Skiers and snowboarders always want to know the slopes like a local, but most tourists don’t have the time or resources available to make the most of the pistes. Developers at FATMAP are looking to lend a helping hand, with their 3D mapping app for the snow mountains.
The app contains detailed maps of mountains and pistes, created using high-resolution satellite imagery, which tell the skiers important facts about the slopes, such as gradient, difficulty and altitude. It also aims to make the adventure safer, giving skiers information on avalanche risk and dangerous crevasses. What’s more, the 3D map enables users to search for specific lines and watch fly-throughs in “skier view”, to see their runs and assess them before each move.
As well as marked pistes it also helps more experienced skiers and snowboarders map out their off road and back country routes so they can optimize their run. It also has info on local restaurants, bus stops and first aid points. FATMAP trips can be linked to users’ social accounts, so they can record times, share new routes and locations.
The app now has data from over 25 resorts in the US, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria, and is free to download from the App Store and Google Play, but users can upgrade for premium features.
What other niche areas of travel can benefit from a unique mapping platform?
The world is in the midst of a refugee crisis with displaced people forced to relocate across the world. As countries look to deal with the difficulties of taking in refugees, many of those in search of safety are bringing with them innovative business ideas. This is what happened with the food delivery service Eat Offbeat.
The New York-based company was founded by two immigrants who arrived in the city in 2013. The brother and sister business partners saw an opportunity to bring quality ethnic cooking to a new market. More than just being an ordinary takeaway service, Eat Offbeat is working with the International Rescue Committee, which rehouses refugees across the US. The delivery service brings meals in ready-to-heat containers to the door of customers.
Similar businesses and startup schemes designed to help refugees have started popping up around the world. In Finland, Startup Refugees is aiming to harness the business skills of refugees and help them set up new companies through offering funding and training. And in London, The Bike Project, set up by refugees provides fellow asylum seekers with bicycles and teaches them how to repair them.
How could other sectors harness the skills of refugees to help them settle in their new home?
It is said that we are in the golden age of podcasting, with shows such as Serial surpassing 40 million downloads in its first season. But for those wanting to create audio content, it can be difficult to find a platform and audience. Tapping into an existing fanbase most users already have, ZCast is an app that lets anyone broadcast to their social media followers.
Users log in using their Twitter account, post the theme of their podcast, invite followers and begin broadcasting. Listeners can follow their favorite podcasts or search and browse live and scheduled topics. Users can be invited to join in after a conversation has commenced, or just listen in and post comments in the attached chat room, and invite others to listen. ZCast is planning to bring in recording and archiving features to enable users to save their favorite podcasts. Currently only available on the App Store, ZCast may expand to other operating systems in the future.
We already seen how Twitter accounts can help users listen to more suitable podcasts — how else can businesses integrate the domains of podcasting and social media?
With a population of more than 1.2 billion people, India is becoming the next big target for smartphone technology. However, many mobile phone users in the country face barriers of language. This challenge is what developers Indus OS are planning to tackle.
The company has redesigned and simplified Google’s Android operating system with an easy-to-use interface. It also offers a regional language keyboard, tackling the language barrier faced by foreign developers in the country. Indus OS features 12 regional languages, with two million words in each and predictive text.
The system’s ability to translate these regional languages, many of which are spoken by millions of Indians, has put it in a position to grow rapidly in the country’s burgeoning technology market. The company says it has gained around two million users in six months and is aiming for 100 million in three years.
The service also features a rapidly growing online app store — the app bazaar — which offers consumers regional and global content. Additionally, the company plans to bring ‘text to speech’ in nine different local languages.
How else could developers adapt their technologies to benefit emerging markets?
We’ve seen how refugees moving across Europe are receiving entrepreneurial help in Finland, and now UNHCR volunteers are helping those who make landfall in Greece stay warmer and more comfortable in winter.
After becoming concerned by the vast number of life jackets discarded after the refugees make shore at the Island of Lesvos, Danish volunteers Mads Damgaard Peterson and Anezka Sokol wanted to re-appropriate the trash. Refugees were sleeping on frozen ground in temporary tents, and the foam-filled life jackets could provide suitable mattresses with good insulation and comfort, so the pair began sewing sets of three together. With hygiene concerns surrounding shared mattresses, they have begun work to develop sets of life jackets that can be placed underneath tent canvases, providing for refugees making the journey by sea throughout the winter.
Street artist Banksy has donated of parts of his Dismaland installation to help build structures in the Calais refugee camp ‘jungle’. What are some other surplus materials that can be reused in makeshift environments?
