Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Realius.com----Fantasy Real estate games

What Company is About:
Realius, a San Francisco Bay Area start-up is,the Real Estate Gamester , online real-estate fantasy games.Games driven by real world places, homes and people,
fun, quick and easy, complete with expert advice to perfect your game.

How It Works:
Users can guess the asking prices of homes for sale, then see their accuracy ranking. Major League Investor lets them assemble property portfolios to make imaginary profits. And Fantasy Flip urges housing addicts to upload photos of their own homes and solicit guesses of how much an improvement will increase their value.

With home prices slumping nationally, it seems an odd time to roll out a real-estate game. But Teller has already lined up brokers eager to boost Web traffic and snag clients. "America is obsessed with real estate," he says, pointing to HGTV addicts. If he's right, online goof-offs may soon find a new home.
More at:http://www.realius.com/

Programmer Meet Designers

What Company is Offering:
This site is created to unite programmers and designers because rarely is a person good at both programming and designing. PMD helps programmers and designers partner up to make websites and web applications that look and work great.
Now content writers and entrepreneurs can also join up to find people to work with.
How It Works:
If you are a programmer looking for a designer to help you with one job, you would create a listing with the appropriate info. Then, designers would come by your listing and if they are interested, they will make an offer. Basically, an offer is them saying "I'd like to do this job". However, they may also have any questions, such as "Do I have to use Photoshop?" or "Can I get paid a little more?". Check your offers once in a while. If you see an offer that you like (i.e. you look at the designers portfolio and you like it), you click "Accept Offer". Then you may choose to trade emails or IM usernames with your partner or use this site for communication.
Its especially for:
* Programmers/Web Developers.
* Graphic/Interface Designers.
* Content Writers.
* Web Entrepreneurs.
More at:programmermeetdesigner.com/

Clever Hippo is a search engine for applications and widgets

What Company is Offering:
Clever Hippo is a search engine for applications and widgets. Their mission is to make it easier to find apps and widgets for whatever you're into. With the Clever Hippo application search you can search the thousands of applications that are available for your social network, mobile device, blog, home page, and desktop.

How It Works:

To find the most popular applications on Clever Hippo. Sort your search results by popularity to find the most popular apps.

It's also easy to voice your opinion. Click the Clever link (below the orange rating box) to vote-up your favorite apps.
Click the Add your App or Widget at the top of the page and follow the instructions.

To add your app you will need to provide a URL where our users can find and download your widget or app. That location can be a widget directory, your blog, or your website.
More at:http://www.cleverhippo.org/

With YouMonitor.Us, everyone monitors each other

What Company is Offering:
With YouMonitor.Us, everyone monitors each other. When your site is down or slow to respond, you'll know about it right away. That's an added security to know that your website is up and running and its business as usual.

The peer to peer website monitoring technology delivers a unique, global insight into how your website is responding to an ever-changing assortment of users in locations all over the world, right now, in real time. You'll know immediately if your site is down, and you'll have tools to fine tune how your site appears to respond to visitors from all over the world. Their basic services are entirely free, and while we will add pay services at the end of our public beta, they will always provide a robust and comprehensive collection of monitoring services free of charge, to anyone with a website.
How It Works:
YouMonitor will monitor it in exchange for participating and using their services. YouMonitor will in turn examine your site from the end user’s view point, report downtimes and speed, and tell you where and when your web alerts occur. All information is reported using easy to read and professional looking charts and graphs. Addititonally, you’ll get instant alerts should your website become unreachable or experience abnormal response times, 24x7 monitoring, and two modes of operation. There’s a free two week trial service. After that you can continue to use YouMonitor’s services by joining the free peer to peer network.
More at:http://youmonitor.us/

USF ,a boutique financial services firm for high-end financial advisors got $9 million in VC funding

What Company Is Offering:
USF ,a boutique financial services firm for high-end financial advisors.It helps financial advisors and financial institutions manage the complex needs of wealthy clients. The company's client base includes high-end financial advisors who seek to move toward more fee-based services and are interested in providing objective and sophisticated investment advice. USF supports a total of 120 financial advisors with an integrated offering of technology, operations, and compliance services with managed account, broker dealer, and alternative investment solutions.

How Much They Got From VCs:
They got $9 million in VC funding from firms like Advantage Capital Partners and Inter-Atlantic Group.
About VCs:
1.Advantage Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on investing in promising companies in connection with federal, state and local economic development efforts. With offices in Austin, New Orleans, St. Louis and other cities, Advantage has raised more than $800 million in institutional venture capital since 1992 and invested in companies located in geographic areas underserved by traditional venture capital. For more information: www.advantagecap.com .
More at:http://www.usfiduciary.com/

MobiMate --a leading provider of travel services for mobile devices gotfinancing led by Motorola Ventures

What Company is Offering:
MobiMate Ltd, a leading provider of travel services for mobile devices.
MobiMate's WorldMate Live is a mobile travel service that supports travelers by providing information and transaction capabilities on their mobile devices and PCs. The service includes a web 2.0 travel planning site and a mobile application to provide real-time, on-the-road travel support. With the ability to import travel booking information from third party travel providers, WorldMate allows for a simplified and seamless travel experience for users on-the-go.
How It Works:
Its best-selling WorldMate service offers an easy-to-use application that automatically delivers valuable content and services to users' cell phones, turning their mobile devices into a personal travel assistant. Removing stress and paperwork from the travel experience while saving time and money, it puts the traveler's itinerary alongside flight status updates, flight schedules, weather, forecasts and currency information in subscribers' hands in real-time
How Much They Got From VCs:
They completed of a round of financing led by Motorola Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT). Motorola, Inc. joins MobiMate's current investor group which includes John Sculley, former CEO of Apple Computer; serial entrepreneur Richard Rosenblatt, investment banker Michael Price of Evercore Partners, Michael Targoff, CEO of Loral Space & Communications and several other prominent industry veterans.
More at:http://www.mobimate.com/

Skyscanner--The First Flight Search Engine Got £2.5 million In VCs Funding

What Company is Offering:
Skyscanner, has developed innovative proprietary search engine technology which already allows consumers to obtain instant online comparisons on fares from more than 180 airlines to more than 5,000 destinations.It plans to become the first flight search engine in the world to cover every scheduled flight, including budget and chartered airlines as well as major carriers. The website www.skyscanner.net which is free to use, is already generating profits and attracting around one million price enquiries a day.
How it Works:
Skyscanner operates a flexible easy-to-use system, allowing users to browse fare and flight information without having to specify their date of travel. It does not sell tickets but has direct links with airlines’ websites, removing the need to re-enter data. It offers a Multi-Hop flight search facility and suggestions for short and longer break destinations.
How Much They Got From VCs:
They got £2.5 million first round funding package from leading venture capital group Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) to expand its rapidly-growing air travel site into the world’s most comprehensive easy-to-use flight search engine.

What VCs Says:
“Skyscanner has the potential to become a world leader in the travel sector which is one of the web’s hottest consumer transaction areas. The company has a talented management team, underpinned by smart technology and a highly scaleable business model.”
How is It Different:
Skyscanner already has commercial links with the majority of European airlines and is now targeting global coverage. The company is preparing for rapid growth as more routes are added to its database which displays search results in 20 different languages.
More at:http://www.skyscanner.net/

Fortisphere got $10 million in series A round funding by Fairhaven Capital Partners and Globespan Capital Partners

What Company is Offering:
Fortisphere is a leading provider of virtual machine lifecycle management software that facilitates the rapid expansion of virtual infrastructures through greater visibility, granular control, and best practices.Fortisphere is built on a culture of creativity, technological rigor, and market innovation. Unique among its peers, Fortisphere has created patent-pending solutions that were built expressly to address the operational challenges associated with virtualization.

