The evolution of retail: EyeQ and RosieApp from North America Regionals move on to SmartCamp Global Finals
We're seeing an incredible transformation in retail right now driven by Cloud-Analytics-Mobile-Social (CAMS)! Nowhere was this more evident than at the US Regional SmartCamp Finals recently. The winners chosen by our crack judging team of VCs and startup experts both had something in common: they are transforming the customer experience for retailers and brands.
eyeQ gathers data about in-store customers to help retailers understand how purchase decisions are made at the shelf. How does the customer react to a given product? What role does gender bias play? How much time are they taking to make a purchase decision? eyeQ collects all this information on the Bluemix cloud platform, giving brands better customer insight. (Follow them on Twitter @eyeQinsights)
Likewise, Rosie makes it possible for small and medium-sized brick-and-mortar stores to offer a robust online shopping experience for their customers. They collect data on a shopper's buying habits and then translate that into an enhanced online shopping experience. Their platform brings together the whole retail supply chain to deliver exceptional customer experience. The mobile-based RosieApp lets customers keep control of when their key groceries run out and order and deliver them automatically! A powerful recommendation engine suggests relevant products. (Follow them on Twitter @RosieApp)
Winning their second People's Choice Award, BeehiveID's solution for authenticating online identities clearly has a popular following of supporters and customers. Their solution is a critical service in our increasingly mobile and online lives! (Follow them on Twitter @BeehiveID)
Congrats to all our winners! And we look forward to seeing eyeQ and Rosie at our SmartCamp Global Finals!
Helpful links:
eyeQ -> http://www.eyeqinsights.com/
Rosie -> https://www.rosieapp.com/
BeehiveID -> http://beehiveid.com/
Content transformation and Fire fighting: Two startups make it to Global Finals!
What do two startups, one with a solution in content transformation and the other with a solution in fighting forest fires, have in common? They are both heading to the SmartCamp Global Finals! Stelae Technologies and Insight Robotics won our SmartCamp Asia Pacific Regional!
Stelae Technologies, winner of SmartCamp India, has an automated solution that enables an end-to-end workflow for information management. With at least 70% of cost savings over current solutions, theirs is one platform for multiple file types (PDF, Word, ASCII, etc.) and enables rapid turnaround times for converting files into multiple output formats (XML, S1000d, XBRL, etc.).
So, imagine if you had access to a single platform that enabled you to create, manage, and convert multiple file formats. That would be a huge time and money saver!
And I really love what Insight Robotics, winner of SmartCamp China, is doing to prevent forest fires. Just last year in the United States, over 9.3 million acres of forest were lost to fires! Just think of how many acres globally are lost! Thankfully, Insight Robotics has a solution to address this global problem.
Using thermal imaging sensors and advanced artificial intelligence vision technology, Insight Robotics solution allows fire fighters to quickly locate a forest fire, giving them a jump at extinguishing the flames. So precise is their solution that is can spot fires as small as an area of 2m x 1m within 5km radius!
Congratulations to Stelae Technologies and Insight Robotics! I'll see you both at the SmartCamp Global Finals!
Helpful links:
Stelae Technologies -> http://www.stelae-technologies.com/
Insight Robotics -> http://www.insightrobotics.com/
Infographic: IBM Digital Analytics Predictions for Black Friday!
IBM ExperienceOne Benchmark Live
ibm.biz/BdESmh
IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark Hub
ibm.com/benchmark
Holiday Shopping Predictions Report
ibm.biz/BdESm6
2 Latin America Start-ups to watch! They Won Their Regional Finals by transforming industries!
Two Latin American startups changing the way brands and bands interact with their fans! These change moments will help to transform an entire industry!
Have you ever stood in line to hear your favorite local band? From my experience, that seems to be a universal thing to have to do to hear your favorite band perform. But what if you could just watch them live from your living room couch? What if you could participate to more personal performance delivered through an app?
