Razer’s Ariana projects game images that cover your whole wall
4 Free Small Business Marketing Tools
4 Free Small Business Marketing Tools.
Portent’s Content Idea Generator Ever get stuck trying to come up with ideas for your next article, blog post or free guide?
If so, this is a great tool for you.
With Portent’s Content Idea Generator, you simply enter a subject of your choice and the tool provides you with a series of unique angles on that content in the form of a headline.
Check it out here.
It makes your sales copy more impactful and understandable for your online and offline prospects.
Buffer makes creating social media images super-fast and super-easy!
With access to over 600,000 free images, basic photo effects, the ability to add text and tools to easily size for a variety of social networks, it provides a practical, “light” alternative to more complex software tools like Photoshop.
Open Site Explorer allows you to enter the URL for any website and it immediately returns all the inbound links (other web pages that link to you).
This is important because Google and other search engines will reward your site if other “high authority” sites are linking to it.
The Countries With the Most Determined Entrepreneurs (Infographic)
The Countries With the Most Determined Entrepreneurs (Infographic).
If you’re looking to start a new business, the U.S. may not be the best place.
While it is home to some ambitious entrepreneurs, it turns out the U.S. is one of the hardest countries in which to start a business.
You may have better luck in Canada, which has a low volume of new businesses, according to new research from Expert Market.
Botswana, Malta and Timor-Leste are the three countries with the most determined entrepreneurs.
Individuals starting up in Botswana are the most determined, given that launching a business there can take up to 48 working days or more than nine weeks.
From Azerbaijan to Afghanistan, the new research also reveals the 15 countries with the most missed opportunities.
The U.S. falls on this list, while entrepreneurs in China and Russia, for example, are more likely to seize opportunities.
To find out where you should launch your next venture, check out Expert Market’s infographic below.
Exclusive Business Resources
Cover Me dev: Room-scale mobile VR is ‘fully doable’ with the HTC Vive’s tracker
Cover Me dev: Room-scale mobile VR is ‘fully doable’ with the HTC Vive’s tracker.
This memorable struggle I experienced was made possible by an HTC Vive, a couple of smartphones, and a lot of plastic.
But why not take use smartphone and give a second player a window into the game?
Better yet, why not attach the phone to the Vive’s new tracker peripheral with a gun and have it appear within VR?
Imagine having to constantly cover each other’s backs (the game’s name came from one of the developers literally yelling “cover me!”), calling out enemy positions with your life on the line, perhaps having to keep out of the way of friendly fire.
“We’d been playing around with the Vive controller a couple of months ago and how it could be used for something other than just a VR tool only,” creative director Adam Amaral tells me.
But, in Master of Shapes’ eyes, this concept goes far beyond Cover Me.
“Our hope is that this is almost like a new ecosystem for maybe the Vive or just mobile gaming in general,” Amaral says.
Of course that brings about the big question: could you make a position-tracked mobile VR headset with this tracker?
He joked that he bought a Gear VR just to make sure no one beat him to the idea.
Automakers and suppliers team up to share costs of self-driving cars
Automakers and suppliers team up to share costs of self-driving cars.
Above: An autonomous car from Delphi departs Treasure Island for a cross-country trip from San Francisco to New York City in San Francisco, California March 22, 2015.
REUTERS/Stephen Lam (Reuters) – Automotive suppliers and automakers are expanding alliances to develop self-driving car technology that can serve multiple automakers, as the race to put such vehicles on the road separates companies that can go it alone from those that need help sharing the financial and technical burdens.
While some companies, such as Tesla Motors, General Motors and Ford Motor, are trying to develop proprietary driverless systems, a larger group of automakers appears to have decided it makes more sense to develop self-driving technology in collaboration with suppliers – as many other features such as anti-lock brakes or radar-enabled cruise control already are.
“Everyone is changing partners.” Several suppliers – notably Mobileye, Nvidia and Delphi Automotive – are among the more popular technology partners in the self-driving race, with multiple alliances around the globe.
“If you want to build a truly autonomous car, this is a task for more than one player,” said Amnon Shashua, chief executive of Mobileye, an Israeli-based supplier of mapping and vision-based sensing systems.
“I would compare it to sending a man to the moon.” Mobileye supplies cameras, chips and software for driver assist systems – the building blocks for self-driving cars – to more than two dozen manufacturers around the globe.
Since the break with Tesla, Mobileye has secured two critical partnerships to develop self-driving systems: With German automaker BMW and U.S. chipmaker Intel, and with longtime supplier Delphi.
“We would like to create a standard system for everybody to use by 2021,” Frickenstein said.
