Valley, Canada doesn’t have one industry it’s pushing in. The startups with the most financing ranged from ecommerce platforms to me

ssaging apps to biofuel companies. With such a wide area to cover, there’s obviously lots of room for different technologies and industries in Canada. What’s impressive is how much money overall the different verticals are raising.

So, what’s going on in the frozen north? We’ve talked about some exciting new startups based up there, too. But, when we think Canada, we don’t often think “startups.”

Is 2014 the year that changes? Check out the chart from CB Insights below and tell us what you think.

Brandery Alum REPP Raises $250k from CincyTech

Cincinnati-based REPP announced this week that they’ve raised $250,000 from public/private seed stage investment group CincyTech. The funds are part of a larger round the company is still working on.

REPP is a digital background and information verification service that helps users manage their profiles. Using various checks like identity and social media verification, background checks, and a sexual offender check, REPP helps you put people that you might meet online at ease.

One use case is for Craigslist sellers. With a REPP account attached to your profile, you might put potential customers at ease and increase the likelihood of a sale. Same goes for Airbnb leasers. A REPP profile for an online date will guarantee that the person you have your eye on is who they really say they are.

REPP users have full control over their profile, allowing them to grant access only to the people they choose and for the length of time they choose.

The benefit of REPP is that our relationships are rarely classified as “online” and “offline” anymore. It’s no longer taboo to meet someone you only know virtually in real life, but that doesn’t actually make it safer. REPP provides you the opportunity to assure people that you are who you say you are.

“REPP is a product that should exist in the market,” CincyTech principal Justin Thompson said in a statement. “REPP is creating a layer of transparency and accountability to interactions we have online and those that naturally move offline. We believe the REPP team has a good opportunity to make a company that has a massive impact.”

The most recent announcement brings REPP’s total amount raised to $415k, and they plan to grow their team and expand marketing efforts with the capital infusion. The company is also offers enterprise support for businesses and is working on several partnerships that will increase usage of the service.

For a limited time, REPP is offering free profiles to new users.

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. We’re releasing the first 50 tickets for 50% off exclusively to our newsletter subscribers on Jan 13th. Don’t miss your shot by signing up here!

Plated Raises $5 Million Series A to Bring You Dinner

New York-based startup Plated has raised $5 million in a Series A to expand their dinner delivery system. According to Crunchbase, the round was led by ff Venture Capital with participation from Lerer Ventures, Founder Collective, and Great Oaks Venture Capital. ff Venture Capital and Founder Collective both participated in the company’s $1.4 million seed round last year.

Plated also participated in the Techstars New York 2013 class.

Founded in 2012 by Nick Taranto and Josh Hix, Plated doesn’t just send you a box of food. Each week the site offers 7 chef-designed recipes. Pick your recipe(s), and Plated ships to you on your region’s delivery day. All food is as locally sourced as possible, so some recipes vary by region. When you get your box, the ingredients are ready to go with recipe cards that outline the cooking process.

Users can order as many or as few recipes as they’d like each week. You can buy a la carte, for $15 a plate, or join for a monthly fee plus $12 a plate. When you select a recipe, the page tells you what will come in your box, what you need to have at home, and what pots/pans you need to use. It also alerts you to any potential allergies or intolerances.

The beauty of Plated is that it provides fresh, sustainable food, but it also seeks to teach people how to cook. But, if you’re already a pro in the kitchen, the recipes sent right to your door take some of the pressure out of experimenting with new things. For busy founders and entrepreneurs who want to stay healthy, Plated offers the option–at least a few nights a week.

At the moment Plated already delivers to 80% of the continental US. (I was ecstatic to see it delivers in Nashville! The husband will be so excited to see something besides alfredo on our next date night.) While current plans for the capital weren’t announced, you can imagine continued expansion in delivery locations is in the works.

Plated isn’t the only New York startup delivering dinner in a box. In-town rival Blue Apron has raised $8 million and offers a similar service via a weekly subscription model.

