Wine sales in the U.S. topped $38 billion in 2015, increasing 1.3 percent from the year before. As Americans turn…
Browsing: Startups
Over the past 12 months, 22 percent of consumers say they have booked a trip through a travel agent, according…
I feel like 90% of my day consists of reminding my kids to clean up, get their pajamas on, brush their…
In this series of founder interviews, our Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Mann digs into the incredible minds, ventures and backstories of some of the world’s most…
As a cyclist, you often don’t (safely) have the luxury of turn by turn directions at a glance. While there are GPS…
The Vitals Birth Name: Niv Nissenson Nickname / Desired Superhero Name: “Cash Is Tight” Hometown: Tel Aviv Company Name: Winecrasher…
The startup what3words wants to change the world by changing one of its most established naming conventions: the address system. Rather than rely on house numbers, street names and zipcodes, the app provides a three-word “name” for every location on the planet and helps you navigate to it using a traditional map app and a compass. It addresses holes in the U.S.’s address system, but, perhaps more importantly, it can work really well in developing nations.
People have wanted to kill the password for pretty much as long as passwords have existed. The futuristic technology for biometric authentication may be here, as shown by these startups that control access without text authentication. Looks like we are on the verge of the death of passwords.
From agreements and contracts, to invoices, questionnaires and marketing collateral, unless you’re a drug dealer or a family pet, you…
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but they can also be a cancer researcher’s best friend – and contrary…
These ridiculous crowdfunding campaigns are the most inexplicably successful of 2016 – and some of the worst business ideas. The year is only half over, but it’s already one for the record books.
Pavegen – Fueled By Footsteps Pavegen provides tiles that turn kinetic energy into electricity. “I found a way to use energy from…
As a small business owner and freelance writer, there are few things I love more than being paid. Conversely, there are…
Following in the footsteps of the “Uber For” craze, there is now a whole category of “Tinder For” apps. This roundup covers two such apps focused on investments and entrepreneurs. Just swipe right for love…and funding for your new business idea.
If you love coffee and everything that comes with being caffeinated, tech has caught up to speed with your addiction.…
The Vitals Birth Name: Todd Garland Nickname / Desired Superhero Name: Tom Brady Hometown: Boston, MA Company Name: BuySellAds Company…
What if you could throw on a comfortable hoodie and have your favorite music streamed directly through the sweatshirt? No…
Kiah Williams has gotten used to the limelight in the past year – or at least she should have, given…
If you didn’t think you needed a smart umbrella, you haven’t seen the Oombrella. Using Bluetooth, crowdsourcing and a connected app, this handy device will alert you of incoming weather conditions, remind you when you’ve left it behind, and can even notify you of incoming calls or alerts.
Sometime in the 1300s a merchant in Genoa figured out he could make money by betting on cargo being lost…
Whether you’re trying to make a bad day less terrible or just looking to collect happy moments with others, Happier can probably help. The app, founded by Natalie Kogan, is a sort of social network focused on inspiration, positivity, and mental health.
Unfortunately, rape has been in the news quite a bit lately and it doesn’t seem to be going away. It’s…
It’s that time again! With technology hubs popping up coast to coast, the market for startups grows wider and wider.…
Food is a necessity, which means that there’s a constant demand for businesses that provide it in new, improved and…
The 3Dvarius is an electric violin that just happens to be transparent, created with 3D printing, and based on a Stradivarius. For another few days, you can back it on Kickstarter.
The Vitals Birth Names: Etienne Marleau-Rancourt & Benjamin Ozsanay Hometown: Aylmer (Québec), Canada & Frankfurt, Germany Company Name: Cookly Company Founding Year: 2015 The…
It was hard to brag about technological progress when you were forced to manually fold your laundry, wasn’t it? Well those days are over … maybe. With two laundry folding machines poised for market, the technology shows promise but might not yet be ready to take over the household laundry duties.
In 2015 Small Business Saturday generated $16.2 billion for local, independently owned businesses. We should do that more often. Here’s some tips for SMBs to take advantage of local marketing and ways consumers can share the small biz love.
If you’ve ever wondered what the friendliest city is for startup growth or the best state is for an entrepreneur, you’ll be interested to know it isn’t Silicon Valley or California. At least not according to the Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship, which was released last week. It shows a different map of Startup Nation than one might expect, with the emphasis on new business on the East Coast.
Finding a workout partner with the same sports interest and athletic level may be getting easier with the “F5″ (Find Fitness Friends for Free” app launches in July. The app will connect users with other people looking to buddy up in any and all athletic endeavors. It may not be groundbreaking, but its user interface and broad selection of sports interests may give it the traction it needs.
As you’re probably well aware, most companies don’t have unlimited marketing budgets. In most cases you need to select just…
In 2013, more than five ministries and agencies in South Korea started investing $3 billion on startup competitions to support…
The Vitals Birth Name: Sarah Goodman Nickname / Desired Superhero Name: The Goods Hometown: Toronto, Ontario (Been in Vancouver BC…
Startups should avoid these five social media mistakes by practicing planning, professionalism and organization for their business social networking.
