Last year we wrote about VIZcap, a bottling innovation that lets consumers release vitamins and other supplements into bottled water just before they drink it, and now a new line of health drinks has launched based on much the same idea.

Los Angeles-based Activate Drinks, which debuted earlier this spring, is a line of vitamin-enhanced waters that don't get mixed until the consumer is ready to drink them. Working on the premise that vitamins deteriorate in water over time, Activate Drinks are packaged in bottles featuring a special top, similar to the VIZcap, in which the vitamins and other supplements are stored separately in order to protect their freshness. When the consumer twists the cap on an Activate bottle, a small plastic blade within cuts the seal in the cap's waterproof chamber. Simultaneously, a small armature opens the chamber, allowing the ingredients to drop into the water below. (There's even a video on YouTube to demonstrate.) Four varieties currently make up the Activate Drinks line, including a Fruit Punch flavour packed with vitamins, an Orange flavour with supplements for immunity, an antioxidant-enriched Berry version and a Lemon Lime energy drink. No preservatives or sugar are included, and each drink contains 5 calories per bottle.

With a suggested retail price of USD 2.29 per bottle, Activate Drinks are currently available in a variety of stores throughout Southern California—meaning distribution opportunities likely abound throughout the rest of the world. Alternatively, we still love the idea of using caps like this for ready-to-mix bottles of baby formula; how about bringing the twist-and-release concept to other types of drinks? It's a thirsty world out there—no shortage of opportunities! (Related: Sipping flavour into milk.)

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

Spotted by: Jamie Reedy

Whereas many mattresses today include polyurethane, formaldehyde and other materials with questionable effects on the environment and human health, Keetsa is an eco-bedding company that takes a thoroughly green approach to mattresses and other sleep products.

Keetsa mattresses are built with sustainable components including recycled steel, scrap memory foam bits, bamboo fabrics and unbleached natural cotton, while odor control and anti-bacterial properties are delivered using EPA-approved technologies based on silver and green tea. Since different Keetsa mattress styles use varying degrees of such sustainable components, the company uses a composite score called the Keetsa Quotient to summarize the overall greenness of each one. So far, so good, but maybe not entirely unique (other companies, like Greek Coco-Mat, also tout the benefits of sleep on natural materials.)

What we liked about Keetsa is that, going beyond their component materials, they've also developed a way to compress their large mattresses so they fit into convenient wheeled boxes (made from recycled cardboard, of course). Not only does that make them maneuverable by one person, but it also reduces transportation expenses and the products' resulting carbon footprint, and gives consumers savings of between 50 and 75 percent, Keetsa says. Which makes for a very integrated eco-approach. Once the customer unpacks the mattress at home, it will resume its full, normal shape within one to three days.

Keetsa's mattress prices begin at USD 385, and shipping is free. Pillows, protectors, foundations and mattress toppers are available as well, both through the company's two California showrooms and at a few select retailers nationwide. Keetsa is hoping to sign up more retailers soon; one to bring to eco-conscious consumers near you? (Related: Eco-friendly pack and move solution.)

Website: www.keetsa.com
Contact: joe@keetsa.com

Spotted by: Frank Marquardt

Lattes and cappuccinos may have achieved near-cult status around much of the world, but health benefits are not typically among their virtues. A new contender fresh out of South Africa is now proposing a healthier alternative: espresso made from red tea.

Back in 2005, South African Cape farmer and espresso junkie Carl Pretorius walked into his kitchen for a quick fix. Worrying about the caffeine, though, he opened up Rooibos red tea instead and poured it into the handle of his espresso machine. red espresso was born, featuring a strong, slightly nutty flavour and a clean finish. The Rooibos used for red espresso is grown wild and hand-harvested from a single farm at the highest altitudes in South Africa's Cedarberg Mountains. A patented cut and method of preparation give red espresso richer flavour, colour and health properties than regular Rooibos, yet it is still naturally caffeine-free and is claimed to contain five times more antioxidants than green tea—a full 10 times more than regular Rooibos tea itself. Like coffee-based espresso, it can also be made into lattes and cappuccino-style drinks.

red espresso launched into the South African market in November 2005, and won a Product of the Year award just a year later in an important South African food and beverage innovation competition. By the end of 2006 it made its way around the globe, and last fall it earned a spot on the shelves at Whole Foods markets around the US. Those in food and beverage: one to serve up to the rest of the world.

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

Spotted by: Marijke Krabbenbos

We covered mobile virtual network operator Blyk both before and just after its launch last year. For those who have been wondering how the company is doing, last week it reported that it had reached 100,000 members in Britain in just six months.

Blyk targets 16- to 24-year-olds with its free mobile phone service, which includes 217 texts and 43 minutes every month. In exchange, of course, they get advertising—up to 6 messages sent to their phones each day. Britain's youth don't seem to mind, though—Blyk reached that 100,000-member target six months ahead of schedule. Response rates to the ads in question have also achieved a whopping average of 29 percent—far surpassing the norm, which tends to hover in the single digits.

Shaun Gregory, Blyk's UK CEO, explains: "Reaching 100,000 members is significant for advertisers because it gives them the opportunity to engage with a mass youth audience in a highly efficient and cost-effective way. In six months we have built up a deep knowledge of our member base, which now exceeds many established youth media players, and with over 7 million 16- to-24-year-old phone owners in the UK, there is huge potential for growth."

Blyk will launch in the Netherlands in the second half of 2008, followed by other European markets after that. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs and Industrial and Financial Investments Company (IFIC) recently joined the company's list of investors, which also includes Sofinnova Partners and a number of others. Free love, you're on a roll!

Website: www.blyk.com
Contact: membercare@blyk.co.uk — sales@blyk.co.uk

Spotted by: RK

Longtime Springwise readers may remember Kiva, the venture we wrote about back in 2006 that facilitates charitable microloans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. Now the organization has found a way to make loans go even further through a partnership with credit card issuer Advanta.