The Series A brings Plated’s total funds raised to $7 million.

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. We’re releasing the first 50 tickets for 50% off exclusively to our newsletter subscribers on Jan 13th. Don’t miss your shot by signing up here!

Startup Lessons for the Next Generation

Question: What lesson would you teach your younger self about entrepreneurship, given what you know now?

Embrace Change

“When I started out, I thought success meant everything working out the way you planned. But that’s not really how entrepreneurship works. Some things work out far better than you imagined, some things don’t happen and other things seem like epic failures, but it’s really all just a learning process. Rolling with the punches, embracing change and enjoying the adventure is a big part of the fun.”

ELIZABETH SAUNDERS Follow @RealLifeE

Understand There’s More Than One Way

“I entered the world of entrepreneurship timidly, even feeling uncomfortable to call myself a “real” entrepreneur for years. What I didn’t understand when I started out was that entrepreneurship is less about your number of investors, your job title or how many companies you’ve sold. What entrepreneurship is about is freedom and using your power of choice to do business and serve others in ways that empower you, liberate you and do good in the world. There’s not just one way to go about it; the journey is what you make of it.”

DAVE URSILLO The Literati Writers

Don’t Get Distracted

“As an entrepreneur, many new ideas and shiny new ventures will catch your eye on a day-to-day basis, but more often than not, focusing on one mission at a time will mean the difference between success and failure. As the saying goes, if you chase two rabbits, both will escape. Sometimes, focus and a relentless attitude can even trump the greatness of the idea itself.”

RICHARD LORENZEN Fifth Avenue Brands

Surround Yourself with the Right People

“There are many important principles of good business: best practices, success strategies, etc. But none of them are universal. You can march to your own beat. You can do things your own way…and you can make it work. But the people you choose to surround yourself with will make or break you. When I have ambitious, hard-working, like-minded people around me – motivating peers and mentors I can learn from, collaborate with, test/validate ideas with and get pushed by – I make fast progress and thrive. When I don’t have those people around me, I stagnate. You need a strong support network.”

CODY MCKIBBEN Digital Nomad Academy

Don’t Get Stuck on the Hamster Wheel

“A huge lesson I learned well after starting a business was that there’s a difference between owning a company and running one. Both are great, but the latter means that you can never stop running, or the company will slow down. Over time, it’s key to learn how to build a trustworthy team and to train others in your knowledge. At first, my goal was just to have a business that worked, but now my goal is to one day have a business that could survive even if I stopped running. I want to be able to catch my breath and enjoy it!”

LEXA HILLYER Paper Lantern Lit

Master the Tension Between Focus & Flexibility

“Entrepreneurs are generally good with either being focused or being flexible, but the trick is mastering the tension between the two. It is important to be focused — on your goals, on your business plan, and on your customers. However, you also have to stay flexible to the needs of the market.”

SUZANNE SMITH Social Impact Architects

Accept That Mistakes Are Okay

“Accept that 80 percent is an A+. Being a perfectionist and an entrepreneur can often yield several problems, including micromanaging, which drives you — and those around you — crazy. Accept that mistakes will happen, and that they are, in fact, part of building a great business and team.”

ILYA POZIN Ciplex

Collaborate With Others, Compete with Yourself

“Entrepreneurship isn’t a zero-sum game. You and your competitors can all be winners and, for the most part, competing with anyone other than yourself (unless you’re a professional athlete, of course!) is counterproductive. Share ideas, help each other out and rise together. And keep your competitive edge turned inward. Not only will your sanity benefit, but so will your business.”

ALEXIS WOLFER The Beauty Bean

Ask the Questions

“A friend of mine Shervin Pishevar made a statement that has stuck with me and served as a reminder for quite some time. He said, “the answer is always no unless you ask.” A simple, yet powerful, truth. Unless you ask the questions, there’s no way of knowing what the outcome will be. And without asking the question, the answer is always no. This is something I continually try to remind myself of when stuck in a spot of uncertanity and fear. Ask the questions that need to be asked.”

