We've covered a number of work space concepts in the past, including New York-based TwoRooms, which lets parents work while their children play. Now Cubes&Crayons is offering a similar service to the hardworking parents of Silicon Valley.
Menlo Park, Calif.-based Cubes&Crayons offers flexible office space, community and child care for self-employed or freelance workers with young children between 3 months and 5 years old. A variety of work spaces are available at the site, including conference rooms and overstuffed chairs, and extra services such as printing, faxing and filing space are also available. The facility is open weekdays from 8 to 5, and parents can take advantage of its wireless-enabled office space and child care on a full-time, part-time or drop-in basis. Those who become members can make advance reservations by phone or online, as well as having priority for drop-in hours. Membership is USD 149 annually, with combined office and child-care rates starting at USD 13 per hour. Members are also required to donate three to four volunteer hours per month for up to 20 hours a week of use, or six to eight hours per month for up to 40 hours of use each week. Non-member rates for office and child care begin at USD 21 per hour. Cubes&Crayons also sponsors workshops and events focused on work and family topics.
As unconventional work schedules become increasingly common, demand for new, more flexible office and child-care options will only increase. It's no surprise initiatives like this popped up first in New York and Silicon Valley, but who will bring freedom and flexibility to self-employed parents in the rest of the world...?
Website: www.cubesandcrayons.com
Contact: contact@cubesandcrayons.com
Spotted by: CityMama via Leigh Carreira
Kids today often associate batteries with fun, thanks to the legions of battery-powered toys out there. The unfortunate result is not just a waste of power and an environmental hazard but also a danger to health, as thousands of kids each year end up swallowing the tiny devices. Michigan-based Zen Design Group aims to change all that with a new line of toys that's powered by kids' own energy instead.
Launched last fall, SEE Toys (short for "safety, ecology, economy") are electronic toys that never need batteries. Instead, they feature a hand crank that provides 15 minutes of fun in exchange for 60 seconds of cranking. Each toy makes its own, themed sounds to encourage kids to keep powering up—the Dynacar, for instance, makes engine sounds when its crank turns, while the Dynatiger makes a purring sound—and super-bright, colour-changing LEDs light up the action. Also included in the line are the Dynadolphin, the Dynashark and the Dynafly, a buzzing, giggling electronic bug that won Creative Child Magazine's Seal of Excellence Award last August. Pricing on the toys ranges from USD 14.99 to USD 19.99.
While it would be a stretch to call these plastic toys eco-friendly, there's no doubt the eco trend is building momentum (see trendwatching.com's May briefing for more on that), and bringing that green focus to kids' toys as well makes good sense. Besides the obvious environmental benefits, green products also tend to bring greenbacks for their makers—or the currency of their choice! ;-)
Website: www.zendesigngroup.com/seetoys
Contact: info@seetoys.com
Spotted by: Bill McMahon
Summer music festivals tend to create recurring, short-term demand for accommodations, as we noted last year when we wrote about Boutique Camping. Now a new, student-invented contender also in the UK offers two-person festival tents made from recyclable materials.
Camping at festivals can be a soggy and uncomfortable affair, and tents often get dumped at the festival's end, sending them to landfills. myhab, on the other hand, offers waterproof accommodations that can be entirely recycled. Made from ultra-tough recycled plastic and waterproof cardboard, each myhab tent features a raised base and access from both ends. Also included are a double mattress and lockable box, along with extra space for muddy boots and other festival equipment. Festival-goers begin by reserving their myhab tents for the festival they plan to attend; pricing is GBP 240 per myhab, or GBP 120 per person. They can even personalize it with exterior graphics to make it their own, selecting a funky character online, that the myhab staff will print out and affix to the outside of their tent. Next, all they do is show up at the festival and check into the myvillage, where they receive a myhab wrist band that gains them continuing access. Tents are set up ahead of time by the myhab team, which staffs the myvillage round the clock and also maintains showers and bathrooms on-site. Once the festival is over, myhab breaks down and recycles its tents for next time.
myhab plans to be present at all the big UK music festivals this summer, with up to 250 myhab tents in each myvillage. Brand sponsorships and corporate events are also available. With additional possibilities for weddings and a multitude of other summer events, there are plenty of opportunities for a service like this around the world!
Website: www.myhab.com
Contact: more@myhab.com
Spotted by: Jack Morrell
No sooner did we write about MethodIzaz's personal paparazzi service back in March than another one popped up in other parts of the US. Austin, Texas-based Celeb-4-A-Day now provides star treatment to everyday people in Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Launched in November, Celeb-4-A-Day offers three packages to make consumers feel like celebrities at the event of their choice. Its basic "A-List" package, for example, includes four personal paparazzi to document the arrival of the "star" at the event; a high-gloss print of the subject on the cover of the company's "MyStar" celebrity gossip magazine; and up to 30 minutes of what Celeb-4-A-Day calls "the Personal Paparazzi Treatment"—including asking questions, vying for coverage, shouting the star's name and other "privileges" real stars must typically endure. At the other end of the spectrum, meanwhile, the "Megastar" package includes all that plus two additional paparazzi, limo service to and from the event, a CD containing 10 high-resolution photos of the experience and up to two hours of personal paparazzi treatment, along with a personal publicist and a personal bodyguard. Birthday parties, special date nights, weddings, office parties and even surprise parties are just some of the events Celeb-4-A-Day will cater to. Pricing varies by location, ranging from USD 249.99 for an A-List package in Austin to USD 2,499.99 for the Megastar package in LA or San Francisco.
As status-hungry consumers increasingly seek to chronicle their lives, the prospects for this kind of service look positively starry around the globe. Vanity, thy name is every consumer!
Website: www.celeb4aday.com
Contact: tania@celeb4aday.com
Spotted by: Bill McMahon
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
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
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
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