Earlier this month Advanta and Kiva announced the KivaB4B Project, an initiative through which Advanta will match the loans made by holders of its business credit card with up to USD 200 per month per card. Card holders simply select a business owner to sponsor through Kiva and make a grant using their Advanta BusinessCard. Advanta matches that grant, dollar for dollar, and Kiva distributes the total resulting funds. As the funds are repaid, they get deposited back into the card holder's Kiva account, while the match funds go back to Advanta. In the meantime, donors get materials to publicize their support, such as a KivaB4B button to put on their website, stickers for their storefront and postcards to send to customers.

Started in 1951 with USD 30 in seed money, Advanta is now one of the largest credit card issuers in the US small business market. Ami Kassar, Advanta’s Chief Innovation Officer, explains: “In our years of working with small business owners, we’ve found that many of them remember the moment someone gave them inspiration, some good advice, or a little cash to get things going. Now, through KivaB4B, American small business owners can offer that same ray of hope to entrepreneurs in developing countries.”

San Francisco-based Kiva has already opened a whole new world of opportunity to entrepreneurs in developing countries—it's facilitated more than USD 27 million in loans since its inception in 2005. With the power of a major bank behind it—and a little cause-related marketing incentive for donors—there's no telling how far its effects might go.

Website: www.kivab4b.org
Contact: aholderer@advanta.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

We've already written about premium and female-friendly auto shops and dealers, and now a San Francisco-based company has created an upscale, hybrid-focused garage with a thoroughly green approach.

Founded last year, Luscious Garage is situated in a historic warehouse on San Francisco's Clementina Street, complete with original brick frontage, a cozy mezzanine with arched windows, and a clean workshop filled with natural light. Specializing in hybrid vehicle technology, the woman-owned garage features an open workshop where customers are encouraged to look around while their cars undergo maintenance or repairs; there are books to read, art on the walls and a developmentally appropriate children's play area mingled into the space, which also features plants and carefully purified air. Luscious Garage uses no service advisors; rather, customers communicate directly with the technicians who work on their cars. Pricing is clearly spelled out on the garage's website, and just as hybrid vehicles are designed to be green, so the shop itself strives to be sustainable. Using San Francisco's Clean and Green Certification as a baseline, Luscious Garage aims to follow a strict sustainability plan based on The Natural Step. All administration is done online to eliminate paper and toner, while other office products come from a green supplier. Shop tools are electric, appliances are energy-efficient and furniture is second hand. Recycling is continuous, and zero waste is the shop's goal. A variety of green-focused community events are also hosted at the garage.

Luscious Garage is only open four days a week—a testament to the rewards and flexibility that follow when you are green with an appreciative clientèle. A model to follow in wealthy urban settings around the globe!

Website: www.lusciousgarage.com
Contact: www.lusciousgarage.com/index.php/home/contact

Spotted by: Frank Marquardt

Travellers who need internet access on the road typically have two choices: either limit their use to the confines of hotel or café wifi—which can be pricey—or subscribe to long-term and expensive broadband data card services. New York-based RovAir now offers a third option with its day-pass wireless mobile broadband service.

Founded last fall, RovAir provides wireless mobile broadband aircards, data cards and evdo cards for internet access without an extended contract. To do that, the company itself maintains the necessary long-term subscriptions for data services with Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. It then offers those services in a day-pass format for those who need short-term but continuous access on the road. Coverage extends anywhere the provider's cellular range goes, which can be searched on RovAir's site. RovAir will ship the data card to the consumer express or by courier, and also provide return packaging. Costs depend on the number of days of use, beginning at USD 5.95 per day. There is a three-day minimum.

Until wireless access is universally available and universally free, there will clearly be demand for a variety of plans like RovAir's. More choice is always a good thing—who will bring it to mobile warriors in the rest of the world?

Website: www.rovair.com
Contact: sales@rovair.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

The Retriever is a two-wheeled towing vehicle based on a Honda Goldwing motorcycle that can worm its way through city gridlock and congested highways like no four-wheeled towing vehicle could ever dream of. The Retriever is the ingenious invention of the aptly named Swedish firm Coming Through. According to the company, it takes a little over a minute to convert from a nimble motorcycle to a towing device powerful enough to haul most passenger cars. The Retriever’s driver simply extracts a folded bracket stored behind the motorcycle’s high back seat and then hitches the car’s front end to the bracket.

As a business venture, a towing service based on the Retriever could take a little more time to set up, however. Throughout the world, towing firms compete under various schemes for the right to rescue cars stalled on public roads. Police are often the authorities who order a tow truck on the scene, and they would need to be sold on the Retriever’s ability to handle the job. And some accident-damaged cars might require a heftier vehicle to haul them away. That said, the Retriever’s ability to rescue a vehicle and quickly unsnarl traffic could make it a hit. So the real opportunity might be for distributors who could sell Retrievers either to private companies or public road authorities. (Related: Motorcycle taxis rescue stranded business travellers.)

Website: www.comingthrough.se
Contact: info@comingthrough.se

Spotted by: Lilia Parra Ledesma

Earlier this year we wrote about Walkit, an advanced route planner for UK pedestrians, and now Simpatigo has launched a similar service in the US that adds a wealth of information about local attractions.

Simpatigo creates personalized tour guides complete with directions and markers for attractions along the way. Users select beginning and ending points for the trip they'd like to take, along with which categories of attractions they're interested in—historical, budget, kid-oriented or restaurants, for example. Simpatigo then returns map-based driving or walking instructions along with descriptions of the relevant points of interest along the route. Not only can users search for and get travel routes, but—in Wikitravel fashion—they can also input local attractions of their own, which then get added to those Simpatigo includes on its routes. So, a user seeking to get directions from point A to point B in San Francisco, for example, will see not just a standard list of mainstream attractions described by sources like the New York Times and TripAdvisor.com, but also others that have been input and described by users.

