Since I’m new around these parts, I thought this would be a better way than any other to give you some insight about who I am as an entrepreneur (or “entreprenewbie” as I like to call it) and new media specialist. I’m really forgetful. No really. I forget everything. I’m so engrossed in what I…
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South Africa had an unemployment rate of around 25% in 2010, and some other African countries fare much worse. It’s not necessarily because jobs are scarce: often, it’s a problem of candidates not knowing jobs are available, or facing discrimination based on their tribe. “In some cases these job seekers have to trek for miles…
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You’re 80 days into an incubator program, and you realize that your startup idea just isn’t working. It’s only 20 days until demo day – and your big pitch in front of a roomful of investors. What do you do? The team at Gradeful faced this very dilemma, and they decided to pivot. They had…
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Is your beta so quiet you can hear the crickets chirping? Or is that just the sound of your mom and dad clicking around? If you need to stir up some activity, consider trying BetaPunch. BetaPunch connects startups with beta testers, who can record their screens and get paid to play. They’ve attracted almost 500…
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Did you know that due to deregulation you can change your energy provider? Not all that many people in America do according to Power2Switch founder Seyi Fabode. When he moved to the U.S. he noticed this right away and took it upon himself to create a place for consumers to address this problem in Power2Switch. We’ve…
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Taking on a web business in 1997 was new frontier, especially in the Midwest. Based in Chicago, Cars.com was created to offer a rich online classified advertising experience around automobiles. Bill Swislow, the Senior Vice President of Product at Cars.com, was there from the beginning, from concept and startup phase to the point when Cars.com…
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Pinterest and Instagram are two the of the fastest growing apps of all time. So I wonder what would happen if you combine them together? Pinterest + Instagram = Pinstagram That is exactly what the team of Brandon Leonardo and Pek Pongpaet did with the launch of Pinstagram.co. The product combines the best of both worlds so you…
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With more than $10,000 in monthly revenue and a spot in Y Combinator, Envolve was moving along swimmingly. James Tamplin and his team pitched the chat service on demo day, scoring tons of press mentions. But by that time, they had already decided to shift to a new idea: Firebase. Although Envolve is still running,…
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If you’re looking for expert advice, where do you turn? Probably friends, colleagues, your network, and/or LinkedIn Answers. But how do you know if the advice you are getting is really good, or if it’s everything you should know about a certain topic? HighTable, which just launched in beta on April 2, was built to…
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What do go kart racing, jiu-jitsu, acupuncture, and dog grooming have in common? They’re all perks available on BetterWorks, a platform for companies to really reward their employees. Instead of waiting for the end of the year to receive that (inevitably disappointing) bonus check, employees on BetterWorks can sign in daily to check their rewards…
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Google has been fending off critics ever since it launched Search Plus Your World – which works more like Search Plus Our World, often favoring Google+ results. But beyond the hubbub, there’s a real problem here that Google’s trying to solve, albeit clumsily: people search. That’s the impetus for Ark, a recent Y Combinator grad…
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When he isn’t winning the Chinese National Kickboxing Championship, obtaining the Guinness World Record in tango, guest lecturing at Princeton, learning to speak a new language (currently fluent in five), or writing a pair of #1 New York Times bestselling books (The 4 Hour Workweek and The 4 Hour Body), Tim Ferriss finds time to lend…
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Urbana, IL’s Zero Percent is tackling a problem that’s already been accepted as the norm: food waste. “As standard business practice, U.S. restaurants waste over $10 billion a year —Literally. When faced with the chore of trying to find use of excess fresh-food inventory, the easiest thing for a restaurant manager to do is just…
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For the third consecutive summer, Excelerate Labs, which ranked among the top startup accelerator programs in America, announced today the companies selected for its 2012 class. Excelerate Labs is led by entrepreneurs Troy Henikoff (founder of SurePayroll) and Sam Yagan (founder of OkCupid, eDonkey, & SparkNotes). Excelerate Labs offers a summer program that connects founders with mentors,…
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After the initial exhilaration of take-off, turbulence sets in and passengers can sometimes get a little queasy. It turns out the journey through a startup accelerator is no different. On completing weeks 3-4 of Women Innovate Mobile (WIM), my mobile startup Appguppy has encountered its own form of turbulence: the first call for financials and…
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Only wear stonewashed jeans if you’re working on your car. That’s some of the advice you’ll get if you visit ZipFit.me, a Chicago startup. But more importantly, you can shop like a pro: figure out your jeans size in a few quick steps or – if you have a snug pair already – see recommendations…
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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
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
We are excited to announce the participating startups for Tech Cocktail's South by Southwest (SXSW) event: #Startuplife Celebration presented by .CO. It was one of... 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