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SIMBY: Digital WEEE platform 

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A sustainability platform for the textile industry, a biodegradable packaging made of hemp and mycelium, an independent sourcing platform for sustainable packaging, a digital marketplace for used electrical and electronic equipment, a technology-driven platform to connect informal waste pickers to the recycled plastic market and a technological machine to analyse plastic composition – these are the ideas developed by the six Green Alley Award finalists of 2023. Let’s continue with introducing Simby from Portugal.

The winner of our public voting and therefore the first startup to enter the finals was Simby. A Portuguese startup that developed a digital platform and marketplace for used electrical and electronic equipment. With their solution the startup aims to not only reduce the amount of discarded electronics, but also create a platform where recyclers and electronic equipment owners can interact. Read more about this series public voting winner Simby and their greatest successes!

First of all, congratulations on your victory! It seems like you have great supporters already. Did you expect these results or were you surprised? 

Thank you very much! We are incredibly grateful for the support we received from everyone who voted for us. We were hopeful that our idea would resonate with most people, but we were also pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response and support we received. Winning the public vote has given us even more motivation to continue working hard towards our mission of creating a sustainable marketplace for EEE waste.

Your idea is going to provide a great solution to the WEEE dismantling problem that is already addressed by the EU. When did you realize that there is a need for such a platform?

Our team has always been passionate about creating a more sustainable future, and we noticed that there was a significant gap in the market when it came to managing EEE waste. We have a lot of experience in handling end of life electronic equipment, which has helped to realize that there was a clear business opportunity based on a solution with a strong environmental and social impact. 

We also did complementary research and found that even with the EU regulations in place for the dismantling of WEEE, many producers and recyclers struggle to effectively manage their waste streams. We saw that as an opportunity to create a platform that could connect producers and recyclers and make the process of managing EEE waste more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. By providing a marketplace for EEE waste management, we hope to address this issue and contribute to a more sustainable circular economy.

What is the Portuguese circular economy startup scene like, where do you see current trends, maybe especially regarding your WEEE solution?

Portugal, and as we know, all of Europe have a growing and dynamic Startup scene that is also increasing their focus on sustainable and circular business models. There are many exciting companies and initiatives in Portugal that are driving innovation in the circular economy space, and we are proud to join that community. 

In the last years in Portugal, we saw a lot of new companies and ideas on how to design, produce, and distribute clothing in a sustainable and circular manner, allowing for the materials to be reused and repurposed at the end of their lifecycle. Others promote sustainable tourism by offering electric tours of Portugal’s cities and countryside, promoting low-carbon transportation and eco-tourism. Even in the waste management we saw a lot of good ideas, mainly by helping businesses and municipalities to find waste management solutions that are tailored to their specific needs and provide tools for tracking and monitoring waste. 

Although there are a lot of good projects, we realized that there was a platform missing focusing on enhancing e-waste recycling in the European market.

What has been your last greatest success (apart from making it to the Green Alley Award finals)?

We believe that our greatest success so far, was the incredible support and enthusiasm we gathered from e-waste producers and recyclers about the platform who have already expressed interest in registering and using it and the significant progress on the development of our platform. Additionally, we recently have received contacts from VC companies that can enable us to accelerate our growth and expand our impact, and to establish partnerships with other companies that work in the circular economy ecosystem. 

We are also excited about receptivity and enthusiasm on the part of the public entities with whom we have spoken.

Please complete our sentence: The world needs a circular economy because…

…the existing linear economic model, which is built on take-make-waste and has detrimental effects on the environment and society, is outmoded, and the world needs a circular economy focused on waste reduction, resource conservation, and climate change mitigation, as well as opening new business opportunities and fostering social inclusion. We all need to realize that resources are finite and interconnected, and therefore require a systemic and collaborative approach to design, produce, use, and recover products and materials.

Would you like to meet Simby and experience the award ceremony live in Berlin? Register now for the event: https://green-alley-award.com/event-registration/

SIMBY: Digital WEEE platform 

11 Bristol-based startups you should know!

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StartupValley
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bristol

Bristol has emerged as a key center for startups in the UK in recent years. The city boasts a diverse mix of universities, creative industries, and a vibrant culture, making it an attractive location for entrepreneurs.

One of the driving forces behind the growth of the startup scene in Bristol is the local government, which actively promotes investment in technology and innovation. The city has created a range of incubators and accelerators to help entrepreneurs advance their ideas and succeed.

Another factor that makes Bristol one of the top startup centers in the UK is the availability of skilled professionals. The city is a magnet for young talent from around the world, drawn to the career opportunities and high standard of living.

The startup scene in Bristol is also known for its focus on sustainability and social responsibility. Many of the companies in the city are geared towards protecting the environment and positively impacting society.

Overall, the startup scene in Bristol offers a dynamic and growing community of innovative businesses that have not only local but also global impact.

UltraLeap: UltraLeap is a startup company specializing in the development and manufacture of touchless interaction solutions. The company has developed technology that allows users to manipulate virtual objects using gestures and hand movements, without the need for physical interaction. These touchless interaction solutions are used in various industries, including the automotive industry, retail, healthcare, and entertainment. UltraLeap is headquartered in the UK and also operates branches in North America and Asia.

Five.ai: Five.ai is a startup company specializing in the development of artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. The company is based in the UK and is working to develop autonomous vehicles for use in cities, making transportation safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly. Five.ai uses machine learning technologies to train and improve its autonomous vehicles and works with leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers to integrate its technology into production vehicles.