JEFF SLOBOTSKI Silicon Prairie News

Avoid Analysis Paralysis

“Decision and action are always better than indecision. This is particularly important for early business success. Execution moves things forward, and you don’t have time to ponder small decisions. Sometimes, even a lot of analysis will not give you the answer, and you have to go with what you believe will work best. “

JESSE PUJJI Ampush

Manage Yourself Well

“For first-time entrepreneurs, managing yourself can be a real challenge. We don’t realize how much we sometimes need structure. Being accountable to someone (a boss) is a huge motivating factor. I’d develop better habits around managing my time in a sustainable way. With my first company, I’d work 24 hours straight (literally). Some days, I’d just take off completely. Balance is everything, and it’s the key to sustainably being an entrepreneur for the long run.”

MITCH GORDON Go Overseas

Test Before You Invest

“We entrepreneurs have ideas every day. The sooner you test these ideas against reality to see if they’re viable, the quicker you’ll get to the idea that works. For example, I once had an idea to build an iPhone app. I made the wireframes. I got with a developer. I paid the developer about 20 percent of my savings account. And I lost all my money because I had an app no one wanted. If I had tested the app idea with my potential customers without any investment, I would have quickly found out my idea wasn’t needed. Get out of the building and test before you invest.”

BRETT FARMILOE Internet Marketing Company

Start With Your Strengths

“Research shows pretty conclusively that the best leaders do one primary thing differently: They know their strengths and work in them almost all the time. This sounds simple, but what I didn’t realize was that our society isn’t set up like this. From our earliest school days, we are taught to focus on making our deficiencies better; this never leads to greatness. Instead, first discover those things that make you unique: your gifts/talents/strengths. Second, find a big, hairy problem in the world that makes you righteously indignant. Third, use your strengths to solve that problem!”

JOSH ALLAN DYKSTRA Strengths Doctors

Talk to Customers

“As a younger entrepreneur, I always wanted to build or start something that I wanted. It’s part of what makes entrepreneurs great is that they are often so passionate about a solution to a problem, because they have that problem. But the reality is, just because you have a problem isn’t enough to start a company around it. So talk to your customers… a lot. After realizing how much you learn from customers, we now have built that feedback loop so tightly into the company — from weekly in-office usability testing to all-hands customer support to monthly feedback from our employees. “

ERIC KOESTER DCI

Generate Sustainable Revenue

“Focus on generating sustainable revenue. Entrepreneurs thrive on ideas and opportunity. Some ideas take longer to materialize into a profitable business and in some cases opportunity takes longer to materialize. Regardless of the idea or the opportunity, I would focus on smaller increments that can start delivering revenue sooner than later. This is a critical success factor for technology startups given that I can easily manage to become a thinker than a revenue generator. This also helps in seeing what works and expanding on that versus going with the big bang theory.”

RAHEEL RETIWALLA Fuzed

Get Out of Your Rut

“Business plan? No problem. Road trip to raise capital? Got it. Two hours of sleep? Push through it. These are all things we did early on without blinking. We loved our small team and our mission, and we fell in love with our business. Then, our business got older and, although it aged well, it lost some of its excitement. Our passion became a job first, instead of the other way around. It took time, but we got out of the rut by changing things up: new roles, scenery, experiences, projects and team activities. It’s not about building new fires, but feeding the one you started. “

BEN WAGNER LifeKraze

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.

The “Must-Attend Conference for Entrepreneurs” Everywhere Else Tennessee is headed back to Memphis this Spring. We’re releasing the first 50 tickets for 50% off exclusively to our newsletter subscribers on Jan 13th. Don’t miss your shot by signing up here!

Glympse Partners with Chevy to Make Your Car More Connected

Yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show Chevrolet announced the launch of their new AppShop, which will include Seattle-based Glympse.

Glympse also announced a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover. The company already partners with Mercedes-Benz.