Simpatigo is still rough around the edges, with attractions listed mostly just for select, well-populated areas in the United States, but its premise is a good one, promising to give users focused, relevant information along with a way to shape what others see. As the site gains traction, advertisers and local businesses will surely be clamouring to add their own locations as points of interest. After all, the restaurateur who skips an opportunity to reach users who have specifically said they're interested in local restaurants may not be a restaurateur for long...! ;-)

Website: www.simpatigo.com
Contact: ted@simpatigo.com

We've already written about a number of efforts to crowdfund and crowdmanage music bands, and now in Scotland a crowdmanaged music festival is in the works that was prefunded by a local brand.

Last week Tennent's Lager launched Tennent's Mutual, a new music venture that will ultimately result in a live music festival this fall in which fans select artists, debate locations for gigs and call the shots on ticket prices. To kick off the effort, Tennent's created a start-up fund of GBP 150,000. Fans who sign up before June 30th will be given founder member status and the right to vote on the "who, what, why, where?" of all decisions as to how that start-up money is invested. Counsel will be provided by the Rolling Stones' Andrew Loog Oldham, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell, journalist and broadcaster Keith Cameron, former Scots chart-topper Ken McCluskey and local musicians Stewart Henderson of Chemikal Underground and Johnny Lynch of The Fence Collective. Tennent’s Mutual is a not-for-profit enterprise, and no booking fees will be charged for shows. Ticket income, meanwhile, will be ploughed back into the central fund, creating a self-generating amount that will grow and continue to create yet more live events.

Chemikal Underground's Stewart Henderson puts it nicely: “Generally speaking music has gone digital and you can't put the genie back in the bottle. This is a total watershed time that we're living in at the moment. It will change things completely—irreversibly. What Tennent’s has done is they’ve effectively set themselves up as patrons. It’s a positive thing as it allows things to happen that may not have otherwise.”

As fans and customers claim increasing control in the music industry and beyond, it's a smart brand that will jump to the forefront with funds and a supporting model. Imagine the transformation in Microsoft's image if it ponied up the funds and let users decide how they were spent! It's just a matter of time before this comes to other countries and other industries; who else will stand up and be an early leader?

Website: www.tennentsmutual.com
Contact: www.tennentsmutual.com/contact

Spotted by: Lyuba Stevasarova

Our brains resemble our muscles in one key respect: don’t exercise them, and they're likely to lose strength. Conversely, many experts now believe that brains stimulated in a healthy manner can better resist debilitating mental conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Which begs the question: how to keep brains in top shape?

The solution offered by vibrantBrains, a San Francisco start-up, is to create a workout centre for the brain, patterned after a health club. Instead of exercising muscle groups via a series of circuit-training machines, vibrantBrains members hone their mental skills using a variety of computer software programs and other tools, for a monthly membership fee of USD 60. vibrantBrain’s health-club-for-the-mind approach should appeal to the millions of baby boomers who’ve spent their adult lives regularly visiting gyms. As they approach retirement age, they’ll want to maintain their mental agility, too, as attested by sales of Nintendo’s Brain Age, which sold 10 million copies, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

No doubt we’ll see plenty of additional products and services aimed at enhancing baby boomers’ brain power, joining a long list of companies already selling everything from vitamins to training seminars. Still, vibrantBrain’s model is unique. And from a business standpoint, it has a couple of profit-enhancing advantages over the traditional gyms that it’s based on. Space requirements are minimal compared to health clubs, and entrepreneurs won’t have to lease or buy an expensive array of exercise machines.

If the mental health club idea catches on, the real competition eventually may come from traditional health clubs, which could add brain-exercise routines as easily as they’ve added yoga and martial arts instruction. However, even if that happens, there should be plenty of opportunities for start-ups to differentiate themselves—from rehabilitative clinics for the elderly to centers focused on mental and physical exercises for kids.

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

Spotted by: Wendy Hoffman

In Denmark, as in many other countries, consumers pay a refundable deposit on bottles. When they return them through a retailer's collection machine, it prints out a slip of paper that states how much they'll receive at the cash register. Generally, these aren't large amounts, but they're enough to get people to return their containers.

One of Denmark 's largest consumer goods retailers has now added a charitable twist to the process, adding a button that lets customers instantly donate their bottle money to charity instead of collecting it for themselves. A partnership between Coop Denmark, UNICEF Denmark and DanChurchAid, the 'push to donate' system was launched in September 2007 in 14 of Coop's Kvickly xtra stores. In the first three months, customers donated over DKK 120,000 (USD 25,750), proving that tiny donations add up to significant amounts. This year, Coop will be adding the option to 1,200 bottle collection machines in its other supermarket chains.

If you want to entice consumers to be charitable, make it easy for them. One for other retailers to be inspired by? (Related: Reverse vending.)

Website: www.coop.dk

Spotted by: Frida Berglund

It's a fact of life in the business world that companies in urban areas tend to require frequent, small deliveries of merchandise and other goods from the city outskirts and beyond. That's a recipe for inefficiency, traffic congestion and pollution, as so many delivery trucks make their way in and out of town with partial loads again and again. French La Petite Reine has come up with an alternative, greener approach to business deliveries by using truck-sized cargo bikes instead.

La Petite Reine maintains a fleet of about 60 Cargocycles for hire by businesses that need to make small to medium-sized urban deliveries over a distance of up to 30 km. Weighing only 80 kg (as opposed to a tonne or more for most delivery vans), each Cargocycle can transport about 180 kg of merchandise in its 1,400-liter cargo space. (For larger loads, La Petite Reine also has electric trucks suitable for deliveries that size.) Cargocycles' small footprint lets them travel anywhere on the roadways, including bus and bike lanes, and they can park easily between two cars. Cargocycle deliveries are faster than those made via traditional truck, and also 10 to 20 percent less expensive, La Petite Reine says. Perhaps most significant, however, is that they are completely nonpolluting—in terms of both emissions and noise. Cargocycles are also available for lease or sale, as well as for advertising space and use at special events.

Paris-based La Petite Reine was founded in 2001, and has since expanded to Bordeaux, Rouen, and Dijon. It now makes some 2,500 deliveries every day for clients including DHL, ColiPoste and Monoprix. The company is interested in signing up franchise partners--one to bring to an urban area near you?