ClearBank: ClearBank is a British fintech startup founded in 2015, focusing on providing cloud-based banking services for businesses. ClearBank offers a range of services such as deposit accounts, payment processing, credit card processing, and foreign exchange, all accessible via an API interface. The company aims to revolutionize the banking sector by making it easier and more transparent for businesses of all sizes and types to access banking services. ClearBank has quickly become one of the leading fintech companies in the UK and is supported by notable investors.

Brightpearl: Brightpearl is a startup company that offers a cloud-based enterprise management software. Brightpearl’s software integrates features such as e-commerce, inventory management, accounting, and customer service into a single platform to simplify the business processes of retailers and wholesalers. Founded in 2007 in the UK, Brightpearl is headquartered in Bristol.

Open Bionics: Open Bionics is a startup company that develops and manufactures advanced prosthetics for people with amputations. Their technology is based on 3D printing and robotics, allowing them to produce customized prosthetics at a fraction of the cost of traditional prosthetics. The company aims to improve access to affordable and modern prosthetics to enhance the lives of people with amputations and improve their mobility and quality of life.

Moneyhub: Moneyhub is a startup company that has developed a financial management platform to support individuals and businesses in managing their finances. The platform offers features such as account aggregation, budgeting, investment tracking, and financial advice. Users can manage and analyze their various financial accounts, such as bank accounts, credit cards, and investment accounts, on the platform. Moneyhub aims to make financial decisions more transparent and accessible to achieve better financial outcomes for its users.

Payaca: Payaca is a startup company that has developed a mobile app that allows users to make online payments quickly, easily, and securely. The app is user-friendly and offers a variety of features, such as sending and receiving money, paying bills, and making transfers. Payaca aims to revolutionize traditional banking and simplify people’s lives by providing them with a fast and secure way to conduct financial transactions.

Ferryx: Ferryx is a startup company that focuses on developing technologies to improve the health of livestock. They offer innovative products and services based on the use of probiotic bacteria and other natural ingredients to promote animal well-being and improve their performance. Their goal is to make animal husbandry more sustainable and efficient while promoting the health and well-being of livestock.

Immersive Labs: Immersive Labs is a startup company that specializes in the development of cyber security training and learning solutions. Their platform uses immersive and interactive learning to train security professionals and help businesses improve their cyber security competencies. The company is based in the UK and works with businesses around the world.

Deazy: Deazy is a startup company that has developed an online platform that allows businesses to automate and simplify their workflows. The platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate recurring tasks such as data processing, accounting, and order management. Deazy aims to support businesses of all sizes and industries by helping them increase efficiency, save time and money, and optimize their business processes.

LettUs Grow: LettUs Grow is a startup company that focuses on the development of technologies for vertical plant cultivation. Their goal is to provide a sustainable and efficient solution for food production by enabling the cultivation of fresh produce indoors. LettUs Grow uses a combination of innovative cultivation systems, sensors, and control technologies to optimize plant growth and increase crop yields. Their solutions can be used in various environments, such as greenhouses, urban farms, and supermarkets.

Photo/Source: stock.adobe.com – Nick

S.LAB: Mushroom and Hemp Packaging Innovation

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StartupValley
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A sustainability platform for the textile industry, a biodegradable packaging made of hemp and mycelium, an independent sourcing platform for sustainable packaging, a digital marketplace for used electrical and electronic equipment, a technology-driven platform to connect informal waste pickers to the recycled plastic market and a technological machine to analyse plastic composition – these are the ideas developed by the six Green Alley Award finalists of 2023.

EPS – Expanded Polystyrene Styrofoam – is a classic among the materials used for efficient construction or shock absorption and moisture insensitive packaging of products. Despite many advantages, this material has also downsides: Right now, there is no recycling solution after it is discarded by consumers and if it ends up in the sea or in landfills, it can harm our environment.

From pollution to solution! In today´s news section we would like to introduce S.Lab, an Ukrainian startup that is developing an alternative to EPS material and a truly green packaging solution! Made from mushroom roots and hemp stems, their packaging is therefore 100% biodegradable and waterproof. Read the interview and learn more about the startup´s challenges and their innovative solution!

Your packaging alternative is a great circular economy innovation. Where do you get the mushroom and the hemp that are needed to produce the product?

To produce our material, we need only two components that are hemp’s stem or straw and mycelium, which are mushroom roots.

The first chunk of mycelium we have received from the Botanical Institute in Kyiv and now we are re-cultivating this mycelium in our own laboratory over and over again. This means that one component we are growing in house and do not supply it from somewhere else. 

And hemp’s stem or straw is an agricultural waste that remains on the fields after the harvest as garbage, so farmers are happy to find customers for such product as this will make next year’s crop faster and easier. Currently we are sourcing hemp straw from one of the biggest Ukrainian producers of hemp and now also looking into more potential suppliers in the European Union. Also, we can use other agricultural waste like corn stem, wheat stem, tea trees leftovers. 

Can you please describe how the biodegradation process works?

After the usage, S.Lab packaging needs to be broken into at least two pieces and ideally thrown into the soil. In the soil our material will fully decompose in 30-45 days without any trace. Moreover, it will fertilize land to which it was thrown away. 

Also, it’s absolutely safe to throw such packaging in the residual waste bin or food compost.

What is the benefit of your plastic alternative in comparison to others? Where do you see your USP?

First of all, most of the plastic alternatives are not biodegradable as we would like and might still require long industrial composting under high temperature and pressure. In our case we use only two plant-based components that will biodegrade to 100%. 