Remember when the video game “Guitar Hero” came out? It was fantastic because it let anyone become an epic rock God,…
Startup life can be tough. At any age and at any stage. It’s especially tough to find the time to…
Detroit Startup Week wrapped up last Friday. Can startups and these kinds of events finally re-rev the city’s business engine? We provide the rundown on all the events from this Chase Bank-sponsored event in the motor city.
Ever wonder how much back-channeling goes on before an acqui-hire? Ever known someone in the C-Suite of a disruptive startup…
Digital assistants can help make your daily routine easier by providing traffic updates, package tracking, event notifications, answers to your questions, and more. Here are 5 virtual assistant apps that break the mold.
Even the best entrepreneurs need a little inspiration once in a while. That being said, there are dozens of business…
The Vitals Birth Name: Michael Vogel Nickname / Desired Superhero Name: Bitcoin Brothers (along with my brother Dominic, of course) Hometown: Vancouver Company Name: Netcoins Founding…
In a bid from Challenge.gov to reduce drunk driving, these four companies received awards from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for their non-invasive wearables that measure blood alcohol content.
With the slogan of “Coffee Meets Tech”, Doers claims that they are the world’s first “Digital 100% Custom Roastery,” and their app allowing you to create your own craft coffee may prove it.
If you’ve ever played an online game such as WOW, GTA, or League of Legends, the strategies you use to conquer…
Personal computing devices have grown progressively smaller in size every few generations. As screens shrink, typing with on-screen keyboards becomes…
Health and fitness apps are the killer category in the wearables market; their growth is increasing 62% faster than the rest…
Anyone who has seen the show Parking Wars knows that getting a parking ticket or traffic ticket (or worse, getting booted)…
Hello. I’m Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase and former member of the board of directors of the Federal…
From the Hackathon and its winning tool – a CMS with voice recognition – to the Battlefield and its winning startup – Beam and its SDK to integrate with Twitch – to the most interesting keynotes, here are all the highlights from 2016’s TechCrunch Disrupt in New York.
More than just a digital photo frame, Meural is a stylish, connected canvas that allows you to view an unlimited collection of global art and photography in one single unit, including your own photography as well as images and art curated by museums, galleries, and studios.
If you’re looking to inject some extra personality and atmosphere into your surroundings, there is always the classic companion of…
Some cities were built on rock ‘n roll. Chicago was built on industry, and the startup scene, particularly the foodie…
With photojournalism being crowdsourced for better or worse, Newslinn is creating a platform where citizen reporters can share photos directly with professional journalists and the photos are auto-verified for authenticity.
Where Is Williamsburg is an app that finds you the hipster area of every major city around the world – bars with PBR, brunch spots, pour-over coffee shops, American Apparel and all. You may find it ironic, silly, or a statement on gentrification. Either way, it could be handy while travelling.
Entrepreneurs are generally told not to reinvent the wheel. And you probably shouldn’t, unless the wheel you have in mind…
Today it’s common to see families and individuals trying to recreate restaurant recipes in the interest of convenience, saving money,…
Title 3 of The JOBS Act is going into effect, allowing companies to give out equity through crowdfunding. This may change the landscape of startup funding … or not. Here’s a summary of all that jazz.
These three exciting startups are making the online bill payment process a little less horrible. From one consolidated bill to a tool to track your monthly subscription costs, each one offers something unique to take a little of the sting out of the task.
At any given time, there are good startup ideas and there are bad startup ideas. Here are 13 bad ones. Email, messaging, networking, collaboration and friend finding apps – they’ve been done. And smart toys, foodie apps, and selfie sticks are killing our collective souls. So, when you’re looking for the next great business idea, please pass on these. Please.
Facebook live video turned a costly process into a free feature accessible to billions. Shama Hyder discusses the affects on you and your business and why this might be the next game changer in social media marketing.
Most fitness tracker technology comes to us in the form of wearables, which makes sense since they focus on tracking activity.…
— A crowdfunded startup is sometimes nothing more than a terrible idea wrapped in showmanship. With that in mind, here…
Judging a book by its cover isn’t considered conventionally wise, but maybe there’s merit to the idea that external features betray inward…
Roger McNamee is a successful entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and founder of two nationally touring bands who has been called has been called the “Wizard of Sand Road.” He likens most of his endeavors to running a startup and gives us his most valuable business tips.
Slack has its own spinoff market of integrated products with one of the latest, Hey Taco, a simple spin on employee rewards and recognition. Of course, there’s not just one name in the game. This roundup of Slack integrations and employee recognition tools covers several startups.
Art is something which is easy to admire, but can be extremely hard to obtain. Well, the good stuff anyway.…
Your wireless phone charger may be cool and all, but it’s never going to be ‘potted plant charger’ cool. To…
At SXSW, SnapMunk connected with a bunch of startup founders and played everyone’s favorite game of Big Fat Yes, Big…
Whether you’ve read Harry Potter a million times or you know every line of every John Green book, book lovers…
In April of 2015, Menlo Park-based startup Globality raised $10 million in a Series A round from investors including former…
Startup iGrow lets regular folks contribute to the growth and upkeep of crops and farming without ever having to handle a plow or pitchfork. The benefits may include a more human-touch in agriculture, improved crop output, and a improved standard of living for farmers across the world.
