For architects and industrial designers, finding sustainable materials to use in building projects has long been a challenge, with providers and information scattered all across the web. Ecolect, which just launched last fall, aims to provide a single, central library of sustainable materials that makes it easier for designers to be "green."

Rhode Island-based Ecolect, which was founded by two Rhode Island School of Design graduates, hopes to save designers time and money by answering three important questions: where to find sustainable materials, what makes them sustainable, and who else is using them and how. Toward that end, the site features materials with sustainable attributes—eco paints and bamboo flooring, for example—complemented by content that stimulates discussion about sustainability. Case studies illustrate the successful use of sustainable design, and users can contribute reviews and images of materials in use. The site's blog, meanwhile, discusses how ecology affects the world. Ad-supported Ecolect is free for users.

“We saw a unique and unmet need in the marketplace,” explains Matt Grigsby, one of the site's cofounders. “From there, we set out to not only create the world’s first free and accessible sustainable materials library, but also build a tight-knit global community, where individuals from around the world can go to learn and connect around the issue of sustainable design.”

Grigsby won last year’s Rhode Island Innovation Awards Rising Star Innovator title for his role in developing Ecolect, and the company itself has been named a finalist in the 2008 SXSW Web Awards, the winner of which will be named next month. The trend toward sustainability isn't going away anytime soon, so the opportunities are many in supporting and informing those who make it happen. Since the distribution of building materials varies widely by country/region, this is definitely one to set up in your own neck of the woods. Or how about applying the concept to other industries?

Website: www.ecolect.net
Contact: pvd@ecolect.net

Spotted by: Mark M.

Given the lifestyle changes wrought by electronic media, it's no surprise that book publishers have begun experimenting with new ways to publish their works. We've recently looked at efforts to sell books in bite-size chunks as downloads or via e-mail and RSS, but many have also become available as free podcasts via Podiobooks.com.

Arizona-based Podiobooks.com has actually been around for a few years already, having launched in 2005, and it now lays claim to more than 41,000 members. Users of the site receive episodes or chapters of any book on a schedule of their choosing, and can then listen to them on their computer, transfer the DRM-free audio files to their MP3 player or burn them to CD or other media—all free of charge. A combination of advertising and listener donations support the service, which passes on 75 percent of all donated funds to authors. Since the 2005 publication of Scott Sigler’s "EarthCore," which the company says was the world’s first podcast-only novel, Podiobooks.com has grown to include 3,913 episodes of 184 titles available for download. All books are distributed with the express permission of the authors, many of whom participate in the interests of marketing and exposure.

Early reports of the book's demise were greatly exaggerated, as has been amply proven by the success of the Harry Potter series, among others. But with new media and devices like Amazon's Kindle, the question now is what other forms it might assume. Music has already become available in a variety of formats; now it's books' turn. There's no arguing with choice! Or with free. Much more on the rise of no-price in our sister-site’s current briefing: FREE LOVE.

Website: www.podiobooks.com
Contact: feedback@podiobooks.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel

Back in 2006, Nike generated copious amounts of street cred with techies when it partnered with Apple and released its Nike + iPod Sport Kit, which allowS gadget-loving runners to synch their iPods via a special sensor placed inside their Nike shoes.

Now, the US athletic shoe manufacturer seems determined to win over green-minded customers, too. In January, Nike introduced the Air Jordan XX3, which uses eco-friendly materials. Then in February Nike went a step further with Trash Talk. From the sole to the shoelaces, this shoe is produced not only from ‘environmentally preferred’ materials but also recycled waste, with much of the latter coming from Nike’s own production facilities—scraps that would otherwise have been discarded.

Trash Talk is the brainchild of Nike celebrity endorser Steve Nash.The All-Star guard for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns is a committed green-living advocate. And a retail price of USD 100 aptly illustrates how a company can turn garbage to gold. That’s a lesson which should be well taken by beleaguered manufacturers in the US and other developed nations. As these manufacturers look for ways to compete with lower-cost producers in Asia, they might find the secret to reinventing themselves is stacked up in the trash bins of their own factories. Yet another way for brands to rack up those greenie points ;-)

Website www.nike.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

By offering a set of sophisticated project management tools, Kluster aims to enable crowds to develop new concepts. The system is currently being demonstrated at the TED conference in Monterey, where the event's attendees will be able to work together to create a product prototype in 72 hours. (Rapid prototyping machines and a team of modellers are standing by.) Kluster wasn’t developed just for tangible objects though. It can also be used to create brand identities, plan events or for any other project that would benefit from crowd input.

Granted—Kluster isn’t the first venture to create a platform for crowdsourcing. Cambrian House and CrowdSpirit both operate in this space. The main advantage Kluster offers is incentive: a highly developed system of rewards. Members can earn ‘Watts’ (the local currency) by helping solve problems or suggesting refinements or enhancements. They can also invest their Watts, and can cash out if a project is purchased by a third party. Investments grow along with a project’s value, and a member’s stake is based on how much he or she has contributed. As explained by Kluster: “Watts encourage users to participate and stay on target, keeping the community productive.”

Anyone can initiate a project, and Kluster claims to use complex algorithms to let the brightest ideas surface, not just the loudest ones. Several companies have signed up to engage Kluster’s community and tap into their collective creativity. In the best case scenario, the crowds will help brands create new hit products. At the very least, using Kluster will let them interact with their most dedicated customers. Smaller companies, meanwhile, can use Kluster as an instant research and development lab, enlisting (and rewarding!) the community to help ‘flesh out’ ideas that they might otherwise not be able to develop. One to experiment with!

Website: www.kluster.com
Contact: team@kluster.com

Spotted by: Kare Anderson

Last summer we wrote about a Facebook application that lets users of the popular social network send real flowers to their virtual friends, and now The Light Agency has expanded on that idea with a Mars-branded widget that makes it possible to send real candy.

Launched on Valentine's Day, Celebrate allows UK users of Facebook to choose from a range of Mars confectionery gifts from the Celebrate Sweet Shop online. To send one, they simply select a friend, add a message and pay for the gift via tokens on their PayPal account. A message is sent to the gift recipient requesting their mobile number, and a unique Celebrate Voucher ID and gift details are then sent to them via SMS text. To collect the gift, the recipient just visits one of more than 12,500 participating PayPoint retailers and shows the Celebrate Voucher ID.