The other problem with alternative materials is that they still cannot be produced at the industrial scale, only 1,5% of the packaging is produced using alternative materials. In our case from day one we focused on the scalable technology and our goal is to produce packaging at the industrial scale. That’s why we develop our own unique efficient technology that will allow us to quickly launch automated production lines in various locations of the world. 

Alternative materials also remain very expensive and with the cheap raw material and scalable efficient technology we can definitely bring our material to a very affordable level. 

Having a good idea to solve problems in our society is the first step, but especially startups often encounter many problems and challenges when trying to establish themselves on the market. What has been one of the most challenging moments for S.Lab until now?

Since we are Ukrainians, the most challenging moment was of course full-scale war that hit us out of nowhere in 2022. All our team in different parts of Ukraine woke up from the sounds of explosions and all of us had to leave everything behind and evacuate to save the most basic thing – our lives. 

At that moment we were on a survival mode and for some time everything was on pause with S.Lab as of course we didn’t know what will unfold and what future holds for all of us. In just few weeks, when all of us were in safe places, we went back to our startup and understood that no matter what we still want to carry on, build and develop packaging materials to build a better future for all of us. 

Please complete our sentence: The world needs a circular economy because…

… there is no other way for the planet and for humanity to achieve sustainability and climate goals. We need to rethink the way we use resources and materials and investigate the opportunity of using more and more renewable resources, repurpose current usage of the resources and decrease waste generation. Only polystyrene packaging leads to 12 million tons of CO2 emissions every year and requires 24 million litres of water for production. 

Great example of circular economy implementation in packaging industry is packaging as a service, where instead of using packaging once, it’s collected and then used again in many more cycles of delivery. 

The circular economy approach is a pathway to innovative technologies, waste minimization and a more sustainable future. 

Register now and watch our six finalists pitch their idea live in Berlin on 27th April 2023!

S.LAB: Mushroom and Hemp Packaging Innovation

Circulate: Digital Sourcing Platform for Sustainable Packaging

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StartupValley
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A sustainability management platform for the textile industry, an independent sourcing platform for sustainable packaging, a biodegradable packaging grown out of hemp and mycelium, a marketplace for used electrical and electronic equipment, a technology-driven platform to connect informal waste pickers to the recycled plastic market and a technological machine to analyse plastic composition – these are the ideas developed by the six Green Alley Award finalists of 2023.

Let’s continue with introducing the second finalist, Circulate from Sweden.

Circulate offers a digital sourcing platform and marketplace for sustainable packaging solutions that makes finding, comparing, and implementing better packaging less complex and more transparent. At the same time, the platform helps producers of sustainable packaging scale and expand into new markets and customer segments.

As the European Green Deal moves forward, aiming to make all packaging recyclable by 2030, the demand for sustainable packaging will also rise. Consequently, this type of service and platform will become more and more important as packaging regulations become stricter. Read the interview to find out more about Circulate’s founding story and their circular economy solution.

Your innovation is another great way to drive major changes in the packaging industry and to contribute to a more sustainable world. How did you have the idea to bring together suppliers and consumers in this industry? 

In Europe we consume three times more than the world can generate. There is a massive need to cut consumption and understand how we can use resources more efficiently. On top of the massive overconsumption, we are facing huge challenges with waste – where packaging is a major culprit. 

Both society and governments are aware of these issues: So, we were wondering why the transition to greener alternatives is taking so long?

To find out why, our founder, Karolina Ling-Vannerus, took a job as a consultant in the packaging industry. Karolina quickly realized that the current process to find, compare and implement better packaging is time consuming, complex and lacks transparency – especially for smaller companies.

The greener alternatives are out there, but the new innovations fail to scale due to poor commercialization and limited product ranges. 

In 2021, Circulate was founded to combat these issues and speed up the transition to more sustainable alternatives by guiding and connecting smaller buyers with the most sustainable packaging producers.

The new landscape deriving from the new regulations for sustainable packaging is offering new opportunities all over Europe, nevertheless each country still has unique laws. How would you describe the situation on the packaging market in Europe?

One big difference between now and a few years ago is that packaging buyers’ demand for greener solutions has grown exponentially, mainly driven by increased awareness and demands from their customers. At the same time governments and society are putting an increased pressure on producers and packaging buyers with stricter regulations and taxations being implemented every year. 

There are EU standards all countries need to follow as a base but then some countries have chosen to set stricter regulations than the EU standard. On our platform we are transparent and educating about all these different regulations and their specific impact making it easier for our suppliers and buyers to navigate this market. 

Ensuring you find the best possible supplier is very important. Can you please walk us through the selection process and tell us about the characteristics that the supplier must have?

Together with experts, we have developed the world’s first holistic sustainability screening model for packaging, looking beyond just LCA and CO2, to ensure all products on our platform are truly the better choice for the future of the planet. Before going live, all packaging products on our platform go through a rigorous screening process to ensure they meet our minimum criteria.

For example, the products must be made with at least 70% of renewable materials which are likely to be reused, recycled, or composted in most of the EU (i.e., not becoming waste). We also take into consideration the ethical working conditions as well as the characteristics of the products. Another criterion is to make sure that the material weight and volume is minimized while keeping functionality and ensuring safety and hygiene for both product and consumer (EN 13428). 

What is your USP?

There are companies out there offering sustainable packaging, however since packaging is never a company’s core, there is a knowledge gap for the buyer. Circulate bridges the gap between inexperienced packaging buyers and the suppliers, helping them understand their packaging needs and objectively assess the market and the alternatives out there. This, combined with digitalising the whole purchasing and restocking process and adding a layer of data and analytics, makes us the ultimate tool for handling packaging. 

