Startup Reading List - Startup Digest - Who needs Algorithms? - October 30th - November 6th

Startup Reading List October 30, 2015 This week we feature an article from an early stage startup entrepreneur, Shannon, that favors human curation versus algorithms with interesting results including 3,000 active users. We embrace the "fake it until you make it" concept so we asked her some additional questions below. She was a good sport and provided some answers. SuD: At one point will you have to add an algorithm or at least automate some part of the curation process. You are using forms and spreadsheets now, correct? SB: We're currently operating in Google sheets and Mailchimp. Eventually will fund the development of a product that would streamline the song-sending process. Curators would simply submit their song info and notes, We would QA, and then the right emails would go to the right people at the right time.  This database/product would also allow curators to see their subscribers preferences in real-time instead of me updating them in sheets periodically. After that, we could add features like weekly options, playlists, etc., but songs will always be hand-picked.  SuD: Any thoughts on monetizing beyond advertising? SB: Sponsorships / ads will be the first step just to get money in the door, but I want to test different versions of a freemium model. We have a ton of interesting data on our users - I think we could continue to offer the service for free as it runs now, and then offer super personalized one-to-one songs for $5/month or something like that. SuD: Big data is in vogue right now. Are you capturing anything, everything, so you can get better insights and eventually build a better product for your users? SB: Capturing so much. The additional info column of our spreadsheet is fascinating - that's what that post I sent is all about. We also have a lot of one-to-one convos so qualitative data for days + location, etc. I'd love to integrate with BandsInTown or Songkick one day. Currently our open rate is 40% and our click rate ranges between 17 and 20% but many people have told us that they just type the songs into their streaming service of choice, so I don't think click rate is very relevant. The most interesting metric is how many people respond to the emails. I don't have the exact number right now or the time to really calculate it this weekend, but I'd guess 3-4%, maybe higher, which isn't that bad.  Startup Reading List Startup Digest is curated by: Zubin Chagpar - @phylosopher Contact Zubin Chagpar at zubin.chagpar@startupdigestmail.com Chris McCann - Community @ Greylock Partners Contact Chris McCann at chris@startupdigest.com Global Startup Battle is back for 2015! Global Startup Battle 2015 is happening Nov 13-23! Host a Startup Weekend and add your city to the world’s largest startup competition with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, mentors, and judges: globalstartupbattle.co. A Year of Sending Personalized Song Picks Shannon Byrne "Naturally, these listeners start singing a different tune (haha, see what I did there?). They're so happy to get a human response, that they apologize and thank us for our hard work." Homejoy at the Unicorn Glue Factory Christina Farr "The key problem is that we weren't making enough money on our customers," recalled Daniel Hung, the second full-time engineer to join the company. "We were spending a lot of money to acquire them, but not really retaining them." Drone Startups and Investors' Landscape Rodrigo Martinez "Drones are still in their infancy. Therefore, like the computer industry 40 years ago, most of the money is still being invested into the hardware companies that are manufacturing the devices." Write Like You Talk Paul Graham "Before I publish a new essay, I read it out loud and fix everything that doesn't sound like conversation. I even fix bits that are phonetically awkward; I don't know if that's necessary, but it doesn't cost much." Manage Subscription Submit Event View in Browser You are receiving this email because you believe that the best startup articles and videos are made by active members of the startup community. Startup Digest, © 2009-2015 by Techstars Central LLC. All rights reserved. Startup Digest is a registered trademark of Techstars Central, LLC. Privacy Policy.

