SnapMunk: the Galaxy's Best Source of Tech & Startup Insight and Entertainment.

2017 was a wild ride for the cryptocurrency sector. Bitcoin shot past its all-time high of $1,200 and continued to climb at a frenetic pace, pulling every altcoin along with it. Investors and speculators watched in awe as the BTC/USD pair blasted through handle after handle, before running out of steam just before the $20,000 mark. The biggest bull-run in history experienced a crushing sell-off shortly after that, with over $180 billion of market cap evaporating in just six weeks as the market tanked. While the catalyst for this price crash is still unknown, there is rampant speculation on the causes for the sell-off and the potential of another crash. What does 2018 have in store for the virtual currency? Will the correction reverse and head for the moon once again, or will there be a black swan event that crushes the currency for good? Here are five existential threats…

It’s a plot that’s familiar to both authors and startup founders; the small band of passionate outsiders take on giants and win. Everyone loves to cheer on the underdog and see heroic effort rewarded by outsized gains. In each case, the underdog wins by finding a way to punch above their weight.   Finding a way to punch above your weight as a startup is crucial to success.  Teams of 10, 20, or even 50 are trivial compared to the teams and resources of the major players.  Without a conscious strategy for punching above your weight, winning deals you shouldn’t win, and getting into conversations that you would not have been expected to be part of, chances of success are much smaller.  But what should that strategy look like? 1. Your story The first thing to focus on is your story.  Not your elevator pitch “leading provider of ….”, but…

It’s officially game over at E3 2018, which means it’s time for us to take stock of the achievements unlocked by the exhibitors at this year’s event. So let’s dive right into it. Microsoft Has Created A New Studio and Bought Four Others For a while now Microsoft has been hamstrung by the low number of marquee exclusive games offered on the XBox. They’ve now taken some big steps towards ameliorating that situation. The Redmond-based company announced at E3 that it is setting up five new studios internally in an effort to create more exclusive titles for the XBox One. Four of those studios will be acquired. The fifth is one, called The Initiative, it’s setting up itself. The studio will be helmed by Darrell Gallagher, who was previously head honcho at Crystal Dynamics, the operation responsible for the Tomb Raider games. Fortnite Made A Controversial Arrival onto The Nintendo…

Holy hell, a lot of crazy, incredible things happened in 2017. Donald Trump got promoted from his role of Irrelevant Loud Rich Idiot all the way up to Leader of Everything; at any given moment, a hurricane was ruining someone’s life somewhere; North Korea became the final piece of proof that you can always tell exactly how insane someone is by their haircut; and investigative journalism uncovered evidence that literally every man in the galaxy is a pervert. And that’s just some of what went down. Outside of celebrities and politics, it was a huge year for business, technology and the startup landscape as whole. On SnapMunk, we tried to cover all the big stuff, provide helpful advice and insight into how to succeed as a small business, and every once in a while, just throw you some good old fashioned entertainment. So for your reading and ruminating pleasure, below are the business, technology…

I am, for all intents and purposes, what you would call a social media laggard. I joined Facebook only in 2009. I was graduating from the 10th grade and my friends warned me we would lose touch if I wasn’t on any social media (I have since lost touch with almost all of them). I made it onto Twitter in 2013, well after it was an upstart Internet phenomenon. I have made a grand total of 159 Tweets since then, at an average of about 40 Tweets a year. I joined Instagram earlier this year and have literally never logged into my account since. All that said, for someone with such an apathetic history with social media platforms, I have really enjoyed using Snapchat. And not just because I installed the app at the behest of a girl I was into. Over the course of making headway in that relationship, I…

Did you know that 3 out of 4 startups won’t be successful? It’s bleak to think about, but the reality is that decisions made during early startup stages can greatly affect if the company succeeds or fails. Read on to learn about six common mistakes made during early startup stages so you know what not to do when it comes to the early stages of your company. 1. Lacking Focus A lot of startups have a great amount of ambition and aim to accomplish big ideas and goals. This is great for brainstorming sessions and boosting team morale, but it can also result in losing focus about the big picture. Startups that lack focus and aim to accomplish too many things often spread themselves too thin and will eventually fizzle out. 2. Overthinking and Analyzing It’s important for startups in their early stages to be decisive, overthinking and analyzing can also backfire and cause…