As the lines dividing the real and virtual worlds continue to blur, consumers will increasingly value the ability to bring niceties like real-world gift-giving to the virtual realm. With just a few contenders so far, the sky's still the limit on opportunities—one to get in on early!

Website: www.thelightagency.com
Contact: lynettecowen@thelightagency.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Aiming to invigorate a stagnating housing market, Dutch ING Bank is helping potential buyers bid on houses that aren't yet for sale.

The bank's WoonWaarUWilt ("LiveWhereYouWant") initiative, which launched yesterday, lets clients make an offer on the house they'd love to own. ING is partnering with online real estate firm iBlue. After potential buyers fill in a form on www.woonwaaruwilt.nl, including their dream home's address and the initial offer they're willing to make, iBlue contacts them to discuss whether the offer is reasonable, and adjusts it if necessary. A mortgage consultant also determines whether the buyers would be able to finance the purchase.

iBlue then sends a preliminary offer to the property's current owners, explaining the situation and inquiring whether they'd consider selling. As with other 'Intention Economy' real estate ventures we've covered before (in Finland and elsewhere), the reasoning is that many homeowners aren't actively interested in selling, but can be persuaded to do so if the right offer comes along. By declaring their intention and backing it up with a lender’s financial approval, buyers can help eliminate the uncertainty associated with putting a house on the market. Meanwhile, the concept is a smart way for ING to get a head start on other banks when it comes to financing the transaction.

Making an offer is free for clients, but if the owners are interested in pursuing the offer, iBlue acts as the buyer's agent and charges a commission once the deal is done. The Intention Economy was first described by Doc Searls as follows: “The Intention Economy grows around buyers, not sellers. It leverages the simple fact that buyers are the first source of money, and that they come ready-made. You don't need advertising to make them.” Which offers exciting opportunities for businesses who are willing to shift from marketing to buyers, to facilitating their intentions.

Website: www.woonwaaruwilt.nl

As the environmental consequences of driving cars become ever more clear, consumers are increasingly aware of the benefits of alternative modes of transportation. Walkit is a website that promotes the power of walking as a healthier way to get around.

Walkit's goal is to help consumers make more informed decisions about whether they choose to walk for all, or part, of any given journey. The UK-based site currently offers walking routes for London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Newcastle/Gateshead, and plans to cover all the UK's major cities by the end of this year. Users looking for walking routes simply enter their starting location and desired destination, along with whether they prefer the most direct route or the least busy one; there's also an option to request a route "via" some other spot along the way. Thanks to a feature just added earlier this month, users going through inner London can request "fresh air" routes with the lowest pollution as well. Either way, Walkit then supplies the user with a detailed map and written directions, including distance, walking time, the number of calories burned and the carbon dioxide avoided by walking rather than riding in a car, taxi or bus.

Walkit first launched in London in late 2006, and over the course of 2007 it received more than 440,000 visits and generated nearly 670,000 walking routes. Glasgow is reportedly next on its list, and discussions are apparently also under way across the Atlantic in Boston. The site is supported by ads and sponsorships, including on-map icons and store locators.

It's pretty safe to say demand will only increase for alternative ways to get around, and there's no cheaper alternative than walking. Why not help consumers in a city near you rediscover the power of their own two feet? (Related: Downloadable shopping maps.)

Website: www.walkit.com
Contact: feedback@walkit.com

Spotted by: Mark Boreland

Start-up phone provider Ribbit aims to offer solutions to questions like: “Why can’t I forward voice messages like I can my email?” or “Why doesn’t my phone ring in my browser?”

Ribbit, which is still in beta testing phase and set to launch in the coming months, is headed up by Silicon Valley tech veterans who plan to load their phone service with applications previously unavailable from a single phone network. Instead of simply displaying a caller ID, for example, Ribbit will create a mashup of relevant information culled from social networks like Twitter and Facebook, revealing what the caller is currently doing/reading/watching.

What Ribbit is attempting, via its development platform Amphibian—is to combine all of the different ‘talk channels’ that consumers are using, and to overlay this unified communication hub with web-enabled features such as voicemail sorting tools and info-rich caller ID. Call routing is good example of their integrated approach. As explained by Ribbit: “Drag and drop personal call routing lets you connect all your phones together. It's your call—you determine where you want to take it. Route calls to Skype, MSN, Google Talk, home, office, or anywhere you want. Ring all, none, or some...answer one and they all stop ringing. And you can even move a live call from one phone to another.”

Additional applications will come from independent developers using Amphibian’s API. These developers—more than 600 have signed on so far—can sell the tools they create via Ribbit’s online store. That’s where the opportunity for tech-savvy entrepreneurs may lie. Ribbit itself will create revenue through access fees to its API, along with support services and sales of applications developed both in-house and by third parties. Ribbit isn’t alone in this space, of course. Heavyweight Google recently announced its open model Android operating system for mobile phones. Another major player, eBay, is under pressure to wring more profits from its Skype subsidiary. And Apple has plans to further open up its iPhone to third party developers.

Bottom line: the telecom industry is about to get even more lively, with lots of opportunities for small-scale developers to create their own profitable niches that serve consumers like never before.

Website: www.ribbit.com
Contact: info@ribbit.com

Spotted by: Mark Ingebretsen

Until recently there has been online dating—traditionally a matter of photos and profiles—and speed dating, which took the offline dating world by storm. The two were obviously a match made in heaven, though, because in the last few months several new sites have begun offering speed dating online.

WooMe, for example, which launched in November, is an online introduction platform that allows users to meet, see and hear people live in 1-minute conversations. Using a webcam and WooMe's optimized in-browser video and voice capability, users congregate online for five-minute "speed sessions" in which everyone gets to meet five new people. Users can create their own session focusing on a particular topic, or they can join one that's already scheduled. Either way, they decide whether they've been "woo'd" or not by each member they meet and pursue the connections with those they like. San Francisco-based WooMe is backed by the founders of Skype (Atomico Investments), Mangrove Capital Partners and Klaus Hommels, and its service is free.

Camlink, meanwhile, is another free service aimed at bringing speed dating to the web. Still in beta, the New York-based service offers online speed date sessions of mini-dates ranging anywhere from 1 minute "turbo dates" to 5 minute introductions. Sessions are all based on themes, such as "New York movie lovers" or "Jewish singles." During each date in a session, users vote whether they like the person they're speaking with or not; if both sides vote "yes" the system detects the match and users are prompted to select which contact information to share.