The Glympse app allows users to share their location with friends in real time for a short period. Have a coffee with a good friend, but afraid you’re going to be late? You can choose to let them track your progress, so they know how far away you are. The company is backed by Menlo Ventures and Ignition Partners and has raised $7.5 million.

While the app itself is a simple idea, and one many people could dismiss, as we move into an “Internet of Things,” Glympse is well-positioned. As our tendency to use our phones while driving rises, so do deaths at the hands of distracted drivers. Many car companies are moving in the same direction as General Motors. In theory, a car connected with our favorite music, news, and location apps will keep the cell phone put away and our hands on the wheel.

“We listen to our customers, and they want more choices like they have with their smartphones,” Alan Beaty, senior vice president of Global Chevrolet, said in a statement. “They’re telling us they want more integration, more options, and more control in a safe manner.”

That’s great news for Glympse, which has been busy adding partners in the last year. Verizon, Samsung, Mini Cooper, BMW, Ford, and Garmin (among others) are already partners with access to the Glympse platform.

Along with Glympse, Chevrolet announced 9 others apps in their AppShop:

iHeartRadio
Priceline.com
The Weather Channel
NPR
Slacker Radio
Tune In Radio
Kaliki
Cityseeker
Eventseeker

Glympse is the only location-sharing app included in the Chevrolet AppShop.

Startup Travel Program Brings Canadian Founders to San Francisco

Even though we focus our coverage on startups outside of Silicon Valley, no one can deny that the Valley is the leader in the tech space. Decades ahead of other ecosystems, Silicon Valley is the model for every other city trying to become a tech hub.

While cities everywhere else shouldn’t try to be the “next Silicon Valley,” there’s obviously great benefit in learning from what’s happened there and in San Francisco. Despite up-and-coming venture funds, accelerators, and networks all over the world, for now that part of California is still the hub.

With that in mind, Volta Labs in Halifax is sending startup teams to San Francisco to learn, network, and soak up life in a full grown ecosystem.

Eligible companies will be from Nova Scotia and meet the following criteria:

Have a product in the IT sector
Be less than 3 years old, with fewer than 10 employees
Have received less than $250,000 in funding
Provide a pitch deck/demo

The program will cover 75% of expenses, up to $5,000 for the teams to stay at least two weeks.

“Getting people to San Francisco and New York may lead to fundraising, partnerships, or customer acquisition,” program champion Ben Yoskovitz said on his blog. “But in my mind, the primary goal of a Startup Travel Program is to have entrepreneurs experience an amazing startup ecosystem and bring some of that back with them.”

Yoskovitz goes on to say that the program does guarantee that Rolodexes will be opened for traveling teams. The idea isn’t to be handed a network, but to provide finances and let the teams make things happen while they’re on the ground.

There will never be another Silicon Valley. But leaders in budding ecosystems can learn a lot by experiencing the culture there and thinking deeply about how it translates back to their hometowns. The idea isn’t imitation, but continued growth and innovation.

peerTransfer Raises $6.2 Million to Make Paying for College Easier

peerTransfer is a prime example of a startup from everywhere else. The Boston company solves a problem most of us didn’t realize was a problem: it’s difficult and expensive for international college students to transfer money to pay their tuition.

Earlier this week, peerTransfer announced a $6.2 million Series B-1 from current investors Spark Capital, QED Investors, Devonshire Investors, and Kibo Ventures. The most recent round brings its total fundraising to $21.2 million. Their seed round in 2010 included Spark Capital and Dave McClure’s 500 Hats.

The idea for the company came from a problem its founder experienced firsthand. In 2008 Iker Marcaide was admitted to graduate school at MIT, but when he arrived on campus he discovered his tuition payment was lost somewhere between Spain and Massachusetts. The process of transferring money from a student’s home currency to American dollars was already expensive and time-consuming. When it’s thousands of dollars for tuition payments–and it gets lost along the way–the problem obviously becomes a big one.