India is a historical forerunner in the food delivery service industry — in Mumbai the so-called dabbawallas have been delivering lunch boxes of hot food to workers for 120 years. We recently saw this tradition updated for the modern age through e-commerce platform Flipkart. Now, an Indian startup called Rocketchefs puts India ahead of the game again by tapping into the global food truck trend and offering customers freshly cooked pizza on demand.
Most delivery services collect food from a building and then transport it to the customer, which often leads to cold or unfresh dishes. Rocketchefs addresses this problem by taking the kitchen to the customer using their specially designed food vans. To begin, users download the smartphone app and create an account. Then they place an order and allow the app to access their geolocation. Next, the startup dispatches the nearest pizza van to their location, and a chef will cook the pizza on arrival, providing customer with freshly cooked meals. Diners can also pre-book the food trucks for parties and the startup is looking to expand their business by partnering with established food brands.
Could this business model work in other industries?
We’ve seen how micropayments can be a way for users to support artist creations, or as a response to adblocking, and now Atri will make it easy for users to make micropayments to their favorite sites.
Atri’s platform is a subscription-based service, where users pay USD 10 per month to have this fixed amount split proportionally across their favorite websites. Atri monitors unique identification across platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, then measures users’ level of interactivity with different sites. This model solves some reticence over paying for the web by allowing users to limit the amount they spend and contributing only to the content they appreciate — it also enables them to maintain anonymity. Atri is currently available as a Google Chrome plugin.
Micropayments are being touted as the future alternative revenue for online publishers, diminishing their dependency on ads. How else can websites incentivize users to switch to micropayments for online content?
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
6 Investors host startups in their unused homes in return for equity
The diversifying definition of equity is exemplified with Cribb, where investors host startups in their unused homes in exchange for five percent of their business.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
5 In Germany, deposit and withdraw cash at thousands of local stores
6 Investors host startups in their unused homes in return for equity
The diversifying definition of equity is exemplified with Cribb, where investors host startups in their unused homes in exchange for five percent of their business.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
4 User owned carpool platform runs on Bitcoin style digital tokens
Decentralized, user-own financial platforms like Bitcoin are seeing knock-on effects, and La’Zooz is a carpooling service that makes an investor out of every user. Similarly, Reveal is a social networking site that pays its users with cryptocurrency for using it.
5 In Germany, deposit and withdraw cash at thousands of local stores
6 Investors host startups in their unused homes in return for equity
The diversifying definition of equity is exemplified with Cribb, where investors host startups in their unused homes in exchange for five percent of their business.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
3 Short-term loans for Kenyan entrepreneurs through mobile banking
Mobile phones are also enabling entrepreneurs in Kenya to receive short-term loans — Saida by Greenshoe uses phone data and history as a proxy for credit suitability. Other startups are also offering alternative loan creditability, including Kreditech which uses Big Data, Happy Mango which analyzes users’ social network testimonials and employment history, and Vouch, which crowdsources small financial guarantees from friends and family.
4 User owned carpool platform runs on Bitcoin style digital tokens
5 In Germany, deposit and withdraw cash at thousands of local stores
6 Investors host startups in their unused homes in return for equity
The diversifying definition of equity is exemplified with Cribb, where investors host startups in their unused homes in exchange for five percent of their business.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
2 In India, users can tweet funds to friends and family
ICICI Bank now lets anyone with a smartphone and Twitter account tweet money transfers. What’s more, they can use their voice as a secure password for mobile banking.
Fastacash, meanwhile, aims to help banks, mobile operators and financial institutions receive payments via social media, and Square Cash introduced $Cashtags — much like hashtags — which are unique identifiers that let companies receive payments from customers online.
3 Short-term loans for Kenyan entrepreneurs through mobile banking
Mobile phones are also enabling entrepreneurs in Kenya to receive short-term loans — Saida by Greenshoe uses phone data and history as a proxy for credit suitability. Other startups are also offering alternative loan creditability, including Kreditech which uses Big Data, Happy Mango which analyzes users’ social network testimonials and employment history, and Vouch, which crowdsources small financial guarantees from friends and family.
