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Startup Dream Team’s bootcamp for young entrepreneurs heads to Europe

Mar05

by Sindy Cator on March 5, 2014 at 11:37 am

Way back in May last year, we brought you news on Startup Dream Team, a bootcamp from Paris-based student organization Silicon Students. It was seeking 45 budding entrepreneurs from around the world who were willing to join a nine-week summer program in Silicon Valley – that was its second edition, having initially launched back in 2012.

Today, Silicon Students has revealed that it’s taking Startup Dream Team to Europe for the first time, as it lands in London, Paris and Berlin too. This means it will take place in four cities this summer.

Startup Dream Team is aimed at 18-to-25 year-olds from around the world, with selected participants living in the same house for two months as they intern with various startups during the day. They also work on projects in the evenings and weekends, which are pitched to investors at the end. Indeed, given that candidates apply as individuals as opposed to ‘startups’, this program is considered a ‘pre-accelerator’.

If you’re interested in applying, you can do so here up until March 30. The bootcamps will take place in Paris, London and Berlin from June 6 to August 10, and in San Francisco from June 20 to August 17.

➤ Startup Dream Team

└ Tags: europe, news, syndicated

Crafters can monetize their how-to guides with Guidecentral’s new Maker Program

Mar05

by Sindy Cator on March 5, 2014 at 11:22 am

Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Updates

DIY platform Guidecentral is now accepting applications for its newly launched Maker Program, the startup announced in a tweet. As its name suggests, this new initiative will help crafters by sharing their projects and tutorials with users.

The application form is available both through Guidecentral’s free iOS app and as a Google document. It’s worth noting that applications will be filtered, and the Maker Program’s FAQ points out that candidates must be at least 18 years old, be registered on the platform through Facebook or Twitter login, have a complete Guidecentral profile and at least three approved, high-quality how-to guides.

While quality is somewhat subjective, the startup gives some guidelines, such as using great pictures without watermarks or frames and avoiding incomplete captions.

Selected participants are set to receive $7 for every new DIY project shared by them through the app after joining the program and approved for monetization. They will be able to cash out they earnings via PayPal once they have reached $50. Their profile will also display a “PRO” Maker badge.

According to CEO and former Google and YouTube employee Gaston Irigoyen, this makes Guidecentral the first app to allow makers, crafters and DIY enthusiasts earn money by sharing their know-how. He also notes that this plan has always been part of the startup’s roadmap:

“Allowing users to share and monetize their knowledge is at the core of Guidecentral’s long term vision. Today’s release of the Maker Program sees that vision become a reality.”

As you may remember, Guidecentral received backing from Google executives, Buenos Aires-based accelerator NXTP Labs and Dogpatch Labs‘ Dublin chapter (disclosure: NXTP Labs is an investor in my startup, MonoLibre).

The startup launched its iOS app in October 2012 (alongside an Android version that is not available anymore as we write). According to Irigoyen, its community has since then grown to 75,000 monthly active members, a number that is increasing by over 20% every month.

While it is difficult to predict when the Maker Program will result in significant earnings for its first approved members, it can definitely help get them more eyeballs for their creations.

Image credit: jchapiewsky on Flickr

└ Tags: creativity, syndicated

Crafters can monetize their how-to guides with Guidecentral’s new Maker Program

Mar05

by Sindy Cator on March 5, 2014 at 11:22 am

Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Updates

While quality is somewhat subjective, the startup gives some guidelines, such as using great pictures without watermarks or frames and avoiding incomplete captions.

“Allowing users to share and monetize their knowledge is at the core of Guidecentral’s long term vision. Today’s release of the Maker Program sees that vision become a reality.”

While it is difficult to predict when the Maker Program will result in significant earnings for its first approved members, it can definitely help get them more eyeballs for their creations.

Image credit: jchapiewsky on Flickr

└ Tags: creativity, syndicated

US holiday rentals site HomeAway targets mobile and hospitality with Glad to Have You acquisition

Mar05

by Sindy Cator on March 5, 2014 at 11:00 am

Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, rentals

US vacation rental service HomeAway is plunging into mobile and committing to customer service as it announced today that it is acquiring a hospitality app, Glad to Have You.

The Glad to Have You app, available on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play, is designed to let owners and property managers reach out directly to their guests. They can relay all relevant property information to their guests before their arrival, including check-in and check-out procedures through push notifications, door lock codes and WiFi passwords. After that, they can remain in touch with their guest throughout their stay, providing recommendations and responding to service requests.

With this acquisition, the Glad to Have You app will be integrated with HomeAway’s platform. This means the owners and property managers of HomeAway’s 890,000 listings have a choice of using the service.

HomeAway has been working hard to expand its business overseas, particularly in Asia, and has also been taking steps to revamp its core business model. Its latest move provides a value-added proposition to its users, and could see it attract new customers eventually.

Thumbnail image via Shutterstock

└ Tags: news, syndicated, united states

Zippy for iPhone is a gorgeous task-management app with graphs for insights

Mar05

by Sindy Cator on March 5, 2014 at 10:22 am

Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Product Reviews

If there’s one thing the world doesn’t need, it’s another productivity app. That said, we think you’ll like Zippy for iOS.

Optimized for iPhone and iPod touch, Zippy does most of the things you’d expect from any half-decent to-do list app, but it delivers insights into your activities using gorgeous graphics to boot. Yes, Zippy is as much about the aesthetics as it is the nuts and bolts.

It won’t take you long to figure out how to add tasks to your to-do list, but it’s the infographics and insights on your completion-rate that takes this to the next level.

You can see how many tasks you completed on time, with a breakdown of when you completed them, including the time-of-day and day-of-the-week, which shows you when you’re at your most productive. It’s easy to set reminders to complete a task too.

“The goal from the outset was simplicity,” explains creator Amit Wadhawan. “Most apps you see out there have you create a task first, then edit it with swipes and taps to add in reminder times, tags, etc. With Zippy, that’s all part of creating the task that just flows and makes the whole process effortless and quick. The idea was to not spend time creating and organizing a task but focusing on knowing what needs to get done.”

Everything about Zippy is lovely, and it’s available to download now for $0.99.

➤ Zippy | App Store