How It Works:
Fortisphere empowers enterprises to more intelligently grow their virtual machine deployments by providing the visibility, granular control and best practices required to ensure virtualized environments operate efficiently, effectively and securely. By tracking, reporting and managing both online and offline virtual machines, Fortisphere helps accelerate virtualization adoption.


How Much They Got From VCs:
They got $10 million in series A round funding. The round was co-led by Fairhaven Capital Partners and Globespan Capital Partners.

How They Will Use Funding:

The company will use the funding to further product development, grow its sales team and increase its market visibility.
IDC predicts that the virtualization market will reach $11.7 billion over the next four years and that by the end of this year, about half of the world's 4.2 million servers will be virtualized," said Paul L. Ciriello, managing partner, Fairhaven Capital Partners. "While this dramatic growth has resulted in cost and operational gains for companies, it has also triggered a need for data center management tools purpose-built for virtualized environments. Fortisphere fills this urgent market need by providing a unique means for organizations to more efficiently manage their virtual machine deployments."
More at:http://www.fortisphere.com/

SnapYap.com---Instant Video Calling

What Company is Offering:
At SnapYap.com, video conferencing and messaging is accessible to computer users of all levels. All you need is an internet connection and a webcam, and you too can experience the excitement of video communication.
How it Works:
As a SnapYapTM user, you can:

Participate in live video calls in your browser .
Send and receive video messages .
Embed the SnapYapTM application directly into your webpage to record video messages .
Instantly connect with friends and family through video technology .
More at:http://www.snapyap.com/

Online Free DVD Collections

What Company is Offering:
Access Your Entire DVD Collection from anywhere with this completely online and completely Free DVD collection program. There's no software to download, which means no annoying software updates. Their DVD Catalog program is integrated into The Online Movie Forums. Interact with each title in your DVD collection as you edit in Movie Trailers, Clips, DVD Easter Eggs, Ratings, Comments, and more. Browse some of the catalog's features listed below and be sure to check out the New Collections shown on the right.
How it Works:
Join The Online Movie Forums. Become part of one of the largest movie discussion forums online.
Search for and Add DVDs to Your Collection. Login to the forums with your username and password. Use the search box at the top of this page or any collection page to begin. Your collection is created when you add your first DVD.
More at:http://www.chasingthefrog.com/

Egglad.com is an integrated casual game and shopping site based on the innovative concept of G-commerce

What Company Is Offering:
Egglad.com is an integrated casual game and shopping site based on the innovative concept of G-commerce. This site aims to foster a game fan community where members enjoy our free fun games and meet with new friends, and at the same time play the many games to earn points, called "Eggs" and "Chicks", in our affinity point system, which can be redeemed for a wide variety of products, entered into Daily Lucky Draw, and used to participate in other designated activities.
How It Works:

"Eggs" refer to the game points you earned within the same day. "Eggs" could be used to buy tickets to enter Daily Lucky Draw. At the end of the day the remaining Eggs in your balance will convert to "Chicks", or total accumulated points.
By playing the free Egglad games you can gain game score which will then automatically convert to Eggs. Due to different skill levels and complexities, Egglad.com has developed a conversion system that standardizes exchange of score of different games to Eggs. Alternatively, you will be credited with extra Eggs by referring friends to sign up as new members, achieving high rankings in featured games, or taking part in other designated programs. All unused Eggs will be counted as Chicks on the ensuing day for shopping and posting/accepting challenges.
More at:http://egglad.com/

ZipLocal---Business Search Local

What Company is Offering:
ZipLocal makes it easy to find what you want in the neighbourhood or city you need it… from the most broad to the most specific searches. ZipLocal puts the consumer experience first, from the site design to the relevancy of business search results.
How It Works:
ZipLocal provides relevant search results from over 1.3million businesses with maps and capability for users to review, rate and tag business listings. ZipLocal is focused on creating the most comprehensive and engaging search experience at the neighbourhood and city-wide level.

From small retailer to large national brands, ZipLocal delivers the search results that matter most to the consumer, making businesses more relevant to their lives. Through user-defined search criteria, ZipLocal delivers accurate business listings that convert searching users into paying customers. ZipLocal is the only "made in Canada" local search site to successfully bridge a traditional business directory with the consumer-generated input required to be the next go-to search destination.

ZipLocal is the fresh, new, innovative, friendly, focused and inspiring answer to local search.

How is It different:
Content: Business listing information provided by advertising clients. Content also exists as user-generated provided by ZipPeople or third-party content provided by partners or reviewers.

Local Search: What ZipLocal does better than anyone in Canada. ZipLocal takes traditional search to the hyper-local level by combining Canadian business listings and maps with user input to create the most relevant search experience.

Tag: ZipLocal users are encouraged to provide specific keywords or search terms that are most relevant to a business listing, making it easier for all ZipLocal users to find what they want.

ZipPeople: ZipLocal registered users who review, rate and tag business listings are called ZipPeople. ZipPeople may be featured with a profile on the ZipPeople page or receive ZipPoints as they are relied upon for their opinions about the businesses included in the ZipLocal directory.
More at:http://www.ziplocal.com/

Monday, November 19, 2007

Paglo is the world's first search engine for IT

What company is offering:
Paglo is the world's first search engine for IT. Think Google for IT. Use the open source crawler and discover everything about your computers, network
and users. And then answer virtually any question before you're running around
like your hair's on fire.
How It Works:
Paglo collects data across all IT silos, and indexes it to uncover the relationships between data from different components. Paglo pulls all this data together, and slaps it into shape. A two-pronged shape, to be exact: unstructured and semi-structured. And then hands you a powerful search tool to get what you need out of it.

Because Paglo can treat the information as unstructured, you can use search to find relationships between data from different components. You see, structured information works well when the problems to be solved are known. But as we know, this isn't usually the case when you're troubleshooting. That's why you need to be able to use simple, natural-language searches, just like you do today with your favorite search engine.
After you download it, you set the open source Paglo Crawler to run on your network on any desktop computer or server. It crawls your network and IT assets and gathers information, which it then securely uploads to your private Paglo Search Index in our telco-grade datacenter.

Only you or other individuals that you authorize can then use your Paglo Web account to query your Paglo Search Index, display the results as charts, lists, or tables. And, if it's something you want to check daily, you can save it onto a Dashboard that continuously self-updates as the Crawler uploads fresh data.
More at:http://www.paglo.com/

Momail---Free Mobile Mail For Everyone

What Company Is Offering:
The business concept of Momail is to offer a free and global e-mail service for mobile devices. Through own developed technology (patent pending), Momail will make reality of optimal e-mail management for all mobile units. With a strong brand concept, the ambition is to become a leader in the market. Their vision is that mobile communication will be synonymous with - Momail.
Momail, a Swedish start-up has announced its free mobile email service in UK. The benefits include hassle free configuration, usage of existing email clients and availability on widest choice of cellphone models.