The peerTransfer team has partnered with universities to provide international payments. Students transfer their tuition payment to peerTransfer, who combines it with the payments of other students. They can then negotiate a better exchange rate for everyone. Then, peerTransfer sends the money to the respective colleges. An online dashboard lets students track where their payment is in the process, and the money is guaranteed to be delivered quickly and in the right amount.

Before peerTransfer, students would deal with their local bank, which didn’t always give the best exchange rate. They also added hidden fees, and if the money made it to the right university, it was often in the wrong amount.

In November, it was reported that the number of international students coming to America had grown to a record 820,000. With that many students needing to pay their tuition, peerTransfer has found a big market that has been serviced by outdated technology and systems. The challenge is signing up universities. They do already have 350 schools in the system, including Penn State, University of Massachusetts, and–the founder’s alma mater–MIT and the platform is free, but things move slowly in education.

Teamstory is the Social Network for Enterpreneurs

“But what I do know is this startup journey is long, hard as f#!@ and lonely.”

Teamstory founder Kevin D.H Kim found himself looking around for community in the startup world. The way he sees it, even though we spend a lot of time on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs, there’s very little “real” community. We share the good things or give advice on the easy stuff, but when things really get hard a lot of founders find themselves kinda lonely.

With that problem in mind, Kim and his cofounders are building Teamstory as a place for just that kind of interaction.

They’ll be up against some real competition, of course. Facebook, Twitter, and email work pretty well for a lot of entrepreneurs, and some surprisingly real conversations can happen in those forums. And, of course, there’s that “killing it” thing we all have. It will take a real paradigm shift to convince founders to open up and admit their struggles, when so much is riding on confidence in their business.

Check out the Q&A with the Teamstory team below and let them know what you think.

What is your startup called?

Our startup is called Teamstory – A Community for Entrepreneurs and Startups.

What’s the story behind your idea?

As an entrepreneur and a founder myself , I’ve always felt the disconnect within the startup community. Even though there are platforms like AngelList, Gust and F6S, there was no ‘real’ communication between the entrepreneurs and startups. It was all about what’s on the tip of the iceberg – Idea, pitch, fundraising etc. , all the fluff and the good stuff. Then I began to wonder… what about the other side? the good, the ugly, and the bad about your journey, your moments throughout your journey. I kept searching for a ‘real community’ for startups and entrepreneurs but haven’t be able to find one. So we decided to create Teamstory. A picture-based community where entrepreneurs and startups can capture, share and discover the moments in their journey with like-minded people.

Who are the founders, and what are their backgrounds?

Kevin D.H Kim (24) / Tobok Lee (24) / Freddy Hidalgo-Monchez (25) We’re all entrepreneurs, builders and designers who has experience in multiple startups and tech-companies. We are from Waterloo, Toronto, and Montreal.

Where are you based?

We are based in Toronto, Canada

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

It is a growing tech-hub of Canada alongside with Kitchener-Waterloo. There are big and successful startups in the scene: Shopify, 500px and Bitstrips etc. And it’s beginning to grow more and more with talents.

What problem do you solve?

Teamstory is trying to solve the disconnect within the community by making interactions and discovery effortless and more transparent

We think that it’s actually a bit late that someone is trying to create a community around the startups. But it’s time to shift the thinking to more of a collaborative community to accelerate startup environment globally.Why now?

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

We’ve just surpassed 200 beta signups and gathered interests from business partners within a month. We’re seeing some great interest from the entrepreneurs and startups around the world.

What are your next milestones?

Our next milestone is the closed-beta which will launch in late February. We want to make the product better with our early adopters and fully launch with a great product in the spring 2014.

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

http://teamstoryapp.com

http://twitter.com/teamstoryapp

http://angel.co/teamstory

Ghost Announces Launch of “Just a Blogging Platform”

On December 23 London-based Ghost announced the opening of their hosted blogging platform to the public.