“There’s not one supplier out there who can provide the whole solution – no one who knows everything, every part of what’s needed to make an autonomous car,” said Alejandro Vukotich, Audi’s head of development for driver assistance systems.
Angel fund
Angel fund.
An angel fund is a sub-category of the Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) that raises funds from angel investors and invests in accordance with the regulations in respective countries.
Besides financing startups at a stage where such firms find it difficult to obtain capital from traditional sources of finance such as banks and financial institutions, angel funds offer mentoring to startup entrepreneurs as well as access to their own business networks and portfolio companies.
Put simply, an angel (also called as business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor or seed investor), is someone who puts their own finance into the growth of a small business at an early stage, also potentially contributing their advice and business experience.
Angels make their own decision about the investment, and in return for providing personal equity they take shares in the business.
The amount they invest is flexible – it could be a small amount to get you off the ground, or a larger amount.
While they can provide insight and advice about your business, their job is not to build up your company.
On the contrary, venture capital funding is a whole other level.
For a start, rather than individual investors, winning venture capital usually involves a whole firm – investors, board members, and people – whose job is to generally help your business develop.
Venture capital firms are made of professional investors, and their money comes from a variety of sources – corporations and individuals, private and public pension funds, foundations.In India, startups saw around Rs 23,500 crore angel and venture capital invested across over 815 deals between January and September 2016.
Why ‘Amazon Alexa everywhere’ is a big problem
Amazon Alexa everywhere, and that might be a problem.
My assistant doesn’t really know about the watch or the car or the television.
It’s not context aware at all, so Alexa doesn’t know to activate only the car functions in the car or deal with TV options on the couch.
(The same thing happens with the Google Home speaker and the Assistant.)
I talk to the fridge, then my car, then my television.
I’m talking to bots all day.
AI needs to improve to the point where we don’t have to do all of this talking.
It’s locking the car in my driveway because an AI knows I’m home at 9PM and that’s when my day ends.
Far worse than this is a future scenario where we talk to Google, Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and a dozen other bots that are competing for our vocal cords.
If I’m in the car, I want to know about traffic problems due to weather.
Tech group leader wants Trump to follow through on infrastructure bill
The president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association is the leader of the trade group that puts on CES, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas this week.
I spoke with him about his agenda for the incoming Donald Trump presidency, and Shapiro explained that he’s approaching the policy discussion as an opportunity for innovative thinking.
But Shapiro said he hopes that Trump will follow through on his campaign promise of investing in infrastructure to make America great again.
What we’re hopeful about is some of the things we’d like to see changed.
The challenge we face in the U.S. is we just say that net neutrality is a good thing, but we’re ignoring the fact that we pay a lot more for slower broadband than other countries.
VB: Getting back to the show, AI looks like a very interesting technology this year.
Some categories, like tablets and smartphones, are maturing, but we’re seeing a lot of new growth in drones, wearables, smart home products, cameras, and many other areas.
The self-driving car is something we’ll be talking about for at least the next 20 years, because it’s so important.
Shapiro: Like I say, I just saw a company from France with a portable product that allows you to identify smells.
But it’s also just an important product.
Blockchain could completely transform the music industry
Singers and composers are being short-changed by music companies and streaming services.
Licensing and rights management Digital rights expression is one of the biggest problems the music industry is tackling presently.
Since they are immutable distributed ledgers owned by no single entity, blockchains will enable content creators to register ownership of their creations without the need for big record labels.
Removing intermediaries Another problem that blockchain-based services such as Ujo and Mycelia can solve is how content creators get compensated for their work.
That’s why Heap describes her platform as “trying to take away the power from top down and give power, or at least a steering, to the artist to help shape their own future.” In addition to removing intermediaries, the transparency of blockchain and smart contracts enables artists to make suretheir music is properly licensed and enables consumers to prove ownership of their license on the ledger.
What happens to the record labels after this?
“As with all new technology, blockchain creates a shift in skill sets and opens up new opportunities,” she said in an op-ed published in Fortune.
It uses incentives and rewards to encourage users to publish and distribute music via a blockchain platform, where both content creators and distributors are compensated.
And PeerTracks, another leader of blockchain implementation in the music industry, is offering a business model that could change how artists develop their fanbase and build relationships with their fans.
PeerTracks is a download and streaming platform where artists get 95 percent of the revenues.
What You Need to Know About New Local and State Laws for 2017
What You Need to Know About New Local and State Laws for 2017.
In Illinois, nearly 200 new laws went into effect, while California added around 900.