This email was sent to startupdigest@joff3.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Techstars · 1050 Walnut St #202 · Boulder, CO 80302 · USA

Health Reading List - Startup Digest - Ethics of Concurrent Surgery and Medical Errors - October 30th - November 6th

Health Reading List October 30, 2015 Startup Highlight: Cocoon Cam I saw Cocoon Cam at the monthly SV Health event  on Tuesday, and while I was skeptical at first (not another smart device that we don't need to be smart...), I was impressed with the underlying technology and their go to market vision. The device can deduce heart rate, respiration, and body temperature based on solely a camera. This is a great example of creating a "smart" version of a previously "dumb" device that I can get behind. As always, if you come across news, announcements, videos, or podcasts that you think everyone else would benefit from, e-mail me at scott.munro@startupdigestmail.com or tweet @R_Scott_Munro. Health Reading List Startup Digest is curated by: R. Scott Munro - Utility Infielder @ DocMatter Contact R. Scott Munro at scott.munro@startupdigestmail.com Global Startup Battle is back for 2015! Global Startup Battle 2015 is happening Nov 13-23! Host a Startup Weekend and add your city to the world’s largest startup competition with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, mentors, and judges: globalstartupbattle.co. Understanding Digital Health's Disruption on Pharma & CRO A great web-ex featuring John Reites from Quintiles, Drew Schiller from Validic, and Kara Dennis from Medidata. There has been a lot of focus on convergence of technology in pharma, med devices, etc. A great talk sponsored by MedCity news, moderated by Chris Seper. Disturbing New Study Finds Medication Errors In Half Of All Surgeries Everyone knows that medical errors are a huge problem, and cause crazy amounts of undue cost to our health system, but a study in October's issue of Anesthesiology puts some pretty stark stats out there: 1/2 of all surgical procedures have errors, many of which are as simple as labeling and documentation... I don't know what the answer is, but I have to think there is a technology solution in there somewhere. ResearchKit studies for melanoma, seizures, and autism launch; includes first to use Apple Watch for heart rate & activity I'll be the first to admit I was pretty "meh" when the hype around the digital health applications of the apple watch was ablaze, but now that we have some great clinical trials leveraging the product from the likes of Hopkins, OHSU, and Duke, I'll definitely start paying a bit more attention... read more about the studies here. Clash in the Name of Care You can file this under "long reads". With something as scarce as medical talent, where some procedures can be performed by only 1 or 2 people in the world, how do you balance giving care to the most people with the 24 hours in a day... some hospitals solve this by allowing concurrent surgeries. The globe explores this practice at MGH with Dr. Kirkham Wood in what can only be described as a piece of incredibly in depth journalism. Tech Tonics: Dr. Brennan Spiegel, Translating Technology into Practice The first 19 minutes of this are fun, but not amazing. I would start around the 19:30 mark. Dr. Brennan Spiegel talks about his REAL life experiences implementing digital health, and the barriers to patient adoption that we often forget about. He talks about a very powerful example of trying to give a VR headset to a cancer patient to visit the shores of Jamaica.... the patient looked at him with such disdain. Health Conference Competition "Do you have the next big (or small) idea that will change the face of health promotion? This is your chance to pitch your concept live in front of an audience of health promotion professionals at the 2016 Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference.Gain exposure for your startup to an audience of more than 600 entrepreneurs, leaders of health promotion companies, health promotion practitioners, vendors, scientists and more.' Medivizor: Personalized Health Research "One of the biggest challenges in fighting a chronic or serious illness is wading through and understanding the thousands (or millions) of articles, posts, and research studies that can be found online. Medivizor has a solution for that problem by providing personalized health research curation based on a detailed questionnaire completed by a subscriber."  Manage Subscription Submit Event View in Browser You are receiving this email because you believe that the best startup articles and videos are made by active members of the startup community. Startup Digest, © 2009-2015 by Techstars Central LLC. All rights reserved. Startup Digest is a registered trademark of Techstars Central, LLC. Privacy Policy.

This email was sent to startupdigest@joff3.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences UP Global · PO BOX 95149 · Seattle, WA 98145 · USA

Health Reading List - Startup Digest - Elizabeth Holmes, Mammograms, and Cyber Security - October 23rd - October 30th