How It Works:

Momail makes use of the existing email client available on most mobile phones. This means that users do not need to download and install an application to their phone. One just registers by providing one’s country, mobile number, model of phone and operator via Momail’s web or WAP site. Then, Momail does the rest. One SMS confirms handset ownership, while a second automatically configures the data, email and access settings. At that point, the user can add their favorite email accounts (Yahoo, .mac, Gmail, Hotmail or ISP/Pop3) which Momail can pick-up and deliver to their phone.
More at:http://www.momail.se/

Jajah Direct----Call Anywhere In World Without Internet Connection

What company is Offering:
JAJAH is dedicated to bringing the world vastly improved telephony solutions at a fraction of the traditional price. They want to provide basic phone calls for free - and they truly believe it’s possible. They believe that by bringing together the best of the internet with the best of the traditional telephone industry they will be able to provide their customers with unique new solutions, solutions never before possible, at a price they’ll find irresistible.
Jajah is taking its VoIP service to the next level, by offering access sans an Internet connection. It’s new feature is called Jajah Direct, which lets you call local numbers directly from any phone in order to make global calls. With options for direct-dialing local access numbers, there’s one more step that’s removed for users in the act of making cheap calls on a global scale.
How It Works:
A JAJAH Button on your website, your blog, your ongoing auction or your e-mail signature allows people in your online network to call you - while keeping your phone number private.
You’ll be connected to a unique local number for each of your contacts, which can be stored in your mobile phone for even easier calling options. This looks like another good feature that Jangl could be taking advantage of with the new partnership between Jangl and Jajah, especially as Jangl will be using Jajah’s infrastructure for better global access.
More at:http://www.jajah.com/

Via-Mashable

Oodle ---a whole new way to shop classifieds

What Company is Offering:
Bringing together more than 30 million listings from over 80,000 classifieds sites, Oodle improves the way people buy and sell locally by offering the most comprehensive search, convenient email alerts and information to empower classifieds shoppers to make better buying decisions.
How It Works:
Arming consumers with powerful search, shopping tools and market information, Oodle enables shoppers to find exactly what they're looking for and to make smarter buying decisions.
Hot deals move quickly in classifieds. On Oodle, users simply say what they want and then receive email updates the minute new listings are posted.Oodle shares valuable local information on pricing and inventory so that consumers can recognize a good deal when they see it. The data is accurate and is updated daily. Oodle also offers fraud protection to alert users if a listing seems suspicious.Too many useful things sit in garages or end up in landfills. Users can put their stuff back to work by giving it to a local charity or neighbor. Oodle offers information on local charities and tips on how to donate. You can use Oodle to learn who picks up, what goods an organization will take and more!
More at:http://www.oodle.com/

Google Closer to Mobile Airwaves Bid

Google Inc (GOOG) is considering bidding alone on coveted airwaves to launch a U.S. wireless network, as a deadline nears to declare bidding plans, sources familiar with the situation said.

One source underscored that Google had made no decision as of Friday on whether it would bid with partners or on its own in the auction of 700-megahertz spectrum due to begin January 24.

Bidding could pit Google against top wireless carriers AT&T Inc (T) and Verizon Wireless, owned jointly by Verizon Communications Inc (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD).

Going it alone at the government auction of airwaves would not rule out later signing up partners if Google were to win the necessary spectrum to create a network, the source said.

Google executives discussed the auction last week with Federal Communications Commission officials, including FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, sources familiar with the meeting said.

At the talks, executives for the Web search leader gave the impression of "inching more towards" a bid, one source said.

Another said it is "within the realm of possibility" that partners could be brought on later if Google wins. Google has talked to a number of prospective partners, not just carriers.

Google is "making all the necessary preparations to become an applicant to bid in the auction" ahead of a December 3 deadline for applying to participate, a spokesman said in a statement.

"From the company's perspective, the overriding factor is how to foster more openness in networks. That is certainly the driving factor in our thinking about bidding on the spectrum."

The 700-MHz band airwaves, which are being returned by broadcasters as they move from analog to digital signals early in 2009, can go long distances and penetrate thick walls. The auction is seen as a last chance for a new wireless player.

Google is considering funding a bid not only from its growing cash pile but by working with Wall Street. Outside financing would reduce its need for partners, one source said.

Google has said it would be prepared to bid at least $4.6 billion for the biggest chunk of spectrum if regulators agreed to policies to promote open use of such networks.

Google won half of what it asked: The FCC imposed a condition on a large portion of the spectrum that would require the winning bidder to open up networks to allow consumers to use any device or applications that works on those frequencies.

But the FCC did not require open access to network capacity to be resold to independent mobile service providers on a wholesale basis, another Google request.

Under the auction terms, if no one meets the $4.6 billion minimum bid, the auction for the open-access portion of the spectrum would be rerun without the open-access conditions.

One strategy Google is considering is to bid on a chunk of airwaves known as "D Block" that would be shared with public safety providers, as well as the more flexible, open-access piece of "C Block" spectrum.

One source said Google has met with SirenCall, a company charged with managing public safety agency use of spectrum.

Google unveiled this month plans to offer software for building Internet-ready cell phones in an alliance of network operators and device and software makers. The first phones to result from it are due out in mid-2008, partners say.

Stifel Nicolaus analyst Blair Levin said Google is likely to apply to participate in the FCC auction and pay a required deposit later in December. Such moves would not guarantee it will submit a bid, but Levin thinks the company will do so.

Even if Google does bid, Levin said, it may not be designed to actually win the auction, but rather to make sure the FCC's minimum is met and the open-access provision stays in place.

John Hodulik, telecoms analyst with brokerage UBS in New York, said Google's entry into the highly competitive market will hurt the four big incumbents: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel Corp (S) and Deutsche Telekom AG's (DTEGn) T-Mobile USA.

But it could also prove painful for Google. He estimated it would cost an $8 billion to $10 billion more to build another nationwide wireless network, not to mention heavy capital spending to keep up with constant evolutions in the market.

Hodulik said such cost considerations could hugely depress Google's highly valued stock, which trades about 33 times what analysts, on average, expect it to earn next year. Google shares closed on Friday up $3.98, or 0.6 percent, at $633.63.
Via-BNET

They Build A Four Million Dollars Business With One Hundred Bucks

When Max Durovic and Michael Kenny were in high school, they had after-school jobs advertising for local businesses with sandwich board signs they strapped to their bodies and carried around the San Diego area. But the duo, who were both athletic, became bored with the traditional approach, so they started to do tricks with the signs, spinning them around and tossing them into the air to attract attention. Their antics captured prospective customers' attention. By 2002 the pair had started their own business, Aarrow Advertising, with $100. They developed (and copyrighted) a number of athletic routines that involved manipulating six-foot-long arrow-shaped advertisements, turning the human wielding the sign into an advertising spectacle.

Durovic says Aarrow Advertising now employs 40 full-timers and 460 part-timers who range between 16 and 25 years old. New employees start at $10 an hour and get raises based on the number of tricks they master. Durovic says Aarrow had $2.3 million in sales in 2006 and projects $4.2 million this year. He says the company, which has done advertising for a range of products including Vitamin Water and Bud Light and been mentioned on numerous talk shows, plans to sell franchises in the beginning of 2008 in the U.S. and abroad.
More at:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGVKLP2MsAvVBgQHbxnTqND25Jp1qz7ByZMNePLSoDpC0rzAhfag0ockk8bHCtII3L5MxCuzHAsDk61Yp0NYVbOU4jFtr-eDW5bBJgbDfHkjemqz9p0pygizU5q480YHnQKbwiOQATV0/s1600-h/Arrow+Advertising.jpg
Via-Uncommon

Backchannelmedia Got $9.5 Million For Digital Tv Advertising

What Company is About:
Backchannelmedia's technology will integrate the direct marketing, Internet advertising and television advertising industries into one platform.
Boston-based Backchannelmedia Inc., a provider of advanced software solutions for the TV advertising industry, was founded in 2000 as the pre-eminent provider of information and technologies that transform existing media marketing and advertising business models from those which are managed by sampling and estimation to those which are completely accountable. The company is a supply chain integrator that transforms existing consumer product purchasing models from those which are fragmented across disparate channels to those which will be seamlessly integrated and provide an innovative and intuitive customer experience.
How It Works:
Backchannelmedia is currently designing a 'continuous loop' software system that merges direct marketing and television ad buying software into one platform driven by an automated ad delivery system and an optimized recommendation engine. The system uses actual consumer responses and sales data to produce an ROI breakdown for each advertisement. The company anticipates that this system will change Internet search, television advertising and direct marketing - ushering in a new information age.

