Easier mobile app development tools take over SmartCamp Europe Regionals
Our final SmartCamp Regional event for the year was held last week in London. We had 9 startup finalists; that's the largest SmartCamp Regional we've ever had! Eight countries across Europe, including Israel, were represented. It was a truly amazing event!
Watch this short video about the SmartCamp Europe Regional!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI7csH3_hbg&w=560&h=315]
The results produced two winners who will be going on to the SmartCamp Global Finals: Kinetise and WakingApp. Congratulations to these two startups for winning what proved to be one of the most competitive SmartCamps ever!
There is a common thread between these two startups. Both are native digital app companies with mobile solutions that allow anyone to create a mobile app, even if they don't have hardcore programming skills. Drag and drop features are evident in both solutions, making it much easier and faster to deploy the features you want and need into your mobile app.
But why make mobile app development easier for non-developers? According to Piotr Pawlak, CEO of Kinetise, it is "because of the developer shortage. There is simply not enough engineers in the market" to keep up with demand.
Kinetise and WakingApp have tapped into the future of mobile app development, and I couldn't be more excited to have them compete at our Global Finals! You can follow them on Twitter @Kinetise and @WakingApp.
The People's Choice Award went to Magick, winner of SmartCamp Nordics. It's clear to see why they are so popular since their mobile, browser-based financial trading solution makes it so much easier to perform financial trades, especially in the foreign currency exchange trade. Something tells me you'll be hearing more about Magick, like in financial magazines! You can follow them on Twitter @MAGICKnu.
And I'm so thrilled that Andiamo, one of my favorite startups, received a Special Mention during the event. Andiamo, our SmartCamp London winner, has a solution that uses 3D scanning and printing technology to create orthotics for children in a fraction of the time it took with previous methods... and cheaper, too! They are literally improving the lives of so many children and their families with this innovative solution. Congratulations to Andiamo and continued success! Follow them on Twitter @AndiamoHQ.
Follow my blog post for more on the upcoming SmartCamp Global Finals for 2014!
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/
Empowering the consumer: Two Spanish startups shine in Madrid!
When was the last time you got your utility or energy bill and were pleasantly surprised? If you're like me, you dread even opening the bill -- especially in the winter in NY!!!!
Now, imagine getting that same bill and knowing what to expect, no ugly surprises. This is what Green momit, winner of SmartCamp Madrid, offers in their solution!
Green momit can enable significant energy savings in your home. Their solution learns from user behavior, comparing and improving the use of energy control systems, and adapting the devices to the customer's habits. So, not only can it learn from your energy usage habits, but it can also save you money on your energy bill!
How do they do this? Their solution uses Big Data and Analytics to crunch the math for predictable outcomes and actionable plans. They also use Cloud to deliver and securely store all this data. They've got the key ingredients for success!
Already, they have thousands of users and are developing agreements with utilities and other industries to provide this great service! Congratulations to Green momit on their SmartCamp victory! Follow them on Twitter @greenmomit.
The People's Choice Award winner, Weplan, has a mobile solution aimed at informing consumers about mobile phone plans that best fit their needs. Their free mobile app analyzes phone calls, data, and text expenditures directly from your smartphone.
Managing all this information provides Weplan with a complete picture of your telecommunications needs, as well as providing telcos with business intelligence that will allow them to better understand both their customers and their competitors.
Weplan is hoping to be in 30 countries in Europe and Latin America before year end. I'd say they're on the right track to educate consumers and industry, alike! Congratulations to Weplan! Follow them on Twitter @weplanapp.
Helpful links:
Green momit -> http://greenmomit.com/
Weplan -> http://weplan-app.com/en/
Four Colorado Entrepreneurs stand out at Denver Startup Week!
IBM is doing so many things with startups, it's hard to keep up! I've blogged a lot about SmartCamps, so you probably think SmartCamps are the only things we have going for entrepreneurs. But nothing could be farther from the truth!
Case in point, IBM was recently a sponsor of the Denver Startup Week. There were 5,500+ startup community members and over 650 companies engaged in over 125 community-driven events celebrating everything entrepreneurial in the Mile High City!