Please complete our sentence: The world needs a circular economy because… 

… we simply don’t generate enough new resources to consume on such a high level as we do today. So, if we want to keep this high rate, we need to reuse resources in a more efficient way.

Register now and watch our six finalists pitch their idea live in Berlin on 27th April 2023!

BCome: Improving transparency within the Fashion Industry   

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StartupValley
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A sustainability platform for the textile industry, a biodegradable packaging made of hemp and mycelium, an independent sourcing platform for sustainable packaging, a digital marketplace for used electrical and electronic equipment, a technology-driven platform to connect informal waste pickers to the recycled plastic market and a technological machine to analyse plastic composition – these are the ideas developed by the six Green Alley Award finalists of 2023.

Let’s start with introducing BCome Certified from Spain.

The fashion industry has a waste problem that needs to be addressed: fast fashion, which is the turnover of cheap and mass-produced-clothing. According to the World Economic Forum about 73% of clothes are burned or end up in landfill, only 12% is collected and recycled, and only 1% is recycled within the fashion industry. Luckily, brands as well as consumers are now becoming aware of this huge sustainability challenge! Here, the Spanish startup BCome comes into play!

The company developed a digital sustainability platform for the fashion industry that aims at enabling fashion businesses to build responsible supply chains, while guaranteeing transparency and bringing it to the final customer. Reading their interview makes us understand the importance of their digital solution and what are the challenges women might face when founding a startup!

The technology industry is not only one of the fastest-growing sectors on the market, but also one of the most competitive ones. What sets your apart from your competitors?

We have a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability, we provide answers from an environmental, social, and economic perspective. This transversality gives our product a different value proposition! it’s a fact, our 360° vision makes us different. Our platform is a comprehensive solution based on 3 key points: First, we provide meaningful sustainability data. We collect relevant data from the whole value chain and transform it into sustainability knowledge. Second, we offer business decision-making tool. We enable brands to make data-based decisions according to their global impact. The third aspect is the Engagement. We enhance the connection with consumers through main sustainability insights.

For us, sustainability doesn’t need to be hard, we make it simple and turn it into a competitive advantage for the business. 

Was there a particular moment or situation that triggered the idea to found BCome? 

We have always kept the same goal in mind: to help the fashion industry getting the answers it needs. First, we started BCome as a fashion consultancy in 2016. But after a few years working with suppliers in Asia, we decided to follow our instincts and began to develop the global sustainability management platform that BCome is today. We realised that the market did not need a greater product offering, but the knowledge and answers that would make the sustainable transformation of the industry easier. So, all the knowledge acquired in the field was applied into a digital product that sought to offer solutions to achieve this change.

There are so many challenges that startups must face. Do you feel that women encounter an even wider range of challenges when founding a startup?

We feel comfortable being women in the tech business industry but it’s true that there are still many prejudices to tear down. Despite all the obstacles that we might have found on the path, we have been fortunate to have a strong support network of people who have always believed in our mission and have provided valuable guidance along the way. Finding enablers of success, who are good people and share your vision, is crucial for any startup, and we are grateful for those who have supported us on our journey. We believe that strong feminine references are necessary, and we hope that women of future generations would have easier access thanks to projects like BCome having paved the way.

You are still in an early stage, where do you see your startup in 5 years from now?

We really want to transform the fashion industry. In 5 years from now, we see BCome as a leading platform for sustainability in the fashion business. Our goal is to expand our reach and impact, and we plan to achieve this by enhancing our technology and further improving the accuracy we provide to our customers. We imagine a future where sustainable fashion is not a trend, but a standard, and we believe that our platform can play a crucial role in making this a reality. By empowering consumers with information and providing businesses with tools to track and reduce their environmental impact, we aim to create a more sustainable future for the fashion industry and beyond.

Please complete our sentence: The world needs a circular economy …

… because we have the responsibility to protect the supply of resources for future generations. With a linear model of consumption and disposal, we are depleting resources at an alarming rate, creating a future where these resources may not be longer available. This is particularly important in the fashion industry, where the production of textiles and garments requires significant amounts of water, energy, and other resources. By embracing circularity, we can reduce waste and the need for virgin materials, while also promoting more responsible and sustainable practices throughout the industry. This is essential if we want to create a world that is not just sustainable, but also equitable and prosperous for all.

Register now and watch our six finalists pitch their idea live in Berlin on 27th April 2023!

11 Amsterdam-based startups you should know!

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amsterdam

In recent years, Amsterdam has experienced a vibrant and growing startup scene. The city has become a key hub for young companies, benefiting from its excellent infrastructure, access to talent, and open culture.

A crucial factor contributing to the success of Amsterdam’s startup scene is the presence of a strong technology infrastructure. The city boasts exceptional digital infrastructure and a thriving tech community that encourages the exchange of ideas and collaboration between startups.

Additionally, Amsterdam has a unique culture that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. The city is renowned for its open, tolerant, and cosmopolitan atmosphere, attracting startups from all over the world.

Another contributing factor to the development of the startup scene in Amsterdam is the availability of talent. The city has exceptional educational infrastructure and attracts talent from around the world, especially in the fields of technology and design.

Overall, Amsterdam has a thriving startup scene that benefits from its technology infrastructure, open culture, and talent pool. The city has the potential to continue growing and establish itself as a significant player in the global startup scene.

