NYC invaded Austin, TX at SXSW Interactive and at the NY Tech Meetup event on Saturday, March 8th, where our home-grown startups demoed their products for the global tech community to see. As a member of the NYC tech community myself, I recognized quite a few of the prominent faces in the room that made it a great event for those who wanted an authentic taste of the NYC tech scene. Present were the leading men of Fueled, Social Media Week and Startup Threads, in addition to representatives from NYCEDC and, of course, David S. Rose, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of New York Angels/Founder and CEO of Gust (the event’s sponsor). Not only was the room buzzing with guests but also the startups that were featured during the demo portion of the event. Here is a recap of the companies coming out of NYC that you should keep an eye out for, if you’re not familiar with them already.
Click here to see the 9 companies that killed it from your mobile or tablet
1 Second Everyday: An app that records one second every day of your life to help capture memories.
As media distribution continues to move from the written word to the moving image, 1 Second Everyday is a video solution to creating blog content. It differentiates itself from other life-logging apps by allowing users to capture their favorite moment of each day and creating their own sentiment, as opposed to focusing on tracking location or fitness routines. As a brand marketer myself, I see this app having great potential as a brand engagement tool. I’m sure a mom blogger or two will pick this app up along the way as well.
Aereo: The simplest way to record and watch television online, using an individual antenna and DVR in the cloud. No boxes, wires, or cable subscription required.
Aereo has been on the New York tech scene for two years now, but still feels like a fresh concept. The company is in the midst of transforming the landscape of the traditional television market by streaming on-air broadcasting. Despite their ongoing legal dispute with the owners of several broadcast television networks, Aereo has been expanding into new markets across the US. Such an influential technology company based in New York City is exactly the reason why they were featured here, showing the SXSW tech crowd that there are big things to come out of NYC.
Canary.is: A consumer security product that gives real-time relevant information about your home.
Innovations like Canary are manifestations of the exciting time in the tech that we are living in. Canary is the first consumer-level security device that seamlessly communicates between you and your home. It can let you know if there’s a spike in temperature, preventing home fires, as well as if there’s unexpected movement, alerting you of potential intruders. The hardware is sleekly designed and the software intuitive, making the entire user experience pleasant and easy to navigate for consumers.
Kinsa: Creating the world’s first real-time map of human health connecting the world’s most common medical device.
Kinsa (which was demoed at the October NYTM) is one of those products that, once you hear about it, you think: “Well, why didn’t I think of that?” Kinsa is a consumer-focused smart thermometer that uploads the temperature monitor information into a friendly app (iOS and Android). Now you are able to track your symptoms all in one place, making it easy to understand your own health patterns, and soon, those around you. Kinsa is launching an integrated feature where you can learn about other Kinsa users in your geographical location, detecting health trends/patterns in your area.
MongoDB: Enabling engineers to build and run applications.
MongoDB’s vision is to provide the best database for how we build and run applications today in the world of big data, cloud, mobile, social, etc. They are one of the largest venture-backed technology companies in New York City and, with early venture capital investment from Union Square Ventures, one of NYC’s most prominent VC companies. MongoDB is a staple in the city. Big data is at the forefront of technology trends today, and MongoDB is in a top position to create new opportunities.
Moven: The world’s newest downloadable account that provides real-time spending insights to motivate customers to make smarter decisions and save.
Moven (which was demoed at the July NYTM) is the new smart debit account that comes with a physical debit card, as well as a compatible app. It is able to analyze the user’s spending behaviors in order for the account holder to know if they are spending over or under their average budget. Users not only track their spending: Moven also interprets the data in a useful way to inform future purchases. Moven also allows users to process payments to others, competing with Venmo and Square Cash. This app may also open doors to brands that want to provide discounts and consumer rewards. Moven’s position in the payment market stands to be seen as it is still pre-launch, but the opportunity for payment solutions is growing and there is still plenty of room for disruption in the US market and beyond.
Qlovi: Personalizing reading and writing experiences for classrooms.
Ed-tech is one of the hot topics in startups right now. SXSWedu was its own section of the Austin festival, kicking off the festivities prior to SXSW Interactive. Qlovi, an all-in-one literacy toolkit that is revolutionizing reading comprehension in schools, was one of NYC’s feature ed-tech companies. The product allows for personalized eReading and writing experiences in all classrooms. They also have their very own digital library collection of fiction and nonfiction learning-leveled books that are compatible with the Qlovi learning software. As classroom sizes continue to grow and parents are increasingly engaged in the workforce, a reading comprehension product such as Qlovi is very welcome to assist with the ever-important skill of literacy.
Skillfeed: The easiest, most cost-friendly way to learn creative and technical skills for your job.
Skillfeed by Shutterstock (showcased at the December NYTM) is a new platform that allows users to learn creative and technical skills at all levels and across various topics by working with the best online tutorial instructors on the web. This product is a new venture for stock photography company Shutterstock, but makes sense as a way to expand its offering and engage with contributing photographers and digital professionals. There are Comprehensive Courses to develop professional skills and Skill Snacks to pick up fun, new techniques. Online education is a booming market, with companies like Skillshare and Lynda.com paving the way. NYC is a hotbed for design and digital media, providing Skillfeed with a ripe market for its official launch.
Topi: The only solution that connects everyone at any event.
NYC is arguably one of the most networking-focused cities in the world. Topi aims to solve the problem that many apps before it have tackled from one angle of another. Topi is a mobile-first product that aims to satisfy both the user’s needs and the event organizer’s priorities. The attendee interface features the event details with additional rich conversations: participants can go beyond text, with shared photos, sketches, maps, and audio messages. For event organizers, the app takes care of all needs, such as document sharing, broadcast, in-app sponsorship, surveys, questions, and feedback. Topi also works across multiple locations and is prepared to support a dynamic agenda. Having been used events such as Samsung’s Developers Conference, Topi is on its way to being the app of choice for covering the 360 degrees of physical to digital event management.
The range of companies that demoed are representative of the tech meetups, or rather showcases, that take place monthly before a packed house at NYU’s Skirball Center. This time, the global tech community got a front-row seat.
