eShare

It's like Slack for Board Directors .

The worlds of Corporate Governance & Tech are merging fast.  The U.K. is spearheading the use of Tech for boards & entities. eShare, based in London, has had much success with its "BoardPacks" in the U.K. and is moving into the U.S. 

 Qineqt
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Qineqt is building the largest "human" powered Financial database around . 

Set to beta launch in December , the data for Qineqt's platform will be inputted - manually - not scraped - by a team of 1000 researchers in Pakistan.  

Nadir Khan, a former hedge fund executive is CEO and has recruited a former Goldman partner - Lisa Shalett - to his advisory board.

 BRUNI PR helped put Qineqt on the media map last week with a major profile story in Institutional Investor, the leading Wall Street and Finance media outlet. 

http://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/3598181/asset-management-hedge-funds-and-alternatives/former-sac-trader-launches-company-focused-on-big-data.html#.WCjjhoWR-Do

NYT covers SendMyBag : "Uber For Airline Bags"

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/travel/how-to-ship-your-luggage.html

RE/CODE Covers UltraTesting

http://recode.net/2016/04/02/testing-firm-finds-those-with-autism-excel-at-spotting-software-bugs/

BigchainDB Launches

2016 is the Year of the Blockchain.  BigchainDB just launched and promises to "blockchain-ify" Big Data.  Based in Berlin, they are part of an exploding European FinTech scene .  

#paid Launches In U.S.

Social Media Influencer Marketing Campaigns are the "next big thing" in advertising- according to Adweek. The hottest player in this space is #paid -  a Canadian startup - that is pioneering algorithms that can put a value on a SM star's fan base.  Bruni PR is proud to be working with this AdTech leader.

NBC News Covers SendMyBag

The "Uber" for airline bags got a huge endorse from NBC News 

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/luggage-shipping-services-offer-fliers-alternatives-sometimes-savings-n409866

Abra: "Human ATMs"

http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/04/24/bitbeat-tackling-bitcoin-price-swings-with-eye-on-emerging-markets/

Can you start an army of Uber-like "Human ATMs" who can act as personal bankers, or tellers?  You bet if you're Abra, a hot new SF-based FinTech company.   A recent placement from Mike Casey, top FinTech reporter at WSJ.

Bloomberg News Profiles SaleMove

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-31/toyota-s-scion-to-use-salemove-software-for-virtual-showroom

Ultra Testing / Putting Autism To Work

Digiday features Bruni PR client Ultra Testing / which employs workers on the Autism Spectrum 

http://digiday.com/agencies/spectrum-autistic-employees-helping-industry/

SaleMove Moves Forward

Can Webrooming sell high priced Jewelry and Luxury goods?  

The latest twist is "white glove" webrooming using tech to bring the salesperson into the living room.

Many major Retailers of luxury items are testing SaleMove's "white glove" Tech.

Electronics and car retailers have been spearheading the Tech and Luxury goods businesses are following their lead.

Approximately 10,000 "sales interactions" occurred between  Autobytel's 3,000+ dealerships and potential customers during the last six months utilizing this brand new platform by NY-based SaleMove (salemove.com). 

SaleMove's patent-pending technology also allows Retailers ,insurance companies (Guardian ) and others to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real-time, using the method most comfortable to them, including live video, audio and text-based chat or by phone. 

FORTUNE Profiles SendMyBag.com

The door-to-door bag shipping company to start its U.S. service in the first quarter.

Starting sometime in the first quarter of this year, U.S. airline passengers will have a new option to avoid waiting in line at baggage carousels.
SendMyBag, a Northern Irish startup launched in 2011, is adding U.S. domestic flights to its list of services. Currently, American flyers can only use the door-to-door baggage delivery company when flying to another country.