Here are eleven interesting startups that were founded in Amsterdam:

Seenons: is a startup company that provides a platform for sustainable shopping and selling of second-hand fashion and accessories. The platform simplifies the process of buying and selling used clothing and promotes a sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle. Seenons allows users to upload and sell their clothes, while buyers can find a wide selection of used items at affordable prices. The company is committed to reducing textile waste and promoting the circular economy to minimize the environmental impact of the fashion industry.

MessageBird: is a Dutch startup that specializes in providing cloud communication services for businesses. The company offers a variety of communication channels, including SMS, voice calls, WhatsApp, email, and more, which enable businesses to communicate with customers and other audiences worldwide. The MessageBird platform is easy to use and offers a range of features such as chatbots, integrations with other platforms, and analytics, which make it easier for businesses to optimize their communication strategies. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam and operates in more than 190 countries.

The Fabricant: is a Dutch startup that specializes in digital fashion. The company uses advanced 3D design and rendering technologies to design and produce unique virtual clothing and accessories. These digital fashion creations can be worn and experienced in the virtual world, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional textile production. The Fabricant aims to revolutionize the fashion industry and shape the future of fashion.

VanMoof: is a startup that manufactures high-quality electric bicycles. The company was founded in 2009 with the aim of revolutionizing urban mobility by producing environmentally friendly and stylish bicycles specifically designed for city commuting. VanMoof has also specialized in smart bike technology, offering features such as automatic gear shifts, GPS tracking, and theft protection. The company operates retail stores in several countries and also sells its bicycles online.

Otrium: is a startup that offers an online platform for selling fashion excess inventory. The company works directly with well-known fashion brands to sell their surplus clothing items. On the platform, customers can buy high-quality fashion items at discounted prices, while brands can sell their excess inventory more effectively and sustainably. Otrium is a rapidly growing company headquartered in Amsterdam.

Zivver: is a startup that specializes in secure digital communication. The Zivver platform offers a secure alternative to email and other messaging services by offering end-to-end encryption, secure file transfer, and precise identity verification. The company aims to improve the confidentiality and security of business communications while ensuring compliance with data protection laws.

Leyden Labs: is a biotech startup that specializes in the research and development of antiviral therapies and vaccines. The company was founded in 2020 by a team of scientists who were working at the renowned Leiden University in the Netherlands. Leyden Labs aims to develop novel technologies that enable the acceleration and improvement of antiviral drug and vaccine development, utilizing innovative approaches in science and state-of-the-art technologies in biotechnology.

BUX: is a Dutch FinTech startup founded in 2014 that has developed a trading app allowing users to invest in stocks and other financial instruments with small amounts of money. The app is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, with a range of features to help beginners get started in trading, such as tutorials and virtual practice accounts. In addition, BUX also offers a more advanced platform for experienced traders called “BUX X,” which allows trading with leverage. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam and operates in several European countries.

Timberhub: is a startup specializing in the brokerage of wood deliveries. The company connects wood buyers with a wide range of wood suppliers and offers a user-friendly platform for buying and selling wood. Timberhub uses technology to make the wood trade more efficient and transparent, and provides its customers with an easy way to obtain high-quality wood.

Crisp: is a startup company specializing in the field of food subscriptions. The company offers its customers fresh, seasonal, and healthy food directly from local farmers. Crisp aims to provide consumers with a transparent and sustainable alternative to traditional food shopping, while also helping farmers sell their products directly to customers. Orders can be placed online and delivered directly to customers’ doorsteps.

Fiberplane: is a startup company specializing in providing a platform for managing applications in the cloud. With Fiberplane, developers can test their applications in a virtual environment before transferring them to production environments. The platform also offers features such as automatic error detection and resolution, as well as integration with popular development tools. Fiberplane’s goal is to help developers bring their applications to the cloud faster and more securely.

These startups have pioneered various industries such as mobility, IoT, e-commerce, cyber security and virtual reality, contributing to establishing Amsterdam as a leading innovation hub in Europe.

Photo/Source: pixabay.com – djedj

11 New York-based startups you should know!

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new york

The New York startup scene is one of the most well-known in the world and is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the East. The city is home to a wealth of talented entrepreneurs and invests in a variety of industries such as technology, healthcare, retail, real estate, and more.

Here are 11 startups from New York that you should know:

Peloton: Peloton is a fitness startup that offers interactive fitness classes via streaming video. Peloton has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and its products are now popular worldwide.

Oscar Health: Oscar Health is a digital healthcare company that offers health insurance through a user-friendly platform. The company has successfully expanded its market share in the United States in recent years.

WeWork: WeWork is a company that offers flexible workspaces. It has expanded rapidly in recent years and has offices in many countries around the world.

Compass: Compass is a real estate technology startup that offers a platform for buying and selling real estate. The company has revolutionized the real estate market in recent years by creating innovative technologies and facilitating transactions that were traditionally associated with high costs and inconvenience.

Harry’s: Harry’s is an online retailer of razor blades and grooming products for men. The company quickly made a name for itself by offering high-quality products at an affordable price.

Rent the Runway: Rent the Runway is an online rental service for designer clothing and accessories for women. The company quickly gained popularity through its innovative business strategy, which allows women to wear luxury clothing at affordable prices.

Warby Parker: Warby Parker is an eyewear company that has revolutionized the eyewear industry through its affordable prices and innovative online sales.

Blue Apron: Blue Apron is an online meal delivery service that delivers all the necessary ingredients for meals at home. The company has expanded rapidly in recent years and is now popular in many countries worldwide.

Glossier: Glossier is a cosmetic startup that offers skincare and makeup products for women. The company has gained rapid popularity in recent years by prioritizing user-friendliness and minimalist design.

