Thank you all! It has been already 10 episodes of 101Startups where you could discover 10 innovative and cool solutions to move around, make some extra cash, protect your accounts or even organize your calendar. I hope you enjoyed the stories and that you will continue to enjoy the future episodes coming.
Here's the review of these 10 tech-nuggets.
Episode 1 - VESTLY, monthly stock trading contests for real cash prizes.
VESLTY is a free app which allows you to enter monthly stock trading contests for real CASH prizes. It's totally free, so you have to make virtual investments in order to maximize the earnings of your virtual wallet.
You can win up to $200,000 in cash and prizes over a year. The top performers will share prizes ranking from $3,000 to $30, and every month there is a draw to win a brand new car.
Episode 2 - LUXE VALET, on demand car-valet services cheaper than parking garages.
LUXE VALET is the Uber for requesting a car valet.
Why parking you car yourself while someone can do it for you ? Bonus perk in San Francisco, it is cheaper than actually paying for garage parking .
Luxe works with a phone App and the service is available in multiple cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin or Chicago, and of course New York.
Episode 3 - JUNO, an alternative to Uber and Lyft in NYC. 25% cheaper.
JUNO is a brand new entrant, in competition with Uber for ride-hailing services. It is operating only in NYC at this stage.
It works exactly like Uber: Hail your ride, go somewhere, pay with the app. They screen drivers to get only the best, making their service was than the competition. For instance, drivers sytematically had water bottles and iphone chargers available. I could also choose my music thanks to the jack cable available.
Breaking News: The JUNO Beta is now public! Install the app, and ride 25% cheaper than Uber.
Episode 4 - MIND SUMO, take companies challenges and earn real money.
MIND SUMO is a marketplace that links college students and companies via real-world, skill-based problem-solving competitions. By solving interesting problems you will win cash prizes, and stand out to potential employers to be hired or to get internships. Companies simply contact Mind Sumo and propose challenges to be solved and a prize to be given.
**If you are a student, MIND SUMO is a must have in your portfolio. **
Episode 5 - X.AI, artificial intelligence is your new personal assistant
X.AI is a virtual personal assistant that uses artificial intelligence to schedule meetings for you.
No sign-in, no password, no download of anything is required: Once you have an account, you are good to go.
Simply add Amy, the Artificial Intelligence, to an email conversation and it will interact with your contact to setup a meeting. Once the meeting time-slot is agreed between "her" and your contact, "she" will send an invite.
**Time saver rimes with life saver today. **Another must have... but there is a waiting list...
Episode 6 - SPOT ANGELS, know where to park, all the time.
SPOT ANGELS is a cool app that shows you on a map where and for how long you can park in a city. They did a mapping of all the major cities in the USA to get all the relevant information possible about street parking.
Launch the app and just check IF you can park, for HOW LONG, and the PRICE it will cost you.
The street parking bible, currently expanding in multiple US cities.
Episode 7 - RIDE WITH VIA, ride-hailing services for just $5.
RidewithVIA is a new company providing transportation solutions in NYC, DC and Chicago.
They value proposition is the price: You can go ANYWHERE in the city for just $5 if you agree on the following:
- you may share the ride with other people
- you may have to walk up to 1 block to get to the car
- you may have to walk up to 1 block to your final destination
Absolutely perfect when you are not in a hurry, or for early commuters.
Episode 8 - WINGZ, Wingz is an on-demand personal chauffeur app.
WINGZ is (yet) another alternative to Uber, but with a different approach: Wingz want you to have your personal DRIVER.
Going to the airport often, leaving from suburbia (not a lot of Uber service): Book one or two days in advance your chauffeur with Wings, and ride stress free to your destination.
A true hidden gem: It's actually cheaper than the taxi!
Episode 9 - AUTHY, 2 factor authentication with cloud backup.
2 factor authentication meets cloud backup: so if you lose or destroy your phone, you are NOT screwed to access you accounts.Kraken and Bittrex are my 2 favorite 2-factor-auth sites, and I cannot imagine losing my access to my bitcoin funds if I have a problem with my phone.
Episode 10 - HACKER ONE, get paid to hack companies (legally!).
They call themselves a Vulnerability Coordination & Bug Bounty Platform, and they crowdsource hacking talent to help companies find bugs in their systems. Hacker One offers a wide range of bounties from many different companies. Any good developer or hacker can find one he’s specialized in, and make A LOT of money.
So how about making $20,000 using your developer's skills in a totally legal way?
@sebastien
I will continue to make you discover new services every week, stay tuned and follow my account for more "101 startups" stories in the future.
Footnotes:
I work with startups. My job is to find innovative hidden-gems in the tech industry.
In the series of 101 Startups, I give you an overview of the best startups and apps I encounter, and I hope you will discover, and use these new services and innovative products.
Special note:
@dan, @ned, @smooth: The "Pay me 100% in Steem Power" is killer! Great feature. Kudos to the team.