In some states, such as Arizona, Colorado and Maine, the public voted on ballot measures to determine the rate, while in others (i.e. Hawaii, Maryland and Vermont), state legislative bodies passed laws to enact new labor standards.
New York and California are among several states and many cities that are working toward a $15 minimum wage in the future.
In order to renew their licenses, cosmetologists are now required to get training to identify signs of domestic and sexual abuse and be better equipped to help clients who might be victims.
Transportation In California, it is now illegal to hold your phone or any other electronic device while you are behind the wheel.
It must be mounted on the dashboard.
In Missouri, gun owners are no longer required to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Drugs and alcohol In November, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada voted to allow recreational marijuana use, and those laws went into effect at the start of the year.
If you’re a craft beer connoisseur in New York City, when you go to the bar to buy a drink, there will be a tax of about one cent that will go back to the brewery that made the beer.
Don’t Miss These Great Deals on Electronics, Computers, TVs and More
Welcome to TechBargains’ weekly deals where they feature the best deals on electronics, computers, TVs and more.
For $550 you may not be able to do better on a name brand TV with all these features.
At a shade under $40 it is the lowest price we expect to see on TurboTax.
Beat PowerBeats 3 Wireless Water Resistant In-Ear Headphones for $149.99 (Was $199.99) These PowerBeats 3 are one of the best-rated wireless headphones you can buy.
At $20 this is probably the best TV mount you can buy.
YI Wireless Home Surveillance Camera for $29.49 (Was $44.99) This is one of the best prices on a 720p wireless surveillance camera.
You can easily buy multiple cameras for the same price as one Nest camera.
Duduma Polarized Sports Superlight Frame Sunglasses for $8.99 (Was $29.98) Use code: E7HPAV36.
For more great deals go to TechBargains.com Disclosure: This is brought to you by the Entrepreneur Partner Studio.
If you purchase them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
8 Ways to Fund Your Startup
While it’s an idea that has crossed nearly everyone’s mind at one point or another, very few actually capitalize on such thoughts.
There are a number of common barriers that are inherent to the startup process itself, but none are more critical than the first step: obtaining the necessary funds to begin with.
Take out a loan In some cases, taking out a loan with your local bank might be the only option when it comes to launching your business.
Microsoft’s Oculus Rift device, a virtual reality headset, also enjoyed crowdfunding success to the tune of $2.4 million.
Take advantage of your credit Entrepreneurs with exceptional credit can even use these accounts to fund their own startups.
In fact, nearly 60 percent of small business owners relied on credit cards to avoid falling into bankruptcy during the 2008 recession.
Although some would rely on their personal accounts, many banks and institutions offer cards that are meant specifically for small business owners or startup entrepreneurs.
Obtain state or federal funding Pursuing state and federal grants is really a no-brainer when it comes to raising funds for a new startup.
Join a startup program Startup programs, sometimes referred to as incubators or accelerators, provide would-be entrepreneurs and up-and-coming millennials with a wealth of information, resources and access to funding opportunities that are geared specifically toward new businesses.
While many of these are great solutions when seeking the initial capital needed to launch a business, many entrepreneurs find themselves returning to these channels when pursuing their career goals, expanding their operations and maintaining competitiveness.
How to Be Interesting When Everything Has Already Been Said
Originality can only become a problem if we are trying to be someone we are not.
Most entrepreneurs have a really good reason behind why they started a company.
Some believed the name was given in honor of Apple Records, The Beetle’s music label, while others thought it represented the forbidden apple of knowledge bitten by Eve.
But Steve Job’s biography states he named the company Apple after coming back from an apple orchard (while on a fruitarian diet) because he thought it will be “fun, spirited and not intimidating.”
Since every company’s history is obviously unique, it makes the perfect starting point for a marketing strategy.
Here are some questions to consider asking yourself: Why does your company exist, or what is its purpose?
Your team members will have similar experiences, so give them a chance to contribute as well.
A listener may, in fact, feel lost in the story if he/she finds it interesting.
The narrative transportation theory, as it’s called, states that people may feel like they have been teleported to the world of their character in a story they can identify with.
Revealing your knowledge and insights in the context of your journey and experience makes the learning process far more enjoyable and relatable.
5 Business Trends That Will Take Off in 2017
5 Business Trends That Will Take Off in 2017.
Elevated customer engagement We have already seen a shift on how brands engage customers — in person and digitally.
Customer data collection How do you help people become more productive?
Brands have always collected data on their customers but are only now learning to use it to their advantage.
Through my customer data, it can personalize my experience and the treatment I receive.
