Firms and even countries will need a strategy as the world moves from pipelines to platforms. Pipelines are the linear value-creation and delivery models that we’ve inherited from the industrial era. As the world becomes more connected, platform business models create a central infrastructure that enables interactions between producers and consumers. Read more>>
Monthly Archives: September 2018
Vtrus launches drones to inspect and protect your warehouses and factories
Knowing what’s going on in your warehouses and facilities is of course critical to many industries, but regular inspections take time, money, and personnel. Why not use drones? Vtrus uses computer vision to let a compact drone not just safely navigate indoor environments but create detailed 3D maps of them for inspectors and workers to consult, autonomously and in real time. Read more>>
After Their Own Manufacturer Betrayed Them With a Copycat Product, These Founders Fought Back
Chuck Shirley and Relina DeDios-Shirley were recruiters when they started HIDEit Mounts, a company that designs and sells device mounts that camouflage game consoles and cable boxes. Their online business was growing steadily, but when they did some detective work on a competitor, they discovered they were being copycatted–by one of their own manufacturers. Read more>>
Pinterest and Grubhub’s Former Growth Lead on Building Content Loops
Hockey stick growth. Word-of-mouth. Going viral. Look beyond the jargon and find the stuff of founders’ dreams: the type of explosive growth startups covet. The most celebrated companies are lauded for swift, exponential user growth — a reality that most startups fail to replicate. But the good news is that it’s not the only path. And according to scaling and growth advisor Casey Winters, it’s not even the best one. Read more>>
Clinc is building a voice AI system to replace humans in drive-through restaurants
Clinc is expanding its focus on fintech into new verticals that could take advantage of its conversational artificial intelligence. The Ann Arbor-based company recently took the wraps off its new system that aims to provide quick-service restaurants like McDonald’s and Taco Bell with a voice assistant in the drive-through window. Read more>>
Researchers 3D print prototype for ‘bionic eye’
A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, fully 3D printed an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface. This discovery marks a significant step toward creating a “bionic eye” that could someday help blind people see or sighted people see better. Read more>>
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