Back in April, Ghost CEO John O’Nolan launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of a new blogging platform. They reached their goal in 12 hours and ended up raising $300,ooo during the 30 day campaign. (We’ll call it a crowdfunding success.)

O’Nolan and development lead Hannah Wolfe got to work, and in October they launched the platform.

So, what is Ghost, and why do we need another blogging platform, exactly?

According to O’Nolan, who was a former WordPress employee, most blogging platforms have gotten away from their original purpose: publishing. In the quest to optimize for every kind of content, systems like WordPress are confusing and difficult to use. They interrupt the flow of a writer’s work and make it harder to do the things many writers already struggle with (like inserting graphics).

Ghost isn’t like that. With a two-column presentation, you can type in the markdown column and see how it looks in the preview column as you go. The dashboard is gorgeous and allows you to see all the analytics that matter to you in one place. “Free. Open. Simple.” it says on the Ghost about page.

The blogging platform released in October, and hosts like Rackspace soon had plugins that made it easy-ish to get up and running. But, the team at Ghost wanted it to be even simpler, and behind the scenes they were working on a Ghost hosting platform that will make the whole process of getting a blog on the Internet super simple.

Last week saw the public release of that hosting platform as a premium service.

Wait…premium? Didn’t the website say it was “free”?

So, here’s the interesting thing about Ghost: they’re a nonprofit. They don’t have millions in the bank, and they aren’t taking investor meetings. They don’t plan to exit and profit in the billion dollar range. They’re just building a blogging platform.

(I know, it’s shocking. Take a deep breath. It’ll be okay.)

The Ghost team will use proceeds from the hosting platform to fund the rest of the project. And, in return, users get a simple system that makes blogging easy again.

“Do we want to make millions and sell to Facebook? Or do we want to make something that’s genuinely good and serves its users, not its investors and shareholders,” O’Nolan says in the Kickstarter video.

However, while they claim to focused on users, it’s only possible to type your posts in markdown, making it more developer-user friendly than writer-user friendly. And, as far as I can see, they don’t offer a cheat sheet for those of us that aren’t familiar with writing in markdown.

Still, that’s an easy fix, if they choose to make it. The platform is beautiful, and Ghost will be a fun project to watch in 2014. The future of big journalism may be unknown, but the fate of bloggers looks pretty good.

Editor’s Choice: Top 10 Nibletz Posts of 2013

Pop the champagne!

It’s the last day of 2013, which is a little crazy. It’s been a busy year for Nibletz, and we are planning for an even better 2014.

We covered some great startups this year, from all over the country. We attended tons of great events and met smart entrepreneurs all over the country. Here are some of our favorite posts from this year:

Dave McClure: Buying a House is Far More Risky Than Investing In Startups

Why do investors have to be “accredited” when almost anyone can risk their money on buying a house?

5 Rules for Naming Your Startup: Memphis Firm Offers Support Advice in SXSW Panel

Startup names are a mixed bag, but Archer Malmo gave advice to the crowd at SXSW in March.

FortifyVC’s Carla Valdes Knows What It Means to Have It All

This interview features a woman who does it all. (And watch for some exciting stuff coming from Carla in 2014!)

This Pitch From DC Startup Speek Results in a Monkey Tattoo on John Bracken’s Ass

Cofounders sometimes do mean things to each other. Like announce the other one will get a tattoo if they win a pitch contest.

Tony Hsieh, Founder of Zappos and Downtown Project, On Startup Communities

Whether it’s a huge company or a whole city, Tony Hsieh has a few things to say about starting up.

Do Women-Only Initiatives Actually Help Women

In one of my first posts as Editor-in-Chief, I take issue with women-only initiatives.

oDesk’s Gary Swart Has Advice for Startups Everywhere Else

In a fireside chat with Sarah Lacy, oDesk CEO Gary Swart cautioned startups to think twice before moving to Silicon Valley.

Mark Cuban Shows Variety in Portfolio With Latest Startup Investments

Love or hate him, Mark Cuban knows how to make money.

