Launching last week as part of 500 Startups’ third class, eSpark Learning is leveraging iPad apps to make learning more engaging for young students. “Consider a typical student’s modern entertainment options – iPods, iPads, Wii, Nintendo, Xbox, video games, social networks, HD television, 3D movies. Why are we mostly using sophisticated technology to merely entertain…
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It’s not quite Groupon for nightlife; at least don’t say that to Poggled CEO and Co-Founder Joe Matthews. “I hate that. Our business is so different. We do events, not daily deals,” says Matthews. Matthews’ aversion to the comparison is fair – there are differences. Although it’s hard to deny the similarities. Timely Deals At 1pm,…
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An amazing thing happens when you are socially connected. When your Facebook friends expand from the cities you have lived in to your past jobs, or you find yourself in a complete life change that pushes you to meet new people, you want to get past the online to meet people in person…a novel concept…
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Did the allure of launching a startup make its way to your 2012 “this year I am going to finally do it” plan? Have you been putting together your business plan and feel the pulse of your entrepreneurial spirit quicken as you get closer to Day One of launching? Unfortunately along with the excitement of…
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This morning HelloWallet announced that they closed $12 million in Series B funding. Chicago-based Morningstar, Inc. invested $6.75 million and DC-based TD Fund (TDF) invested $4 million. Existing investors and new investors also participated in the round. Morningstar and HelloWallet plan to co-market their services to employers and 401(k) providers. I had a chance to…
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In case you missed it last night, Groupon founder and CEO Andrew Mason was on CBS’s 60 Minutes for an almost 13 minute interview about Groupon and i’s successes and failures. In just three years, the Chicago-based company has grown from an idea to 10,000 employees worldwide and recently IPOed. Of those 10,000 employees, they…
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Here is a little known fact about electricity in the United States: In 15 states, you have a choice in your power provider. It’s not necessarily the large power company that sends postcards when you move or the name provided on the list of services your condo association gave you. Power2Switch is challenging the belief…
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It’s a fresh new year, but some of us might not be so excited about returning to the same office we were at in 2011. As you reflect back on the year behind you, do you find yourself thinking about new challenges or a change of scenery? How can you make it the best year…
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Did you know that purpose is rapidly becoming the 5th “P” of marketing? According to the Edelman 2010 goodpurpose Study, 86% of global consumers believe that business needs to place at least equal weight on society’s interests as on business interests. In response to this shift in people’s mindsets, Chicago-based GoodPays.me is applying the consumer…
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Logan LaHive wants you to get rid of all those pesky loyalty cards stacked in your wallet. You know.. the ones with the frayed edges that you usually forget you have until after you get home from the coffee shop. LaHive, formerly of Redbox in Chicago, left the company to take on the role of…
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No, you didn’t read that headline wrong. BodyShopBids, a new Lightbank-backed Chicago startup, is helping provide auto repair estimates directly from photos you snap from your phone. Basically, if you have any external damage to your vehicle, you snap a couple of pictures – along with a brief damage report – and submit them to…
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As I meet startups from around the country, it continues to surprise me how they evolve to introduce products and services that are so intuitive, you are left asking, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Such is the case for Storymix Media, an automated video creation platform that allows wedding guests to capture a wedding…
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Fresh from its official public launch, MentorMob has declared that the “race to disrupt education is on.” Organization in online learning is the goal. With the abundance of quality and free material on the web today, the team at this startup aims to bring cohesion to this valuable, yet currently disorganized, information. MentorMob is a…
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If you’re like me, your pup is the king of the household. He gets whatever he wants whenever he wants, and he’s always begging for more. I’m also a deals fanatic. I check the daily deals sites, as well as sites like Fatwallet, many times a day. So my pup Charlie and I were both…
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As criticism of daily deals abounds, more merchant-friendly options are springing up: daily deal auctions, social advertising, and loyalty cards 2.0. Another option is the Chicago-based startup playOccasion, founded in August, which offers a marketplace for businesses to sell “occasions.” Available in DC and Chicago, playOccasion is currently focusing on sports and fitness events, like…
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Over 50 million Americans between the ages of 13 to 25 live and breathe on Facebook. These same students spend an average of 2 hours connected to this dominant social media site everyday, yet schools and districts across the country block the site due to fear, the threat of cyberbullying, and potential misconduct. Startup TalkChalk…
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There are a number of startup accelerator and incubator programs in the United States. We are fans of these programs (not to be confused with... Read More
Two months after the iPad 2 debuted in March, around 40% of users surveyed said their iPad was their primary computer, up from around 30%... Read More
With our Startup Mixology Conference coming up next week followed by our classic Tech Cocktail DC Summer mixer which will showcase a handful of early-stage... Read More
Coming off of one of our biggest Tech Cocktail mixer events in Chicago this past week, which showcased 14 early-stage start-ups, we thought it would... Read More