500 Startups’ 16th demo day just wrapped up, and the firm is already turning its eyes to its next batch of companies. More than 40 startups are participating in this batch of companies.
From softer baby products to tools for creating and distributing vertical videos (a big focus given the shift on many mobile platforms), there’s something that might pique pretty much anyone’s interest. 500 Startups often has a bunch of companies that are doing things that are perpendicular to the typical software startup you might expect coming out of Silicon Valley.
That’s not that surprising, either. There is a lot of increased competition to fund startups between all the incubators out there, including Y Combinator. Winning might mean looking in places and at ideas investors might not expect to be successful. This time around, there are two tracks: business-to-business, and beauty and fashion.
There are a lot of interesting ideas in this round, and a lot that already exist in some fashion or compete with larger companies that can easily go after the space. Amazon, for example, already targets some of the e-commerce niches that some of 500Startups’ companies are going after. Naturally, it will come down to execution like any other startup. You can also check out some of our favorites from batch 16.
- Avocode, Inc. — A collaboration tool for designers and developers.
- Baby2Body — Advice and guidance from experts for expecting mothers.
- Beauty Date — Find and reserve beauty services in Brazil.
- Blavity, Inc. — A media company for black millennials.
- Blurbiz Media Inc. — A service for creating and distributing vertical videos, a big focus for most modern applications.
- BurstIQ — A service for accessing multiple different kinds of health data, like patient data, in a secure way.
- Chefs for Seniors — Chef-prepared meals for senior citizens.
- Cladwell — Outfit recommendations based on what’s in your closet.
- Coeio — Alternative green funeral products, like suits that are biodegradable.
- ConceptDrop — A marketplace that matches businesses with freelancers for projects like infographics and Keynote presentations.
- Cognitive Operational Systems — Inventory management for retail powered by robotics using computer vision and artificial intelligence.
- Department of Better Technology — Data collection and workflow software for governments.
- Efflux Systems — An automated security platform.
- FuelPanda —Weekly car refueling at home or at work.
- Hamptons Lane — Kitchen tool, recipe and ingredient delivery monthly for homemade meals.
- LINKETT — Real-time analytics for “digital signage” and A/B testing.
- LiveCanary Inc. — Automated survey tools that include tracking and analytics.
- Montainer, Inc. — Designing and delivery of homes in recycled shipping containers.
- Baby Mori Ltd — Soft baby products, like blankets and onesies.
- Nice Shopping Inc — A tool for discovering and purchasing products on YouTube.
- Oddup — An tool for analyzing startups and predicting their success as potential investments.
- Pair Inc. — Augmented reality-focused iPhone application for visualizing furniture in a home or office.
- Parkbench Inc. — A discovery service for local events, deals, news, and real estate.
- Qwikwire Inc. — Billing tools for businesses and consumers that work across borders.
- Rank Science Inc. — A/B testing for search engine optimization.
- SidelineSwap — A marketplace for used and new sports gear.
- Simless, Inc. — Virtualizing SIM cards for devices on internal components, like a system on a chip.
- Slang Inc. — A marketplace for shoes, including sales tracking and analytics.
- Stylect — A mobile e-commerce application centered around womens’ shoes.
- Supergleu — An app for sharing opinions on college campuses.
- t+j Designs — Affordable clothing designed, and jewelry curated, by social media influencers.
- Tallyfy — Convert routine assignments for businesses into checklists that can be used multiple times, and analytics for tracking them.
- The Pill Club — Free birth control delivery
- TraceAir Technologies — Using UAVs to analyze and track progress on construction sites.
- TravelFlan — A concierge service for travelers in Japan and Korea.
- VILLOID — A discovery and commerce application that encourages community members to promote items they like.
- Visiblee — A tool for tracking anonymous visitors to sites and converting them into sales leads.
- Wivity Inc. — Hardware and software tools for connecting IoT devices to wireless networks.
- Worklete — Training for workers to reduce workplace injuries and improve safety.
- Workplace Arcade — Measurement and engagement tools for employees.