With a 12% YOY drop in the number of startup funding deals in Q1, the questions is, are there any startups poised to challenge the trend? We look at the current classes of the leading accelerators/incubators and draw some lessons for the entrepreneur looking for the next big business idea.
I admit it: I’m a bit of a Cinephile. Ok, I’m A LOT of a Cinephile. I try to see…
Does your Facebook feed suck? Are you seeing more of what you don’t like and less of what you do?…
FlipFlic, now available through Kickstarter, automates the opening and closing of blinds with temperature and light sensors and a mobile application. This targeted smart-home device might represent a highly focused gadget for the internet of things.
We get it. “Cloud computing” just sounds like something you’d do in a technology company, or some multinational, highfalutin corporation. …
Canadian startup Ubifood is looking to cut food waste with a smartphone app that connects hungry consumers with local, last minute deals from their excess inventory. It’s a green tech solution that should help retailers, hungry families, and the environment.
Lance Armstrong isn’t the world’s most famous juicer anymore. Or maybe he still is, but Juicero is getting close. At…
Here’s what’s going on with clean, renewable energy when it comes to startups in the world of geothermal, solar, wind, and hydropower. You know – earth, sun wind, and water – the most renewable resources around.
If we’re talking about the fun and exciting aspects of starting up and running a business, accounting doesn’t have a…
Remidi is a glove and wristband that turns anyone into a one-man band. Play, remix and record songs on the fly. The rhythm is in your fingers. It’s also not the only wearable that is designed to turn your body into a musical instrument, but it might be the best.
TipTalk is a celebrity messaging app that’s supposed to get you screen time with A-list celebrities and influencers, but without any real stars on the platform yet, it feels more like a lame, expensive Twitstagram.
In the latest of questionable Internet of Things devices, Kuvee has created a Wi-Fi-enabled wine bottle with a touch-screen and built in wine preserver to keep their payload fresh well beyond its normal life expectancy. It seems Indiegogo’s users think the idea is one worth backing.
Schoold, a free app for helping high school students with the college search process and career planning has been receiving a lot of attention, funding, and new users, after launching at the key time in college search season.
The Hotaru compact shower can recover and recycle 95-98 percent of the water used in each shower. It’s not exactly light to carry, and the price isn’t so light either, but it it may enable you to get off the grid and benefit the environment.
Suits are no longer for the stuffy and the self-important, folks. While some classic industries may require them, when it…
Believe it or not, we don’t cover every piece of tech news here at SnapMunk. In an effort to keep…
When I was a kid, my dad always had his camera with him, photographing and recording all the big moments…
Having insight into the key drivers behind the launch, growth and success of Moonalice Radio, SnapMunk contributor Gail Barnes (aka Moongirl) offers these five valuable startup lessons.
Human Data Project is a startup making it easier for people to find and participate in clinical trials fitting their medical profile while maintaining their privacy.
In our interview at SXSW 2016 with Fernando Leon, founder of fruitkit, a startup that delivers high quality fruit and vegetables as a Scandinavian subscription service, he tells us how he started with only $100. Literally.
Cricket flour – and other forms of food from insects – is going global. Exo, the makers of protein bars with cricket flour, just raised another $4 million, bringing total funding to $5.6M, and a few other startups have gotten funding through Kickstarter and Shark Tank.
The controversial app, Peeple, has finally launched, but in a very different version than originally promised. The result is less Yelp and more LinkedIn, but either way, it’s not exactly innovative or groundbreaking technology.
Startup EnGoPlanet has created street lights that can run on solar energy and kinetic energy, the kind created by people walking. They may be a perfect solution for pedestrian-friendly cities like Las Vegas, saving energy and dollars, while also offering unique features like seating areas and smartphone charging stations.
Whether we look at the market of web-based businesses and online retailers, or the expanding online presence of firms effectively…
Ulli, a mobile web browser from startup tech company Biggerpan, will use artificial intelligence to provide smart “searching” that doesn’t actually require search at all. The self-proclaimed “first intelligent browser” is in closed beta, but stands to create a new kind of AI at the intersection of vertical and horizontal services.
It’s not that people don’t like IT and the infinitely helpful folks picking up the pieces on the other side…
The Bios Urn, touted as a way to turn cremated remains into a tree, has gotten a lot of play on social media. Now Bios is Kickstarting a complimentary planter and monitoring system that syncs with a smartphone app to keep a close eye on the growth of the tree.
Getting into an incubator or accelerator program is the dream of many tech startup founders, but the model isn’t perfect, and can sometimes lead to company failures rather than growth. Consider these four potential shortfalls of the incubator model before hitting the accelerator.
UnCorked digs into the background, mind and work of the world’s most interesting startup founders, while the host and his guest dig into a bottle of wine. In our introductory episode, we introduce you to Von Raees, President & Founder of Beacon Media and Kraver, an artificial intelligence solution to finding your next meal.