Atlas Demos the Next Fitness Band at Techstars Austin Demo Day

The next fitness band seeks to help you make sense of all that health data.

Oh, and of course:

Paul Graham & Sexism: Just One More Distraction from Real Work

Thanks for all your support this year. We’ll see you in 2014.

Founder Spotlight: Joe Huff of LSTN Headphones

Joe is the co-founder and director of positivity at LSTN Headphones. In 2010, he left his position as co-founder and CEO of Ramp Logistics to start a new social cause: This Shirt Helps. Since then, his experience and passion both revolve around social enterprise and making the world a better place. Both LSTN and This Shirt Helps were designed to harness the power of consumer purchases and make a positive difference while engaging and empowering. Follow him @joehuffLA.

Who is your hero?

There’s really no one person I would call hero. I’ve been and continue to be inspired by many things and people and by life in general!

What’s the single best piece of business advice that helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today, and why?

Don’t be afraid to make decisions and don’t be afraid of failure. You can’t really succeed without making LOTS of mistakes along the way unless you’re incredibly lucky. Not making a decision is much worse than making the wrong decision most of the time because you become paralyzed. It’s important to be decisive and then adapt if your original plan doesn’t work out. That’s the beauty of failure — it’s the breeding ground for new and better ideas. And even when you fall on your face, your still moving forward.

What’s the biggest mistake you ever made in your business, and what did you learn from it that others can learn from too?

The biggest mistake I have made was becoming too caught up and emotionally invested in a product instead of the result we were trying to achieve. It’s really important to take a serious step back now and then to just look at what you’re doing and be honest about whether or not it’s working toward your main objective. In the past there have been times where we waited too long to pivot or weren’t focused on the right part of our business. We were pouring all of our time into a certain product or part of the business that we loved but that just wasn’t performing. It’s really important to make sure what you’re focused on is really achieving your true end goal.

What do you do during the first hour of your business day and why?

I’m a morning person. I use the first hour in the AM to set the tone for the day. Whether it’s a morning hike or coffee and emails, I get all of my thoughts together and prioritize everything in that first hour so I have a game plan. If possible, I try and knock a couple things off the list right away so I have a feeling of accomplishment early on. That way I’ve got something to build off of or fall back on if things go sideways.

What’s your best financial or cash-flow related tip for entrepreneurs just getting started?

Don’t be afraid to take on debt, financing or investment when possible if necessary. Fifty percent of $10M is much better than 100 percent of $0.

Quick: What’s ONE thing you recommend ALL aspiring or current entrepreneurs do right now to take their biz to the next level?

Take a look at who you spend your personal and professional time with. If they don’t inspire you, make the changes necessary to surround yourself with as many inspiring people as you can as often as possible. “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future” is a quote I live by!

What’s your definition of success? How will you know when you’ve finally “succeeded” in your business?

My version of success is simple. I think when we die, the only thing that will have mattered is what we did to make the world a better place. So success to me is when you know you’re trying to make a difference, you’re inspiring others to do the same and you’re happy because of it. Luckily, I feel pretty successful already just because I realized that early on.

Do we need more photo-sharing apps? Flipbook thinks so.

The photo-sharing market is pretty full. (And, yes, that’s the understatement of the year.)

But, with billion dollar valuations and acquisition offers on the table, we expect to see quite a few more before the frenzy dies down. The latest hails from Nashville, TN, and is founded by a couple of recent Vanderbilt graduates.

Will Schreiber and McArthur Gill founded Flipbook because they see a huge hole in the messaging/photosharing market. You can either chat with a group (WhatsApp/GroupMe) or post pictures (Instagram/Snapchat), but it’s hard to do both on any one platform. They created Flipbook with the ephemeral nature of Snapchat but the group chatting capabilities of the chat apps.

Does the market really need another photosharing app? Snapchat continues to grow, and Instagram doesn’t seem to be going away. But, who knows? More surprising things have happened.