Website: www.lapetitereine.com
Contact: contact@lapetitereine.com

Spotted by: Pavi Ani

Earlier this year, we wrote about a sympathetic initiative by Paris airports, giving weary travellers a chance to recharge with a dose of full-spectrum light therapy.

Last week, IKEA offered fatigued Stockholm shoppers a similar form of respite by installing a Sovhotell (sleep hotel) in one of the city's downtown shopping centres. After checking in at Sovhotell's front desk, guests were asked whether they normally sleep on their stomach, side or back, and were given a pillow to suit their personal sleeping style. In addition to single and double beds, the Sovhotell also featured a bridal suite.

Guests were welcome to snooze for 15 minutes, and were given eye masks and headphones with soothing soundscapes to help them benefit from their sponsored power naps. According to IKEA, inspiration for the Sovhotell came from Japanese capsule hotels and from the fact that the shoppers in its own stores are occasionally found napping in the bedroom section.

No word yet on whether IKEA is planning to bring this shopper-friendly campaign to malls in other parts of the world, but we think it's a great example of the tryvertising trend: marketing a product by letting customers try it out in a relevant setting, without pressuring them to buy.

Website: www.ikea.com

Spotted by: Frida Berglund

It's estimated that one in every three traffic fatalities in Europe involve alcohol-impaired drivers. In the US, alcohol-related car crashes kill someone every 31 minutes, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the problem extends around the world. Blow Me is a UK-based company that hopes to reduce such statistics by bringing its mobile alcohol breath-testing service to private and corporate events.

Event organizers can hire Blow Me to attend any party or other happening where alcohol will be served. With the same equipment used by police forces throughout the UK, Blow Me's trained team conducts unlimited alcohol breath tests for event guests in a non-threatening and professional manner. Both branded and unbranded packages are available, and Blow Me's staff will follow any dress code to suit the occasion—tux and ties if needed. They can offer custom promotional materials, if requested, as well as information for guests about local transport options. The result, Blow Me hopes, is that more people will think twice before getting behind the wheel. Package prices start at GBP 695.

Launched in 2006, London-based Blow Me serves clients all over Europe; by January of this year it had stopped more than 1,000 people from unknowingly driving drunk, founder Sam Rose says. Undoubtedly it has also enhanced many a company's corporate image. Blow Me is currently considering franchising the brand—one to bring to an area near you?

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

Managing a rental property is no task for the faint of heart, and that challenge only multiplies as the list of properties grows. Fortunately, two companies on two different continents have come up with tools to help make the job easier.

Australian Streetfolio gives property managers a central way to manage their entire property portfolio themselves, without having to pay fees to an outside agent. A portfolio section gives an overview of all the owner's properties on a single page, including photo, cost, value, mortgage outstanding and other details for each. The property dashboard, meanwhile, zooms in with more detailed information about a property and its financials. Cashflow and analysis sections help manage those financials—including rent and taxes—while other sections provide at-a-glance details on mortgage, insurance and lease information, as well as contacts and reminders. Using Streetfolio for just one property is free; plans for more than one begin at AUD 7 per month.

From Massachusetts-based Investment Instruments, meanwhile—makers of Rentometer, which we covered not long ago—comes Rentomatic, a site that focuses on facilitating relations between property owners and tenants. A portion of the site dedicated to landlords provides a secure environment for managing properties, including quick views on upcoming or critical events for each; income and expense tracking tools specifically designed for real estate; and the ability to advertise multiple listings online, track important lease, rent and tenant information, and create detailed income and expense items. A separate tenant portion of the site, meanwhile, gives tenants a straightforward way to communicate maintenance requests, for example, as well as to make and track electronic rent payments. Launched in January, Rentomatic offers basic tools for up to 5 units for free, while the advanced plan costs USD 30 per month. Management of electronic rent payments costs USD 5 monthly per lease.

Once again, the web streamlines countless tiresome tasks in one fell swoop. That's the US and Australia taken care of; still plenty of room to spread! (Related: Using pictures to help tenants request repairs.)

Websites: www.streetfolio.com — www.rentomatic.com
Contact: media@streetfolio.com — www.rentomatic.com/contact

Spotted by: Bill McMahon

Back in 2006 we wrote about Babyplanners, a UK firm that helps parents-to-be prepare for the arrival of their first baby. Now Oregon-based Itsabelly provides similar services but with an eco twist.

Launched last year, Itsabelly offers personalized plans that can include whatever services an expecting couple needs, such as identifying the best baby items to buy or request as gifts; help finding a good doula, midwife, birthing center or prenatal yoga classes; guidance on baby-proofing at home; maternity clothes shopping consultation; private cooking classes focused on making homemade baby food; and assistance designing and decorating the baby's nursery. For families interested in taking a green approach to raising their children, Itsabelly can also help choose baby products that are eco-friendly and made from natural products—the Itsabelly Boutique has collected a range of organic and natural products from a variety of manufacturers. Itsabelly offers a complimentary consultation to discuss expectant parents' current situation and lifestyle needs, while the Itsabelly VIP Hotline offers clients unlimited consultation via phone or email. Pricing for Itsabelly's services can be by the package or a la carte.

Itsabelly currently serves families in the Portland and San Francisco Bay areas—which leaves how many other markets still to be tapped...? To make it easy, Itsabelly offers a Baby Concierge in a Box Kit to help entrepreneurs launch their own services. One to bring to your neck of the woods!

Website: www.itsa-belly.com
Contact: info@itsa-belly.com

Spotted by: Nancy Grossman

The line between kid and adult beverages began to blur a few years ago, when vintners began offering wines in Tetra Paks resembling juice boxes. Now, the confusion goes the other way with First Blush's Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay fruit juices. First Blush varietal grape juices are alcohol-free and entirely suitable for kids, with no added sugar or preservatives. Like wine, however, they're also full of polyphenol antioxidants. Launched last May, the drinks are available in upscale grocers such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats, along with delis and restaurants in select states nationwide. Retail pricing is about USD 4 for each 16-ounce bottle.