And I'm thrilled to say that the event marked the first time IBM Global Entrepreneur was involved at an entrepreneurial event in Colorado. Something tells me, it won't be the last!
The four winning startups were B&C Electronic Engineering, SPF Solutions, S'ync, and Enterprise Sentinel.
B&C Electronic Engineering has a solution that shares responding emergency vehicles locations with other emergency agencies (fire, police, ambulance). This is critical for first responders. We all know about the chaotic nature at the scene of an accident, add to that the multiple emergency vehicles that are arriving at the scene. B&C Electronic Engineering's solution can reduce the chaos for the emergency vehicles by giving them critical information about the location of other emergency vehicles.
SPF Solutions' mobile app is going to make your "take-out" experience better! SPF Solutions has created an app for customers that enables them to place their food order and then be notified when it is ready for pickup. With this kind of automation, fewer mistakes are made and it frees up the restaurant staff to do other tasks. Sounds like greater efficiency and better service to me!
S'ync is tackling a huge issue in the realm of smarter transportation. Their solution uses GPS location data to map traffic flow, rates, and conditions to synch traffic lights. Think of it! Improving the flow of traffic is a benefit to everyone!
Enterprise Sentinel monitors enterprise data from any source, providing transactional analytics as well as executing pre-emptive actions to prevent issues from occurring. This predictive analytics capability plays very well in health monitoring as well as other industry use-cases.
Congratulations to these four startups! I know I look forward to hearing more about them in future SmartCamp events!
For more information:
B&C Electronic Engineering -> http://www.911eta.com/
SPF Solutions -> http://www.spfsolutions.biz/
Enterprise Sentinel-> http://enterprisesentinel.com/
Entrepreneur Country in Europe - Start-up Fever in London! Infographic
entrepreneurcountryglobal.com/toolbox/item/ibm
Grush brushes aside the competition to win SmartCamp Silicon Valley
On August 19th, we held our SmartCamp Silicon Valley event, and Grush stole the show! Congratulations to Grush for winning the Judges and People's choice awards!!
As a parent, I can really appreciate how Grush is making a game-chaning solution in kids brushing their teeth. That's right, I said kids brushing their teeth!
Grush transforms the chore of brushing into a fun and interactive game. They've developed an advanced Bluetooth motion-sensing toothbrush, coupled with interactive and instructive mobile games, to guide kids' brushing and let parents track the results.
Talk about the Internet of Things! The motion data is sent to Grush Apps in real-time. Grush Apps are interactive games and apps that receive motion data from Grush Brush and integrate it with a simulated image of teeth or a game theme.
It even has cloud technology! The Grush Cloud stores detailed brushing data of each user for tracking/monitoring. Detailed brushing statistical data can be provided to dentists to customize a treatment plan which could ultimately save in dental costs.
Anything that helps parents motivate their kids to brush their teeth is a winner in my book! Not only are these games fun for kids, they are also Dentist approved!
Nice job, Grush!
SmartCamp Entrepreneur Winners in France, Italy, and Africa!
We have more exciting news coming from SmartCamps in Africa and Europe!
Last week, we had SmartCamps in Milan, Lille and Nairobi. And at each location, the local entrepreneurial ecosystem was engaged and participated!
Congratulations to Social Bullgard (Italy), Seclud-IT (France) and Digital Vision East Africa (Nairobi)!
Social Bullgard gathers and structures social media content to help companies react quickly to requests and opportunities, as well as avoid and manage crisis efficiently.
Seclud-IT's solution, Elastic Security, brings to cloud infrastructure providers the ability to provide on-demand computing resources to their customers, without compromising with security.
Digital Vision East Africa's solution, Chamasoft, is a simple to use web and mobile application that automates all activities in an investment group. Their solution also promotes transparency and accountability within investment groups.
What an impressive list of startups! And all that just from last week! There are more to come, as our SmartCamps are happening around the world. Find out more about a SmartCamp near you!