Startup Monday: Swish

ABCey Events is always on the hunt for the latest gadgets or tools that will serve as unique event gifts or help us to better plan an event. This just got a whole lot easier with Swish! Swish, which only launched this past Friday, offers VERY new (not-yet-made) products from creators and inventors across the world. Each product gets a 30-day pre-order campaign giving all Swish users the chance to be one of the first people to own a new product.

If you’re hosting a tech event maybe you want to include a Card Ninja in your gift bag? I just finished baking an absurd amount of brownies for a Super Bowl party and could actually use the Ultimate Spatula. There are tons of innovative items that would be very helpful for event planners (and everyone) on this site. Furthermore, never before has your order for something been so meaningful.

Swish co-founder Heather Brundage tells us, “We want to give consumers a voice like the App Store or Reddit, where you get to go and say ‘Hey, I want that!’ and not be limited by what only big retailers think you will like.” When you order a product, you signify to everyone else and the public that the product is worthy and has value – moving it up on the Crowd Favorite list. Your order invariably helps inventors determine a demand for their creation which gives them the go-ahead to ramp up production.

If Fab and Kickstarter had a startup baby, Swish would be their child. It is creative, fun gadgets and products for sale with a little crowdfunding thrown in the mix. It might take them a few months (or up to a year) to get these brand-new products to you, however, you will have the ultimate satisfaction that you’ll be one of the first people to get your hands on an awesome new product that you helped become a reality!

What’s your favorite product on their site? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

TechCrunch Crunchies Coverage: Best Overall Startup of 2012

It’s only one week away until The Crunchies 2012! At ABCey, we’re excited to see what fun surprises the planners will have for the attendees. Of course, we’re also dying to find out is the results! Here are the finalists for the most coveted award of Best Overall Startup of 2012…

1. Fab: See last week’s Crunchies Coverage on Best E-Commerce Application

2. Github: Github has created the perfect niche for itself in the Age of Startups. GitHub is a (virtual) place where friends, co-workers, classmates, and even strangers can share code with each other. The goal is to encourage people (over two million as of right now) to code, build, and create things together. Github offers a multitude of collaborative features on their desktop and mobile applications which is revolutionizing the way individuals and teams can improve on code writing.

3. Instagram: Instagram describes itself as a “fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.” Instagram allows you to take a picture with your smartphone, choose from one of many fun, interesting filters to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram. You can instantly share your photo on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr so picture-taking becomes a social activity! Everyone is a photographer with Instagram.

4. Palantir: Palantir is smart. Palantir’s creation is a high-powered analysis platform that can scan multiple databases simultaneously primarily geared toward providing a tool for government officials and corporations to tackle complex problems. Essentially for Palantir, “data matters” and their goal, as it seems, is to try to relate to the rest of us why it does matter.
5. Square: Hook your Square up to your iPhone, Android or iPad and instantly you have a tool that allows you to collect cash, credit or debit for your mobile/small mobile business. Square has truly transformed the way individuals and small organizations can do business.

What do you think of these startups? Have they changed the way you and your business operate? Tell us how they have changed your life in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.