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Managing teams is not easy. It’s why project management has become such a crowded niche in the software marketplace. One of the players in that category is monday.com, a tool that visualizes group tasks and fosters productive practices. The tool offers a variety of features to help companies get the most out of their employees. Here’s why monday.com is worth a shot. Human-Focused Productivity All project management tools emphasize getting stuff done. This one does as well. But what monday.com seems to understand is that it’s real humans who drive businesses, and keeping them driven is key. The task board is accessible to all team members, which helps create transparency. Each team member knows what tasks they own and how those contribute to the big picture. Completed tasks aren’t archived like they are in other project management tools. Instead, they stay part of the board as a reminder of everything…

While achieving a $1 billion evaluation isn’t as rare as it used to be, unicorn status is still coveted among startups. It signals success and opens up the possibility of a future IPO. 2018 saw the rise of more than 30 unicorns, but among the pack, several companies stand out due to their innovative ideas and clever implementation of growing technologies.   Babytree A comprehensive service for both wannabe parents and seasoned veterans of the baby trenches, Babytree aims to help Chinese families with all their child needs, from conception to toddlerhood. Babytree was founded by Harvard alum Bao Sho in 2006. Based in Beijing, the company steadily grew over the years as it received investment from Matrix Partners and TAL Education Group. However, Babytree really soared after 2015, when the Chinese government reversed its one-child policy. The site reached 200 million users in 2017 and hit unicorn status in…

What does it take for an entrepreneur to get Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary or any other Shark Tank panelist to fund their startup? There are many answers to this question as the Sharks have put their money into everything from cleaning products to lip balm. However, there are a few things all or most successful pitches have in common. Here are some lessons you can learn from winning pitches:   Get to the point. Like all sales pitches, you need to quickly and succinctly explain what your company does and how it will succeed. Your investors do not have all day to listen to your story, so tell them what they want to hear as soon as possible.   Prove that your idea makes money. Sharks are quick to turn down any idea that does not have any revenue or sales. They want to invest in a scheme…

Have you ever thought about which sense would be your worst to lose? For me, it’s sight. Blindness–living in a world without light–is already the fate of 11 million people in the United States that have some form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a number that is expected to double to nearly 22 million by 2050. For most victims, vitamins known as the AREDS2 formula and pain relief are the best treatments currently available. Neither provide too much promise. While AMD is the leading cause of blindness for people 55 and older, younger people are also at risk of vision loss. Juvenile macular degeneration (JMD) is the term for several inherited and rare diseases that affect children and young adults, including Stargardt’s disease and Best disease, which can cause central vision loss that often starts in childhood or young adulthood. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is another genetic disorder that can wipe out…

In January of 2018, cryptocurrencies big and small took a huge dive in value. People around the world panicked. They didn’t care why it happened. All they thought about was all the value they were losing. You may have felt the same way – but you don’t have to. There are plenty of reasons why a crash shouldn’t make you nervous, and just as many reasons why you should actually be excited about it. Here are a number of them:   You Only Lose Money Once You Sell for Less For many people, especially those who just entered the world of investments and trading, watching the value of your purchased cryptocurrencies spiral downwards can be nerve-wracking. It will feel like everything you’ve planned is all for nothing. However, that’s not true. While you hold those currencies, you hold potential. Markets take dives all the time, and that’s something not unique…

Changing your business model can lead to success. In fact, many recognizable companies have changed their models over the years, leading them to become far more successful. Being able to remain flexible aided them in that success. There are different factors as to why startups fail, which makes having good startup models and the flexibility to use them even more important than ever before. Without a solid foundation in which to base your startup company, finding success will be even harder. It’s a good idea to take a look at some previously tried-and-tested models that can help give you an extra edge when diving into the world of a startup company. We’ll go through 4 such models that may help you in further detail below.   The Marketplace Model This model lets you bring together both the supply and demand into one place. It has great advantages in that there is little to…