Health Reading List October 23, 2015 Startup Highlight: Mindful Scientific Mindful Scientific has a device that gives clinicians a more accurate reading for concussions. The standard of care is woefully medieval, so it's no wonder that they recently won the WSJD Live Startup Show Case. There are some other pretty technologies trying to solve this issue, but Mindful Scientific is certainly the furthest along.  As always, if you come across news, announcements, videos, or podcasts that you think everyone else would benefit from, e-mail me at scott.munro@startupdigestmail.com or tweet @R_Scott_Munro. Health Reading List Startup Digest is curated by: R. Scott Munro - Utility Infielder @ DocMatter Contact R. Scott Munro at scott.munro@startupdigestmail.com Global Startup Battle is back for 2015! Global Startup Battle 2015 is happening Nov 13-23! Host a Startup Weekend and add your city to the world’s largest startup competition with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, mentors, and judges: globalstartupbattle.co. Elizabeth Holmes WSJD Interview Elizabeth Holmes kept her appointment to be interviewed onstage at WSJD. Check out the entire interview here. The whole Theranos debacle has spiraled now, and I'm sure will die out until they have some good news regarding their technology. At the end of the day, it's just too bad Theranos has gotten caught up in the tech hype cycle. Digital Health Consumer Adoption: 2015 An incredibly detailed report from Rock Health report on consumer adoption in Digital Health. Enjoy! Science Won't Settle The Mammogram Debate The American Cancer Society released a new protocol urging women to get mammograms at 45 instead of 40. Five Thirty Eight had a great analysis of why this happened, and why there are differences in opinion on when to start screenings. Paralyzed Man's Arm Wired to Receive Brain Signals "Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio say they've used electronics to get around a paralyzed man's spinal injury, permitting him to use an implant in his brain to move his arm and hand." Read more here! Why Aren't There Better Cybersecurity Regulations for Medical Devices? As software eats medical devices/health care, cyber security will continue to be an issue. How will we have chips in our brains without heightened security? Read more about the lax state of cyber security in med device here. I thought people should shop more for health care. Then I actually tried it. There is a utopia in which everyone would find the most efficient, cost effective health care that fits their situation. Why can't we help patients shop around for health care? Sarah Kliff goes shopping herself to explore the potential issues. Manage Subscription Submit Event View in Browser You are receiving this email because you believe that the best startup articles and videos are made by active members of the startup community. Startup Digest, © 2009-2015 by Techstars Central LLC. All rights reserved. Startup Digest is a registered trademark of Techstars Central, LLC. Privacy Policy.

This email was sent to startupdigest@joff3.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences UP Global · PO BOX 95149 · Seattle, WA 98145 · USA

Startup Reading List - Startup Digest - Great Reads for You - October 23rd - October 30th

Startup Reading List October 23, 2015 Several perspectives this week, including Chris detailing his exciting class including an interview with Eric Schmidt, and Mark Suster giving insight into 2016. Yup... 2015 is almost over. Make the most of the weekend and the rest of the year. Happy Reading! Startup Reading List Startup Digest is curated by: Zubin Chagpar - @phylosopher Contact Zubin Chagpar at zubin.chagpar@startupdigestmail.com Chris McCann - Community @ Greylock Partners Contact Chris McCann at chris@startupdigest.com Global Startup Battle is back for 2015! Global Startup Battle 2015 is happening Nov 13-23! Host a Startup Weekend and add your city to the world’s largest startup competition with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, mentors, and judges: globalstartupbattle.co. Ditching the Office Courtney Seiter "Remote work still feels like the right solution for us, for reasons including freedom, time zone coverage, productivity and lots more." Ways to Think About Market Size. Benedict Evans "So, to work out market size, really, you have to work out who will care, if it is cheap." CS183C Technology-enabled Blitzscaling - Scaling Google Chris McCann "When I joined we had 150 people. Larry and Sergei had just raised $25M in venture capital and their VC's said these guys are brilliant, crazy, and unreliable, so they need a CEO." Venture Outlook 2016 Mark Suster "If "the market" is driving up prices beyond intrinsic value the main new entrants to the market that have taken a less rational view of historical prices are a series of "non VCs" including corporate investors, hedge funds, mutual funds and crowdsourcing." Manage Subscription Submit Event View in Browser You are receiving this email because you believe that the best startup articles and videos are made by active members of the startup community. Startup Digest, © 2009-2015 by Techstars Central LLC. All rights reserved. Startup Digest is a registered trademark of Techstars Central, LLC. Privacy Policy.

