Fusion PR CEO Jordan Chanofsky and I attended the July NY Tech Meetup, which featured a great mix
of demos, as always (there were no guest speakers this time around, so they managed to get even more demos in).
They ranged from quirky and cutting edge to mature and market tested, from consumer to B2B plays. Here is a quick rundown of each:
- Cnsmr – Get consumer ratings while shopping by scanning a bar code with your cell phone; it is kind of like Yelp for consumer goods.
- Dashlane – One click checkout (but don't call it that, sounds too much like Amazon) from Android and iPhones or the Web, uses sophisticated semantic analysis to "understand" Web forms and help users fill them out, no integration required.
- Jirafe – Analytics dashboard for ecommerce websites; they seem to already have great marketplace traction, and were the one purely B2B play of the evening.
- Social Bicycles Combines a novel bike design, which is a feat of engineering – it has no gears, and a very secure locking mechanism, no special stations or kiosks required. Reserver your bike and map out routes via the Web, share info over your social networks. This one wins my vote for coolest startup of the night, except for the unfortunate shorthand for the name, SoBi – not that there's anything wrong with that.
- Vook – Ebook content management and publishing platform, very cool.
- Skillcrush: A tech education and literacy site, helps you master geek speak and thus better mingle and shoot the breeze with the New York tech crowd.
- Appguppy: It lets you roll your own apps – and launch and market them without the usual app store shuffle. Seems ideal for promoting and selling your own content, e.g. music.
- Shindig: Lets you run virtual events for thousands; a person, represented by an avatar can host it, and field questions; people can break off into groups and have their own conversations; truly amazing.
- Instinct: An app that helps you learn how to play guitar (other instruments coming soon).
The networking after party was fun too, it was at Sullivan Hall, in a cavern-like room; we had a chance to meet with some of the attendees, as well as the demoing company execs.
