Friday, September 28, 2007

Revolution money Seems Big Business Opportunities For VCs

What Company Says:
We took a good, long look at the world of personal finance and thought to ourselves, "Is this as good as it gets?" The answer was a resounding "No."

At Revolution Money, we think there's a better way. So we decided to shake things up. No tricks. No gimmicks. No hidden fees. Just clear and simple products that make your life easier.

Every product we offer is designed to give you more choice, more control and more convenience. More choice because everyone has a different lifestyle and we believe you should be able to have the product that best suits you. More control means that as our product line expands, you'll have a card that can do as much or as little as you want it to in a more secure PIN-based system. Wow, this really is more than you're used to.
Why It Will Work:
Revolution money provides a money exchange and new alternative secure credit card.
RevolutionCard was designed for the way you live. Giving you more control and greater security.
RevolutionCard does it all.

* Safeguards against identity theft
* Competitive APRs
* No annual fee
How Much They Got From VCs:
Revolution Money received $50 Million from Citi, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank.
More at:http://www.revolutionmoney.com/
Sponsers: Alabama payday loans

Poets Beat Entrepreneurs In Contest For Small Business Idea

A trio of performing poets beat entrepreneurs touting make-your-own-wallpaper, an organic beauty bar and high-end clothing rental service to win a contest for the U.S.'s best small business idea on Tuesday.

The Mayhem Poets, from New Jersey, have been touring the country for about four years performing poetry at schools, jails and corporate functions but won the Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) contest with an idea to set up a themed cafe and teaching facility.

One of the founders of the Mayhem Poets, Kyle Sutton, 27, described performance poetry as a mixture of hip-hop, comedy and theater.

"But we want to make this a mainstream feature event," said Sutton, who met fellow poets Mason Granger and Scott Tarazevits at New Jersey's Rutgers University.

The Mayhem Poets beat about 5,000 other entrants to win a prize package of $100,000 in start-up money, a rent-free New York City storefront for a year, and a suite of Microsoft software and services.

"During the daytime we want to do workshops with schools... while weekend workshops will be held for the general public," said Sutton. "In the evening we will have headliner poetry acts."

The poets were chosen by a panel of three judges including Carolyn Kepcher, chief executive of Carolyn & Co. who used to help Donald Trump fire corporate wannabes on "The Apprentice" television show, fashion designer Liz Lange, and a Microsoft vice president, Chris Capossela.

"These guys have been doing this for some time now and the commitment was really strong. It's a viable business idea," said Capossela.
Via-Reuters

Fuser is the coolest way to unify your mail from multiple accounts

What Company Is Ofering:
Fuser is the coolest way to unify your mail from multiple accounts. View your mail and social networking messages in one convenient location. It's easy and secure.
It Features:
Fuser supports AOL, Exchange, Gmail, Hotmail, SquirrelMail, Yahoo and Yahoo Beta, as well as MySpace and Facebook social networks. And, therein lies a flaw: it’s just not enough.
more at:http://www.fuser.com/

What's Hot In Business Trends?

Want to know more about the trends that affect your business? Or tips on starting each and every one of these business ideas?
Green Products
New!

Even Wal-Mart sells organic cotton T-shirts these days, but you definitely don’t have to be a retailing behemoth to take your business in a green or organic direction. In fact, entrepreneurs have an advantage when it comes to reaching customers who care about the cause as well as the products.
It's a highly underrated opportunity for small business," says Dr. Karel J. Samsom, a specialist in environmental and sustainable entrepreneurship and author of Spirit of Entrepreneurship. A study by the Organic Trade Association shows that nonfood organic product sales reached $744 million in U.S. consumer sales in 2005, with supplements, personal care and household products leading the charge. For green entrepreneurs, passion is key, says Samsom: "People who are imbued with this kind of spirit have an incredible imagination to rebuild the value chain and inspire their customers in the process."

