We love Youtube reaction vids as much as the next person. But have you ever wished you could watch your friends' reactions in real time?
Meet Samba -- an awesome video messaging app that automatically records your friends' reactions to your videos. Just download the (free!) app, record a video in it, and send it to anyone on your contact list. As they view your message, their reaction will be recorded and automatically sent back to you.
Recipients, fear not -- reactions can be deleted at any time. But hey, sharing a videos of yourself snorting while laughing is the definition of friendship, areweright?
We think that this kind of app would fit perfectly with Sour Patch Kids' love of prank-ery, sentimental brands like Tiffany's, and "priceless" brands like Mastercard. So brands, give 'em a shout -- and everyone else, give 'em a download (on iTunes or Google Play)!
On Startup Spotlight, we feature standout stars from our Startup Database. This week, we're excited to feature liateR!
liateR is an interactive sales solution for retailers and brands in the apparel/accessories market whose mission is to create a shopping experience that is both personal for the consumer, and scalable for the retailer.
In liateR's own words, brick-and-mortar retail locations fail to deliver the personalized experiences consumers are looking for, and the conversion rates brands desire. The need for informed, customized experiences remains a large pain point -- and technologies like iBeacons remain restricted in the solutions they can offer. Referring to itself as the "Google for offline retail" liateR uses advanced voice recognition, gesture detection, and augmented reality to create an environment where consumers can digitally "try on" and buy clothing in a variety of contexts and locations. Data automatically acquired from each user is used to deliver custom content by a) recommending specific sets of products, and b) sending tailor-made offers.
liateR is a single player in a large market -- but their secret sauce includes a well-rounded team that combines deep knowledge of the retail industry, strong technical expertise, and passion for disrupting the world of offline retail. We look forward to seeing where they go!
Think you're the next big thing? Submit to our database here for a chance to be featured in our Startup Spotlight.
In case you were worried we were conferenced-out after Demo 2014 -- fear not! Your Evol8tion team was back on the expo floor this week, this time for The Next Web Conference.
Held in the heart of the Financial District, The Next Web Conference was jam-packed with inspiring thought leaders, innovative companies and disruptive ideas. The Boost competition brought out 16 of the freshest new faces in tech -- all of whom had fought within a pool of 48 for a chance to pitch on TNW's "Unplugged" stage. As always, it would be impossible to capture all the action in one blog post -- but here are our favorite finalists of the bunch:
As a team that frequently creates its own videos, we know how long film-editing can take. Enter FlyLabs -- a family of apps designed to make video creativity fun, fast, and mobile. Their first app, Fly, allows you to edit film with simple gestures -- a touch to cut, a swipe to dissolve, a dual-touch to split-screen, and more. Their second app, Clips, allows you string clips together into one great video, in minutes. Finally, in their own words, their Crop app is the "cure for vertical video syndrome, allowing you to instantly shift your video from portrait to landscape. Essentially, FlyLabs' suite of tools puts an editing studio in the palm of your hand -- and all three apps have already earned a download from us.
We can all agree - calendars are impossible to navigate (especially around this time of year). Luckily, Meekan has a solution! Meekan's technology aims to "connect the world's calendars" -- offering a scheduling engine that matches participants' calendars and selects best times to meet, regardless of time zones and specific calendar programs (i.e., Outlook vs. Gmail). Meekan also learns from daily choices to make increasingly informed suggestions, conforming to your work style. On the Boost stage, Meekan even suggested that its next focus may include automating flight/car/hotel bookings around meetings (and automatically re-booking to accommodate last-minute schedule shifts). Which, to be quite honest, we can't wait to see.
We can all agree -- food and watching the game should never have to be a choice. SeatServe's app brings the VIP stadium experience to everyone -- allowing users to order food straight from their smartphones. Food is promptly delivered to their seats, allowing them to get the complete game experience (without having to brave dreaded kiosk lines). Next steps for SeatServe include concert venues, performance halls, you name it -- but for now, game on!
Ultimately, the crowning glory for the Boost Competition went to FlyLabs -- who took home a hefty $20,000 credit courtesy of the conference's cohost, WeTransfer. We think this win was well-deserved, but we're looking forward to seeing what these other companies have up their sleeves!
For more recaps from the hottest startup events, be sure to keep checking back here, and follow us on Twitter for live updates!
This week, Evol8tion was proud to partner with the Empire Startups Summit!
Through two full days of thought leadership, inspiring conversations, networking activities, and a pitch competition, the Summit celebrated New York City’s innovative spirit -- bringing top early-stage companies and tech industry veterans under Webster Hall's roof. Evol8tion's own co-founder and COO, Gina Waldhorn, moderated the Scaling Your Startup panel -- which featured experts from MasterCard, Microsoft, Foundation Capital, and Sprinklr:
For those of you who weren't able to attend the Summit, here are some of our key takeaways (along with our favorite startup of the evening)!
Advice for Founders:
- In strategic partnership conversations, always be sure to exercise reciprocity. In other words: ask the person you're seeking help from what THEY need. People in powerful positions (VCs, angels, etc.) are frequently asked for favors. Demonstrate professional sensitivity by showing that you care about what they want, too.
- Coachability and confidence: strike the balance. Investors like a confident, willful founder -- but arrogance is a major turn-off. Be conscious of the fact that venture capitalists have bucketloads of knowledge, and no matter how experienced you may be, they will always have something to teach you.
- Don't be a fair-weather entrepreneur. Now that the innovation space is booming, venture capitalists are seeing more and more corporate players move into entrepreneurship. While this move is sometimes spurred by legitimate passion, other times it is merely because entrepreneurship is a today's trendy profession. In order to be a successful entrepreneur, a hunger for innovation needs to run in your bloodstream. Faking it will only lead to failure.