However, more businesses are using crowdfunding to validate their own products in the market.
Your best focus group may be the market itself.
It’s the same in business.
Also, tailor your approach specifically to the audience you’re trying to reach.
Narrow your focus, hire specialists and give customers what they want.
How 36 of the World’s Top Business Leaders Stay in Shape (Infographic)
How 36 of the World’s Top Business Leaders Stay in Shape (Infographic).
It’s the New Year, and you know what that means — goal-setting time.
For many, diet and exercise are at the top of the priority list.
If you don’t know where to start or how to get motivated, take it from some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world who always make time for their health.
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson takes time out of his busy schedule to run, swim, lift weights, practice yoga or even kitesurf.
From ClassPass co-founder and CEO Payal Kadakia to Cisco Executive Chairman John Chambers, a surprising number of these business leaders lace up their running shoes every day.
There are plenty of ways you can make exercise a part of your life this year.
Check out how 36 of the world’s top business leaders stay in shape.
Get Your Valuation
![Funding Galore: Startup Fundings Of The Week [2 January – 7 January]](http://briofinancial.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/funding-galore-startup-fundings-of-the-week-2-january-7-january-400x250.jpg)
Funding Galore: Startup Fundings Of The Week [2 January – 7 January]
The fund will now be the primary investment vehicle for SoftBank’s investment in India.
Next up, cloud services firm Zoho Corp invested nearly $10 Mn in 5 startups.
In the first week of the year, 12 startups raised around $24.2 Mn in funding altogether.
Former Wipro taxation head PV Srinivasan also participated in this round.
Learntron: Edtech startup Learntron raised an undisclosed amount of funding in its Pre-Series A round from Mumbai-based Kae Capital.
Ltd) raised its angel round from an undisclosed private investor this month.
The investment was led by New York-based DanGold Investment Corp.
The round saw participation from existing investors Mayfield and Marico’s Rishabh Mariwala, who manages Sharp Ventures, the family office of Marico founder and chairperson Harsh Mariwala also participated in the round.
In the lone acquisition of the week, cloud-based customer engagement software Freshdesk, continued its acquisition spree in the new year with the acquisition of data integration platform Pipemonk.
In a bid to boost the venture capital ecosystem for MSMEs in the country, the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) tied up with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for augmenting the capital support to enterprises in the country.
As IT & ITeS sectors mature, Karnataka showcases disruptive ecosystem at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Priyank Kharge Bengaluru, January 7: As IT & ITeS matures as a sector in Karnataka, the state government is planning to change its perception and looks at embracing disruptive technologies to reposition itself.
Speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ session on ‘Fuelling growth through disruptive innovations: Start-up ecosystem in Karnataka’, Priyank Kharge, Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Tourism said “People, corporates and government have always associated ‘BengaluruITE.biz’ with IT & ITeS.
We have taken a call to ensure we emerge as the innovation leaders right from agriculture to aerospace,” he added.
As these disruptive innovations are happening very rapidly in India and today we are considered as one of the best ecosystems in the world for innovations that has the potential to catapult the economy, he further added.
“Under our multisector policy we are aiming at stimulating growth of 20,000 tech start-ups, including 6,000 product start-ups by 2020.
The state has always endeavoured to craft a policy framework that gives impetus to economic growth and in order to achieve that we have drafted India’s first Multisector Startup Policy to act as a catalyst, facilitating the innovators, investors and the industry to thrive and prosper,” he added.
“The government has become an angel investor to fund prominent ideas through idea2POC initiative of our multi-sector startup policy.
We are aiming at funding start-ups in multiple sectors in the form of grant or equity and we intend to mobilize about Rs.
400 crore for this under the ‘Innovate Karnataka’ initiative.
50 crore and Animation and Gaming Venture Fund of Rs.
4 Amazing Products From CES I Can’t Wait to Use
4 Amazing Products From CES I Can’t Wait to Use.
My first day at CES was insane.
I saw so much technology at CES, it was mind-numbing.
The products upstairs — like 3D printers and smart watches — weren’t exactly revolutionary.
The company creates holographic technology to be used in advertising.
The booth I checked was for Hypervision, Kino-mo’s “holo-displays.”
Someone on the team had been smart enough to mount the holograms high enough, so that they could easily be seen from a distance, which meant their booth was packed all day long.
Officially, on their marketing materials, it’s “quick to play and fun to learn.” Interesting!
I’ve been to a lot of trade shows but none that have been so interactive.
Much of what I saw downstairs was pre-production and had gone or planned on going the crowdfunding route with Indiegogo and Amazon Launchpad’s presence felt.