Juice is already well-entrenched in the world of 'snobmoddities', as we've noted before. But rather than focusing on organic ingredients, as so many others are currently doing, First Blush takes a different approach with its use of grape varietals. It just goes to show: not only can everything be upgraded, but there's usually more than one way to do so!

Website: www.firstblushjuice.com
Contact: sales@firstblushjuice.com

Spotted by: Martina Meng

Few things are more frustrating to those trying to effect social change than an effort that fails simply for lack of participation. The Point is a new activism site that avoids that problem by giving planners a way to organize fundraisers, rallies, boycotts and other events so that they occur only once enough people have promised to join in.

To do this, The Point takes the notion of the tipping point—that point at which group action will produce a clear result and inevitable change—and applies it to organizing group efforts. Those who join a campaign pledge to take specific action—to boycott a company, for example, or donate funds toward a cause—but no one actually acts until the campaign reaches its preset tipping point, or number of pledged participants. When that point is reached, however, the action is triggered and participants make their donations, attend the event or boycott the organization. The Point can also be used to organize anonymously until a campaign builds to a level that provides safety in numbers and allows people to reveal their identities comfortably.

Andrew Mason, The Point's founder and CEO, explains: “The Point is a new way of thinking about collective action. People need a way to know where their participation adds the most value. That’s what The Point offers—an environment where people are only asked to participate when their action can be combined with others to create a solution.”

There have been efforts in the past that used crowd clout and conditional participation—MyFootballClub, which we covered last year, comes to mind—but The Point takes a generalized approach and facilitates many different types of such efforts in one place. (Some, in fact, border on the frivolous, such as "John's Proposal" to a woman named Patty—which he'll make only if 999 people give their blessing.) Based in Chicago, The Point only just launched in late November, but in January it received USD 4.8 million from venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates; eventually, it plans to accept advertising as well. The site recently released an "Ultimatums" application on Facebook, and last month it was named a finalist in the SXSW Annual Web awards. Those in social activism will want to try the site out for their own organizing purposes. For all others, it's a model to emulate! (Related: Crowdfunding software development.)

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

Spotted by: Bill McMahon

Korean-style frozen yoghurt stores like Pinkberry and Red Mango, which we featured in 2006, are popping up across the US, hooking consumers on a dessert that’s tangier and less sweet than fro-yo of yore. Entering a crowded market, a small Californian chain has come up with a simple sales model that sets it apart from the competition. Customers serve themselves at Yogurtland—choosing from 16 frozen yoghurt flavours and 33 varieties of fruit and other toppings—and pay USD 0.30 an ounce, no matter which toppings they’ve picked. To stress the simple pricing, it’s printed on staff members’ shirts.

Besides offering customers the opportunity to create exactly the dessert they want, it wouldn’t surprise us if the portions they serve themselves are larger than they would buy if faced with the choice between small, medium and large. One to look into if you’re thinking of bringing new style frozen yoghurt to other parts of the world.

Website: www.yogurt-land.com
Contact: info@yogurt-land.com

Spotted by: Amy Leung

Faithful Springwise readers are undoubtedly already familiar with both being spaces and the pop-up trend. Now a new Dutch company is combining the two by offering pop-up work spaces in abandoned shops and vacant buildings.

The SpareSpace Foundation transforms empty inner-city shop and office buildings into temporary work spaces for copywriters, designers, artists and other young creative professionals. Featuring furniture by designer Jack Brandsma, SpareSpace equips each empty space with seven mobile units: four desks, one meeting table, a bar and a fold-out wall. All units are crates that can be folded in and out quickly and easily for instant setup; conversely, when the space is let or sold, they can be packed up and relocated to a new building within 24 hours. Spaces typically are available for several months, SpareSpace says; rental fees are EUR 150 per month to cover water and electric charges. Currently the project inhabits a vacant storefront at the Westerkade 24 in Groningen, the Netherlands. Beginning this week, however—to coincide with the Salone del Mobile international design event—it will also open another office in a vacant building at Via Ventura 6 in Milan, where it will stay through April 21. SpareSpace is a project by Nieuwe Garde, a Dutch creative agency.

By making use of space that would otherwise be wasted during the transition from one paying tenant to another, SpareSpace brings the urban office within reach of budding creatives who otherwise might not be able to afford it. The concept should also find favour among real-estate managers, since it keeps buildings from looking abandoned or barren—which can only help get them rented or sold. It's a win-win all around—a concept to emulate in cities around the world! (Related: Digital billboards revive empty storefronts.)

Website: www.sparespace.org
Contact: info@restruimte.nl

Spotted by: Core77 via RK

Wine may be enjoying new popularity, but that doesn't mean the average consumer isn't still daunted by the knowledge it takes to pick a bottle they'll like. We've written about several efforts to simplify the process, and now WineSide is taking a novel approach by offering wines packaged in sample-sized tubes.

WineSide offers both sweet and classic wines in patented, flat-base glass tubes with screw tops carefully engineered to protect the wines' flavour. The sweet wines—which include Sauternes and Muscat, for example—are available in 6cl tubes, while the Pomerol, Chateau Neuf du Pape and other classic wines can be purchased in 6cl or 10cl sizes. WineSide's collection represents a range of appellations and producers; tubes are available individually or by the box, which can be chosen to provide an introduction to a variety, year or region. Kicking off retail sales, the products are available exclusively at Colette in Paris this month.

In addition to giving consumers a new way to sample and discover wines, WineSide's tube format also promises to give vintners new tryvertising capabilities at relatively low cost. The French company's website is still under construction, but it says it is looking for distributors. One to get in on early!

Website: www.wineside.net
Contact: vincent@wineside.fr

Spotted by: Jean Friesewinkel

Consumers travelling by plane are increasingly faced with flight delays and cancellations, which is why a new start-up aims to help them spot potential delays. Much the way Farecast predicts whether ticket prices are tending up or down, Delaycast can now tell travellers the chance of encountering delays on a particular trip.