- Your CEO should be your best salesperson. If your CEO can't sell it, no one can. So be sure that your leadership is actively at the helm of your business development team, and willing to get in the trenches to keep the lights on.
- Put skin in the game. All startup founders do (or should) already know this: but in order to get investment, you must first invest in yourself. If you won't shell out money for your own venture, you'll have a hard time convincing VC's to do so. Make sure your startup is worth your own money, before asking for it from others.
Star Startup:
Our star startup of the evening was Audiosnaps! Audiosnaps offers a new way to create user generated content -- capturing photos of important moments, and overlaying them with 5 seconds of sound from those moments.
From a brand perspective, short term video/disposable content trends like Vine and Snapchat are useful for momentary impressions. However, an Audiosnaps creation -- normal photography, paired with sound -- is a timeless, yet innovative option for lifestage-relevant and travel brands.
This technology is also ripe for partnerships with other startups. We could easily see a beautiful collaboration between Audiosnaps and conductive ink company Novalia to create interactive, lasting photo albums to better collect precious memories.
Wherever Audiosnaps goes, its future is looking bright. We'll be keeping an eye on it!
That's all for today's recap. Thanks to Empire Startups for an awesome event! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and check back here for the latest and greatest in startup news.
The app that took a grand total of 8 hours to build is taking the world by storm -- and we have to admit, we're pretty appsessed.
Originally built as a joke, Yo allows users to send the word "Yo" to their friends simply by tapping on their names. Since its release on April Fool's Day, it's become a startup Cinderella story.
Over the past few weeks, the app has rapidly raised $2.5M in funding and over 1 million users. In the wake of its success, competitor apps have sprouted like weeds -- including Hey, Tap and (if you're feeling particularly nautical) Ahoy.
Though the app's purpose appears to be primarily social, Yo has proven an unlikely asset under a variety of circumstances: from notifying sports enthusiasts when World Cup goals were scored, to monitoring missile attacks in Israel.
Apply for ad:tech Startup Spotlight Series New York 2014
Are you a startup in the advertising and technology space looking to connect with brand marketers? Apply for the ad:tech New York 2014 Startup Spotlight Series!
The ad:tech Startup Spotlight Series is a competition that acknowledges and rewards the most innovative and enterprising new companies in digital marketing today. If your startup does not fall within advertising technology, please pass along to any superstar ad tech companies that you know!
4 startups from the application pool will be chosen by each brand for a total of 16 entered into the finalist pitch competition.
Finalists in the competition will receive free exhibit space (a $4,000 value) at ad:tech New York, November 5-6, 2014 at Javits Center, and a chance to pitch their business live to one of the four participating brands.
Evol8tion will be helping to coach the finalists throughout the competition to put together presentations specifically catered toward the brand audience.
ad:tech New York 2014 has partnered with 4 of the world's largest brands to give your advertising technology startup the opportunity to pitch to billions of dollars in brand marketing power. Past brand judges have included Gap, Mastercard, and General Mills, among others.
Applications accepted through Friday, July 25, 2014. Apply now!
Stay connected for more info with @adtech and @evol8tion.
A very special Startup Spotlight congratulations to LISNR for closing 3.5M in funding!
LISNR is a comprehensive mobile engagement platform that develops mobile solutions for content creators, enhances mobile engagement for advertisers, and allows users to interact with the media/live environment everywhere.
LISNR's patent-pending technology unlocks an unsurpassed second screen experience tailored to the exact moment of engagement -- and within the LISNR family, there exist a variety of products to fit client needs, including LISNR NGAGE (engagement for the live audience), LISNR NTUNE (engagement for all media), and LISNR NGINE (content ad recommendation engine.
LISNR's ultimate goal is to activate sound everywhere, creating the ultimate companion second screen experience -- and needless to say, they're on their way.
For more information, check out their website here.
Follow them on Twitter: @lisnr
Want us to feature your startup on the next Startup Spotlight? Submit your startup to our database here for a chance to be featured on M+MV, and be considered for brand partnership!
Plyfe Talks Brand Partnership and Evol8tion Database
Last summer, we successfully matched superstar gamification startup Plyfe with one of Unilever’s most important Hispanic marketing initiatives, Divina Latina. Divina Latina was looking for new, innovative ways to increase audience engagement and participation on Facebook and Twitter — and with Plyfe’s magic touch, brand engagement rates exceeded all benchmarks, with over 86% of game challenges completed. The platform also proved to drive product interest and education, video consumption, repeat participation, and inspired 8% of players to share with friends.
Now, Plyfe’s back to talk lessons learned from their brand partnership, where they are now, and where it all began… Evol8tion’s startup database!
Advice for brand partnership:
"Be sure to strike a happy balance between your startup’s vision, and what a brand wants to accomplish. Passion for your concept will get you far — so find a brand who will believe in you as much as you believe in it. But remember, any partnership takes compromise and patience. So be driven, but stay flexible."
Where they are now:
"Besides partnering with Divina Latina, we’ve had customers that include Fortune 500 brands, ad networks, agencies, and social media managers. We were also named to Forbes’ list of America’s Top 100 companies in 2013, and have been featured on CNN, Mashable, and TechCrunch. Looking forward to what 2014 will bring!”
On Evol8tion’s startup database:
"It’s really a great resource for startups who want to make it, both through brand partnerships, and in general. As a startup in the database, Plyfe got invited to exclusive events, got free press on [the Evol8tion blog] M+MV, and got considered for a BrandMatch (and we all know how that ended)! Plus, it’s free.”
Thank you, Plyfe, for the positive feedback! And, startups: you heard ‘em. Start your journey to brand partnership and submit to the database today!