Squarespace: Squarespace is a company that offers a platform for creating websites and e-commerce websites. The company quickly made a name for itself by offering a user-friendly platform and a wide selection of templates.

Zola: Zola is an incredibly intuitive platform that makes it easy for couples to create stylish and personalized wedding invitations and manage their gift registry. With Zola, couples can manage their guest list, collect RSVPs, and register gifts from a variety of vendors – all in one place. Zola also has an extensive collection of resources and tools to help couples plan their wedding, from creating a timeline to selecting wedding photographers. Overall, Zola has set a new standard for online wedding planning and is a fantastic resource for couples looking to take their wedding to the next level.

The New York startup scene is characterized by its diversity and innovation. The city is a melting pot of people from around the world who bring their ideas and talents to the city. The city also has a strong infrastructure, including some of the best universities and research institutions in the world, which serve as a breeding ground for innovation. Additionally, New York has a culture of risk-taking and entrepreneurship that enables people to take risks and realize new ideas. The combination of these factors makes the New York startup scene one of the most exciting and dynamic in the world.

Image by Susanne Weizhofer on Pixabay

The most important thing in any business is people

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HypeFactory international innovative Influencer Marketing agency

Please introduce yourself and your startup HypeFactory to our readers?

I am Regina Tsvyrova, the Chief Operating Officer of HypeFactory. We are an international innovative Influencer Marketing agency, with a focus on developing technology in conjunction with creativity for the best possible campaign and collaboration performances. We have more than one hundred employees of different ethnicities, located on different continents and that speak multiple languages. Our team of international talent managers closely work with content creators and brands to deliver enhanced campaign results across platforms like Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more. HypeFactory focuses on the Tech industry, however, we provide a variety of influencer marketing services applicable to any vertical.

How did you get the idea of HypeFactory?

The idea of starting this agency came to me in a dream, much like how Mendeleev came up with the periodic table of elements. In reality, it came from experience gained through diverse networking and understanding the needs of the market we operate in. For example, we noticed that in some global regions, brands still don’t understand the power of Influencer Marketing. This inspired the idea of HypeFactory

Why did you decide to start with HypeFactory?

I was impressed by the AI that stands behind us, the speed of development, and the initial team itself. My intuition told me that such a mix of characteristics would inevitably lead to success. Those who work hand-in-hand with such technical capabilities, combined with excellent customer service, will become top of mind as the best influencer marketing agencies in the world. Not to mention, those who can meet the needs of the most demanding clients. The talent working alongside me at HypeFactory has what it takes to set the scene for how influencer marketing will be conducted in future. HypeFactory started as a result of dedicated industry professionals wanting to contribute to the dynamic uprise of the IM industry.

What is the vision behind HypeFactory?

Actually everything behind this was driven by love – love for the industry, clients, and continuous development. The global vision is to be at the forefront, testing new things first, creating trends, and ultimately becoming a standard-bearer for our company in our niche. We aim to become a one-stop-shop influencer marketing agency where any global brand or international product can come and get all the services related to working with opinion leaders – from communication platforms and large-scale ambassadorship to niche campaigns in all possible regional networks around the world.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

The hardest step is always the first one. After that, I just had to do what I’m good at and passionate about. We faced many difficulties in the beginning, such as building a completely new international and efficient team and creating a technological ecosystem within the company.

 Now we are at the stage where we are dealing with building a reputation and name in new markets and with new client categories. Asia is our focus for 2023, and we are also signing talents in the US and Europe for exclusive collaborations, thereby increasing the diversity of our client portfolio, expanding the profile of our classic client from gaming and IT products to working with FMCG.

Who is your target audience?

The beauty of our industry is that influencers as a sales channel are equally effective for international mobile games and for, say, mayonnaise from Bristol. Therefore, the target audience is incredibly broad, and we are ready to offer different tools depending on the client’s niche and their KPI.

 What unites our clients is the amount of investment they allocate to the channel. Most of our clients are already playing big, and for them, Influencer Marketing  is one of the three most important promotion channels alongside Facebook and Google, and they are willing to invest $500k or more per year in influencer partnerships.

What is the USP of HypeFactory?

24/7 Support for Global Engagement: Thanks to our international team, HypeFactory can work around the clock to launch data-driven influencer marketing campaigns across various time zones and geographic locations. Utilizing reliable social platforms, we engage international audiences for enhanced results. Our team is multi-versatile and won’t hesitate to collaborate with even 500 influencers at once, on a time crunch.

Leveraging The Power of AI: Our HypeDetect tool helps us to assess the quality, trustworthiness and performance of influencers. This assists us to better match talented personalities with the brands they’ll be representing. HypeDetect benchmarks channels and content creators based on 55 characteristics, complicated data, and makes use of the dynamics of audience development and comment authenticity. After analysis, the tool generates an Audience Quality Score and Channel Quality Score. Those superpower metrics won’t let fraud detection slip and help us make informed decisions for propper brand-influencer pairings.

Talent Management: Our Talent Management services make brand-influencer partnerships more coherent on all accounts. HypeFactory’s talent services assist marketers in establishing meaningful connections with influencers and their audiences.

Can you describe your typical workday?

My day is equally strategic and creative, sometimes turbulent – as with any business – but predominantly involves critical thinking activities. Usually, this involves Zoom meetings with the heads of different departments in our company, or with key clients, or with new promising partners. Sometimes it’s about exploring new possibilities, preparing presentations for founders, or describing new processes within the teams. 

My main task is to ensure that the mechanism of our work runs like Swiss clockwork. Therefore, control and debugging. I am also the person who first understands how we can expand our service or where the market is heading. All new initiatives and directions are launched by me.