Finally, California-based SpeedDate, also free, lets users go on live, 3-minute dates through voice, video and IM, and then vote for those they like. Once again, if both parties click "yes" for each other, they are given the opportunity to contact each other and pursue the connection.

Dating is an area that just keeps on spurring new innovation. While all three of these sites are open to users around the world, the concept begs for localized versions. One to bring to an area near you! (Related: Dating 3.0, Group dating.)

Websites: www.woome.com — www.camlink.com — www.speeddate.com/date
Contact: info@woome.com — info@camlink.com — info@speeddate.com

Spotted by: Luke Humble and Ozgur Alaz

Companies including the likes of Google have long touted the potential of GPS-based advertising, and that promise recently came a step closer with a new, ad-supported GPS device from adNav.

adNav's Boomerang is an ad-supported mobile concierge system with built-in GPS navigation that's currently targeted at hotels, airlines and car rental agencies as an extra amenity for out-of-town visitors. The idea is that when a traveller arrives at one of AdNav’s partner hotel or other locations, they are offered the Boomerang for a few dollars a day (the goal is for it to be free eventually, adNav says). In addition to voice-guided GPS navigation, the Boomerang includes unlimited connectivity to the web through wifi and cellular networks. Local city and restaurant guides give users access to hundreds of pages of geo-coded information, allowing them to simply touch the desired destination and be seamlessly directed there via GPS, and there is also unlimited access to live flight information, weather, a language translator, a currency exchange calculator, a tip calculator and games. The Boomerang device can be customized and branded for each partner with the addition of such features as hotel concierge recommendations and constant connectivity to the concierge desk. Tele Atlas, Citysearch, Ask.com, FlightView and CustomWeather are among the providers of the Boomerang's content.

Brooklyn-based adNav has already rolled out the Boomerang in New York, with additional cities and locations to follow in the coming weeks through partners including DoubleTree and Omni Hotels, among others. Looks like a no-brainer for those in travel-related businesses, and a whole new world of opportunity for hyperlocalized advertising in general. The million-dollar question, of course, is how to bring this model to the mass market. (Related: Let your buses do the talking.)

Website: www.adnavinc.com
Contact: info@adnavinc.com

Spotted by: Marko Balabanovic

_____

Note: For many more examples of ad-sponsored freebies and other types of ‘FREE LOVE’, be sure to read our sister site trendwatching.com’s upcoming briefing on the subject, which will be online on February 26th.

If you don't already subscribe to trendwatching.com’s free monthly briefings, sign up here!

Last fall we wrote about Do Good 4 Debt, a site designed to let students relieve some of their educational debt in exchange for performing charity work. Student Gems, which launched shortly thereafter, picks up on a similar theme by matching students in need of work with businesses in need of occasional or one-time help.

Student Gems is open to UK students or recent graduates 18 and older. To register, students begin by creating a profile that lists all their skills, including anything from language translation or website design to any of 1,400 other skills categorized on the site. Businesses or individuals in need of help can then search the database for someone who has the skills they require for a one-off or occasional job; if they can’t find a match immediately, they can post their job requirements. Students can also browse through tasks listed by businesses seeking someone with a particular talent and initiate contact themselves.

Ad-supported Student Gems is free for use by both businesses and students; by mid-January, more than 1,000 students and 100 businesses had registered with the site, including a software house, a chartered accountant, a media company and even a firm of funeral directors. Cofounder Joanna Ward explains: “Most small businesses cannot afford to take on professional staff for small tasks. Studentgems.com allows them to find someone quickly and easily and negotiate a price that suits their budget.”

Given skyrocketing levels of student debt and a tough employment landscape, this just could do the trick both for students and for smaller businesses. One to bring to other parts of the world?

Website: www.studentgems.com
Contact: info@studentgems.com

Spotted by: Nigel Lamb

Early last month, when we first wrote about nvohk—an eco-friendly, surf-inspired clothing manufacturer—we noted it was a good example of a crowd-funded business model. Hoping to build a brand from scratch, the Los Angeles-based company launched a drive to recruit 5,000 “owner managers” who will each contribute USD 50 annually. In exchange they’ll get a voice in deciding everything from the clothing styles to the advertising of nvohk’s line of environmentally responsible clothing. Plus, they’ll receive discounts along with 35 percent of the company’s profits, the latter doled out in the form of reward points that can be used to buy clothing items.

Nvohk’s crowd-funded approach appears to have been right on the money. The company recently announced that 1,250 people have signed up to become members. An appealing and perhaps unexpected element to nvohk's approach is that the brand will be global from the start. "With about 40% of future members coming from outside the US to date, nvohk is a great example of how the internet and globalization are changing the business landscape forever," comments Brendan T. Lynch, co-founder of nvohk.

We’ve noted other examples of crowdfunding in everything from TV prodction to soccer teams. And while it’s too soon to know how well companies relying on this new form of grass-roots financing will perform, the diverse nature of start-ups using crowdfunding suggests it can work well for anyone with an attention-grabbing idea and the business plan to back it up.

Website: www.projectnvohk.com
Contact: info@projectnvohk.com

Dedicated readers may recall Crushpad, an urban winery we've already discussed on two separate occasions, and now the busy vintners there have given us reason to cover them yet again. Just before the holidays Crushpad introduced fusebox, a wine blending kit that lets users experience the wine-making process at home.

Crushpad's 15-pound fusebox was created to contain everything a group of four might need to explore how some of the world’s greatest wines are blended: Six 375 mL bottles of blending wine from some of Napa's finest vineyards, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc; one 375 mL bottle of Mystery Wine; one graduated cylinder and 4 pipettes; four wine evaluation cards; four tasting place mats; recipe cards, a vinography aroma card and a corkscrew. Using the kit, wine enthusiasts can try to re-create classic Cabernet blends or invent their own; they can also test their discernment skills on the included Mystery Wine by playing the “Guess the Mystery Blend” online game at fuseboxwine.com. fusebox is priced at USD 120 and available for shipping only within the United States.

“Crushpad’s mission is to turn consumers into creators,” explains Michael Brill, CEO of San Francisco-based Crushpad. “Whether it’s the multiyear experience of making a wine from vine to bottle or just spending a few hours with friends enjoying a blending session with fusebox, we want to give individuals the opportunity to experience the fun and sense of creative expression that comes from making wine.”

Crushpad has always specialized in helping enthusiasts understand and make their own wines, providing desirable status skills along the way. With fusebox, that experience becomes an insperience, making for a winning combination. Crushpad is in the very early phases of signing up fusebox retailers and distributors. One to bring to the rest of the wine-loving world!

Website: www.fuseboxwine.com
Contact: patrick@crushpadwine.com

Spotted by: RK

One of the big advantages supermarkets have long had over consumers lies in the sheer number of products they offer—with some priced higher and others priced lower than the competition, it's near impossible to say that one store offers consistently better (or worse) deals every time. Well, supermarkets, those protected days may be drawing to a close. A new UK-based site provides a central way for consumers to compare prices as they shop online and then place their order with the cheapest store.

mySupermarket is a free shopping and comparison website for supermarket shoppers that links the online portals of the UK's four main supermarket chains and compares prices on the fly. Consumers begin by choosing their favourite store—Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's or Ocada—and shopping through mySupermarket's lifelike online shelves. Grocery departments are displayed across the top of the screen, and clicking on any one reveals the shelves within. For each product, mySupermarket displays the weight or volume, price, special offers and price per unit; for foods and beverages, it shows the ingredients, number of calories, an overall traffic light rating, and detailed nutritional information. The best part is that as consumers shop, the site's Trolley Checker scans their trolley and displays its current total cost at each of the four supermarkets. The Price Checker, meanwhile, suggests swapping some products for others that are a better value, while the Health Checker makes suggestions for healthier substitutions. Once consumers settle on their product choices and store, they simply send their trolley for checkout at the supermarket of their choice.

Rumours suggest that a like-purposed site may be coming soon in the US from Grocio.com. Once sites like these give consumers the long-desired ability to comparison-shop for groceries, there will be no turning back. Transparency tyranny strikes again—better get in on this one early if you're in retail!

Website: www.mysupermarket.co.uk
Contact: enquiries@mysupermarket.co.uk

Spotted by: Junaid Kazi

There's no doubt content is king in today's world of new media; what's less clear is how to get it. DailyArticle.com offers website owners, ad agencies and others an affordable way to buy the full rights to original, relevant and professionally written content for their sites.

Back in 2006 we wrote about ScooptWords, which allows bloggers to sell their work, and sites like ConstantContent also focus on connecting writers with buyers. In most cases, however, purchases are for limited use and limited rights to the content. DailyArticle.com, on the other hand, is more like iStockphoto in that buyers get full rights to all the content they purchase, including the right to change it or resell it royalty-free. Hundreds of freelance writers contribute articles to the site of every length and on a multitude of topics, indicating for each the price they'd like to be paid. Content in the "Bargain Bin" costs less than USD 15, and there is also a small selection of free articles available. To ensure maximum value of all content for buyers' search-engine optimization (SEO) purposes, DailyArticle.com verifies its originality using Copyscape, and its editors approve the quality before posting. Publicly viewable articles on the site are even scrambled to prevent the content from being indexed by search engines.

Virginia-based DailyArticle.com was founded last fall, and so far it seems to be the only such site focused exclusively on full-rights ownership. One to emulate in the niche of your choice?

Website: www.dailyarticle.com
Contact: www.dailyarticle.com/contact.php

Spotted by: Gavin Powell

Every parent of young children has an unwanted-toy graveyard somewhere in the home. Today’s prized playthings inevitably become tomorrow’s cast-offs, ready to be given away, discarded or boxed up in the garage. The alternative, offered by Texas start-up Babyplays, is to receive four to six toys by mail each month. Parents can keep the toys as long as they like, and send them back to receive a fresh batch. Monthly subscription rates range from USD 36.99 to 64.99.

Babyplays offers a range of age-appropriate toys, and depending on their membership level, parents can rent up to 10 toys a month. Besides reducing clutter, members can save money by renting instead of owning. You could call it the Netflix rental model applied to toys. We’ve seen start-ups tweak the rent-not-buy concept in innovative ways: in August 2007, we wrote about a German company, Lütte-Leihen, that sends parents a fresh batch of baby clothes that can be exchanged for new ones each month. The same model has been applied to women’s accessories, with companies like Bag, Borrow or Steal offering members access to designer handbags and jewellery.

A factor all of these firms must reckon with is the need to acquire an adequate inventory of items to accommodate customer whims—a potentially expensive proposition. That said, the rental model still has plenty of new potential applications. What’s key is that many consumers are becoming less interested in full ownership, opting instead for the convenience and flexibility of renting or fractional ownership. For many more examples, check out our sister-site trendwatching.com’s briefing about transumers.

Website: www.babyplays.com
Contact: support@babyplays.com

Spotted by: Bill McMahon

Thanks to YouTube, web surfers throughout the world have grown comfortable posting and watching online videos. So it’s no surprise to see niche sites pop up with videos focused on specialized topics. Last June we wrote about RealPeopleRealStuff, a just-launched video classified ad site that challenged users to create and star in their own commercials. RealPeopleRealStuff wisely sought out partnerships with newspapers to increase visitor traffic in a channel that—eBay notwithstanding—is still highly localized.

Now, just over half a year later, RealPeopleRealStuff’s founders have launched a sister site named VideoJobShop.com, a kind of Monster/YouTube/Craigslist/Facebook mix. For rates ranging from free to USD 25 or more, VideoJobShop.com lets employers post videos describing the work and benefits they offer. To help them, the site contains a lengthy library of pre-recorded videos describing common occupations. Job hunters, meanwhile, can upload their video resumes in the hopes of catching an employer’s eye. A widget lets them link their online resumes to their Facebook profiles.

VideoJobShop isn’t the only site harnessing video for job seekers. Back in 2006, we looked at HireVue, a site that lets job seekers tape their responses to employers’ questions, creating what might be termed speed-dating for employment. Then last fall we spotted CareerTours, where companies post videos touting the benefits they offer new hires.

The video employment space will no doubt continue to evolve, opening up fresh opportunities for entrepreneurs. Up until now, for example, these sites have been largely national in scope. So going strictly local could be an option. Focusing on high-demand job categories is another option. It’s not hard to imagine sites devoted to health professionals or video game programmers. Focusing on niches may be the best strategy for avoiding the danger that major sites such as Monster or its IT counterpart Dice.com will heavily promote low-cost video job descriptions and resumes, decisively trouncing new entrants. (Dice.com has already posted a thoughtful article on the benefits and pitfalls of video resumes.) Another entrepreneurial opportunity? As video resumes become more common, job seekers will need videographers and coaches to help them create professional, convincing and confident video portraits. And the same goes for employers seeking to hire. Something to explore and get started on soon!

Website: www.videojobshop.com
Contact: realpeoplerealstuff.com/contact

Consumers can buy blended fruit concoctions at just about any shopping mall or airport. But a Malaysian chain called Dessert’s Bar adds a twist by serving them up in a sophisticated cocktail lounge atmosphere. The menu at Dessert’s Bar is an unabashed homage to fruit, including items such as smoothies, sorbets, fruit salads, along with pancakes and crepes heaped with strawberries, melon balls and berries.

While sticking to non-alcoholic offerings, as befits a country where two-thirds of the population is Islamic, the fruit drinks at Dessert’s Bar are served in martini and wine glasses. Which adds a level of sophistication and makes the establishment a welcome alternative to bars and coffee houses.

Dessert-only restaurants have been around for a while. But like the three we profiled in 2006, many specialize in admittedly delicious yet calorie-laden creations. By contrast, Malaysia’s Dessert’s Bar focuses on flavourful indulgence without guilt. There’s a concept which could find a ready market in any city with a large health-conscious population.

Website: www.dessertsbar.com
Contact: hello@dessertsbar.com

Spotted by: Suki Goh

Last year we covered Blyk, which offers select users of its mobile phone service free minutes in exchange for viewing targeted ads. A new Belgian player is offering similar 'free love' by paying users cash to watch ads on their cell phones.

While Blyk operates as a mobile virtual network operator and offers the free minutes only to those who use its service, however, Pumbby pays cash to users regardless of the mobile network they subscribe to. When users sign up for Pumbby online, they simply indicate which network they use and how many ads they are willing to receive each day, out of a maximum of 10. Pumbby then sends those ads as WAP links via SMS, and for each one that gets displayed, it credits the user's account with EUR 0.44. The resulting funds can be used to pay the user's mobile bill, deposited directly into the bank or used toward purchases of DVDs, books or tickets to movies and exhibits.

Brussels-based Pumbby's service just launched last month, but with its cross-operator approach, its prospects are promising. Given that the mobile web is the next frontier for marketing and advertising, you can bet others won't be far behind....

Website: www.pumbby.com
Contact: infos@pumbby.com

Spotted by: Jean Friesewinkel

Who knew? London has 60,000 surfers, according to the British Surfing Association, a fraction of the roughly half million enthusiasts throughout the UK. Up till now British surfers basically had two options: don wet suits and brave the crowds at Cornwall and other close-to-home spots or hop a flight to catch the waves abroad.

But a GBP 20m outdoor wave machine along the Thames set to open in 2011 could create an urban surfers’ paradise in East London. The attraction is part of a huge planned sports complex called Venture Xtreme that will also include rock and ice climbing walls, mountain bike and skateboard courses, what’s touted as the world’s longest artificial cave system and a vertical wind tunnel that simulates a skydiver’s freefall. Venture Xtreme’s backers hope it will give active Londoners an exciting alternative to an after-work health club visit, the Guardian noted. An hour’s session in the surf reportedly will cost GBP 30, higher than rates charged by Adrenalina, the smaller wave-machine-in-a-mall-sporting-goods store we profiled earlier this month, but cheaper and more convenient than a day trip to the English coast.

And in fact, Venture Xtreme is the latest among several new and extravagant sports complexes located within major urban areas. Like Dubai’s famed indoor downhill snow-ski slope and a similar attraction called Xanadu now under construction in the New Jersey Meadowlands near New York City, Venture Xtreme will give city dwellers easy access to experiences they would otherwise need to travel for. While putting together a major development such as Venture Xtreme requires considerable access to capital, managerial acumen, not to mention political savvy, these new sports mega-facilities should offer plenty of other opportunities for retailers and service providers, which makes them worth watching.

Website: www.venture-xtreme.com
Contact: www.venture-xtreme.com/contact.html

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

The lure of Apple's iPhone notwithstanding, most cell phones today are essentially variations on the same theme. Not so modu, a tiny, modular phone that is designed to be snapped into other devices.

Resembling a black and white domino, the modu is smaller than a credit card and weighs just 1.3 ounces. It can be used on its own as a fully functional mobile phone, or it can be snapped into a variety of interchangeable ‘sleeves’ that enhance the phone with other capabilities. By slipping a modu into the modu media mate, for example, users can download and share movie clips with their friends. Inserting it in the modu music slider, on the other hand, transforms it into a high-end music phone equipped with dedicated music functionality keys, high-quality loudspeaker and hidden camera. modu night mate lets users dock their phone next to their bed while it quietly displays their incoming SMS messages and calls. Through a partnership with Universal Music Group, a series of music jackets will include artist-specific attributes and access to preloaded content and music subscriptions. modu features 1GB of built-in memory and Bluetooth connectivity, and can also be used as a mass storage device. The first modu products are due in the fourth quarter of this year; prices, reportedly, will be USD 200 for the phone module bundled with two jackets, with additional jackets priced from USD 20 to USD 60 each.

Israeli modu was founded in 2007 by Dov Moran, founder and CEO of USB flash drive maker msystems, and the modu device was unveiled earlier this month. Strategic partners include leading mobile network operators including Telecom Italia’s mobile division TIM, BeeLine (VimpelCom) of Russia and Israel's Cellcom along with mainstream consumer electronics manufacturers including Blaupunkt, the company says. Opportunities include degrees of customization that were previously unthinkable. For anyone in wireless or consumer electronics, this is one to watch closely! (Related: Build your own mobile phone.)

Website: www.modumobile.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

We've already written about nap pods in New York City and airport Yotels, both of which provide a quick bit of rest for the weary. Picking up on the airport theme, Nemorelax is now rolling out cocoon-like rest modules to give airport travellers a way to decompress.

Whereas Yotel's pod-like rooms are booked in increments of at least four hours, Nemorelax pods can be reserved for as little as 30 minutes. Dubbed an "oasis of calm," each pod features a Stressless recliner chair from Norwegian furniture maker Ekornes encircled by a cocoon of sound-isolating materials. In addition to sleeping or making private phone calls, travellers can watch a movie on the pod's touchscreen monitor, listen to music on the sound-on-demand system or get some work done on the fold-away work table. Each Nemorelaxer offers free wifi connectivity, and loaner laptops are available at no extra charge. Nemorelaxers will be set up in suites of 6 or more in central airport locations with an on-site, staffed desk. Wake-up services will also be available.

Netherlands-based Nemorelax is currently talking with international airport and transit authorities, and its first Nemorelax Suite in Europe will open soon. It's a sleep-deprived world out there—no shortage of opportunity for this one across the globe.

Website: www.nemorelax.com
Contact: mva@nemorelax.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Back in September we covered examples on both sides of the Atlantic of social carpool matching sites that link drivers with passengers. PickupPal, which just launched last month, is now offering a like service on a global basis.

Like Zimride, GoLoco and isanyonegoingto, PickupPal also uses a social networking component to ease consumers' fears about sharing a car with a stranger. When users join the site, they create a profile with information including their picture and an "about me" description; over time, that information gets supplemented with ratings from those they have travelled with on trips through the site. Users planning to make a drive can tell PickupPal to see if any passengers (or packages) need to go there too; conversely, they can also request a ride to a particular place. PickupPal informs drivers about potential pick-ups, allowing them to make an offer for the trip based on how much they want to charge and the passenger's feedback ratings from previous trips they have made. Passengers, meanwhile, can choose from among the drivers that have made offers based on prices and their ratings on the site. Once a match is made, PickupPal issues a "ticket to ride" to both parties with all the necessary information. At the end of the ride, the passenger pays the driver, who pays a 7 percent commission to PickupPal. Both sides are also asked to rate the other for incorporation into their profiles.

PickupPal uses a GIS-based software application that sorts and matches rides anywhere around the world. Currently the Barbados-based site is available only in English, but it has already begun working on translations into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch, it says. And a good thing, too: with gas prices and carbon footprints the focus of increasing global concern, demand for services that help consumers use cars more wisely will continue to be on the rise.

Website: www.pickuppal.com
Contact: john@pickuppal.com

Spotted by: Sarah Vogel

When Charles Dickens was writing his serialized novels, crowds used to gather at the docks in New York whenever a new chapter was due to arrive by boat. Today, Random House, the world’s largest publisher, has brought the practice back in electronic form, starting with the business communications bestseller ‘Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.’ Each chapter of the book, which had a hardcover print run of more than 200,000 copies, costs USD 2.99 and can be downloaded as an Adobe Digital Editions file, a format that is itself readable via a free download from Adobe.

Random House, a US subsidiary of German media giant Bertelsmann, explained that the chapter-by-chapter sale was intended for those who only need to glean one or two lessons from a book. The Wall Street Journal noted that the experiment follows the music industry’s success selling songs individually, and that it’s an attempt by the company to discover how modern consumers might want to receive publishing information, particularly at a time when cell phones, PDAs and other digital devices such as Amazon’s Kindle make it easier for them to read electronic documents anywhere and everywhere.

Other publishers have launched similar experiments with downloadable chapters. In January, for example, Springwise looked at DailyLit, which makes classic texts available free via email and RSS, and modern texts at prices roughly in line with those of paperbacks. Indeed, that relatively low-tech approach could be easily emulated by book-publishing entrepreneurs. Choosing the right content will be key, of course. And while the chapter-by-chapter niche might seem best suited to business books, irresistible fictional stories or tales or real-life scandal and intrigue might also become piecemeal best sellers of the future, bringing together crowds of readers, just as Dickens once did on those New York City docks.

Website: www.randomhouse.com/madetostick
Contact: www.randomhouse.com/about/contact.html

Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel

We've covered examples of design-your-own sites that let consumers create their own duvets and dresses. Recently, one of our spotters uncovered Peter Hutchinson Designs (PHD), which is bringing the concept to sleeping bags.

UK-based PHD's standard sleeping bags already let customers choose the length, outer fabric and zipper configuration on the bag they order. Its Design Your Own Sleeping Bags system, however, offers choices in 17 different areas of the bag's design. To start, the site provides two "routes" to designing a bag, depending on the user's experience. The "guided" route for novices asks users to begin by specifying the minimum temperature their bag must withstand, and prompts them for choices from there. The "free" route, on the other hand, lets experienced buyers navigate through the many options themselves. Some of the choices to make are relatively simple, such as adding a bivvy cowl for extra protection in exposed conditions. Others are more complex, such as specifying not just the quality of the down that goes in a bag—700 or 800 fill power—but also the amount, ranging from as little as 200 grams to as much as 1300 grams. Customers can even specify how the down should be distributed within the bag—more at the foot end for those with cold feet, for example. Prices for PHD's custom sleeping bags begin at GBP 124, with updates to that cost shown automatically as each feature choice is made.

As we've said before, there seems to be no limit on consumers' appetite for customization. Same goes for opportunities to provide it—from dresses, duvets and sleeping bags to infinity and beyond!

Website: www.phdesigns.co.uk/customsleepingbags.php
Contact: office@phdesigns.co.uk

Spotted by: Bill McMahon

When we wrote about Florida's Healthy Bites Grill back in 2002, we even went so far as to wonder if it might become the next McDonald's. While HBG doesn't appear to be winning that coveted title, New York's Zen Burger is a new contender that has gotten off to a flying start.

Zen Burger aims to revolutionize the fast food world with natural, wholesome vegetarian foods that have the look, feel, texture and taste of meats without the negative effects on health and the environment. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant specializes in meatless comfort foods that mimic those sold in traditional fast-food environments, such as the ZenSausage breakfast sandwich, ZenBeef burgers, crispy ZenChicken sandwich, ZenTuna sandwich, ZenHotDog, ZenChicken tenders, ZenShrimp and French fries. The midtown Manhattan eatery, which just opened a few weeks ago, even recreates the ambience—if you can call it that—of the big fast-food chains, with bright lighting and a 1970s colour scheme heavy on the oranges and greens. Also available at Zen Burger are organic soups and chili, organic salads, non-dairy ice cream, organic teas and coffees, and natural sodas, as well as kids' meals complete with tiny toy. Pricing for a standard meal is about USD 7.

Zen Burger was founded by James Tu, owner of Zen Palate restaurants, and reportedly the plan is to take the chain nationwide, with the next restaurant slated to open in Hollywood in the middle of this year, according to Midtown Lunch. While vegetarians make up a still-small but rapidly growing part of the U.S. population, "flexitarians"—or those who eat a vegetarian diet some of the time, but not always—are a much larger group, and Zen Burger's real target, Tu told TheStreet.com. "The key is the taste," Tu said. "Ideally, I don't want people to know what they are eating is vegetarian."

Appealing to serious and sometime vegetarians alike, it's hard to imagine anything but a warm reception to this concept around the globe. One to get in on early?

Website: www.zenburger.com
Contact: 465 Lexington Ave, New York

Spotted by: Anand Gupta

Thanks to the rise of "fast fashion," discarded clothing finds its way into landfills at an alarming rate, including one million tonnes of the stuff each year in the UK alone, according to the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. While there are many charitable organizations that collect used clothes for resale and reuse, two global retail chains have launched initiatives of their own to give the clothes they've sold another life.

Japan's Uniqlo chain, owned by Fast Retailing, began recycling its fleece jackets back in 2001, and has since expanded the program to include all Uniqlo garments. Collections are held during the months of March and September each year at all Uniqlo's Japanese stores. Items that are still wearable are distributed to developing countries through the Japan Relief Clothing Center and other like organizations. Items that are no longer usable as clothing are either recycled into fiber and used to make thermal insulation, work gloves and cotton rags, or they are converted into power-generating fuel. As of March of last year, almost 800,000 items had been recycled, roughly 90 percent of them for use as clothing.

UK-based chain Marks & Spencer, meanwhile, launched an effort with Oxfam just last month to encourage consumers to recycle their worn clothes. Consumers who donate clothes—which must include at least one Marks & Spencer item—will receive a voucher worth GBP 5, valid for one month, to use with their next purchase of GBP 35 or more on clothing, homeware or beauty products at M&S. Donations can be made at any of Oxfam's 790 stores across the UK and Ireland, where they will be sold to raise funds for Oxfam's work in global relief. (From February 20–24th, M&S and Oxfam will also host a 'Fashion Amnesty' on the lawns of the Natural History Museum in London, which brings to mind IKEA’s furniture swap in Amsterdam.)

Whether it's printer cartridges, beverage containers, cell phones, eyeglasses, plastic bags or clothing, recycling the products you've sold benefits not just the environment but also pretty much everyone involved.

Website: www.fastretailing.com/eng/csr/environment/recycle.html — plana.marksandspencer.com
Contact: taono@uniqlo.co.jp — www.marksandspencer.com/gp/contact

Spotted by: RK

Visits to auto garages are rarely a pleasant experience, fraught as they are with jargon-filled descriptions, unclear pricing and less-than-pristine surroundings. Not so at the UK's HiQ chain, which is rebranding itself as the transparent, no-stress fast-fit tire company.

As part of its rebranding (and premiumizing) effort, which launched last year, HiQ promises never to use hidden costs or perform any work without the customer's permission. It also pledges to use only plain, jargon-free English in its communications with customers, and to undergo routine audits to maintain national standards. An online tire finder, meanwhile, lets customers find the tires they want online—without any sales pressure—and book a fitting at their convenience. HiQ's site also offers educational information on buying tires, as well as a do-it-yourself guide. Perhaps most tangible, however, is the new design at the chain's first post-rebranding store in Nottingham, which virtually screams transparency with a clean, black-and-white colour scheme, clearly worded signs and even glass walls that let customers see onto the shop floor themselves.

“The redevelopment of our Nottingham centre reflects extensive research that highlighted what we suspected—that customers are negative about visits to fast-fit centres because premises are dirty, staff are either unhelpful or speak in technical jargon and prices are unclear,” managing director Neil Burrows told Motor Trader.

There's no denying that the auto industry as a whole has been sorely in need of some transparency. Add to that a premiumized experience amid a sea of cost-cutting competitors, and there's no telling how far this competitive advantage might go. One to make universal! (Related: Car dealership catches female fever.)

Website: www.hiqonline.co.uk
Contact: www.hiqonline.co.uk/contact

Spotted by: thecoolhunter.net

The wired population may be able to zap messages around the planet in an instant, but whether those messages are understood is another matter. Language barriers still exist, and that's where a new service called SpeakLike plans to make its mark.

SpeakLike bills itself as the first instant messaging service for accurate, real-time translation chat across multiple languages, making it possible for users to type text in their own language and have others see it in theirs, accurately and within seconds. Whereas most current translation options rely either on machines, which are notoriously inaccurate, or on human translators, which are costly and time-intensive, SpeakLike uses a combination of both to improve accuracy and reduce costs. Users begin by downloading some free software from the service. Then, when they send some text, a human translator for SpeakLike checks and corrects the machine translation of that text in real time, allowing those on the receiving end to see it in their own languages, quickly and correctly. While not accredited translators, SpeakLike's translation staff are bilingual and capable of conversation-quality translation, the company says; they are also bound by strict confidentiality agreements and a code of ethics.

New York-based SpeakLike was launched into beta at the end of January, and is currently still for use by invitation only. Its services are available only in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese at the moment. More languages are coming soon, however, as is an option for users to get transcripts of their conversations. Premium, enterprise and integrated web services—including support for legal and medical translation specialties—will be added later, SpeakLike says. Following its beta period, SpeakLike's introductory pricing will start at USD 0.10 per short translated message.

Cultural homogenization notwithstanding, the world is not that small when there are barriers to communication. By breaking those barriers down, SpeakLike—and the many minipreneurs that may follow in its footsteps—stand to win.

Website: www.speaklike.com
Contact: info@speaklike.com

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

Last December, we featured a company that’s applying customization to cellphones. By plugging together different modules and maybe adding a few lines of code, a mobile device from Bug Labs can be customized to suit its owner’s (changing) fancy.

zzzPhone is taking a different approach by allowing customers to select their preferred features online and then manufacturing a phone for them within 15 days. (A few options lead to longer delivery times of up to six weeks.) Phones are custom-built and shipped directly to the customer from a factory near Shenzhen, China. Prices start at USD 149 for the basic unit, which is available in a range of colours. Customers can tweak to their hearts' delight, adding a camera (up to 7 megapixels), GPS, flashlight, stereo speakers, software, a touch screen, upgrading processors and boosting internal memory up to 4 GB. Another nifty feature, and one that most network-bound phones don’t offer, is the option of two SIM card slots, enabling buyers to use two phone numbers or accounts on one phone. The start-up claims to use the same components as major brands like Motorola, Nokia, Palm and Samsung.

Mimicking Dell’s mass customization model for personal computers, American-owned zzzPhone could tap into a broad base of tech-craving customers who care more about features and pricing than brand names. zzzPhone has launched an aggressive reseller plan in hopes of quickly expanding sales. Customized phones can also be ordered and manufactured in bulk, which suggests that an entrepreneur could specify features and software designed to serve—say—physicians or stock traders, and resell to a niche market. Plenty of business opportunities here!

Website: www.zzzphone.com
Contact: www.zzzphone.com/contactus.php

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Serious chocolate lovers may be excused for knowing little about the manufacture of their favourite food, engrossed as they typically are in its consumption. But a new San Francisco start-up has just become one of only a few major chocolate manufacturers in the United States, and it's taking a high-tech approach to the confection of this ages-old delight.
Whereas many companies that work with chocolate today simply re-melt the heavenly stuff, TCHO has built a factory capable of producing 4,000 metric tons of its own chocolate per year. The employee-owned firm was founded by Wired co-founder Louis Rossetto and legendary chocolatier Timothy Childs, and it's rethinking the way chocolate is made. In its factory, TCHO has recycled and refurbished legacy chocolate equipment with the latest process control, information and communications systems.

The company's "obsessively good" dark chocolate is created in limited run, "beta editions" that are available only online and at its factory store. Continuous flavour development and customer feedback mean that varieties are constantly evolving, with new versions emerging as often as every 36 hours. TCHO also aims to change the way people describe chocolate, and has created a new taxonomy based on common-sense terms like "nutty," "fruity" and "chocolatey" to help people find the types they like best. Its products are named accordingly, such as the recent Beta C Ghana 0.2x release, for example, in which the "C" stands for chocolatey (and status skills go to consumers who learn to interpret the rest!). Finally, TCHO embraces a social mission that goes beyond Fair Trade to help farmers by transferring knowledge of how to grow and ferment better beans, allowing them to escape commodity production and become premium producers. TCHO's 50g chocolate bars, wrapped in plain-brown paper, are priced at USD 4 each.

We've already covered the rise of chocolate into a snobmoddity, with premium vendors such as UK-based Sir Hans Sloane and experience-rich chocolate "bars" and lounges popping up around the world. Right on cue, TCHO is also planning a tasting room "as gracious as a European Grand Cafe and a remarkable space in which to experience TCHO’s chocolates and drinks." Let's hope this trend never fades!

Website: www.tcho.com
Contact: info@tcho.com

Spotted by: Claudia Kishler Rice

People band together online to date, discuss politics or lose weight. Now a US website called Greenopolis has created a community whose members help each other live in a more earth-friendly manner. After registering on Greenopolis, which is still in beta, visitors complete an online survey that analyses their daily activities to determine how ‘green’ their lifestyle is. Based on the survey findings users receive a coloured badge, which shows other members just how much of a friend to the earth they really are. Orange badge holders need to clean up their environmental act, and solid green badge holders are on the right track.

By participating on the site, users are awarded points, which are displayed for other members to see (sometimes, peer pressure can be used for good). More points—and corresponding changes in badge colour—show that they’re becoming more environmentally responsible. Plus, when the site officially debuts, points can be used to receive discounts on sustainable products. Greenopolis founders also want to make the badges portable, so that members can post them on their blogs and social network pages.

As a concept, Greenopolis’ point system also seems highly portable. It’s easy to imagine similar website helping diabetics better manage their disease or kids improve their exercise habits. (Related: Doing the green thing.)

Website: www.greenopolis.com
Contact: www.greenopolis.com/beta/contact

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

The US health-care industry may be best known for its problems, which currently include a labyrinth of Byzantine rules and regulations, covert pricing schemes and millions of citizens without insurance. At the end of January, however, a Minnesota-based site launched that just may give the industry the shake-up it so desperately needs.

Carol, also billed as The Care Marketplace, describes itself as an online shopping mall that gives consumers everything they need to shop, compare and purchase health care much the way they do other goods and services. Focusing on the Minneapolis and Twin Cities area, consumers can go online to compare the cost and quality of more than 350 health services from local, competing health care providers and doctors, and then select the option best suited for them. Participating providers create condition-specific care packages of related health care services, such as common immunizations, neck and back pain diagnosis and treatment, pregnancy classes, a year’s worth of diabetes care, or in-home check-ups. Each provider specifies on Carol's site what's included, the location of treatment, the types of patients treated (men, women or kids) and the total price of the package, along with quality information and customer ratings. Carol, meanwhile, works with insurance companies to verify consumer membership and provide cost estimates for care packages. The result is that consumers can apply their health insurance benefits and instantly view base prices and estimated in-network and out-of-pocket costs for each health care service. Carol's services are free for consumers with or without health insurance, and appointments can be scheduled online through the site.

Thirty Minneapolis-area providers have already joined Carol, which plans to expand to additional US markets over the course of this year. Health-care entrepreneurs: This could do for health care what Travelocity did for airline reservations. Pay close attention! (Related: Doctor 2.0.)

Website: www.carol.com
Contact: customerservice@carol.com

Donating money to charitable causes is all very well and good, but there's usually an abstractness about it that makes one wonder if the funds are really helping those who need it. A new project by California eco-urban design firm LJ Urban aims to make giving more concrete—quite literally—by matching its sales of homes domestically with funds to build homes in the impoverished African nation of Burkina Faso.

LJ Urban has designed a new eco-urban community of 35 LEED ND Certified homes in the urban core of Sacramento, its home town. The community is suggestively named Good, and for each home within it that gets sold, LJ Urban has committed to funding the complete training of a West African mason to build sustainable homes for families in Burkina Faso. By partnering with the Association La Voûte Nubienne (AVN), which has already trained about 60 local masons to build durable homes out of earth bricks and mortar, LJ Urban aims to go beyond just providing homes to impart enduring skills and jobs to the local community. Taking the notion