Gym Think Laundry

This is for a workshop I hosted at the wharton eclub startup “unconference” : http://whartoneclub.com/conference/agenda/

I put it online because the students liked the material and format.

How to Turn Technology into Business worksheet - click to download pptx file

Map of All the Mobile Payment Companies You Need to Know in US and EU

For a hyperlinked version with clickable icons:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwTrxa3l9ZF9RXR4V1E5Zks3V1k

Enterprise technology is the technology used in organizations, such as businesses, governments and non-profits. It’s different from consumer technology which is designed for individuals. The next wave of high growth companies will emerge from the enterprise technology industry, mainly because the market is mature – enterprise users are ready to use technology at work.

Consumer technology prepared enterprise users for automation technology. One of the most prominent consumer internet products, social network, automates our personal life. This past Thanksgiving I had a great time at my friends’ house in Tennessee, but unfortunately one of them fell off her horse and broke her wrist. She updated her family using a Facebook group of family members. By going to the group and posting the message, she mass distributed a message to a selected group of people, and those people can read it at a right time. Before Facebook, she would have to call or text each one of the family to mass distribute, and search in her memory to be sure to cover every one of this selected group of people, and think of a time that’s right for them. Facebook automated all those into a simple action, saving her time and energy. Half of Americans are on Facebook, and have experienced this form of automation technology.

It’s hard not to use the same concept at work, especially those that involve frequent communications. In a movie set for example, directors coordinate hundreds of people – cast members, sets, props, camera, sound, electrical, etc. getting a message across selected group of people at the right time can be challenging. If the director wants to shoot some interior shots instead of the planned car-chase, because the highway permit application was not successful, he needs to cancel the stunt drivers, get the extras for interior shots, and update the production office. Right now the work is done by associate directors calling and talking to the crew, but I have been working with a company trying to automate the process. The entrepreneur told me that movie producers and directors loved the product, because the concept is just the same as in social networks. Just as in film industries, companies are innovating in other sectors of our economy, such as advertising (sidecar), insurance (Compliance Assurance), and even law enforcement (Appriss).

The mature user base is not the only market driver for enterprise technology’s future growth. And automation of communication is not the only way it creates value. I will write more about the dynamics of the industry in future posts.

iPhone 4S is released today, with advanced voice recognition, Siri. It synthesizes search results into natural English, and executes multi-step commands such as moving a appointment for another new appointment.

The advanced functionality may not be the biggest impact of Siri, however. Yes, Because of iPhone 4S, there will soon be similar voice products on Android, and maybe windows phone, in 6 months. But the more substantial change it brings could be the popularization of voice control. People could voice dial 10 years ago on feature phones, but most people still dial mechanically when they are driving. Subconsciously people are evaluating: voice dial doesn’t divert my attention to the road, but it’s weird talking to a machine (same thing for the T-mobile automatic customer service). Apple with it’s magical marketing may again unlock another customer need, after mobile music and mobile internet.

fred-wilson:

Rock You Like A Hurricane - Scorpions - Love At First Sting

when we arrived in Berlin, we walked around the corner from our hotel looking for a bite to eat. we sat at a cafe overlooking the Gendarmenmarkt and listened to a band warming up for a show that night in the square. this song came on and Josh’s friend Max, said “everybody knows this song.” indeed

I have been working with startups in the financial vertical and learning the future of the industry. I like startups that put financial services at one place – Mint.com is a good example. Congrats on their 2011 Webby Award.

Going beyond just financial statements and budgeting offered by Mint, BankSimple aims to harbor saving, checking, and credit services in one place, without the traditional bank structure. They provide the customer-friendly frontend system, and send the transaction data to partner banks through API (such as BancBox). The backend traditional bank is invisible to BankSimple’s customers. It’s a new model of banking. Josh Kopelman invested in BankSimple.

Ziptr focuses on the integration of security. I have been working on my startup for a month, and often need to send documents and messages to accountants through secured document deposits. It’s a pain to memorize logins for different deposits. Ziptr provides a portal where you can send secured messages and files through different deposits. The founder, Firdaus Bhathena has successfully started 2 companies before Ziptr.

I believe in the economic value of integrating financial services, as it improves the communication between people and their financial institutions. Next time I will blog about how startups are changing the financial interactions among people.

At the June Philly Tech Meetup, TableSparks and ElectNext will demo. There are still 2 more slots available. If you think your startup is ready for spotlight, submit an application.

Last week, I co-hosted the Philly Tech Meetup with Brendan McCorkle and Jacob Dreyfuss. Over 100 people came to the event, for 3 awesome startups’ demo. Tim Griesser presented Get On Social, a social media integrator. Sean McCloskey presented Lavahound, a geolocational service for campus tours. Adam Palmer demoed Food For Thought, a new way of rating restaurants. At the after party, entrepreneurs, investors and enthusiast got to mingle together, and I know a couple of people who found their tech guys and lawyers there. We are preparing for the next meetup, so Philly, ready for impact?

Thanks to the sponsor of the event, Dreamit Ventures and Robin Hood Ventures (where I proudly work).

I am co-hosting the next Philly Tech Meetup.

Join your colleagues for some awesome start-up demos, question and answer period and time to network with fellow entrepreneurs! This event is being co-sponsored by DreamIt Ventures and Robin Hood Ventures!

RSVP here: http://bit.ly/l2uMFJ

Care to demo? Please submit an application.

To add on to my previous post Getting Things Done with Start-ups, RIM just announced its acquisition of Tungle. Here is more.