創新社交圖片營銷公司摘得科技頭腦風暴大會“創業偶像”桂冠
????本周三,五個創新型初創公司出席了在科羅拉多州阿斯彭舉辦的《財富》科技頭腦風暴大會,爭奪“創業偶像”的頭銜。但只有一家企業將載譽而歸。爭奪的錦標?當然是《財富》的黃金認證。 ????Givelocity公司 ????賣點:這家位于加州核桃溪市的在線慈善網站的主營業務在于募集小型捐款,匯集這些捐款,然后捐給某項慈善事業。會員們在網上報名,從成百上千個非盈利慈善機構中選出他們愿意捐款的機構,例如美國育犬協會健康基金會(American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation)。會員同時還可以決定每個月的捐款金額,1美元起捐。網站的首席執行官蘇珊?庫尼說:“很多人愿意捐款的首要原因在于,他們認為自己微薄的捐贈能夠產生影響。” ????人們的捐款會進入一個捐贈圈,這個圈子也可以叫做“鄰里社區”,它是會員們加入的一個捐款池。他們和鄰里社區里的其他會員每個月可以舉行一次投票,選出一個他們希望動用捐款池資金資助的慈善項目:得票最多的項目獲勝,獲得當月鄰里社區里所有的捐款。 ????評委點評:“我喜歡這種眾包模式,但我不清楚它的運作模式和盈利模式。我的問題嘛?你們把這個點子賣給誰?怎樣賣?”時代公司(Time Inc)的主席兼導演大衛?貝爾提出疑問。 ????Stir公司 ????賣點:如果桌子能自動為調節高度,為什么還要手動調節?于是誕生了Stir第一批產品“動力桌子”(售價3890美元)背后的設計理念,它就是Stir首席執行官 JP?拉布羅斯去年發布的一款內嵌觸摸屏和熱傳感器的站立式桌子。這款產品運用的科技能夠追蹤人什么時候在桌子旁邊,能學會人們傾向于站立多久,然后自動調節桌子的高度。拉布羅斯指出,“動力桌子”的健康功效也不容忽視:站立四個小時燃燒的卡路里相當于跑步兩英里燃燒的卡路里。 ????評委點評:阿特拉斯風險投資公司(Atlas Venture)合伙人杰夫?法干問道:“你們打算直接通過電子商務和零售商賣出多少張桌子?” ????PureWow公司 ????賣點:2010年,公司首席執行官賴安?哈伍德辭掉一家紐約投資銀行的工作,迅速創辦了PureWow,一家針對女性的電郵簡報和生活方式網站。這個網站得到了鮑勃?皮特曼的百樂集團公司(Pilot Group)和萊勒風險投資公司(Lerer Ventures)的一部分支持。這個網站的內容從“如何……”的美容秘訣(如“如何用貝玲妃的新款眼線膏打造迷人貓眼”)到美味食譜,應有盡有。網站的目標是:“用獨特的聲音”幫助讀者“找到人無我有的特別想法”。據哈伍德表示,如今,PureWow的網站的讀者已達400多萬,同時還有將近250萬人訂閱了電郵簡報。 ????評委點評:“恭喜你們利用HTML5版本就做出了這樣的成績,”法干說。“我的問題在于度量指標上……我更想知道你們的用戶們都在干什么。因為事實是:這是個拼規模的游戲。” |
????Five innovative startups showed up at Fortune’sBrainstorm Tech in Aspen, Colo. on Wednesday, all vying for the title of Startup Idol. But only one could walk away victorious. At stake? Fortune’s golden stamp of approval, of course. ????Givelocity ????The pitch: The Walnut Creek, Calif.-based online charity site is all about raising small donations, pooling them together, and donating them to a cause. Members sign up online and select one of hundreds of non-profit charities they would like to donate to, like, say, the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, and how much they’d like to donate each month, starting at $1. “The number one reason most people don’t give is because they think their small donation will make a difference,” said CEO Susan Cooney. ????The money goes into a giving circle, or “neighborhood,” money pool the member joins. They and other members of the neighborhood can cast a vote once a month for the cause they’d like the pool money to go toward: Whichever cause snags the most votes wins and receives all the neighborhood money that month. ????Judge’s critique: “I love crowdsourcing, but I’m unclear how it works and how it pays. My question? To whom do you sell this and how do you sell it?” wondered David Bell, Chairman, gyro, and Director, Time Inc. ????Stir ????The pitch: Why adjust that standing desk manually when the desk can do it for you? So goes the design philosophy behind Stir first product, the Kinetic Desk ($3,890), a standing desk Stir CEO JP Labrosse launched last year with a built-in touchscreen and heat sensor. All that tech tracks when someone is at their desk, learns things like how long they prefer to stand, and automatically adjusts the desk’s height. Labrosse points out the Kinectic Desk’s health benefits shouldn’t be ignored: Four hours of standing is equivalent to the calories burned from a 2-mile run. ????Judge’s critique: “How many desks do you plan to sell directly via e-commerce and via retailers?” asked Jeff Fagnan, an Atlas Venture partner. ????PureWow ????The pitch: In 2010, CEO Ryan Harwood left his job at a New York City investment bank to jumpstart PureWow, an email newsletter and lifestyle web site for women partly backed by Bob Pittman’s Pilot Group and Lerer Ventures. The content typically ranges from “how to” beauty tips (“Master the cat eye with Benefit’s new eyeliner”) to food recipes. The goal: to help readers “find special ideas they can’t find anywhere else in a unique the of voice.” Now, PureWow’s site has over 4 million readers, while nearly 2.5 million subscribe to the newsletter, according to Harwood. ????Judge’s critique: “Congrats on doing this all on HTML 5,” said Fagnan. “My question is all about the metrics. … I want to know more about what your users are doing. Because it is true: it is a scale game. ” |