How Much They Got From VCs:
Backchannelmedia received a total of $9.5 Million over time from unidentified investors.
More at:http://www.backchannelmedia.com/

MediaMelon is a Internet TV application that makes watching video entertainment easier and more enjoyable

What Company is offering:
MediaMelon is a Internet TV application that makes watching video entertainment easier and more enjoyable. They bring you great shows at the best possible picture quality and create a new way to watch TV.
How It Works;
MediaMelon is a video delivery network. You have to install a plug-in on the computer where you wish to view MediaMelon videos. The plug-in ensures that the videos are kept encrypted (so that the content owners can be comfortable in providing videos to get published on MediaMelon). The plug-in also has the intelligence to automatically record videos as and when the friends in your network refer videos to you. In addition, when videos are published to channels that you have subscribed to, those videos automatically get downloaded and are available.
How is It Different:
It is unlikely that you would be able to see high-quality videos on several sites, such as YouTube, because the technology that they use (streaming video) cannot ensure that the video quality will be good. MediaMelon’ technology is based on video downloads, which means that the videos you see are guaranteed to be at their original quality.
If you subscribe to your favorite channels on MediaMelon, you will get the episodes within those channels automatically, as soon as new episodes are published.
more at:http://www.mediamelon.com/

Simulscribe is a voice-recognition tool that’s using its technology to convert your voicemail into text messages

What Company is Offering:
Simulscribe is a voice-recognition tool that’s using its technology to convert your voicemail into text messages, and sends it directly to your mobile phone or email address. They deliver your transcribed voicemail, along with the original audio, to your mobile phone, PDA, and/or email account. This process streamlines your communication flow, saving you both time and money.
How it Works:
SimulScribe converts your voicemail into text messages and then sends them directly to your mobile phone, Blackberry, Goodlink enabled phone and/or your email account.
You can instantly see who has called and what they said, whether you are sitting in a business meeting or traveling on the road. Your voicemail functionality does not change; it can still be listened to and stored for later use.
SimulScribe works with all Major U.S. carriers and networks including: AT&T, Alltell, Cincinnati Bell, Sprint, Skype, T-Mobile, Verizon, Virgin and more.
Use SimulScribe to unify your mobile, home and work phones into one unlimited voicemail box and read your voicemail from any of your phone numbers - anywhere.


How Is It different:
It’s not limited to your mobile phone, either. Any voicemail box can be connected to your SimulScribe account, and delivered via email or text message, meaning you can stay on top of things while you’re on a call, in a place where you can’t take a call, or are away from home but find it less time consuming to read your messages rather than dial into a voicemail box and listen to them one-by-one.
More at:http://simulscribe.com/

quarterlife.com

What Company is Offering:
quarterlife.com, the social network, is devoted to facilitating that same coming of age as the series. Along with community building, it provides resources in all the areas of life that affect those in their twenties – careers, love, health, finances, education, activism.
quarterlife is the new online series from Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, the creative team behind “My So-Called Life,” “thirtysomething,” “Legends of the Fall,” and “Blood Diamond.” It is the first time a true, network-quality series has been produced directly for the Internet. And it’s the first time an independent project of this distinction has been owned and controlled by its creators.
How It Works:
An animated “Portfolio,” a way to present various forms of media – be they videos, photos, music, or writing.
“My Studio,” a workspace and repository for all uploaded media, where soon the users will have tools to write, edit photos and videos, and organize their creative efforts.
“My Private Studio” where works that aren’t ready to be shared, or are too intimate to share, can be safely kept.
Compelling, informative on schools, grants, and techniques, as well as channels for many issues such as love, sex, health, and activism, where users and experts will be able to post content.
Participatory features that will invite the online community to be involved with the ongoing creation of the quarterlife series. Members of the community will be encouraged to upload their own videos and blogs, etc.
In quarterlife Herkovitz and Zwick take on those crucial years between 20 and 30, when so many of life’s important decisions are made. quarterlife tells the ongoing stories of six creative people in their twenties. As with their earlier series, at the center of quarterlife is a commitment to realism, the recognition of universal human themes through the truthful depiction of the way young people speak, work, think, love, argue, and just goof around.

Starting with Dylan, a young woman whose overly truthful video blog (on quarterlife.com of course) spills the closest secrets of her friends, the show’s characters – filmmakers Danny and Jed, actress-bartender Lisa, geek-extraordinaire Andy, and still-tied-to-her-parents Debra – chart the sometimes excruciating, sometimes comic, often emotional experiences that comprise coming of age in the 21st Century.
Where and When to Watch

quarterlife debuts on MyspaceTV.com on November 11, 2007, and on quarterlife.com on November 12th. Also, the series will be made available to other partners such as YouTube, Facebook, and Imeem, one week after each episode airs on MySpace.

MySpaceTV will air the first 36 webisodes of quarterlife. Each webisode will be about eight minutes long, and two episodes will air every week, on Thursdays and Sundays.
More at:http://quarterlife.com/

MyThings has added a clever feature for the holiday season

What Company is Offering:
MyThings is a social shopping site , allowing users to appraise the valuation of items, show off their products, and browse the profiles of other users of the site. They have built in links to the major shopping comparison engines so you can see the sale price of items at a variety of online outlets. MyThings is for people with too much stuff. Or, conversely, people who don’t have that much, but really like what they own.
How It Works:
They’re a free service that helps you organize your possessions online, whether that’s electronics, jewelry, antiques, or your vast collection of Smurfs action figures. They also provide services like valuation, accessories, manuals, repair info, recycling, donation, a one-click sell-on-eBay feature, and an easy way to report to Trace, a global database of lost or stolen goods.
New Added Features For Holiday Season:
MyThings has added a clever feature for the holiday season: the ability to anonymously ask people what they think of your gift idea. To do so, you add an item from the MyThings product catalog to your gift list and can then send the intended recipient the gift idea. The recipient then logs in to MyThings and lets you know how they feel about the gift (“love it, like it, or so-so”). The site requires the recipient to signup for a MyThings account in order to vote – a restriction that ought to be removed.
More at:http://www.mythings.com

synthasite got $5 million in Series A funding from Columbus Venture Capital

What Company is Offering:
Their goal is to create a unique website building experience for everyone that wants to publish content onto the web.
How It Works:
You can work with the tools available within its service, which easily arrange text, images, badges and buttons to create a professional-looking site. There are a few items available by default, such as a YouTube video or a Flickr photo search, which can be added into your design as well.

Build your website in minutes with no programming knowledge.
Get started quickly with our growing template library.
Over a dozen site templates to start building with.
Free hosting & free domain name.
Download your site & host it yourself if you want.

How Much They Got In VCs Funding:
They got $5 million in Series A funding from Columbus Venture Capital. Like many startups before it, Synthasite’s mission is to let users with no HTML or design skills create web pages.


More at:http://www.synthasite.com/

UnLtdWorld.com---Connecting Social Entrepreneurs

What Company Is Offering:
UnLtdWorld is an online platform that aims to connect social entrepreneurs and enable them to share content and build collaborative value, raise the visibility of ideas, issues and projects, and help generate greater positive impact in the real world.UnLtdWorld empowers people to generate greater social impact in the real world by enabling them to share, shape and build knowledge, markets and communities through social networks.
How It Works:
On UnLtdWorld you can connect with other socially-minded people, search and share resources and opportunities, find and list services and products, share answers to key questions, create and join groups, support inspiring projects, and lots more.