Check out our Q&A with Flipbook below. Then download the app and let us know what you think.

What is your startup called?

Flipbook

Who are the founders, and what are their backgrounds?

Will Schreiber and I, McArthur Gill, are the two co-founders. We are both developers and have worked together for years. During our last semester at Vanderbilt (Spring 2013), we were accepted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, where we created Stadium Stock Exchange presented by Nissan (www.stadiumse.com). Our other notable product is RageChill, a music discovery engine (http://www.ragechill.com).

Where are you based?

Nashville, TN.

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

The startup scene in Nashville is budding. The Nashville Entrepreneur Center has really helped founders connect with mentors and investors, giving companies a strong foundation on which to grow.

What problem do you solve?

People love to express themselves and connect through the sharing of photos. As of now, Snapchat does not allow for group communication and Instagram publishes photos to all of your followers. Flipbook gives users a way to share photos to a group, while still maintaining the ephemeral nature of Snapchat. By allowing users to copy images posted to their group and overlay their own text and drawings, Flipbook gives users a photo-based conversation platform.

Why now?

Right now, the two biggest players in the photo-sharing space focus on either peer-to-peer sharing or public-sharing. The conversation about photos then happens on a different platform (people revert to texting in order discuss photos they see on these other platforms, sharing these opinions with a group of friends). We have created a communication platform allowing users to both post photos and discuss them within their circle of friends, all on the same platform.

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

We have developed an iPhone app, which was released on Tuesday. In less than a week since our launch, we have created a very active user base and seen a huge growth in both number of users and number of photos shared.

What are your next milestones?

Continue to refine and iterate the product, grow the user base, and develop an Android app.

Photosharing apps are pretty prevalent. Why is Flipbook going to compete with the big SV-based apps?

Flipbook gives people a platform to share and discuss their photos within their groups of friends. As simple as that sounds, right now there is not a good platform on which to do that. WhatsApp and GroupMe are not photo-centric. Snapchat and Instragram do not provide cohesive groups. Flipbook provides both of these and also gives users the ability to capture a photo posted to their group, overlay their own text and drawings, and continue the conversation.

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

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flipbook-hidden-chapters/id778185758?mt=8

10 Disruptive Entrepreneurs of 2013 (Infographic)

We’re all suckers for the “disruptive entrepreneur” story. We love to hear about the hard-headed CEO that upended entire industries and changed the way we do business. And, secretly, many of us hope to be that founder some day.

But, what exactly makes a founder disruptive? The guys at ComputerScienceDegreesHub.com used the Gartner Magic Quadrant to rate several companies that broke out in 2013. For a full run down of what they found, click through to the original infographic.

For our purposes, what we loved about this infographic is that of the 10 companies featured, 5 were not based in Silicon Valley and a 6th had offices in New York as well as the Valley.

Rent the Runway is a New York-based startup that rents designer dresses at a fraction of the cost of purchase. The company is useful for weddings and other big events, but the big opportunity could be the magical night every high school dreams of: prom. No more off-the-rack department store dresses for the fashionable 16-year-old.

99 Dresses is also a fashion startup, this one based in Sydney. They aim to help shopaholics purge their closets, but still get their shopping fix by perusing other users’ trades.

Ninja Blocks, also based in Sydney, is getting in front of the “Internet of things.” The product makes it easy to connect all those connected devices, without special installation or coding knowledge.

DuckDuckGo got quite a bit of press when the Edward Snowden/PRISM story broke. The Philadelphia startup boasts a search engine that really does protect your privacy. Now that is disruptive!

Thumb is a social voting app based in New York City. It has an interesting B2B component that could help brands execute quick customer discovery.

Now, granted, the sample is fairly random, and there are lots of disruptive Silicon Valley startups. Still, it’s encouraging for entrepreneurs to remember that great, disruptive startups are being built outside the Valley every day.

Check out the infographic below for more information on the 10 disruptive founders from 2013.

Image compliments of Computer Science Degree Hub