For entrepreneurs and small business owners, there’s no better time to secure funding for your startup. Thanks in part to Congress passing the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act in 2012, many startups and investors are working together to achieve greater financial goals. As a result of the new legislation, startups can use a variety of methods, including crowdfunding, to find the right investors. But as private investors have a greater reach into the culture of startups, they have become increasingly careful. Entrepreneurs and small business owners who are looking for startup capital need to understand what private investors look for. Cover these 5 basics and you may just watch the capital roll in. 1. Need and Value Proposition All entrepreneurs and small business owners should be able to look at the market from the perspective of a consumer. Your product or service should address a need. If not, it’s unlikely to attract the attention of…

One unique way to raise money to make your idea a reality is through crowdfunding. According to Fundly, crowdfunding campaigns have raised $34 billion worldwide. They are projected to grow to over $300 billion by 2025. Additionally, Forbes Magazine reported that crowdfunding in the real estate industry surpassed $3.5 billion. These are eye-opening figures that help to show the power of this increasingly more popular way of raising money. But to make the most of this opportunity, you need to know your options! Read on to learn more about the different types of crowdfunding. Donation Crowdfunding This type of crowdfunding raises money by way of — you guessed it — donations. One of the best-known websites for this type of crowdfunding is GoFundMe. This platform allows users to set up an account and accept donations based on helping a cause or charity. This is a common way to raise funds to help…

Up until recently, convenience was defined as being able to talk to your appliances to control them. Today however, that’s old news. Home automation is increasingly becoming more advanced, and while devices can’t yet read our minds, they’re getting pretty close. A startup called Intellithings is on the road to launching RoomMe, a patented smart home sensor that detects who has entered a room, syncs with smartphones and other smart home software, and leverages user data and customization to automatically adjust devices to serve preferences around things like temperature, lighting, entertainment and even security. The list of other controllable devices, as you would imagine in the IoT world, is quite extensive; RoomMe can be used to control TVs, lights, thermostats, lamps, cameras, coffee makers, ceiling fans, smart outlets, and window blinds. In essence if it’s a HomeKit, Wink, Nest, SmartThings, or WeMo device, you’re good to go. There’s also iOS and Android SDKs…

Remote work is here to stay. Employees and employers have tasted the benefits of a digital workspace — and they’re not going back. In the United States alone, nearly 4 million people (around 3%) now work remotely. 50% of the US workforce has a job that could be done remotely. That same study showed that 80%+ employees would like to work remotely. But remote work isn’t just American-based. Now, improved technology is making it a global trend. It’s time to invest in technologies and systems that facilitate the mobile workstation. But maybe you’re skeptical. If so, let’s explore the benefits that your company could be missing by not embracing the digital workspace. 1. Flexibility The digital workspace offers employees the ultimate flexibility — without sacrificing a company’s ability to meet goals. Employees can work where they want to, on their preferred devices. Those who don’t need to stick with a schedule can even work when they want to. Because of…

As of 2016, nearly 14% of Americans have started or run their own business. However, every business makes avoidable mistakes when first starting out. While some are generally harmless, others can be detrimental to the health and well-being of your company. Let’s get into some of the major mistakes you must be aware of when planning out your startup. Fearing Failure Sure, it sounds cliched, but it’s still a real obstacle for most entrepreneurs. Fortunately, many very successful business owners failed plenty of times before landing their wins. Don’t get discouraged. If you believe in your idea and your ability to execute this plan, don’t let any negativity or fear-mongering stop you! Avoid getting lost in your own thoughts or comparing yourself to others. Instead, just keep moving forward. Underestimating Budget  Startups undoubtedly cost money — you already know just how much. Most people think (and worry) about the big expenses. However, they neglect all…

The statistics for Lyme Disease are as frightening and getting worse. Around 300,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year, and that number is on the rise. A major issue in the treatment of the disease is that current tests for Lyme in the first month of infection are frequently wrong, meaning that people can wait months or even years to get a correct Lyme diagnosis, and subsequent treatment. And there lies the crux of the treatment problem for Lyme. When diagnosed and addressed early, the infection is treatable. Get to it too late, however, and it can become chronic and result a wide and debilitating range of symptoms, leaving as many as 40 percent of Lyme patients suffering from long-term health problems.   Concerns about the unreliability of Lyme testing have resulted in some state governments in areas heavily affected by the disease requiring…