Delaycast was established to provide information about possible difficulties in flight itineraries and to give travellers realistic expectations about their travel plans. Unlike the historical flight performance statistics found on many travel sites, Delaycast uses predictive modelling technologies that model historical patterns in flight delays and project them into the future. Its Delay Profiles tool provides broad overviews of the best days, times and airlines to choose for a trip, based on selected airports, while its Delay Predictions tool provides information about delays and cancellations for specific airports, airlines, dates and times. The site does pretty well, too, with accuracy within 15 minutes of actual performance between 80 and 90 percent of the time, it says. The ad-supported site features direct links to travel planning tools like Travelocity and Priceline, and is free to use for consumers.

Delaycast launched into beta early this year, and currently includes just the top 60 US airports and 11 key airlines. It also makes predictions for trips only about four or five months into the future. Looking forward, however, it hopes to expand its coverage of airports and airlines, as well as adding predictions for security checkpoint wait times and updating predictions within 24 hours of a flight based on real-time conditions. Delaycast currently covers only the United States; who will bring this to the rest of the travel-weary world?

Website: www.delaycast.com
Contact: contact01@delaycast.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Last November, we featured Picnics on the Piste, a high-end catering firm that organizes gourmet meals for skiers right on the mountainsides of plush winter resorts in Austria, France and Switzerland. While affluent travellers increasingly seek out memorable experiences of the kind Picnics on the Piste offers, an even larger market exists for companies that can make it faster and easier for vacationers to buy everyday foods and household supplies for their holiday abode.

A new UK firm, Snowman’s Larder, is helping pioneer that niche in two neighbouring French ski resorts: Val d'Isère and Tignes. Customers can order online before they leave home, select a delivery time, then wait for their order upon reaching their apartment or chalet. To be sure, provisioning services have been around for a long time. Whether you’re vacationing in a time-share unit, motor home or sailing yacht, companies can set you up with food and supplies in just about any major resort area. But Snowman’s Larder is unique in several respects: the company says it can save travellers money by shopping in resort-area supermarkets instead of the higher-priced convenience stores at the resorts themselves, which shows how it has taken a business model skewed toward the affluent and adapted it to average vacationers. Snowman’s Larder’s also caters specifically to UK travellers, providing them with foods they’re familiar with.

Plenty of variations could work with this model, of course. If British food works in the French Alps, for example, kosher meals might just as easily work in the Colorado Rockies. The trick, in either case, is finding potential customers without spending much on marketing. Solve that issue and you might find yourself running a profitable company in the kind of location others can only dream of. (Related: Helping parents travel lighter.)

Website: www.snowmans-larder.com
Contact: info@snowmans-larder.net

Spotted by: Katie Rowen

Viewers of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods television show know that some foods are not for the faint of heart. Catering to consumers who would like to experience such curiosities first-hand, online purveyor Edible offers an introduction to delicacies that may shock less adventurous eaters. Giant toasted leaf-cutter ants, mopani worms, reindeer pate and Thai green crocodile curry are among Edible's offerings, along with Lizard Wine, Civet Coffee and Monkey-Picked Tea Wash. A range of unusual or downright alarming products are available in six categories: Insectivore, Herbs & Spices, Aphrodisiac, Carnivore, Herbivore and Apothecary. Edible, which is based in the UK, provides detailed information about the origin of each product, including species and geographic data. Prices are as exclusive as the products themselves—GBP 12 for a tin of green crocodile curry, for example, or GBP 10.95 for a small bag of mopani worms.

Eating insects and other unusual foods promises not just a new experience for gourmet adventurers sick of the usual fare, but also a way to pick up some status stories that can be used to impress friends, family and the world at large. As consumers increasingly look for the newest, the rarest and superlatives of every kind, these types of offerings could really catch on both online and off. One to "hop" into in the gourmet world near you? Just be sure to follow Edible's lead in the branding department—chocolate-covered ants in bulk bins don't have quite the same appeal ;-)

Websites: www.edible.com/shop
Contact: info@edible.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

We know that many of our readers like a good vending machine story. In the past, we've featured machines that vend everything from umbrellas to hair straighteners, but we feel we've let you down on the vending front lately.

Which is why we were happy to spot a new automated selling device in London: Onitsuka Tiger, the Japanese sports brand, launched a sneaker vending machine on Carnaby Street today. Sneaker vending isn't entirely new—it's been done in Japan, of course, and Reebok sold shoes from a vendomat back in 2004. Reebok's machine, however, was a bit of a let-down: the sneakers were packed into a seemingly standard, drab box. Onitsuka Tiger, on the other hand, put some effort into custom-building their machine, which can sell 24 pairs of shoes at a time, in 6 sizes.

Following its London debut, the machine will travel across the UK to bring convenience-buying to the rest of Britain's sneakerheads. Fun bit of brand promotion (this marks a UK first for sneaker vending) and consumers should enjoy the concept, too. "What, these shoes? I just got them from a vending machine down the street." To us, that sounds like a status story ;-)

Website: www.onitsukatiger.co.uk
Contact: info@onitsukatiger.co.uk

We've already written about the use of playground equipment as a means of pumping fresh water for African villages, and now a British student at Coventry University has come up with a way to use see-saws to generate power.

Daniel Sheridan, a student in consumer product design, won three separate awards amounting to GBP 5,500 earlier this year for his see-saw design, which can create enough electricity to power a classroom by capturing the energy generated when children play on it. It would take just five to 10 minutes of play on the see-saw to light a classroom for a few hours, BBC News reported, though the energy gets transferred to an electrical storage unit via underground cable, so it would be up to the school to decide how the power is used. Sheridan was inspired by a volunteer project he worked on in Kenya last summer that included building a school. "The current need for electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa is staggering," he explains. "Without power, development is extremely difficult. The potential market for this product is huge and the design could be of benefit to numerous communities in Africa and beyond."