Where do you see yourself and HypeFactory in five years?

I hope we are still in hype with the turnovers and clients that we once only dreamed of. And that HypeFactory will be brought to a state where it will be a super-successful organism with truly large international recognition in narrow circles, where any competitive analysis of similar agencies will start with our name.

What 3 tips would you give to startup founders?

The most important thing in any business is people. You need to think about people and be the kind of leader that you would want for yourself someday. Set an example and don’t expect your team to be motivated if you’re not involved and proactive.

The second thing is expanding your networking. Even seemingly remote contacts can lead you to very important or even game-changing ideas or connections.

Thirdly, stay aware of your industry’s developments so that you are in the right place, at the right time, and with the right amount of luck to present your innovative industry contributions. The more you find yourself in different places at different times, the higher the chances of identifying the right moment to disrupt the market with new ideas.

Thank you Regina Tsvyrava for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Know when to turn off for the day

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StartupValley
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Contractuali, a next-generation contract management platform that will transform your contracts into data-rich, digital assets

Please introduce yourself and your startup Contractuali to our readers!

Hello readers! My name is John, and I am the founder and managing director of Contractuali, a next-generation contract management platform that will transform your contracts into data-rich, digital assets. Contractuali makes it possible for businesses to unlock the data within their contracts and enable data-driven decision making.

Our SaaS platform not only offers draft, review, and eSignature capabilities, but also an intuitive data tagging and query system to facilitate the networking of data from source documents to various end use cases. Want to track and be reminded of renewal dates? Done. Want to track quantities on purchase orders? No problem. Want to keep track of specific wording in your contracts to stay compliant? Simple. With Contractuali, all your contract data is at your fingertips .

How did you get the idea of Contractuali ?

In my second year out of Georgetown University, I started working as a Risk Analyst for a commercial real estate company called Kimco Realty Corporation. One of the Risk team’s primary functions was to conduct due diligence on new acquisitions and generate return models. This involved processing the property in question’s lease documents, including pulling out key metrics — such as rent and leasable area — and identifying red flags — such as restrictive language or tenants in poor financial health.

Anyone who has done this will tell you that this is tedious work. It’s highly manual, time-consuming, and error prone — even when an abstraction service is used. I remember thinking to myself, “It’d really be great if I could just plug a source document into my return model and have all of the relevant data automatically import itself where needed.” That was and, to a certain extent, still is the core idea behind Contractuali.

Why did you decide to start with Contractuali ?

I started Contractuali because I love to solve problems. I experienced a pain point at Kimco, and it is extremely fulfilling to build a product that will alleviate that pain. My work at Kimco Realty Corporation was the starting point. I eventually stepped away from my role there to study software engineering and acquire the technical background needed to develop the idea behind Contractuali. For the better part of the years from mid-2016 to early-2022, I worked as a full stack engineer, picking up useful insights in design, UX-UI, and engineering. In the Fall of 2021, I finally felt ready to bring Contractuali to life.

What is the vision behind Contractuali ?

Our mission at Contractuali is to make contracts the data-rich, digital assets they always should have been. Let’s explore what we mean by that. 

The standard contract data infrastructure to this day is to store contract documents in a company’s file system as PDFs. Meanwhile, the respective contract data is stored separately in a database. This disconnect necessitates time-consuming, recurring audits to ensure database data remains fresh.

Contractuali removes this disconnect and, in effect, makes a source contract document itself the database, thereby making contract data accessible, queryable, and networkable directly from source documents. This removes a huge source of friction and errors normally experienced when processing or monitoring contract terms and, in turn, enables companies to more effectively leverage their contracts to power data-driven decision-making.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

The start actually was the easiest part, the trick has been to keep the momentum going through the first year. Coming from the US, my biggest challenge has been to build up a network here in Hamburg and Germany. I have a healthy network back in the States and am still building one on this side of the pond. Building the company and my local network simultaneously, inevitably resulted in some missteps that could have been avoided had I known certain connections earlier in the journey. Thankfully, I am starting to really integrate into the startup scene here in Hamburg over the past few months.

Another challenge that every founder runs into — and I’m no exception — is how to build a team with limited resources. The promise of future value through equity has historically been an effective tool to use, but times are tough, and equity currently has less pull than competitive pay in the here and now. It’s completely understandable, but it makes balancing the budget with the required experience an extremely important exercise — especially when hiring outside of your core area of expertise.

Who is your target audience?

We are initially targeting real estate companies that own and operate medium to large property portfolios. Real estate contracts are complex and long-lived — necessitating good contracting practices in order to be properly maintained and monitored. This is exactly the scenario in which Contractuali is useful.

We can also see ourselves serving customers in other industry verticals — particularly logistics, construction, and general financial service providers. In short, if a company is having trouble monitoring and managing their contracts and contract data at volume, we feel Contractuali can serve them well.

What is the USP of your startup?

Contractuali is more than simply a signature provider and document repository. As mentioned earlier, by eliminating the gap between source documents and data storage, we not only make it far more efficient to leverage and analyze contract data, but also set the stage for automated reporting and fulfillment. We want to make access to your data as easy as possible. To that end, we are working on interfaces for a variety of programs to automatically export the data to. So you can stay in your preferred software environment while having instant access to contract data.

Can you describe your typical workday ?

I am not one of those founders who get up at 4:30 and crush an hour or two at the gym before work. I value my sleep too much. Nonetheless, I’m online by 8:30 and spend the morning until about 10 checking in with the team and taking care of smaller to-dos. 10-12 is reserved for dedicated work or meetings.