This email was sent to startupdigest@joff3.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Techstars · 1050 Walnut St #202 · Boulder, CO 80302 · USA

Internet of Things Reading List - Startup Digest - Issue #19 - October 23rd - October 30th

Internet of Things Reading List October 23, 2015 The latest IoT startups, investments, and trends. Internet of Things Reading List Startup Digest is curated by: Michael Kruk - CoFounder & CEO @ Crowsnest.io Contact Michael Kruk at michael.kruk@startupdigestmail.com Global Startup Battle is back for 2015! Global Startup Battle 2015 is happening Nov 13-23! Host a Startup Weekend and add your city to the world’s largest startup competition with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, mentors, and judges: globalstartupbattle.co. Sears acquires WallyHome sensor technology from startup SNUPI, creates second Seattle office Todd Bishop - GeekWire This article covers Sears' acquisition of WallyHome and other steps being taking to bolster their lineup of connected solutions for the smart home market. AXA France launches its first insurance plan for the connected home Paola Gabriele - Rude Baguette AXA France's to offer insurance policy at discount for homeowners who use smart video surveillance, intrusion sensors, smoke detectors, smart plugs, or even connected lights. SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit Launches In Amazon, Best Buy And Sears Sarah Buhr - TechCrunch Previously only available directly through their website, SmartThings is now available at major brick-and-mortar retailers Sears and Best Buy as well as online retailer, Amazon. Concrete Sensors give the inside scoop on newly poured structures Ted Burnham - Postscapes This article covers Bolt portfolio company, Concrete Sensors. They sell small, gadgets that attach to rebar and monitor the concrete for factors critical to the curing and drying processes. Manage Subscription Submit Event View in Browser You are receiving this email because you believe that the best startup articles and videos are made by active members of the startup community. Startup Digest, © 2009-2015 by Techstars Central LLC. All rights reserved. Startup Digest is a registered trademark of Techstars Central, LLC. Privacy Policy.

This email was sent to startupdigest@joff3.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences UP Global · PO BOX 95149 · Seattle, WA 98145 · USA

Startup Reading List - Startup Digest - Is Everything Really Awesome? - October 16th - October 23rd

Startup Reading List October 16, 2015 Short post by investor Ciarán addresses this point. Read the comment section. Also make sure you are keeping up-to-date on Class CS183C, which Chris is keeping track of. Have a great weekend peeps! Startup Reading List Startup Digest is curated by: Zubin Chagpar - @phylosopher Contact Zubin Chagpar at zubin.chagpar@startupdigestmail.com Chris McCann - Community @ Greylock Partners Contact Chris McCann at chris@startupdigest.com Global Startup Battle is back for 2015! Global Startup Battle 2015 is happening Nov 13-23! Host a Startup Weekend and add your city to the world’s largest startup competition with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, mentors, and judges: globalstartupbattle.co. CS183C Technology-enabled Blitzscaling course Chris McCann Classes 6 and 7 covers the scaling story of Code for America and Minted which is a whole lot bigger than you probably thought.  What Makes Fundraising So Stressful? Christoph Janz "But the question is if fundraising really has to suck as much as I think many or most founders experience it, and what investors can do to make it suck less." Default Alive or Default Dead? Paul Graham "Instead of starting to ask too late whether you're default alive or default dead, start asking too early. It's hard to say precisely when the question switches polarity. But it's probably not that dangerous to start worrying too early that you're default dead, whereas it's very dangerous to start worrying too late." Everything is Awesome - It Really Isn't Ciarán O'Leary Good point made by VC investor Ciarán. Read the comments, too. Manage Subscription Submit Event View in Browser You are receiving this email because you believe that the best startup articles and videos are made by active members of the startup community. Startup Digest, © 2009-2015 by Techstars Central LLC. All rights reserved. Startup Digest is a registered trademark of Techstars Central, LLC. Privacy Policy.

This email was sent to startupdigest@joff3.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Techstars · 1050 Walnut St #202 · Boulder, CO 80302 · USA