SendMyBag Launches in US

CNBC's Phil LeBeau reports on the launch of Sendmybag.com in the U.S. The service will ship bags internationally for a fee that's lower than most airlines charge. 
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=

Partake : This App Saves Marriages + Relationships

Married and live-in couples can now share their expenses easily with the first ever Personal Finance app designed just for them. It's called Partake. (https://getpartake.com/) Partake is the first app that lets you sync your bank accounts and credit cards so that you don't have to manually enter each expense. Just open the app, select your bank, and login with your online banking credentials. The entire process is secure and only takes a few seconds. Partake never stores your bank credentials, and uses industry-grade 128-bit AES encryption to protect your data. Your transaction data is kept private, so only you can see them. Your wife or partner will only see the ones you split. Partake, available in IOS and Android, just launched last month and is already getting a lot of traction among Techies here in NYC and in the Valley.

ADstruc : The Future of Billboards

When top OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising execs want to see the future of their business, they visit a 19th Century industrial loft in NYC's Soho, home of ADstruc, the most advanced AdTech platform for planning and buying-selling OOH ads. CBS Outdoor, Lamar Outdoor Advertising and Clear Channel execs have all visited ADstruc. Ad Agency CEOs too. Michael Roth, CEO of IPG, visited and invested $2m in the 4-year-old startup. IPG's Rapport unit now uses ADstruc for all their OOH media buys. "By streamlining the process, ADstruc enables agency account teams to maximize their time spent on client service and results, rather than on Excel, PDF maps, and Photosheets," CEO/Founder John Laramie said. "We built the entire plumbing system for the OOH industry and it’s now ready to connect with other media and platforms." ADstruc currently covers over 90% of the U.S. OOH inventory and is on track to handle over $200M in OOH sales/transactions this year. In partnership with Clear Channel, Lamar, and CBS Outdoor, along with hundreds of independent, regional owners across traditional and digital formats, media buying agencies can fully automate their planning and buying of OOH media. In Q1 2014, IPG invested in ADstruc because it believes outdoor advertising is transitioning “to a more digital channel." Magna Global, IPG’s research arm, estimates the OOH market will grow by 4.8% in the U.S., up to $7.3 billion in 2014.

FinTech Saves Wall Street

Four tech start-ups in New York raised in excess of $100 million last month. Betterment, Paperless Post, LearnVest and Squarespace raised about $25-30 million each in the latest round of financing. The first quarter of this financial year has already seen several New York-based firms raising record sums of money from venture capital and equity funds. Digital Ocean, Integral Ad Science and Kaltura all raised millions of dollars, saying they would like to expand overseas. The hottest sector for VC investing is FinTech. Betterment, which raised $32m in a Series C round, has pioneered "Robo Advisor" investing, where computer algorithms replace financial advisors. While money managers charge 1.50%, Betterment charges 0.15%, saving investors a lot of money. Personal Finance is the fastest growing area, but there are many new FinTech startups that are disrupting Wall Street as well. ACE Portal, which has NYSE Euronext backing, is pioneering a platform for Private Securities offerrings, taking advantage of the new JOBS Act regs on equity crowdfunding. ACE's founder Peter Williams is part of a new breed of ex Wall Streeters who see opportunities at the nexus of Tech and Finance. Ultimately, the FinTech boom could help reshape NYC's Wall Street Financial district. I visited the new BitCoin Center near the NYSE. The proximity of its "mining" servers to the Exchange is noticeable. Eventually, all those financial transactions handled by humans will be totally automated. The Age of "Robo Wall Street" is here.

2013 Was the Year of Native Ads/ CONTENTLY

2013 Was the Year of Native Ads. This new ad medium got only $1.9b of the Ad Pie, but garnered a lion's share of attention from the Ad Trades, Ad reporters and even the FTC, which has Native Ads in its sights Who invented this business? A hot 3-year old startup called CONTENTLY. These fathers of Brand Publishing, (www.contently.com) are now a BRUNI PR client. As NYT's David Carr points out, Contently "has raised $2.3 million in financing, developed a roster of 27,000 writers, grown to 24 employees and has 40 Fortune 500 companies among its clients..." Their motto is "make stories, not ads"...you'll be hearing that mantra often in 2014 on Madison Avenue and beyond.