Around noon, I prepare lunch, and if I’m on dog duty, take the puppy for a longer walk. 13-17:30 is another stretch of dedicated work/meeting time broken up by a short coffee break around 15:00. By 17:30, I aim to have achieved the bulk of the work for the day, but I will take care of some lighter items or do some “back burner”-thinking until around 21:00. I’m actually answering this question during that point in the day.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Contractuali  in five years?

Startup survival is far from guaranteed, but I am confident Contractuali will be alive and thriving. More specifically, I see Contractuali being a profitable, up-and-coming player in the European contract management market and a great member of the Hamburg and broader German ecosystem — working with both companies and local governments to improve their contract workflows and contract data infrastructure.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Know when to “turn off for the day”. This doesn’t mean don’t work late if you are still in a productive state of mind. What it means is to realize when you are fatigued to the point of being distracted and no longer producing good work. Take a walk, sleep, or if it’s the weekend, go and enjoy the time with your friends and family. Let yourself recharge.

If you don’t already have them, find a good corporate lawyer, tax advisor, and accountant. When factoring the costs that can arise from mistakes in these areas, these professionals are absolutely worth the fees they charge.

Don’t play house. Know, within the context of your company, when and why you should be conducting a certain activity, especially if you are paying for it with more than your own time. Make sure it makes sense within the context of where your business is at a certain point in time. Don’t just do something because that’s what other companies are doing or because you think that’s what a company should be doing at X stage in its life.

That being said, if there’s one activity you should really do before anything else, it is to develop a mockup and use it to build up a waiting list for your service before you even start engineering. You will either get confirmation that the idea and envisioned execution hold water — which investors love to see — or you will save yourself a lot of time and money by finding out the market doesn’t exist to support the product. 

Thank you John Pressman for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

What to Know About VA Loans for an Investment Property

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StartupValley
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Let’s start by clearing up the misunderstanding that has been perpetuated by online scammers. VA loans are “Not” supposed to be used for investment properties. The VA loan scheme was set up to help people who are in the military and/or who were in the military. It works under the idea that people in the military are at a disadvantage in the housing market because of their profession. 

They perhaps don’t have the time to build a credit rating, save for a deposit, and especially to buy a house at the right time (since they may be overseas at the right time). The VA loan system is supposed to redress the balance, not to give people in the military an advantage to make money from investments. Nevertheless, if you are prepared to play by the rules, you can use your VA loan to help you build wealth strategically over the long term.

There Are Two Ways to Build Wealth

You can build wealth by buying a house and letting it out until the mortgage is paid off, and then hopefully, the house will have grown in value so that you make a profit. The second method is to use the VA loan to buy a fixer-upper house, and then use the VA loan to both buy the house and pay for certain (most) repairs. You then live in the house for a year or two and sell it. This is the classic flip-it-for-a-profit method.

Letting The Property Out to Tenants

The first is to buy the house, live in the house for as long as the VA lender says you should, and then move out and have tenants pay you rent. The VA lender is going to insist that you keep your house as your primary residence for a year or two. After that point, you can sell it, rent it out, etc.

Under normal circumstances, there is no guarantee that letting out your house will draw a profit. After all, letting a building comes with several risks that may result in big losses. Plus, while you are in another building paying rent, you are not making a very big net gain. This is even worse if your house isn’t gaining in value, if the tenants are causing problems, and if there are legal problems, squatters, insurance problems and so forth.

On the other hand, this method may work if you are on long tours overseas because for half a year you are having your mortgage paid while saving on rent from where you live. Also, there are many occasions where the VA lender allows you to take long military tours and still call your house your primary residence. Under those circumstances, you will have to strike a deal with the tenants about your mail, census data, and so forth. It would be more like they are house guests than tenants.

On a similar note, after living in the house for however long you have to, you may want to move into your spouse’s house. In those cases, you are still paying rent while the tenant pays your mortgage, but the net losses and net gains may be a little more favorable.

Buying a Fixer Upper

The VA loan company is not going to let you buy a burnt-out house for a few grand and then have you fix it up. When you buy your fixer-upper, it has to be a house that stands a good chance of maintaining its value.

Yet, there are several guidelines that say you can buy pretty shoddy houses with the idea of fixing them up yourself. There are even VA loan variants where they will cover the cost of your house and then the costs of quoted repairs. This is especially true if the repairs are on the roof, insulation, and any security or energy efficiency problems that the structure has.

Take care of the bigger things with your VA loan money, and as you live in the house, you fix it up with your own money. When the living period is over and you are able to move houses, sell, etc., you then wait for the right time and sell your house for a tasty profit. The goal is to walk away with a net gain, though doing so may take a little longer than you first expect. As you know, it takes a while for property prices to rise after you have fixed up your house, especially if the rest of the neighborhood isn’t doing too well.

What Can You Afford?

The VA loan system seems to favor cheaper houses. If you are able to pay off your VA loan faster, then you will stand a better chance of building wealth over the long term. When you look for a house, make sure you can afford the payments. Use a VA Loan Calculator like WhatsMyPayment and make sure you have plenty of money left over after you have made your payments. Do not make the mistake of falling into further debt after you have your loan because you want to protect your credit rating.

You can take out more VA loans after you have paid off your first loan, after which you can use VA loans as a quicker way to grab investment bargains when you see them. At that point, you will have experience with the VA loan system, and your credit rating will probably entitle you to a better interest rate.

Image by Mediamodifier on Pixabay

Author: Ivan Smirnov

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

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