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Maheshwari Logistics SME IPO fetches Rs123 crore subscription
How to think like an investor before pitching your startup for millions in funding
Qatar’s Investment Holding Group launches initial public offering
VR zombie game Arizona Sunshine will get Vegas-themed Undead Valley mode in February
Razer’s Project Valerie gives you three 17-inch screens on a crazy gaming laptop
Why machine learning will decide which IoT ‘things’ survive
Coway’s Airmega integrates Alexa voice controls for its air filtration systems
Changhong’s H2 smartphone uses a molecular sensor to identify real or fake Viagra pills
Hands on with Amazon Alexa on the Dish Hopper
During a test using the Dish Hopper 3 with Amazon Alexa, at CES 2017, it became obvious to me that all of the buttons and settings on our TVs, as well as the adjustments and tweaks we make to our televisions to watch movies and sports, will be going away soon.
I first asked Alexa to change to ESPN, and it worked surprisingly fast — faster than typing in the numbers.
If it isn’t as fast as basic services, it is not as helpful, because you have to find the remote or memorize channel numbers anyway.
Next, I asked Alexa to find all of the Tom Hanks movies available.
Again, it was speedy.
In my test, the service was activated for all channels, so you have a much larger data set than only the streaming movies available on the Vudu app, for example.
While I was playing the movie Scully, I asked Alexa about the rating for the movie.
I also tried to order a DVD player.
The Google search on Shield TV is only a media search tool you control by voice.
My plan is to be able to easily find movies based on rating, search through archives of science fiction movies, do comparison by voice, find all of the movies starring one specific actor — basically, have Alexa become an all-purpose entertainment assistant.
Becoming a Father Improved the Way I Work
Just over a year ago, I made the transition from working professional to working father.
Not in a sappy, “everything is more precious with kids,” way, but in significant ways that actually make me a better marketer.
So yes, like so many new parents, I’m better than I’ve ever been at time management.
That’s true creativity at work, and I’ve been surprised by how much that mindset has crossed over into my work.
When I have an ecommerce client who claims they’ve “tried everything,” but still can’t fix their conversion problem, my mind detects infinitely more possibilities than it did before.
In a related way, having a kid has stretched my mind to think about broader issues, in addition to quick, creative fixes.
At the same time I’m wondering what she’ll be like when she grows older, I’m thinking about the challenges facing higher education and what I need to do now to help her get through them in the future.
It’s the same way at work.
It’s made my work easier.
Where I expected myself to be more high-strung on the job, I’m surprised to find I’m actually calmer.
How the Sleep Number 360 bed uses machine learning to help you sleep
How the Sleep Number 360 bed uses machine learning to help you sleep.
A mattress might be the last thing you’d dream of applying machine learning to, but your bed is where you spend a third of your life.
And if it can help you sleep better, that could improve the hours of the day when you’re not sleeping, as well.
At CES 2017, as I plopped myself down on the Sleep Number 360 smart bed, I wanted to find out: Can AI really us sleep better?
A company called Kingsdown does use machine learning in its Sleep Smart series to adjust to your sleep patterns, mostly by using air to reposition the mattress as you sleep.
There’s also an app you use to set your preferences, but the bed can “learn” what works best for you over time.
What I liked about the Sleep Number 360 is that there’s no need for an app.
The bed knows when you sleep.
Sleep tech is becoming more of a hot market these days, because we know a lot more about brain science.
Still, if you need help sleeping or your snoring is a problem for someone else, this could be a good investment.
France’s Click & Boat raises $1 million for its Airbnb for boats service
France’s Click & Boat raises $1 million for its Airbnb for boats service.
Click & Boat, which describes itself as an Airbnb for boats, has raised €1 million ($1.05 million) in funding from Paris-based Olma Fund.
The French sharing economy startup recently acquired its competitor Sailsharing and plans to expand its peer-to-peer boat rental services across Europe.
“The objective of such [a] fund raise is simultaneously speeding up our internationalization program in foreign countries, particularly through the recruitment of dedicated human resources, while at the same time launching new services directed to our European clients” said Edouard Gorioux, cofounder, adding that the boating sector has been slower to adopt innovation.
