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Why is Johnson & Johnson getting into startups?
Everyone knows Johnson & Johnson, the conglomerate behind Band-Aid, Tylenol and Johnson's Baby Shampoo. By comparison, very few folks outside the tech industry will have heard of Hax, a Shenzen-based startup incubator. Now, however, the pair are hooking up to find, develop and invest in startups that want to develop a consumer healthcare device. If you're dreaming up a gadget that'll help keep babies safe, ease period pain or seal wounds faster, then applications are due before the end of the year.
Apple drops its iconic startup chime from the new MacBook Pros
Aside from the ports that didn't make the cut, there's something else that Apple's taken away from its new MacBook Pro family: the startup chime. Yep, it's taken out the F-sharp chord that accompanies the boot-up whir of previous MacBooks, and that's at least partially because the late-2016 MBPs (all three of them), will turn themselves on and boot up when you open them. So while the power button still turns the machine off, there's no need to use it to turn it on.
Verizon buys a video startup for its tech, kills the service
Verizon announced today that they'd acquired former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar's startup, Vessel, a subscription service for short-form video. Or to be more exact, they bought its technology and product but will be closing the service. Kilar won't be coming along as part of the deal, but many of the startup's employees and its cofounder and CTO Richard Tom will, to become CTO of Verizon's digital entertainment efforts.
Best Buy's new project highlights tech startups' creations
You'll soon see curious spots in Best Buy stores that aren't hawking any big-brand company's products. Instead, they will be stocked with electronics from companies you probably never heard of before. See, the big-box store has launched a new initiative dubbed "Ignite," and it takes a leaf out of Amazon Launchpad's book.
A tech accelerator grows in Brooklyn
At its peak, the Brooklyn Navy Yard employed as many as 70,000 people, building maritime vessels like the USS Maine, Missouri and Monitor. Military shipbuilding isn't coming back to Brooklyn anytime soon, and neither are those particular jobs. But industry is returning to the borough -- just not shipping in the military sense. Think more along the lines of product shipping, thanks to facilities like New Lab. This is about more than giving startups a place to set up shop. New Lab is about building a community -- not just to employ more New Yorkers, but to spur further innovation in one of the largest cities in the world.
Google confirms a new in-house startup incubator
Big companies have always supported startups to do the nimble and risky innovating they could not, even building their own investment arms to directly fund them. But sometimes those startups are founded by ex-employees of big companies that break out of corporate limitations. Following rumors last month, Google officially confirmed that it will launch its own in-house incubator, likely as a way of retaining entrepreneurs and keeping marketable ideas in-house.
On the Brink of Greatness: Tech conferences, part two
The longer a trade show goes on, the more potential there is for epic disaster. As the Bambu team continues to try and make contacts, the distractions begin to pile up and cash runs low. When Dan dips into the company's funds, things quickly get awkward. Speaking of which, has anyone seen Melissa?
On the Brink of Greatness: Tech conferences
For new tech startups, the world's biggest trade shows are all about making connections. The folks from Bambu visit one of the largest industry events of the year to preach the gospel of data. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan.
On the Brink of Greatness short: Standup
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-938051{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-938051, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-938051{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-938051").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Last week, aspiring startups found out just how harsh kids can be when it comes to offering criticism. To see if his jokes were funny enough, a standup comedian put his skills to the test in front of a panel of school children. What's the worst that could happen? A cat-tastrophe, that's what.
Google is creating a startup haven to prevent staff from leaving
It's hard to swing a stick in Silicon Valley without hitting startups created by ex-Google employees determined to bring their clever (though only sometimes successful) ideas to light. That's good for innovation, but lousy for Google -- and the search giant now appears bent on doing what it can to keep those curious minds in-house. The Information's sources understand that Google is creating Area 120, a startup incubator that would let some employees pursue their "20% projects" (those personal projects Google allows in a fifth of your working hours) full-time. Anyone wanting to sign up would submit a business plan and, if accepted, spend several months working solely on that idea. You could scratch that inventor's itch without worrying that you'll lose your cushy Google job if it it doesn't pan out.
On the Brink of Greatness: Startup pitches to first graders
How do you know if a good idea really is a good idea? You pitch it to an auditorium full of string cheese-eating first graders. Steve takes a group of entrepreneurs to an elementary school to put their startup ideas to the ultimate test. And there are a lot of questions.