"What's in your Stash for tonight?" You might overhear that buzzphrase at the upcoming CMJ Music Fest in NYC. NYC's hipsters are downloading "Stash", a hot new iPhone app for bookmarking (or "stashing") and sharing all kinds of NYC Nightlife, Culture, Sports and Film/Entertainment events. It's the first real Mobile Events app to hit NYC. Young New Yorkers hate to be told "what's cool". Events guides/apps (Flavorpill, Thrillist, and even that new one, Sosh) dictate "what's cool.", Stash is total Democracy. The Stash members decide what to "stash" and share with their friends on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Think Pinterest for Events and Culture. Crowdsourced Events advice. Stash is going viral fast. Since launching last Spring, 300,000 NYC events have been viewed on Stash. About 20k events are "stashed" monthly by Stash users. Stash currently covers over 100 NYC area venues. They love Stash too.. During the last 30 days, 8,000 users purchased tickets for venues straight from the app. Stash is designed primarily for the Mobile Experience. Young New Yorkers make their NightLife and Culture decisions -- On The Go. "Good Times are Hard to Find", is the Stash motto.

AgFunder Launches Sept. 23rd

Modern Farmer predicts it will "Kickstart" Agriculture with the "world's first equity based crowdfunding platform for Ag investment opportunities". Only accredited Investors will be allowed to invest in its AgTech projects, which will be thoroughly evaluated and approved before listing. NY-based AgFunder (www.agfunder.com) launches next week. Numerous AgTech companies and investors have already signed up as beta users .http://beta.agfunder.com. Modern Farmer predicts it will "Kickstart" Agriculture with the "world's first equity based crowdfunding platform for Ag investment opportunities". Only accredited Investors will be allowed to invest in its AgTech projects, which will be thoroughly evaluated and approved before listing. NY-based AgFunder (www.agfunder.com) launches mid-September. Numerous AgTech companies and investors have already signed up as beta users .http://beta.agfunder.com. AgTech Investing is booming. CB Insights recently reported that $100m+ was invested in AgTech last year, a record. CB Insights concluded: "Agriculture Technology companies (Ag Tech) have hauled in as much VC and angel investment ($100M) as more celebrated areas like transportation tech (think Uber, Lyft, RelayRides). AgTech has also pulled in 2/3 of the amount that has gone to (and which may evaporate from) App Discovery Platforms." What's AgFunder's key advantage? How can it tap into this AgTech investment trend? Modern Farmer sums it best: "Although AgFunder’s model is based on the FundersClub (just like Kickstarter), if a project isn’t up to par, it won’t get funded. And that’s an important detail," says CEO/Founder Rob Leclerc.

It's the mother of all Hackathons. The AngelHack Global Hackathon. I attended the AngelHack NYC competition a couple weeks ago and have never seen anything quite like it. A small army of devs working for 24 hours fueled by Red Bull. The result was Kronicle, a cool new how-to video app platform that was the finalist. But, it's more than an app. It's a startup that will be chosen along with 29 others around the globe to join the AngelHack Accelerator in SF for two months of schooling. Can Hackathons be the new point of inception for startups? I think so. That's why BRUNI PR is working with AngelHack, co-founded by Greg Gopman and Sabeen Ali, two very smart techies who practically invented this biz a couple years ago. AngelHack organizes hackathon competitions for web developers and entrepreneurs, called AngelHacks, where they can learn developer tools, meet new friends, and receive funding and mentorship for their startup ideas. In 2013, AngelHack will organize 100 hackathons, bringing together 15,000+ developers in 50+ cities. Winners from every city are put through the AngelHack Accelerator Program, where we mentor them for 12 weeks before bringing them out to Silicon Valley to raise investment and introduce them to incubators. Previous winners have gone on to attend Y-Combinator, AngelPad, TechStars, 500 Startups, and others.