Travel Archives - Serious Startups

Bethlehem PA Startup: Weather Trades Video Interview

Rarely have I found a company that deals with a force that disrupts more lives than any other issue. Weather. We’ve all watched the local meteorologist completely drop the ball and get it wrong. Weather Trades, a spin-off from Weather Trends International, has a product that could change the way you live. Seriously.

Here in the United States the typical yearly vacation time is an extremely limited two weeks. We take huge risks when we book our travel for that short period of time. Have you ever been to an outdoor wedding that ended up inside? Have you ever wondered if you should keep those winter clothes out for another 6 weeks? I have been directly or indirectly affected by each of these scenarios. If you could see a weather forecast for the next year – worldwide – with an accuracy of 80% or better how would your life be different?

Imagine you are the largest retailer in the world, and you have to decide to purchase air conditioners from the manufacturers but cannot decide whether or not to buy all of the stock or a third of it. Walmart had to make that decision:

“We bought all of the home center’s uncommitted air circulation orders from the manufacturers and had a great year. Our sell through was 98% compared to 85% last year based solely on a huge decision we made using your year-ahead summer forecast. A $130,000,000 win in one category.” Gordon Erickson, Senior Vice President Merchandising-Hardlines

Commodities Traders:

WTI is the ONLY company in the world that provides YEAR-AHEAD forecasts that can be integrated into trading models and other business applications. WTI provides a complete suite of products and services for commodity traders, energy traders, and the entire agricultural industry. This includes typical short range-forecasting services along with proprietary year-ahead global forecasts and analytical assessments for grains, sugar, energy, and other weather driven commodity markets across the globe.

Travel Sites: After approaching the more popular travel sites on the internet and being turned down Weather Trades turned their sites on TechCrunch Disrupt to hopefully find developers, startups, and investors who can build upon the unique tools that they’ve created. In all honesty this is the startup that had me most excited. To see a little more check out the interview by Kyle below. I will also be reviewing their wt360 Pro app in the coming days. It’s available in the App Store and Google Play

Find out more about Weather Trades here

Check out more of our TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2012 coverage here

We’re on a sneaker strapped, nationwide, startup road trip, for more on that (and to support our cause) click here

Philly Startup: Blue Claw Tough Stylish Bags Made in America

The Blue Claw Company is a Philadelphia area startup that launched in 2010. Blue Claw Co manufactures handmade Luxury Bags that have the bright bold look that the mid 20’s to mid 30’s business professional craves and the durability to handle all the travel people can throw at them. As many of our readers know we spend significant periods of time on the road. Just last month we traveled to Chattanooga, Washington DC, and other cities along the eastern shore of United States. We are preparing to head off on the “Road Trip to Everywhere Else.” So Blue Claw came into our lives at just the perfect moment.

We tend to have at least two or three bags a piece before getting on the road and most of our “luggage” consists of backpack or messenger bags. We have been in need of at least one professional appearing bag for each of us. I’ve struggled with a very strong dislike for plain bags. If my bag is impossible to identify at the baggage claim; or if somebody could easily walk anonymously away with my bag – well, I don’t feel comfortable. As you can see in the photo above, the Worton Weekender maintains a professional look but with flair.

Most of their bags come with waterproof liners an absolute must for other tech geeks like us. The bags offered by Blue Claw are made with Imported Leather and 1050 D Ballistic nylon. This is to help provide years of use (and abuse) by seasoned travelers and still be available to hand down to their kids. What was the impetus that caused the decision to launch a luxury bag company in the midst of a recession? How did this all come about? We asked Adam Blitzer (Founder) a number of questions.

1. Your name is Adam (last name?) and your co-founder is named?

My name is Adam Blitzer. My cofounder’s name is Alex Realmuto.

2. When you contacted us you said “If you guys are interested in covering a startup that is bringing jobs back to the USA and the improbable concept of starting a luxury company amidst a recession…” You bring up a great point, what were you thinking? Was there a specific set of circumstances or was this just a “let’s do this, economy be damned” decision.

As crazy as it sounds, it was actually the perfect time to launch. People were cutting out impulsive purchases which is exactly what we are not. No matter what the economy is doing, people value quality products that will last forever. We knew if we created the perfect line, people would become brand advocates. There were not a ton of luxury bag companies popping up at the time so the buzz was magnified. This really helped get the ball rolling.