Magic Instruments' digital guitar makes it easy for anyone to jam
Magic Instruments co-founder and CEO Brian Fan knows the pain of learning new instruments. A Juilliard-trained pianist before starting his own company, he spent years trying to learn the guitar, only to put it down after realizing that all his previous work didn't help him suck any less. What young, would-be rocker hasn't been there? His version of rising to the challenge was a little different than you might think though. Rather than dedicating another chunk of his life to mastering the basics, Fan dedicated a chunk of his life to building a new kind of guitar. He calls his $299 Bluetooth-connected brainchild a "digital rhythm guitar," and its raison d'etre is to let anyone to feel the thrill of playing music.
On the Brink of Greatness: Online Experts
Ah yes, the fabulous life of an aspiring YouTube star. Steve visits with Dan, the host of Catitude TV, to get the story behind his channel that's chock-full of useful lifehacks. You know, things like the proper technique for screwing in a lightbulb, petting a cat and making a single cup of coffee. Let's face it, watching a video is a lot funner than Google directions yourself.
Samsung wants to swap its rigid culture for a startup ethos
Samsung, the largest mobile and memory chip company in the world, says it plans to change its autocratic ways and act more like a start-up. In a statement, it says "we aim to reform our internal culture, execute as quickly as a startup company and push towards open communication and continuously innovate," according to Reuters. To show it's not kidding, the company held a special "Startup Samsung" ceremony at its South Korean headquarters and had staff pledge to reduce their hierarchical ways, endless meetings and insane work hours. Executives also signed an agreement to remake the corporate culture.
On the Brink of Greatness: Startup Culture
If you've been wondering what it's like to work for a hot Silicon Valley startup, you're in luck. Bambu's new promo video offers a behind-the-scenes look at what makes the company tick. On this week's episode of On the Brink of Greatness, Steve Goldbloom and the crew discuss what makes the work environment at the startup so great. They cover important topics like work/life balance, diversity, giving back, inspiration and, most importantly, the future. We'll totally understand if you want to submit a resume after watching, because really this is the only company that matters.
Uber wants to pay $28.5 million to settle lawsuits about your safety
Today, Uber is trying to kill two legal albatrosses with one stone. After contending with a pair of class action lawsuits over a questionable "safe ride fee," the company petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to settle both of them in one shot with a $28.5 million payout. That's the most amount of money Uber has ever had to shell out over a lawsuit, but don't get your hopes up — payouts will be downright paltry.
3Doodler is back with a cute, safe 3D printing pen for kids
Even from their earliest moments of Kickstarter success, one thing was clear to the team at 3D printing pen startup 3Doodler: they'd have to build a version just for kids. Now, after releasing a streamlined upgrade to the original and pushing to get these things into classrooms, they've finally done just that. Meet the 3Doodler Start, a curvier, cuter version of the pen meant for a new generation of pint-sized makers.
Earin's wireless earbuds are ambitious but flawed
For the past year and a half, Swedish startup Earin has been trying to turn a Ryan Gosling–inspired earbud concept into a proper working product. The hook: Unlike other Bluetooth headsets, these $249 earbuds are completely wireless: They sync with each other and a phone, and... that's it. The concept is one of those things I didn't even know I needed, but after spending a week with the Earin buds, I'm almost ready to pick up my pitchfork and wish death upon the headphone cable. Emphasis on "almost."
'B' is for burn rate: Sesame Street launches a venture fund
PBS staple Sesame Street has come a long way since it relied on donations from viewers like you, having recently made a historic deal with HBO. Now its nonprofit arm, Sesame Workshop, will dole out capital itself via a partnership with VC firm Collaborative Ventures. Called Sesame Venture, it will help companies that are focused on education, family development, nutrition, health and social development. The newly created fund, known as "Collab + Sesame," will invest up to $1 million in promising startup firms.
UNICEF looking to invest in tech that helps children in need
The United Nations Children's Fund, more commonly known as UNICEF, wants to start investing more in technology startups. This new initiative is part of its Innovation Fund, which seeks to develop projects that can make life better for underprivileged children across the globe. But first, companies must meet a few requirements to qualify for UNICEF's funding: The idea must be open source and have a working prototype, while the tech behind it can be novel or improve an existing one.