That's exactly what Netshow.me does! Winner and Judge's choice of our SmartCamp Latin America Regional Finals, Netshow.me is a live-media channel for online marketing, promotion and performing! Their solution can literally strengthening the relationship between broadcasters and performers with their fan base! Live streaming broadcasts can give bands total freedom and autonomy to perform whenever and wherever they want. Very cool! Follow them on Twitter @Netshowme.
The People's Choice award went to Store Level, a provider of real time in-store execution monitoring using crowd sourcing and mobile technology. Store Level's mobile app allows consumers to execute social media-type missions based on the brands' needs.
In exchange for their work, they can receive cash rewards! Think about the possibilities! Using Store Level, you could actually get paid helping out the brands you enjoy most! Simultaneously, brands can analyze the results directly from their cloud-based dashboard. Talk about a mobile workforce!
Congrats to our two winners, and we look forward to seeing Netshow.me at the SmartCamp Global Finals!
Helpful links:
Netshow.me -> https://netshow.me/
Store Level -> http://storelevel.com/
Social Business Is Growing and Morphing !
I was re reading the recent ibm.biz/SocStudy on social business impact! If you haven't read it, please take the time to comb through it!
Some things that struck me!
First, enterprises are rapidly adopting, investing in and achieving business outcomes from social. In fact, Pacesetters, those who are exceeding in the market, are 4x more likely to embed social into both their internal and external processes! 43% of the best embed social into their processes but we need more to think this way! Social is not a channel, but a more effective and efficient ways to transform business processes!
But how do they approach social? Organizations tend to deploy clusters of capabilities together, each aimed at achieving a specific goal. Most are driving both internal and external collaboration but the #1 social entry point for most organizations deploying is on a client engagement mobile app.
To ensure success, these organizations are building, educating and protecting the workforce. 82% of these companies also recruit their employees via social networks.
However, most of these organizations are using social analytics to support their decisions, not for making decisions. For instance, 70% of those who are deploying social analytics still DO NOT USE THEM to influence marketing decisions - still rely on gut feel!!!!
Employees are critical in the battle for mindshare and relationships online! 43% of those deploying rely on employee evangelists to spread the word
Visit ibm.biz/SocStudy to read the full study and start driving your social business impact!
I love Entrepreneurs! We love Entrepreneurs!
Entrepreneurs are the soul of global innovation!!
And today, start-ups are rocking our world.
According to CB Insight, over $4.6B has been invested by VCs into Cloud Computing over the last year, representing a 113% YOY funding growth! And this year in particular has been incredible.
- Q1 2014 was the biggest funding quarter over the last 5 years
I am on the plane right now heading to San Fran and Silicon Valley to spend time with our most valued natural resource: The Start-Up. And with Silicon Valley is driving 42% of the cloud deals this year, the adventure of listening, helping, and announcing is my favorite part of my role!!
Hope to see you there!
Entrepreneurs Win with Augmented reality ! Check this out!
Imagine being able to see a printed car advertisement turned into 3D with your smartphone or mobile device. Or better yet, what if with your wearable device a board game came to life as a three-dimensional gaming experience? These scenarios are not fantasy; this is the world of WakingApp!
WakingApp, winner of SmartCamp Tel Aviv, is a startup that has developed solutions and a platform for creating advanced, interactive augmented reality with multi-user interaction, live data feeds, personalization, social activities, and live 3D games.
Here's what is really cool about their platform: it will enable anyone to create augmented reality! With their "drag & drop" platform, it is easy for anyone to start creating a 3D experience!
Already, WakingApp is working on a variety of augmented reality apps for different clients' marketing campaigns, including Nestle, Isuzu's interactive newspaper campaign, and Interactive AR books and board games.
I say WakingApp just might change the way we approach ads and games for good! Congratulations to WakingApp! Follow them on Twitter @WakingApp.
Check it out! http://www.wakingapp.com/