What’s the back story to how you became the founder and CEO of Elyland, and the creator of Draconius GO?     Back in school and university times, I used to play computer games a lot. Later, I had a retail shop selling computer games on CDs. At the same time, I was an active player of OGame, a browser-based massively multiplayer online game. Later, I decided to create my own first browser-based strategy game; that’s how the Elyland company and the My Lands online strategy game were created. I do not believe in VR. It’s not user-friendly and in the coming years, VR games will not become massive. I thought about creating an AR game long before Pokémon GO. After the release of Pokémon GO, I became their fan and was shocked by the decisions of Niantic: they were steadily killing their game. I thought of sending them an email, offering…

Google–or Alphabet, to be more accurate (it’s hard to get used to that)–is putting Toronto’s eastern waterfront on a fast track to the future. The tech behemoth has announced an initiative as part of which it will transform a 12-acre region of the city into a futuristic smart neighbourhood and large-scale open-air lab experiment. The project is being helmed by Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet subsidiary. Sidewalk Labs is an operation that is finding ways to accelerate urban innovation by running pilot projects that can serve as prototypes for more such enlightened municipalities across the world. Sidewalk Toronto is the first such pilot, for which they’ve partnered with government agency Waterfront Toronto. The $1 billion dollar project aims to transform the physical and digital infrastructure of the neighbourhood of Quayside. Sidewalk Labs will use a combination of technological innovation and community engagement to create what they hope will become a model…

Did you know that over $34 billion has been raised via crowdfunding campaigns worldwide? That’s right – crowdfunding can be a great way to raise the funds needed to launch a new business or product, but only if you have the right marketing strategy. The most successful crowdfunding campaigns use buzz marketing to build hype around their campaign and encourage people to pledge. This type of marketing doesn’t cost a ton, but it does have some pretty impressive results when it’s done right. Not got a clue how to generate a buzz or get your campaign to go viral? Don’t worry – we’re here to teach you. Read on for five essential buzz-generating tips.   Release Teasers of Your Campaign Rewards Releasing teasers is a great way to get people excited about your campaign before it even launches. Decide on the rewards you’ll offer, then create text and image teasers to share on your…

According to recent surveys, more Americans are using technology than ever before. This growth in technology has changed the way we work, communicate, and access entertainment. Technology isn’t slowing down, either. Big businesses and startup companies alike are introducing innovative tech advancements that are continuing to change the world. With all these advances and all the noise that comes along with them, it can be hard to know what’s soon to be in the past and what’s bound to define our future. You can be sure that these 5 tech trends are in it for the long haul. And they’re taking us all with them. Artificial Intelligence Will Not Slow Down Since Apple released Siri in 2011, AI personal assistants have become a popular technology trend. Amazon and Google have added variety to the options available to consumers. In 2017, we expect more companies to introduce their own personal assistants to the market. This AI…

Do you have a business idea you think would make a lot of money, but don’t have the funds to get it off the ground? You could go down the traditional route of getting a loan from a bank, but there are different ways to get money. Crowdfunding has helped a lot of people fund amazing ideas and launch new businesses and products. As of April 2017 over 350,000 campaigns have been launched on a variety of crowd funding sites. The only trouble with using crowd funding is figuring out how to pick the one you want to use. How to Pick a Crowdfunding Platform If you’re here, you’re looking for a crowdfunding platform for your startup. A lot of factors go into picking a platform, and you need to be aware of them before you make a decision. Are you ready to pick your crowd funding platform? If you follow these tips,…

Anyone who follows Gary Vaynerchuk online knows that he’s a zealous proponent of voice technology–both audio content like podcasts as well as tools that run on voice commands, like Amazon Alexa. Vaynerchuk’s bullishness is borne out by how things are shaping up in the real world. Both investors and consumers appear to have taken a liking to voice of late, and that’s a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon. One of the things voice is making easier is consuming online content. That’s thanks to services like Curio, which employs voiceover artists to convert journalistic pieces from premium publications into narrated audio. These narrated articles are then organized into user-tailored playlists based on topic, and packaged into a $8-a-month subscription.   The service has its origins in lessons the founding team drew from its years spent in media. “From my previous role as a strategist for the BBC, I knew…