On the site you can control which information you share, set how it's displayed and who can see it.

UnLtdWorld is a project of UnLtd - the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs. UnLtd's mission is to reach out and unleash the energies of people who can transform the world in which they live. We call these people social entrepreneurs.

UnLtdWorld was developed by Curverider on their next generation social platform, in collaboration with UnLtd and designed by Pete Harris.
More at:http://unltdworld.com/

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Unusual Profitable Business Idea

Who: Jennifer Gilbert, 38, and Robin Stein, 39, of Heartbeat Products Inc.
What: PortaMEe, a New York City-based line of high-style baby carriers
How Much: About $600,000 in 2007 Sales

In 2004, Robin Stein was a stay-at-home mom with a 21-pound 6-month-old and an aching back. She tried all types of baby carriers but didn't like the way they fit or looked. Because Stein had previously worked in product development and merchandising, "developing product was a sport," she says. She began sketching ideas for a carrier that rested the baby on the hip. "A hip carrier is more natural, and kids develop faster when they make eye contact with you and you can see what they're doing," she explains.

In the fall of 2005, Stein posted a note on Craigslist looking for people who knew how to sew structured handbags and work with leather. She then spent more than a year making prototypes. When she started wearing the PortaMEe, "people were handing me their cards and telling me to call them when I started selling," she says.

Stein had met Jennifer Gilbert in November 2004, when she joined a women entrepreneurs' group. In mid-2006, Gilbert signed on to fund the business and become a 50 percent owner. "Sales is not my strength, but Jennifer is a genius at sales," says Stein. "I had a list of my top 10 dream accounts. [Thanks to Jennifer,] by the end of 2006, we were in many of our top 10, including Bergdorf Goodman, Best & Co., Giggle, Neiman Marcus and Takashimaya."

Because the market was crowded at the mass price point, they decided to price PortaMEe higher than most baby carriers and target higher-end retailers. So far, the strategy has paid off: The company was recently forced to turn orders down until new shipments arrived.

With a co-branded product with Pottery Barn Kids and a new infant headrest that both launched in September, Stein and Gilbert have plans to move into a new fulfillment center and are looking to raise more capital to fund growth.
More at:http://www.portamee.com/
Via-Uncommon

ChaCha-- the first search engine that uses the brainpower of really smart people to find anything you want on the Internet got $8 million

What Company is offering:
ChaCha , the first search engine that uses the brainpower of really smart people to find anything you want on the Internet.ChaCha offers a standard search engine, but it gives users the option to tap an army of about 15,000 guides to provide free live chat designed to help zero in on information. ChaCha mobile’s human guides will provide a full menu of information, from sports scores to the location of a good Thai restaurant in a particular locale.

How It Works:
One click hooks you up with a live ChaCha Guide. A real person that will ask you questions, understand exactly what you want, and send you results that are dead-on. Computers can't do that. It takes a community of people who are motivated to help you get the answer you seek - no matter what it takes. The brainpower behind ChaCha.

How Is It Different:

Their Guides know the Internet inside and out. They save, rate and update the results of every search and handpick the best sites. So when you request a search, whether it's an Instant Search or a Live Guided Search, you get results that our Guides and lots of other ChaCha-ers have already checked out.



How Much They Got From VCs Funding:

They got $8 million from former Perot Systems CEO Morton Meyerson.
The Carmel, Indiana, company also received a $2 million grant from Indiana’s 21st Century Technology Fund, giving ChaCha $10 million on top of a $6.5 million first round led by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos in 2006.

About VCs:
Mr. Meyerson is the former president of Electronic Data Systems and chairman and chief executive of Perot Systems, both founded by former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. Mr. Meyerson’s investment firm, 2M Companies, has invested in companies including Cozymel’s Mexican Grill and web radio company AudioNet, which staged an initial public offering as Broadcast.com and later was acquired by Yahoo.
More at:http://www.chacha.com/

Yugma is a free web collaboration service that enables people to instantly connect over the internet

What Company is Offering:
Yugma is a free web collaboration service that enables people to instantly connect over the internet to communicate and share content and ideas using any application or software. Whether you are using Windows, Mac or Linux computer, you can connect on-demand and real-time with co-workers, clients, friends and family -- regardless of whether they are across the city, nation or even the globe.
How It Works:
Yugma is the only online meeting and collaboration venue that offers complete encryption capabilities and the ability to host meetings securely from your work station, as well as enabling shared or read-only document controls. This true security makes Yugma ideal for public or private communication.
Yugma offers universal, cross-platform collaboration with complete security protection.
In Yugma you enjoy complete, simultaneous use of a shared desktop - not the "view only" or save and forward capabilities of other applications.Yugma offers shared server-based environments based on project groups and shared project space so you can share data online/offline. Yugma adapts to organizational security models (AD or LDAP).Since the Yugma desktop solution is platform and software agnostic, all you need is your laptop or PC and you're ready to go. Yugma works in any environment: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
More at:https://www.yugma.com/

Scriggle-it is the ultimate music marketing and fan management solution

What Company is Offering:
Scriggle-it is the ultimate music marketing and fan management solution for any musician. What's that mean? For starters, Scriggle-it is built around a robust email list management tool, written from the ground up for musicians. Scriggle-it allows you to easily stay in touch with your fans, and look good doing it! And, what's more, we're continually adding new features to help you promote and market your music to your fans, as well as venues and labels. Use Scriggle-it to announce anything: a show, a new song, or that you just learned to tie your shoes.
How It Works:
With Scriggle Mail, you can easily send email campaigns to your fans, optionally using geo-location to specify which fans you would like to target. Additionally, you can choose from a plethora of great-looking email templates.
Scriggle Code — A snippet of HTML code that allows fans to easily join your mailing list from your site, or your MySpace, Purevolume, or other social network site profile.
Share your biography, pics, audio, videos (coming soon), and stage requirements (also coming soon) with potential venues, producers, and labels through our Electronic Press Kit feature.
More at:http://www.scriggleit.com/

Kaneva---an extension of socialization and entertainment in the real world---Virtual World But Real Friends--

What Company is Offering:
Kaneva is the first virtual entertainment world that unifies the 2D web with a 3D experience. Kaneva is the first to integrate social networking, shared media, and collaborative online communities into a modern-day, immersive 3D Virtual World.
Built for the masses, Kaneva is an extension of socialization and entertainment in the real world. Kaneva has been designed from the ground up with ease-of-use, fun and entertainment top-of-mind.
Kaneva is the only place where Profiles, Media and Communities are teleported from the 2D web into a modern-day 3D Virtual World with their own virtual spaces.

How It Works:

The 3D Virtual World of Kaneva is consistently set in the modern day where members use their true identity in order to share their real-world interests and establish authentic connections and friendships.

Kaneva is also the first virtual world where everyone has their own 3D persona (an avatar) and a 3D home. Kaneva members can easily customize their avatars to look like them as well as decorate their virtual spaces to reflect their own style. With their own Media Libraries, members can take their favorite uploaded videos, photos, music, and games from their Profiles of the Kaneva web site and easily import them into their 3D home. In just seconds they can program their in-world TV to play their favorite shows or home videos and place their favorite photos in picture frames on the walls. Members can even change the patterns of most furniture, walls, and floors to really make their home unique.

All Kaneva online Communities also get their own 3D hang-outs -- including theaters, media rooms or other virtual meeting places -- extending the community experience to 3D where they can meet up and interact through live 3D chat.
More at:http://www.kaneva.com/

A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar----Brand Yourself

What Company is Offering:

A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an 80×80 pixel avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. Avatars help identify your posts on web forums.

