今年創(chuàng)業(yè)偶像大賽的冠軍是:導游網(wǎng)站
????五家創(chuàng)新性的創(chuàng)業(yè)公司在科羅拉多的阿斯彭角逐今年的創(chuàng)業(yè)偶像桂冠,只有一家企業(yè)將成為最終的獲勝者。
????財富科技頭腦風暴大會創(chuàng)業(yè)偶像大賽與財富科技大會同期舉行,獎品是由Herman Miller公司贊助的價值數(shù)千美元的豪華辦公室裝修(Herman Miller是著名的阿艾隆鐵鋁合金辦公室座椅制造商)。讓我們回顧一下五家參賽企業(yè)的亮點,看看2013創(chuàng)業(yè)偶像競賽的獎杯最終花落誰家。 One公司 賣點:這款適用于iOS系統(tǒng)的應用主要面向大學生群體。它根據(jù)地理位置和共同的愛好,提醒人們注意附近的其他用戶。這款應用現(xiàn)已在包括伊利諾伊大學(University of Illinois)在內(nèi)的4所大學普及。憑借著羅恩?康威、基思?拉布伊斯、True Ventures風投公司和其他支持者提供的近200萬美元種子資金,創(chuàng)始人科里?利維和邁克爾?卡拉漢打算在秋季到來前把它推廣到至少10所其他院校。花絮:三年前,利維誤打誤撞地進了頭腦風暴科技大會的會場。他悄悄地坐在了基思?拉布伊斯的旁邊,還和他搭上了線。后來,拉布伊斯成了One的首位投資者。 評委點評:Greycroft公司的普通合伙人丹娜?塞托表示:“我想說的是,在這個領域表現(xiàn)不錯的公司,比如Tinder和Grindr,都有非常具體的用戶案例。我認為One的創(chuàng)意很寬泛,實現(xiàn)起來會比較困難?!?/p> OwnerListens公司 賣點:自從OwnerListens這款應用于2011年9月發(fā)布以來,它已經(jīng)幫助許多消費者以安全、私密的方式向很多企業(yè)負責人發(fā)送了明確的反饋,建立了良好的互動。公司CEO阿迪?比坦表示,如果消費者想向某個企業(yè)負責人發(fā)送一條特定反饋,只需在這個平臺上發(fā)一條短信,哪怕那家企業(yè)不在這個平臺上,OwnerListens也會把消息發(fā)送到企業(yè)那里。企業(yè)再次通過這個中間平臺,在幾小時內(nèi)就可以向消費者給予回復——這意味著消費者的聲音得到了傾聽,企業(yè)也少了很多網(wǎng)上的負面評論,而且企業(yè)可以根據(jù)消費者的特定反饋做出改變。自從這款應用發(fā)布以來,已經(jīng)在數(shù)據(jù)庫里匯總了2,000家企業(yè)和餐廳的信息,而且還獲得了不少投資人的青睞,其中包括門羅風投(Menlo Ventures)等機構(gòu)投資人以及史蒂夫?布蘭克等天使投資人。 評委點評:GGV資本公司的合伙人杰夫?理查德表示:“有很多公司在做同樣的事情,問題是怎樣才能把它做得上規(guī)模,同時產(chǎn)生利潤?” AnyRoad公司 賣點:全球共有40萬名持證的全職導游,他們構(gòu)成了一個價值高達160億美元的市場,但其中只有5%的人會在網(wǎng)上露臉于。今年四月,資深驢友兄弟丹尼爾?雅菲和喬納森?雅菲在舊金山創(chuàng)辦了AnyRoad公司,讓導游可以把在某個城市提供的旅游線路集中發(fā)布在網(wǎng)上。網(wǎng)站目前在六個城市上線,包括東京和里約熱內(nèi)盧。它的盈利模式是,從游客和導游兩邊各收一小筆費用,同時拿出其中5%給該城市的非盈利機構(gòu)。這家公司打算在近兩個月內(nèi)把業(yè)務拓展到希臘和韓國,還希望到明年夏天能有15個城市加盟。 評委點評:雅虎公司(Yahoo)CEO瑪麗莎?梅耶爾表示:“我喜歡這個‘軟件預訂導游’的創(chuàng)意,要做好本土旅游業(yè),一定要非常了解當?shù)厥袌?。我很欣賞的一點是,雅菲兄弟親身去過這些地方?!?/p> |
????Five innovative startups showed up in Aspen, Colorado; one walked away victorious. ????Brainstorm Tech Startup Idol, the annual competition held during Fortune's technology conference, promises the winners a swanky office set-up worth thousands, courtesy of Herman Miller, makers of the iconic Aeron office chair. Meet the contestants, and find out which startup took home the title for Startup Idol 2013: One The pitch:? This iOS app alerts college students about nearby users, called "matches," based on location and shared interests. Available at four schools including the University of Illinois, founders Cory Levy and Michael Callahan will roll out One to at least 10 other schools by the fall thanks to nearly $2 million in seed funding from Ron Conway, Keith Rabois, True Ventures, and other backers. Fun fact: Levy gate-crashed Brainstorm Tech three years ago. "I snuck in and sat next to Keith [Rabois] and connected with him," said Levy, who convinced Rabois to become One's first investor. Judge's comment: "I would just add that the companies in this area that have taken off, like Tinder and Grindr have very specific use cases," offered Dana Settle, a Greycroft general partner. "I think it's hard to launch with a concept as broad as this." OwnerListens The pitch:? Launched in September 2011, OwnerListens helps customers leave feedback for business owners in safe, private interactions. Consumers use the app to text a message they want the business owner to see, and OwnerListens delivers the message, even if the business isn't on the platform, says CEO AdiBittan. Businesses often respond within hours -- again using the app as a middleman -- meaning consumers get their voices heard, businesses get fewer negative online reviews, and changes can be made. Since its launch, OwnerListens has accumulated 2,000 businesses and restaurants in its database and has a slew of investors, including Menlo Ventures and serial entrepreneur Steve Blank to name a few. Judge's comment: "There are a lot of companies trying to do this," pointed out GGV Capital partner Jeff Richards. "How will you get to a scale where you can build a business around it?" AnyRoad The pitch:? There are 400,000 full-time, accredited tour guides around the world who account for a $16 billion market, but just 5% of them have any online presence. Introduced this April, the bootstrapped San Francisco-based AnyRoad from well-traveled brothers Daniel and Jonathan Yaffe offers guides an online platform to list tours for one of six cities, from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro. AnyRoad makes money by shaving a small fee from the customer and the guide but gives 5% back to local nonprofits. The startup plans to expand into Greece and Korea within the next two months and wants to be in 15 cities by summer of next year. Judge's comment: "I like the idea of 'software-eats-travel guide booking," admitted Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. "And I think in terms of local and travel it's about how familiar you are with the market. I like that you've actually been to these places. |