The startup recently launched its Click & Yacht service, dedicated to luxury boats and intends to make more acquisitions in new markets in the future for greater consolidation.
It claimed to have seen €10 million effective sales turnover with around 8,000 boats listed on its site in 22 countries.
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How to Get Publicity for Your Crowdfunding Campaign
How to Get Publicity for Your Crowdfunding Campaign.
The goal is to create enough buzz about your startup in as many places as possible.
If you want to make sure you are making an impact with your campaign, here are some tips that will help you get that word out: Groups of People to Tap Think of the groups of people within your own web of friends, family, and acquaintances.
These are people who can help you reach out to others they know, expanding your potential for funds.
Family and friends will donate if they can, but they can also help you spread the word through all of their social media channels and email lists too.
Potential Stakeholders What niche does your startup relate to?
You will want to do this before you launch your page.
If your video is that good, submit it for a crowdfunding video award.
Setting the Right Tiers and Rewards Set realistic goals for your funding and for what you believe your typical donor can afford.
Don’t Make People Work to Share Your Campaign Have sample posts and video clips ready for friends and acquaintances to use to share your campaign.
This is why 2017 is going to be a hell of a tough year for seed startups
In 2006, the average early-stage seed round for a startup was just under $600,000.
Are startups really better off raising multiple seed rounds, and what does this mean for seed funding in 2017?
–Nicholas Chirls, Notation Capital The evolution of seed capital Before we examine seed funding trends, let’s first break down why the seed funding landscape has evolved so drastically, and why startups now feel the need to raise multiple seed rounds.
Seed investors were looking for more traction, and Series A rounds got larger.
As a result, startups have to tap into multiple sources of funding to even qualify for what VCs look for in early-stage seed or Series A.
And that’s not even the first round.
The ease of raising seed capital will make it much more difficult to raise Series A and B since these rounds have gotten inflated.
52.5 percent of startups were raising their first round of seed capital, while 35 percent were raising their second round.
While the average deal size for a first seed round is $1.89 million — and peaks in the second seed round at $1.93 million — by the third round, startups are losing about 8 percent in deal size on average.
This trend of multiplying seed rounds is going to continue, especially with the growth of Micro-VC firms, which in turn will make it much more difficult for startups to raise Series A and B rounds, primarily due to much lower valuations and the growth in median deal size.
Awesome Games Done Quick’s week of speedrunning and fighting cancer starts now
Awesome Games Done Quick’s week of speedrunning and fighting cancer starts now.
One of the best weeks of the gaming year is underway.
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2017 has started, and the event will go on until the night of Saturday, January 14.
AGDQ is a marathon of speedruns, which has players beating games as quickly as possible.
It’s all broadcasted on Twitch.
Best of all, the event takes donations for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Last year, AGDQ raised $1,216,309.
You can check out the week’s schedule here.
If you don’t care about speedruns but want to help a worthy cause, you can donate here.
And, of course, you can watch the event all week long on Games Done Quick’s Twitch page.
How blockchain is impacting clean energy
Several startups are developing projects that integrate blockchain and solar energy.
SolarCoin SolarCoin is an eco-minded cryptocurrency that aims to incentivize solar power production.
The coin was launched in 2014 and hopes to drive the generation of 97,500 terawatt hours worth of solar power over 40 years.
Solar farms wanting to earn extra income by generating SolarCoin coins for the power they produce don’t have to pay anything to participate, and SolarCoin does not take any of the power; it merely provides the coins as an incentive to produce clean energy.
Smart Solar Back in 2002, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) were created to incentivize investment in renewable energy.
Solar farms and other renewable electricity providers issue RECs to represent the amount of clean energy they have generated.
The problem with this system is that the amount of renewable energy produced is calculated by estimates and projections.
It uses blockchain technology and the Internet of Things to allow solar panels to calculate their own levels of energy production and then issue RECs to the owner.
Brooklyn Microgrid also hopes to boost the amount of clean energy that is produced within its local community.
Blockchain and solar: Just the beginning of a clean energy partnership With the continued push towards renewable resources, blockchain technology provides a way to further incentivize and account for clean energy production.