Truthful Tech

Startup Weekend Columbus Pitches

1. Gamifying Awesome - online network of things that are awesome to do

2. (Scranton) Cocoon - take step for small biz marketing to social media marketing. Hootsuite for the older generation

3. SMS reminders. Text the service what you want to be reminded of and when.

4. Niche career portal that provides info on a company, like culture.

5. Group chat for content providers. Add chat to mobile or websites. ChatThing.

6. Tag photos by location, make a digital timeline, get photos off the phone. FieldTrip.

7. Web time tracking tool optimized for the person entering the info.

8. Put people in touch with locally owned fresh fruit, nice web interface, subscription service

9. “The Gift” - use our smart phones to give gifts from any vendors out there. A system that sends out a gift card and a greeting card. 

10. Interpreter in the evening. 

11. Website that streamlines the process of helping people in need. Educate people about poverty in a visually compelling way to increase the likeliness to act.

12. Social networking site specific for airport travelers.

13. DemandZilla. Petition brands to bring their shit to you. “I want blank nearby blank”

14. Social collaboration site that facilities the development of digital products. Cuptoopia.com

15. Website to create your own daily/weekly/monthly feed of the products you care about online. Personal shopper.

16. Serve low-mid market, make a wizard to make Wordpress easy. CozyPress.

17. HaleyMeals. Package together meals for people who want to just cook it.

18. Collective buying tipping point website for T Shirt designs.

19. Match.com meets ComicCon. Match up with other conference attendees. My Event Buddy.

20. Universal Terms of Use. Agree once, only agree to differences in any new terms of services. UserTOS.com

21. Accounting and information for electrical consumption for companies.

22. Match.com technology applied to business recruiting. Put together a profile of who you are, great for companies as they can eliminate first round interviews. Shortlist.com.

23. The Internet has too much content. We can’t find anything. Discover, organize, and share your interests in the cloud. Whotever.com.

24. Profiles for your exes. You can make it private. You make a profile about your exes and make it available for others to see. “Lets create a better generation of no breakups”.

25. Social network for live sports discussion. Profiles, discussion of sports during games. “Facebook for sports fans”

26. Selling on eBay sucks. This is a new way to get rid of your stuff, even if it’s worth very little. Site that lets people buy stuff like Craigslist, and you take it to a proxy store.

27. Buy lottery tickets through your smart phone.

28. Platform for travel blogs. Travel journal.

29. Cooling insert to put in purses to have a cold compartment. To keep stuff cool.

30. Group dating. You and your group of dudes looking for a group of girls to hang out with. “Meet my friends.com. or something”

31. This founder just asked for a girlfriend. 

32. Press release language -> stock price analysis.

33. BarLife. Mobile scheduling application, bottle service, etc. for bars.

34. Platform where students get plugged into cool startup internship opportunities. Rate companies they work for, etc. Has a flash sales angle. Hirebee.com.

35. Showcase only the person’s work online without any crazy other stuff on the website.

36. Platform, mobile application, of a person checking into a consumer electronics store. Managers could use it to manage their representatives. Give Best Buy piece of mind that their reps are in the store and that they’re up to date.

37. Manpacks.com for bachelor parties. Have a box shipped to your hotel of advil, gaterade, cigars, etc.

38. Acupuncture service.

39. Code reviewing is painful. Service for people who do technical recruiting to ensure that the best code samples rise to the top and weed out the lower level of technical recruiting.

40. “Ebay of equity or debt” - For investors, they get to buy into a company (equity) or loan money (debt) in private, small ventures that seek money, acquiring potentially valuable assets at an early stage. The entrepreneurs get a wider source of funding, and get to dictate valuation terms at an early stage.

41. “We the People” app that lets you message your congressman, and allows many people to easily contribute their voice to government.

42. Light for your dog or cat to wear that indicates if you already fed it in case you forget.

43. Loyalty program aggregation. Tell me what your cards are, you text us where you’re going, we’ll text you back what card you should use to get the best reward.

44. Scalable software system to manage a bunch of funding orgs. Service for social financial expansion. Web tool.

45. “Door openers

46. Tool to remember to feed the meter. Pay a monthly subscription fee, and everyone feeds eachother’s meters, and points are exchanged.

47. Smartphone app, put the type of dog that you have, and gives you all the FAQs for how to take care of that type of dog. Vet recommendations, etc. People will pay for anything for their pets. My Pet Wiki Pedia.com

48. Match up microbrewers with scientists to know what’s really happening inside the beer. Higher quality, higher value beers. Online community. There’s a sensor in your micro brewing equipment. Off the shelf sensor to analyze beer brewing and report it to people who can tell you what’s happening.

49. Fart-cloud. Soundcloud for farts.

50. Device that you put inline with your dog leash. Has a dog whistle in it.

51. 52. Celebrate With Me - video chat, etc. Remotely be at a party.

I’ll be covering and participating in Startup Weekend Columbus all weekend. Look out for photos, company write-ups, and other information all weekend long. 

iHeartbroken-Remembering Steve Jobs

As I sit here staring at my MacBook Pro, glancing at the numerous “Did Steve Jobs die?” texts coming through on my iPhone 4; I can’t seem to fully wrap my mind around the fact that my hero has passed away. 

At 7:34pm this statement was issued by Apple’s Board of Directors:

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct 05, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.

Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.

His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

SOURCE: Apple 


I remember my first interaction with an Apple product. The year was 1998, I was seven years old and starting my first day of 3rd grade. As I walked into the classroom I couldn’t help but notice the brand new computers the school received over the summer. These were different from my plain white colored PC at home: they had cool colors. It was Apple’s iMac, which debuted in May of 1998. This was Jobs’ first product launch after Apple acquired his NeXT and rehired him as the CEO. 


At 20 years old I don’t remember much from 3rd grade; but I remember the iMac. Throughout the entire school year I was fixated on my iMac. I learned to open different programs, to create documents and folders, and of course:play games. I didn’t know it at the time, but this wasn’t the first emotional experience in my life that Steve Jobs played a part in. 



Jobs faced the entrepreneur’s worst nightmare: being fired from his own company. He had plenty of money and could have easily disappeared from the public image into retirement. Instead, he exemplified the never-ending entrepreneurial “itch” and passion for work which would lead him to create the most successful animation studio in the world: Pixar. Toy Story, Pixar’s first blockbuster success, is a childhood favorite to an entire generation. I feel as if my child hood innocence is locked deep within the frames of the original Toy Story movie. Steve played an important, yet subtle, role in shaping who I am today.
 
Faster forward to October 2011. I’m a 20 year old entrepreneur from the “dying city”, Scranton, Pa. My resources are limited; but my motivation, dedication, and love have no bounds.

I love what I do.

I love blogging about the tech industry. I love building companies. I wakeup every morning and can’t wait to get to work. In fact, before my eyes are even fully open I’m checking my email, social media, and text messages.

Steve Jobs represents the inspirational figurehead driving my motivation. If he can do it, anyone can; including me. It’s not about money. It’s not about fame. It’s about doing what you love and “trusting that the dots will someday connect in your future.”

Thanks for the amazing products, inspiration, and life lessons Steve.