How It Works:

Signing up for a gravatar.com account is FREE, and all that's required is your email address. Once you've signed up you can upload your avatar image and soon after you'll start seeing it on gravatar enabled weblogs!
Setting up gravatars on your weblog is easy, you don't even need an account! Plugins are available for leading weblog software, and our tutorials will have you running gravatars in no time. To request a gravatar from our servers, you simply add an image to your comments area with an "src" attribute that points to our gravatar image generator and includes an MD5 hash of the commenter's email address. Since all gravatars are rated with an MPAA style rating, you can restrict your site to show only gravatars whose content you are comfortable with.
Gravatars give regular folks a way to brand themselves in the blogosphere—every time you post a comment or participate in any way on a blog, you beloved avatar will show up, leaving your mark upon the net. The avatars are simple 80x80 pixel images—you’ll need to upload your very own as no defaults are provided. Plugins are available for most blog platforms (Movable Type, WordPRess, Blogger, LiveJournal, for example). It’s free to use but you will need to sign up first to get results.
More at:http://site.gravatar.com/

Directory of Hotels is an independent guide of hotels and travel information

What Company Is Offering:
Directory of Hotels is an independent guide of hotels and travel information created by a team of people with a love for travel. The hotels within our directory represent something unique, special enough to give it our stamp of approval.
How It Works:
This site employs a team of well heeled travelers who only seek the most exotic and elegant stays across the globe. You won’t find your ordinary list of chain hotels and brand name luxury spots. At Directory, you’ll get hotels for all needs and whims—vacationers, business men, weekend get aways, or for the perpetual traveler. To find your hotel simple input a destination (city, province, etc), date, and number of guests. Book through the site for countless discounts. If you’re in need of some advice consult the staff, or check out the Hot List and browse the site’s most beloved additions to the directory.
More at:http://www.directoryofhotels.com/

Saturday, November 17, 2007

ON Networks ---For Tv,Videos On demand

What Company is Offering:
ON Networks has set out to change the way traditional TV programs are created, distributed, consumed and monetized.

They deliver high-definition shows on-demand across multiple digital platforms, including the Internet, digital cable, IPTV, and various mobile and gaming devices.

How It Works:

ON Networks is a new digital media company that is built around the
shifts in how TV shows are created, distributed, viewed and monetized.

Put simply, an ON show is coming to pretty much every glowing screen
near you – from TV to computer to mobile device.

We've created a haven for smart, engaging and entertaining programs for
every pastime and pursuit. And since we believe in the future of our
content, we ensure that all shows are produced in glorious HD.
More at:http://www.onnetworks.com/

YOU BE THE VC-----Powered By Your Ideas

What Company is offering:
Bang Ventures is a New York based investment firm with offices in Cambridge and is focused on early stage emerging technology companies. Bang Ventures isn't a VC firm. They help smart and driven people co-found fantastic new companies, providing entrepreneurs with a roof over their heads, mentoring, a deep network of contacts, marketing support, professional services and other technical support....and yes, funding as well.

How It Works:
Bang Ventures gets into the projects at the inception phase, evaluating opportunities and empowering entrepreneurs to develop strong companies. The firm is currently focused on investing in North America and Eastern/Central Europe in sectors ranging from Web 2.0 to clean tech to medical devices.
Bang Ventures is making an open call for entrepreneurs to submit their ideas for new start-ups -- then they'll let the public decide on the next three companies we fund….after several rounds of tasks, analysis, and video pitches. That is You Be The VC in a nutshell.


Essentially the three selected companies get a company to run. Winners will get financing, programming/web development, expert mentoring, office space, legal, accounting, administrative and marketing support, as well as a stipend to live and work in Cambridge.




Who is Behind The Company:
Mark is a seasoned technology entrepreneur, executive, investor and visionary. He Co-founded New Europe Ventures, a Polish-based Venture Capital firm, as well as the Benet Group, Leonardo BioSystems, Lux Research, and the NanoBusiness Alliance. He has served as a senior executive at NanoDynamics (and continues to advise the company), Opion, GolinHarris and NRW. In addition, he has consulted for companies ranging from NanoSys to Engelhard to Mastercard to Yahoo to eSpeed to Pixar to DaimlerChrysler.

Mark is a member of the Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group to the President Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST). He is among the most well known figures in technology and was recognized by Forbes as a "powerbroker" and has been featured in Time, Newsweek, US News, ABC, BBC, NY Times, Business Week, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, among others. Mark also appeared regularly as CNBC technology commentator and on occasion as a co-host of SquawkBox.
More at:http://www.youbethevc.com/

Iovation--to prevent online fraud, abusive behavior, and unauthorized access to online services got $10 million from Intel Capital

What Company is Offering:
iovation Reputation Services are built on an advanced device identification and reputation management platform to prevent online fraud, abusive behavior, and unauthorized access to online services. The system flags suspicious and hard-to-spot associations among online accounts/transactions and devices. Members of our reputation network benefit from sharing fraud intelligence to proactively stop known offenders.
iovation Reputation Services consist of several solutions built on the underlying reputation management platform called Device Reputation Authority™ (DRA).
Why to use it:
If you’re serious about managing risk, protecting your brand and customers, iovation Reputation Services™ should become a key component of your best practices program for online fraud prevention and multi-factor authentication.
Why Is it Different:
Unlike other products that help e-commerce sites identify fraudsters, Iovation doesn't track personal information. In other words, it doesn't track people, it tracks computers.

It gathers data that tells a company which computers, hand-helds or cell phones have been responsible for credit card fraud, cheating at online games, stalking or other bad actions at Iovation clients' Web sites.

Iovation tracks more than 16 million devices for its customers, quadruple the number that the company tracked at the beginning of this year.


How Much They Got from VCs:
They got $10 million from Intel Capital, with the promise of another $5 million if it cannot find more investors. It is the first outside funding for the Portland software maker.

More at:http://www.iovation.com/

Blowtorch is an entertainment company got $50 million in initial funding including an equity investment from Ignition Partners

What Company is Offering:
Blowtorch is an entertainment company that joins forces with you, their online legion of young, creative thinkers, to create unique feature length and short form films. You see, they kinda look at it like this, if you've helped to create something, there's a good chance you might actually like it.

And for those choosing to partake in the experience, they encourage you to put your stink on all things Blowtorch, or maybe just kick back and enjoy the deliciously stinky fruits of your peers labors.
How It Works:
Submit a video of your best short film idea. The theme can be anything at all related to “TECHNOLOGY.” Internet dating, killer robot vacuums, used time machine salesmen...whatever.

Remember, it’s all about the idea, not how you shoot it. So, a video camera is great, but a web-cam works too. Shoot it, pitch it, just get your idea out there. If yours wins, we’ll fly you out to LA to produce it for real. Submit as many as you like, just keep them under 3 minutes.

Blowtorch puts out 6 feature films per year. They play in hundreds of theaters nationwide. Any one film might be funny or edgy or scary, but if anything, they will always celebrate irreverence, engaging you in a familiar voice and attitude.
Likewise, their original live action and animated short films, or as we call them our "Blowtorch Shorts," are cut from the same cloth, just shamelessly and unapologetically making fun of anything and everything that gets in their way.

How Much They Got From VCs:

They announced that it has secured more than $50 million in initial funding including an equity investment from Ignition Partners.To create a media company for the young adult audience based on the belief that their media consumption behaviors require new rules for media creation. The investment enables Blowtorch to launch a three-year stream of feature films and short-form content, as well as to build the Blowtorch.com online community. The company’s first feature film release will be “You Are Here” and will debut in theaters in spring 2008.

Who Is behind Them:

The company was established by senior executives in entertainment, technology and advertising from firms including Leo Burnett, MTV, Ogilvy & Mather, Starcom MediaVest Group, Verizon and major Hollywood studios.
More at:http://bigscreen.blowtorch.com/

Tilefile Your Personal Content Channel Got VCs Funding From Motorola Ventures

What Company is offering:
To bring you The Content You Care About™. Over time Tilefile will evolve to become your personal content channel, where the content you care about will be fed to you in a constant stream of Tiles, without you having to do anything. For the content that doesn't interest you, we will work hard to make sure it never gets to you.
How It Works:
When you upload photos, videos and audio to Tilefile, it gets wrapped as "Tiles" and automatically shared with your contact list. Similarly all the content your friends upload is automatically shared with you in your "Social Feed".

Instead of using emails as the vehicle for sharing your media, use Tilefiles. Tilefiles allow you to add descriptions and comments, they can be embedded into web pages, and they are evolving fast. Because they live in the web, they won't clog up your inbox.

As more people start to channel their media through Tilefile, we will add new ways of integrating with your existing social networks and services, and new devices that can upload to Tilefile and browse the service.

With Tiles you don't have to distinguish between photos, videos, audio or messages. Everything becomes simply a "Tile". When you upload a piece of media to TileFile it gets automatically turned into a Tile. This way everyone shares one format for organizing and combining their experiences. Tilefiles are "community neutral". The moment a Tile is created it is ready to be shared or embedded in other communities, blogs and websites. You may also embed folders of Tilefiles so that they appear as a "Grid" of thumbnails, ready for navigation or viewing as a slide show.

How Much They Got In VCs Funding:

Motorola Ventures, its strategic venture capital arm, today announced that it has made an equity investment in Tilefile Limited.

About VC:http://www.motorola.com/
More at:http://www.tilefile.com/

CakeMail is the world’s newest white label email marketing platform

What Company is Offering:
CakeMail is the world’s newest white label email marketing platform. It’s a true private label tool that uses a reseller’s own domain name, even for the user interface. And it can be offered in any language. Plus, it’s got an API that lets agencies and third-party developers extend, integrate and build on all that goodness. Happily, this delicious combination comes at a price that won’t make you sick to your stomach.
How It Works:
For end-users, it's a great online tool for easily creating and managing newsletter mailings. Visit a CakeMail reseller to open a user account.
For agencies, it's a true white label solution that lets you adopt CakeMail and market it as your own with total control over the design, branding and domain name.

For third-party developers, designers and translators, it's a platform that you can use to extend CakeMail's features with plugins, skins, and new interface languages.
Why to use it:
Email marketing is a terrific tool that can give agencies’ customers a real edge. So why aren’t more agencies offering it to their clients? Building and managing one’s own platform is both expensive and complicated. And many so-called white label options still redirect agencies’ customers to a domain name and an interface over which they have little control when it comes to branding, design or language. Until now.
More at:http://www.cakemail.com/

Rich Sage--Money Making Wisdom

What Company is Offering:
The RICH SAGE will review your web site or blog and take an article that you have written about it and publish on my network, based on category.
How It Works:
The aim of the Rich Sage is to present outstanding monetizing (online money making methods), online success building lessons, a forum and membership to help you build your online income. Since then a million places and hundreds of ad networks have sprung up all over the world. Yet, very few of these services offer the local business a way to effectively resolve their advertising needs. Furthermore, the solutions that are out there are very expensive for the local small business that has a monthly budget of a few dollars to get things done.Everything you do to build your business and the Rich Sage promoted Affiliate Programs, are discussed at richsage.com to help you and other readers build their own businesses.

And that discussion along with your membership area and affiliate program (which are also FREE) helps you start earning money online.


More at:http://www.richsage.com/

CouchTycoon ---Friend And Family Venture Network

What Company is offering:
The CouchTycoon Friends n Family Venture Network is an internet community that aims to grow to the strongest investment consortium trough the power of united internet users all over the globe. It stands for community managed ventures. The community owns equities in companies, start-ups, single projects and even standard investment products every community member can buy stakes (we call them "Asset Slips") from
CouchTycoon enables you to submit new investment ideas, to discuss and vote on them and finally to decide about major issues and invest jointly.
How It Works:
Participants can directly invest in start-ups starting at approximately $ 4 and they can trade their shares they’ve bought once. So startups get financed and quoted in real values and at their very first steps they do. To invest and trade shares of startups you must convert your dollars to "CouchChips" first, as they call their own currency. To submit a project is as easy as writing an e-mail or blogging. Describe your project like you would do in an e-mail to one of your friends. Your post will appear on the "Going to Beef Island" site as well as in the "Going to Beef Island Feed".
What's Different:
CouchTycoon lets the community participate in the success-stories of the web. Not like the other sites that let their user work for them by creating their content. CouchTycoon lets their user participate in a startups’ success.


More at:http://www.couchtycoon.net/

Friday, November 16, 2007

iXiGO is a travel search engine for Indian consumers

What Company is About:
iXiGO is a travel search engine for Indian consumers.To aggregate travel information and make it searchable and useful and their technology that brings speed, usability and transparency to the travel world.
How It Works:
They let you search directly across multiple airlines and online travel agencies in real-time so that you don't need to search a zillion travel websites. They thus aim to make your travel search easier for you, the same way Google does for information on websites.

They do not advertise any 0 Rs. fares, 1 Rs. fares, 99 Rs. fares on our site, for one simple reason - they let you cut through the crap and give you the raw deal - inclusive of all taxes and fees. We believe that travelers want all-inclusive price comparison, even for roundtrip fares, where selecting an onward and return flight separately is not only tedious but unnecessary. They show you all combinations with the actual price that hits your pock.
Why It is In News Again:]
Red Herring Magazine announced today that iXiGO.com has been short listed for the Red Herring 100 Global 2007 Awards.
XiGO is a finalist at Red Herring Asia 100, 2007(Red Herring is a global media company uniting the world’s best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums), the prestigious list of hot companies in Asia.
More at:http://www.ixigo.com/

MegaPhone is a phone-controlled multi-player collaborative gaming platform for big screens in public spaces

What Company is Offering:
MegaPhone is a phone-controlled, real-time, multi-player collaborative gaming platform for big screens in public spaces. Megaphone can join in a simple video game by calling in with their cell phones, with their phones serving as makeshift game controllers. As a video on Megaphone’s website demonstrates, those linked into the game can fire weapons at space-alien attackers while seeing their own avatar along with those of other players.
How It Works:
Anyone can use ANY phone from ANY service provider in ANY country as a game controller.
Players join the game by making a regular phone call, and they can see their input (either voice or keypad) immediately.
MegaPhone turns pedestrians into players.

What's Different:
The essential strength is audience participation on a massive scale. Participants get a sense they’re contributing to a larger effort, in the same way stadium goers continue to enjoy creating the wave during sporting events. With multitudes of users participating, everyone also retains some needed anonymity. If you play poorly, no one will know. ;-) And Megaphone is yet another example of harnessing cell phones to enhance a marketing effort.

More at: www.playmegaphone.com

Claseo is the world's first closed shopping community " Shopping But Only By Invitation"

What Company Is Offering:
Claseo is the world's first closed shopping community. You can only buy items from their label if you are invited by a member. Claseo also offers its members a lifestyle oriented online portal where you can connect with your fellow friends.
Claseo is making the most of that trend with an invitation-only line of clothing. Each member of Claseo is given a limited number of invitations to share with friends, who must enter an invitation code and make a purchase in order to become members themselves. Once they've done that, they gain access to Claseo's fashion label and an online lifestyle portal; the inviting member, meanwhile, is credited with a EUR 10 discount on their next purchase.
How It Works:
All Claseo items are emblazoned with a unique, visible identification code. Not only does that code allow members to recognize one another in a crowd, but it also enables them to learn more about each other. By entering the code seen on another member's shirt on Claseo’s website (or mobile site), a user can learn that person's name. Members can connect through Claseo's online portal, which features profiles, messaging and photo galleries, as well as exchange information and tips on a variety of fashion and lifestyle topics.

Claseo also picks up on the customer-made trend by inviting members to submit design suggestions and vote on new collection ideas, thereby helping to shape the brand and its products; those whose design ideas are adopted get a share in the profits. The site's product line so far includes just its summer collection of polo shirts, but dress shirts, rugby shirts and dinner jackets are on the way. Claseo is currently also forging partnership arrangements with leading clubs and fashion stores around the world for extended member benefits, beginning with Munich's P1 Lounge & Club.
How To Buy:
Everyone can browse our online store but only some people are allowed to actually buy Claseo fashion. See how the process works:

1. Receive an invitation, either...
* ...by a current member through our invitation cards,
* ...by email from a current member or
* ...by applying for a membership here.
2. Choose your Claseo items from our online store.
3. Pay by Credit Card, Bank Transfer or Paypal.
4. Receive your products and your login details for our exclusive online portal.
5. Now you have invitation privileges yourself and you can invite other interesting people to join Claseo.

More at: www.claseo.com

TheStreet.com Raised $55 million from Technology Crossover Ventures

What Company Is About:
Founded by Jim Cramer, the financial news website is looking to grow both organically and through strategic acquisitions, in its effort to become a dominate destination site for information regarding money.

How Much They Got FRom VCs:

Technology Crossover Ventures has purchased a minority stake in TheStreet.com, in a move to help the company continue its growth. For the minority stake, TCV paid $55 million, which includes the purchase of preferred stock and warrants to purchase shared of common stock. TCV’s founding general partner has also joined TheStreet’s board.


How They Are Progressing And What's Further Plan:

Towards the end of organic growth, TheStreet will be launching a new site called Mainstreet.com, which looks to be a lifestyle-oriented online publication for resources regarding money news and money management.

TheStreet will also be re-launching TheStreet and Stockpickr, which is one of the companies it has already acquired. As Stockpickr has a bit of social networking capabilities involved in its site, it’s pretty clear that TheStreet is moving towards a diverse repertoire of money-related online resources and tools. Promotions.com is the other acquisition that’s already been made by TheStreet.
More at:http://www.thestreet.com/
www.stockpickr.com
www.Mainstreet.com

Freedom-2 Holdings, Inc. Got $5.4 Million in Series B Funding

What Company is Offering:
Freedom-2™'s technology combines materials known to be safe. Using well-characterized biocompatible materials, Freedom-2™ is successfully engineering ink products designed to address two of the greatest challenges in the tattooing industry: high quality art and effective, less painful, lower cost removability.
Freedom-2™ inks are designed to be permanent and durable. However, we also recognize that life circumstances change and your desire for new body art may cause you to want to remove all or a part of an existing tattoo. Freedom-2™ inks are engineered, independent of color, for efficient and effective laser therapy removal leaving your skin clear and ready for new body art.

How Much They Got From VCs:
They got $5.4 million in Series B Convertible Preferred financing led by new and current independent investors.
What's Different:
Recently recognized as one of “The Best Inventions of the Year” by Time Magazine, Freedom-2’s Infinitink technology is the first permanent tattoo ink engineered specifically for improved removability. F2 uses bioabsorbable pigments and dyes that are encapsulated in a biocompatible polymer forming a microencapsulated colored bead. These beads are used to make the ink. Tattoo artists use traditional delivery methods to provide a Freedom-2 Infinitink tattoo – the only difference is the ink. An Infinitink tattoo is easily removed using traditional laser therapy that breaks the polymer beads allowing the body to naturally absorb the pigments trapped inside.
More at:http://www.freedom2ink.com/

Mugr Offers face recognition and search services for the masses

What Company is Offering:
Mugr's development is to provide face recognition and detection as a service over the web. Searching photos for friends is pretty cool, and they'd like to share it with their existing Mugrs. To that end, they're releasing a Ruby interface for Mugr services, affectionately named, Rmugr .
How It Works:
Sign up for Mugr. Access to the API service is currently available for existing users only. Since they're doing a limited beta, you'll have to either find an invitation code, or put your name on the waiting list.

You submit a photo over their REST interface. You can do this via the Ruby interface, or you can roll your own.

Once we've authenticated you, their army of lolcats search the photo for faces and match them up to people.
More at:http://mugr.com/

Zelixy--A socially responsible green social network where the users have ownership in the company

What Company Is Offering:
Zelixy is the socially responsible social network site owned by us.
Zelixy is whatever you make it! They are a user friendly balance of your most popular social network sites.A socially responsible green social network where the users have ownership in the company.

How It Works:
Their community will be distinctly different for multiple reasons. First, their users will have ownership in the company. Second, their site is a philanthropic driven site where their users truly have the ability to make a difference in the world with the content they create.


Cash Contest-their cash contest system is a content development platform that has leveraged the amazing potential of net communities with an easy to use prize based program. This gives them an added revenue stream and better content.


Philanthropy-You will raise money with your entries that Zelixy will donate to the charity of your choice. You will help change the world in your spare internet time!
More at:http://zelixy.com/

YesOptions.com offers you your company’s space on the webwithout any investment

What Company is offering:
YesOptions.com offers you your company’s space on the web, so you can discover your success on internet without any investment.
How It Works:
Users first create an account ,choose template,input contents.Your products or services will be ordered by categories with images, institutional sections with galeries and more. Open your ONLINE store for FREE in a few minutes
Generate extra income without investment.
More at:http://www.yesoptions.com/

Bargainspy----Save Bargains

What Company Is Offering;
They keep an eye on the many websites where content is being posted every hour, you don't need to keep up with forums and websites yourself - they provide a single place to browse. When you find something you like, you'll find the 'Full Story' link to view the full bargain information along with related discussion directly on the original website.
How It Works:
Users will never miss out on up to the minute deals whilst looking for this years must have Christmas gift. BargainSpy.com is a social shopping search hub, bringing together up to the minute bargains, offers, coupons from retailers both online and in the high street. The system searches popular websites throughout the UK to find deals posted by the general public; they are then brought together and categorized for easy browsing. Bargain Channels are then used to group similar types of items; these can be found listed down the right of the pages. Some channels have sub-channels to further filter results to be more specific.
More at:http://www.bargainspy.co.uk/

GottaGotta.com----Discover And Share The Best Sites Online

What Company is Offering:
Its as your online navigation system. Here, you not only discover and share the best sites online, but also use GottaGotta to get where you want to be. It's the Web at your fingertips. GottaGotta One Click - a neat feature that lets you open your favorite sites with a single click once you set up your account and choose the sites you like to visit every day. It's that simple .
How It Works:
Create an account on the site and then you can import you favorite sites from your browsers bookmarks or favorites onto GottaGotta.com. You can organize and categorize your information and sites by putting them in suits. You can have entertainment suits or travel suits. You can log onto your favorite sites with just a click, it’s that easy. GottaGotta.com allows you to share your screen with other users and with other user’s permission you can see their screen. Sharing screens allows you to add comments, blogs , and sites to your friend’s screen. Your screen can be private or public. Any users can look at your screen if it is public and they can see what sites you are interested in.
More at:http://alpha.gottagotta.com/