Sheridan's plan includes recruiting the local community to build part of the device and also install it, thereby creating involvement and reducing logistical costs. Late last month he reportedly left for a village near Jinja, Uganda, to test and finalize the prototype using locally derived parts. Alternative energy entrepreneurs: what are you waiting for? This one's for you! ;-) (Related: Playing for water and Hippo water roller.)

Website: www.coventry.ac.uk/cu/d/199/a/6110
Contact: danielsheridan@yahoo.co.uk

Spotted by: RK

Back in 2005 we wrote about the Snap Alarm, an award-winning optical smoke detector from FireInvent, and now the same Swedish company is taking fire protection a step further with its all-in-one Safety Box.

The Safety Box is designed to provide complete fire protection in a single package, and it comes in six different versions tailored to different usage contexts. But the fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, fire blankets and torchlights included aren't just ordinary versions of those items. Rather, they have been revamped for a modern, attractive look. The Safety Box Design, for example, includes fire extinguisher and Snap Alarm in black or white; black-and-white fire blanket in a modern, botanical design; plus an extra wall-mountable optical smoke detector. The Safety Box Exclusive, meanwhile, includes a chrome option for the fire extinguisher, while the Safety Box Kid includes a Snap Alarm in pink or blue and a fire blanket suitable for children. Pricing begins at SEK 1095 (USD 185 / EUR 115); versions for cars and boats are also available.

There will always be a need for functional products like fire protection devices, but there's nothing to say they can't be upgraded with a splash of colour and design and sold at a similarly upgraded price. FireInvent is interested in signing up retailers—one to bring to a market near you?

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

Spotted by: Jessica Axberg

Put yourself in your consumer's shoes: you're walking down the supermarket aisles, kids are screaming, time is tight and you've got a long list to get through—is it any wonder you just stick to buying the same things week after week? Now imagine instead that you've had a chance to sample some of the new products out there in a relaxed setting, without any pressure to buy. Chances are, you'll make some new finds that will improve your weekly menu.

Australian Word of Mouth was launched in 2005 in the hopes of helping busy mothers make that second scenario a reality. The company is paid by participating consumer product companies to stimulate conversations about their brands and systematically collect feedback once consumers have tried their products. To do that, it makes presentations by invitation into established social and community groups—churches, school committees, etc.—with information about new products on the supermarket shelves. The presentations are given at no charge, and participants get a chance to try the products out themselves in a relaxed environment. Afterwards, Word of Mouth follows up with a survey to collect their feedback. It also invites participants to continue the conversation online by joining the Word of Mouth Club, which offers competitions, recipes and forums as well as product news; a classified section is coming soon. The result? Word of Mouth meets and stimulates product conversation among more than 200,000 Australian women each year; since the October launch of its Word of Mouth Club, more than 20,000 members have joined.

Word of Mouth currently offers its social tryvertising services just in Australia, but it hopes to expand in the near future, Foster says. The concept isn't entirely new, of course—other buzz marketing agencies have been working this field for years—but as traditional advertising continues to make room for other types of promotion, there's still plenty of room for innovative niche players. (Related: The perks of product testing and Nationwide tryvertising parties.)

Website: www.wordofmouthco.com.au
Contact: presentation@wordofmouthco.com.au

Spotted by: Emma Crameri

Late last year we wrote about genome-mapping services, one of which—Navigenics—hadn't actually launched yet. Well, it just launched this week, and to kick off the event, it's holding a pop-up demonstration and showcase in the heart of New York City.

California-based Navigenics' Health Compass is a USD 2,500 service that combines a genetic health assessment with genetic counseling and information about the latest discoveries in science and medicine. Using just a sample of saliva, the service gives individuals information on their chances of developing up to 18 common conditions, including Alzheimer's Disease, heart attack, multiple sclerosis and a variety of cancers. Results are analyzed and encrypted before being made available to the consumer online through a password-protected website, along with suggestions and strategies for preventing or delaying illness. Navigenics also provides access to a personal Certified Genetic Counselor who can help users understand their individual results and create a plan for optimal health.

Now, beginning this past Wednesday and extending through April 17, Navigenics is introducing the service through a pop-up health and wellness showcase in Manhattan’s SoHo district, at 76 Greene Street (which has hosted a number of pop-up ventures over the past few years). Members of the public are invited to learn about personalized medicine, genetics and prevention through seminars, panel discussions and other events designed to bring the power of genetics from the laboratory into real life. They can also speak with genetic counselors, physicians and company representatives to learn more about Navigenics' service.

Marketing any new service is a challenge, but that's doubly true when it involves unfamiliar, cutting-edge technology, requires expert interpretation and is fraught with emotional and ethical issues. In a case like this, taking to the (monied) streets and demonstrating it directly to the people most likely to be interested and able to afford the service makes a lot of sense. The pop-up trend lives on!

Website: www.navigenics.com
Contact: tellmemore@navigenics.com

Spotted by: Luxist via RK

The quest for alternative energy is the gold rush of our era. And as with any gold rush, the companies that sell miners their picks and shovels have a good chance of success. FirstLook is that kind of company. Instead of digging tools, it sells detailed reports to new-energy entrepreneurs. Those reports show just how much wind or sunshine an area is likely to receive, based on years’ worth of meteorological data.

The company advertises its reports via a free interactive map, which uses Google Maps. Preliminary information from the map helps entrepreneurs determine whether a windmill or solar-panel installation at a chosen location would make good financial sense. Registered users simply log in and click a location on the interactive map. Immediately, they receive a brief run-down on the area’s potential. Wind reports, for example, show the area’s average wind speed at different heights, which correspond to the possible heights of a windmill tower. Solar maps give the average daily illumination the same spot receives at differing angles. That information on sunlight angles is critical, unless the project employs solar panels that track the sun’s movement across the sky.

Websites run by the Department of Energy and other government and environmental organizations already provide similar information, though maybe with a less easy-to-use interface. But energy entrepreneurs will need something far more detailed if they hope to convince bankers or investors to fund their projects. A simple mouse click takes them to FirstLook’s reports page, where they can buy a detailed report USD 1,000 and up.