That passion is evident when talking to Jonelle Raffino, 41, of South West Trading Co. Inc., a Tempe, Arizona, business that specializes in earth-friendly, alternative fibers and textiles such as yarns made from bamboo, corn and even recycled crab shells. "This country is seeing that we need to challenge the idea of products that use fossil fuels," says Raffino, who co-founded the company in 2001 with her mother, Jonette Beck. Business is booming so much, they’ve expanded into ready-to-wear items, and they can barely keep up with demand for their line of plush Soy-Silk Pals toys.
Alternative Energy
Years on the list: 2 out of 20

Got grease? Justin Carven of Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems LLC does. The 29-year-old founder’s Easthampton, Massachusetts, business makes conversion kits that allow diesel engines to run on vegetable oil. “Ultimately, it’s the rising fuel prices that are convincing people to get onboard,” says Carven (above). Greasecar sales have grown by more than 200 percent each year over the past couple of years and are expected to reach up to $2.5 million this year. And the company is jumping into the commercial and municipal markets with enthusiasm.

Some major alternative energy growth areas include solar, hydrogen, bio-fuel, fuel cells and energy conservation technologies. Development, installation and creative application of these technologies are all possibilities for entrepreneurs. “It won’t be just one alternative energy source that will be the silver bullet to solve our problems; it will be multiple options,” says Nabil Nasr, director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Research firm Clean Edge expects the worldwide market for clean energy to reach $167 billion within a decade, up from $40 billion in 2005. Entrepreneurs will have to find their niches and build flexible companies that can react as the energy market changes. Nasr advises businesses to diversify their marketing and selling sources.

“It’s really easy for startups to pop up overnight,” says Carven. “This market is larger than people may think.” --A.C.K.

Dessert-Only Restaurants
New!

Chocolate cafes made our list last year, and while they still offer a tasty opportunity, they’ve spurred an equally tantalizing concept: dessert-only restaurants. A clear indication of America’s growing sweet tooth is in consumers’ dining habits. According to Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association in Washington, DC, nearly one in three fine-dining operators reported that consumers bought more desserts this year than two years ago. Fine-dining operators also indicated the strongest growth in desserts.

In January, Stephane Lemagnen and Laurent Lanneau, 31 and 34, respectively, catered to the craving by opening Room 4 Dessert, one of New York City’s first dessert-only establishments. The restaurant offers a variety of dessert-tasting menus to be paired with wines and teas, and culinary masterpieces are created before customers’ very eyes. No wonder curious pastry chefs visit from the West Coast, visitors consider the dessert bar a must-hit spot in New York, and the media--even in Japan--just can’t seem to get enough.
More at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2006/december/170426.html

Think Domain Name And Earn

Can’t come up with a catchy domain name? Put a fifty dollar deposit and let others look for available names for you. When you see a name you like, you simply register it and your $50 is split between a person who came up with the name and the service. If you don’t see any good names, you get your money back.

Guessing from the list of already completed orders, domain contributors are very good at picking both abstract domains and descriptive ones, not to mention ubiquitous web 2.0 names. I can easily picture naming agencies charge hundreds, if not thousands for Pictoma.Com, Deprice.Com or Smartopreneur.Com

PickyDomains.Com lets anyone give it a stab at becoming a contributor (you have to register first). However, all nub suggestions have to pass moderator first. Besides the greed factor (hey, getting $25 deposited to your PayPal account for coming up with a creative domain is pretty cool), I love browsing through orders just to see what kind of websites and web services people are coming up with.
More at:http://www.pickydomains.com/

"At OnForce "connects IT service buyers with the IT consultants

What Company is offering:
At OnForce, we're committed to building a vibrant, interactive community that connects IT service buyers with the IT consultants and highly-skilled technicians they need. We recognize that this marketplace is much more than anonymous buyers and providers of IT services. We spend a great deal of time thinking about how we can become more than just an efficient, transaction- oriented site, and instead become a valuable resource for all members of the IT services community.
How It Works:
Create an account to start taking advantage of the OnForce IT community. Providers fill in an account that lists; company information, certificates, hourly rates and technical skills. After there has been a connection between a buyer and provider and the service is finished, both provider and buyer can leave feedback about each other. There is a six stars rating system, which helps other OnForce users receive more information on the particular buyer or provider. As a user you can use the OnForce marketplace for free. Buyers and providers pay for the services they use. Providers can post to the site for $11 with 10% of the parts and labor taken after completion of the job. Join a vast It marketplace by visiting OnForce.com.
More at:http://www.onforce.com/

At Istylista.com you can find out what looks best on you

What Company Is Offering:
iStylista is a new and revolutionary virtual personal stylist service that will help you define your style within minutes.

It's easy! Complete the registration form opposite then check your inbox for your verification email. Just click on the link within the email then complete the style questionnaire. Follow the instructions to select and download your personalised style guide.

Our style guides are packed full of personalised style secrets that will teach you how to dress for your body shape, enhance your natural features and help you shop more efficiently, saving you a small fortune on unnecessary impulse buys and sale items.

You'll also discover what colours to wear and colour coordination tips, loads of tips and advice on fashion and style, planning a wardrobe on a budget to name just a few features.
How It Works:
At Istylista.com you can find out what looks best on you. Simply register and fill out a detailed questionnaire that outlines all of the factors that will help you find your style. Once you have finished that step you can download your style guide that will give you tips on what style jeans to wear, what colors flatter your skin tone, what types of jewelry go with the shape of your face and much more. Stay in style with Istylista.com.
More at:http://istylista.com/

AdToll is an Ad Management service providing the necessary tools for Publishers to effectively sell ads on their site

What Company Is Offering:
The AdToll team is dedicated to providing the best service available and to assist customers to achieve their goals. Mission Statement: To be the first choice Ad Management service for web site owners and to provide a healthy return on investment for Advertisers and Publishers.
How It Works:
AdToll gives more back to the Publisher than any similar service out there. Advertisers can purchase ads directly on Publisher sites or can purchase Run of Network ads which appear across the entire network, which can also be targeted. AdToll supports Publishers by offering text ads and banner ads in a plethora of different sizes. In addition, AdToll is known for its ability to, unlike other ad management services, to seamlessly blend advertisements with content to generate more revenue. AdToll is committed to providing the best service and is continually improving their service with new features and enhancements.
More at:http://www.adtoll.com/

AccuTracking provides a software for your cell phone that runs in the background and sends your positions to the remote server periodically

What Company is offering:
AccuTracking software turns your Motorola iDEN cell phones or RIM BlackBerry phones carried by Nextel, Boost Mobile, SouthernLINC or Telus MIKE (Canada) into a GPS tracking device. The AccuTracking online GPS cell phone tracking service lets you see real-time locations, speed, and headings of your children/family members or cars/vehicles, and receive email or SMS alerts when they move across the designated areas or exceeds speed limit. AccuTracking is your ultimate low cost real-time vehicle locator, child locator.
How It Works;
AccuTracking provides a software for your cell phone that runs in the background and sends your positions to the remote server periodically. Users then can view the real-time and history GPS data on a map at AccuTracking.com or via Microsoft MapPoint software. You can define areas so that when the phone enters or leaves the area, an alert message is sent out via email or SMS. A speed limit can also be set to trigger an alert message.
More at:http://www.accutracking.com/

Knovial is a complete online business platform

What Company is Offering:
InterScape is a full service web technology firm offering more than a decade of experience in developing innovative solutions, websites and applications. A broad range of businesses -- from modest start-ups to major corporations such as ATT/BellSouth, Siemens, Alltel and Scientific Atlanta -- have come to rely on InterScape’s extraordinary custom software, web-based content management, multimedia management and business intelligence platforms.
How It Works:
Knovial is a complete online business platform that combines online functions to create a single solution for business owners to access reporting, content management, custom forms, CRM, E-commerce, and communications. When it comes to business, your website is the window to the world. Utilize tools to manage all aspects of your business to maximize growth, productivity, and revenue. Very rarely do you have the opportunity to take advantage of a low cost robust solution. Knovial gives you that advantage to be free from webmasters and costly IT departments.
More at:http://www.knovial.com/