4 User owned carpool platform runs on Bitcoin style digital tokens
5 In Germany, deposit and withdraw cash at thousands of local stores
6 Investors host startups in their unused homes in return for equity
The diversifying definition of equity is exemplified with Cribb, where investors host startups in their unused homes in exchange for five percent of their business.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
1 Bitcoin debit card makes cryptocurrency more accessible
As commerce increasingly moves online, businesses are opening up new channels to facilitate the use of digital currencies, especially in areas deeply integrated in everyday life. We saw the Bitcoin debit card by Coinbase, which enabled users to spend Bitcoins anywhere Visa is accepted, and also Bitwage, a startup that helps individuals and employers integrate Bitcoin payrolls.
2 In India, users can tweet funds to friends and family
ICICI Bank now lets anyone with a smartphone and Twitter account tweet money transfers. What’s more, they can use their voice as a secure password for mobile banking.
Fastacash, meanwhile, aims to help banks, mobile operators and financial institutions receive payments via social media, and Square Cash introduced $Cashtags — much like hashtags — which are unique identifiers that let companies receive payments from customers online.
3 Short-term loans for Kenyan entrepreneurs through mobile banking
Mobile phones are also enabling entrepreneurs in Kenya to receive short-term loans — Saida by Greenshoe uses phone data and history as a proxy for credit suitability. Other startups are also offering alternative loan creditability, including Kreditech which uses Big Data, Happy Mango which analyzes users’ social network testimonials and employment history, and Vouch, which crowdsources small financial guarantees from friends and family.
4 User owned carpool platform runs on Bitcoin style digital tokens
5 In Germany, deposit and withdraw cash at thousands of local stores
6 Investors host startups in their unused homes in return for equity
The diversifying definition of equity is exemplified with Cribb, where investors host startups in their unused homes in exchange for five percent of their business.
7 Pay-what-you-like investment banking
As the model of Pay-what-you-like proliferates, Aspiration is an investment banking firm that lets customers choose how much to pay for their services, in an effort to add transparency and democratize investment banking.
8 App turns freelancers’ irregular income into a steady salary
Linguist Geoff Nunberg of the University of California recently coined “Gig” as his word of the year for 2015 on NPR, denoting New Economy freelancers who’s working week consists of a variety of different jobs. Catering to this expanding ‘gig economy’ are startups like Even, who offers no-interest loans to help freelancers balance out their finances from one month to the next.
9 Credit card automatically offsets consumer’s carbon footprint
We’re also seeing businesses offer auto-donation services for charitable consumers. Sustain:Green is an eco-friendly credit card which automatically offsets the CO2 emissions associated with the users’ spending, and Givesurance is a brokerage which converts five percent of clients’ insurance payments into charity donation credits.
10 Adblock alternative could fund online publishers through micropayments
For online publishers, one of the biggest financial threats would have to be the emergence of ad-blocking browser extensions. That’s why WordPress plugin AdBlock-to-Bitcoin is enabling an easy-to-integrate way for publishers to request donations from readers who are using adblockers.
The world saw one of its first autonomous human-carrying drone at this year’s CES by Chinese manufacturer Ehang. Now AirMule by Tactile Robotics is a drone capable of ferrying human casualties in conflict zones where helicopters can’t reach.
The unmanned aircraft, capable of vertical takeoff and landing features internal rotors, requires a small surface area for deployment, and can land in hard to access terrains such as forests or streets in urban conflicts. With a maximum load of 1100 kg, the AirMule can sit two humans and carry extra supplies, and is capable of hovering with high precision in up to 50 knots wind speed. Its small visual footprint, low noise and reduced radar also provides a stealth advantage. The drone claims to have a maximum flight height of 18,000 ft, and a cruise speed of more than 110 mph.
The AirMule was designed primarily as a military support solution, but what are some other uses for human-carrying drones?
As Bitcoin (BTC) usage continues to grow and more users trust the currency as an investment, we’re seeing more startups providing ways to increase its accessibility. We have already seen a Bitcoin debit card, usable at any Visa merchant, and now Bitwage is catering to international Bitcoin payroll.
International bank wire transfers usually take 5-14 business days at an average cost of eight percent. With Bitwage, users can receive same or next day Bitcoin payments at a cost of one percent. BTC’s blockchain system also ensures traceability, preventing payments being lost along the way. Bitwage operates two main business models. The ‘Individual’ model enables employees to create a digital wallet that they request their wages to be deposited into, which they can then exchange into their local currency, or use directly at Visa merchants with Bitwage’s own debit card. The ‘Employer’ model provides API for businesses to implement Bitcoin payroll systems.
Bitwage envision their software enabling businesses to expand on international talent sourcing, and ensure that payment is received instantly and at minimal costs. How else could could Bitcoin change business operations?