For now FirstLook’s data appears limited to US locations. But the company has plans to expand to other nations, a move it hopes to help finance with country-based sponsorships. Meanwhile, worldwide demand for wind and solar energy is growing, aptly insuring FirstLook’s potential for growth. At the same time, the alternative energy gold rush will no doubt present other opportunities for pick-and-shovel start-ups.

Website: www.3tiergroup.com
Contact: firstlook@3tiergroup.com

Spotted by: Ryan Flynn

American Apparel has become a veritable epitome of what our sister site trendwatching.com calls the (still) made here trend—consumers' growing preference for things produced locally, ethically, authentically. Along similar lines, there's Blank, a Canadian company that sells blank T-shirts and clothing made entirely in Quebec. Unbranded and sweatshop-free, just like American Apparel.

Founded in 2005, Blank sells a range of clothing items and accessories for men, women and children with the goal of creating Quebec jobs and promoting local talent. Everything from fabric manufacture to dyeing, cutting and sewing is performed in Quebec, and through Blank's wholesale services retailers can even customize items with the colours, fabrics and formats of their choice. The company operates two Montreal stores, both of which also serve as production sites--large windows at the back allow customers to see the clothes being made.

Whereas almost 18,000 garment jobs were lost between 2003 and 2004 in Quebec, according to the province's Institut de la Statistique, Blank's sales doubled in 2006, allowing it to open its second store (source: the McGill Daily). Which just goes to show that the opportunities still abound for locally made goods. It's not just still made here—it's also still profitable!

Website: www.portezblank.com
Contact: info@wearblank.com

Spotted by: Alexandre Renaud

Over the past few years, landlocked cities across Europe have been setting up temporary beaches to offer their residents a summer's day on the sand. From Paris to Budapest, these urban beaches have been quite a hit with the locals.

Now, a new project by Rotterdam-based HUNK-design in cooperation with IDEddy is offering cities an alternative to moving large amounts of sand. The Flying Grass Carpet, which will debut in Amsterdam on May 10th, is a grass carpet of adjustable size, measuring at most 58 by 32 meters (or 190 by 105 feet). It's a movable meadow made of various colours and types of artificial and natural grasses, from golf green to tennis red, arranged to resemble an Oriental rug. The designers' aim is to create a temporary patch of green in Europe's concrete jungles, giving city dwellers a place to hang out, play Frisbee or have a picnic.

After its week-long residency in Amsterdam, the pop-up pasture will land in Aachen, Germany before moving to Rotterdam, and its owners are happy to schedule in other cities, too. This one should inspire urban planners and event organizers worldwide, as well as artful entrepreneurs who can no doubt come up with variations on this theme. And, although we're not in favour of blanketing the world with ads, we can't help but notice that a grass carpet would be a great canvas for advertisers ;-)

Website: www.flyinggrasscarpet.org
Email: info@flyinggrasscarpet.org

Back in 2006 we wrote about Dutch Postbank's campaign to facilitate the efforts of kidpreneurs, and now a Florida-based company is taking the notion a step further by offering mini-franchises for kids.

Founded last year, Florida-based FranChild enables kids ages 5 to 15 to go way beyond lemonade stands and operate a "grownup-style" business instead. Parents and kids begin by picking a product to sell: beeswax candles, organic soap, jewellery or apparel. The initial startup cost is just USD 25, which gets the child a FranChild Company Certificate to acknowledge his or her business launch; business cards ready to print from FranChild's ready-made templates; how-to instructions for marketing and selling products; access to the My First Franchise Resource Center, a USD 75,000 marketing system for creating customized packaging products; discount pricing on inventory and supplies; and access to newsletters, updates and a members-only forum. For an extra USD 2 per month, kids can also get their own business webpage. Kids then order their inventory and create their business cards and packaging, and they're ready to start selling. In addition to extra spending money (which can be considerable, according to the testimonials), FranChild gives kids valuable business and life lessons, and it provides an educational context in which parents and kids can spend time together.

FranChild's founders stress that the time commitment is small for both kids and parents, though overscheduled families may still want to think twice before stretching those schedules even further. Nor should earnings be the primary motivation, FranChild warns. Far be it from us to promote child labour; on the other hand, could be a fun way to while away the time during those long summer months! FranChild operates only in the US—one to bring to a country near you?

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

Spotted by: Bill McMahon

It seems a fair statement to say that the art of storytelling has not yet caught up with the internet's capabilities, at least not in the mainstream. A new project from UK-based Penguin Books' digital fiction group, however, is using the power of the internet to tell stories in new and surprising ways.

In mid-March Penguin—along with alternative reality gaming firm Six to Start—launched the We Tell Stories initiative through which consumers can enjoy six digital novels by six different authors over the course of six weeks for free. The first story, which launched March 18, was "The 21 Steps" by renowned thriller author Charles Cumming. "He was the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time," the story begins, and readers follow the protagonist's adventures step by step across the world using Google Maps, with text presented in the technology's information bubbles at each point along the way.

The second story, "Slice" by Toby Litt, chronicles a teen's fears about the old house she and her family just moved into. Told over the course of four days, the story invites readers to follow Slice's story on her own blog as well as that of her parents. Those who want can even email the characters and follow them through text messages on Twitter.

Week 3's story was Kevin Brooks' "Fairy Tales," an interactive story in which readers name the characters, choose their qualities and make other decisions that shape the story's direction. This week it's "Your Place or Mine," the story of a relationship told by the bestselling author duo who work under the name Nicci French. Each evening this week beginning at 6:30 pm London time, readers can witness the authors writing an episode of the story live and in real time. Still to come are two more weekly stories along with a mysterious seventh one that will reportedly emerge through clues online and in the real world.

As Penguin notes on its site, "these stories could not have been written 200, 20 or even 2 years ago." It's a whole new world for storytellers—one to watch, whether you're in media or not!

Website: www.wetellstories.co.uk
Contact: jeremy.ettinghausen@uk.penguingroup.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen