Tag: ideas
ABCey’s Startup Monday: Zipline!
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that showcases some of the best and most innovative startups based in the San Francisco Bay Area! These are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past. This week, the spotlight’s on Zipline – the startup devoted to delivering life-saving medical supplies, even to the most remote locations!
What is Zipline?
Zipline is the only startup to take to the skies to deliver urgently-needed medicines, like blood and vaccines. They are able to work at a national level to provide these services to anyone with the help of drones! Since its launch in 2016, the team has delivered thousands of units of blood to those in need in Rwanda.
How does it work?
Their process is simplified into 5 steps. First, health workers at clinics and hospitals send a text message requesting the medical supplies they need. Then, the Zipline team quickly responds and packages the items at the Zipline Distribution Center. In addition to immediate access, having valued medicines located in the center maintains product integrity! Afterward, health workers receive a confirmation text when their order is launched. Traveling at over 100 km/h, the medical supplies are delivered in 30 minutes or less. When the order has safely descended via parachute in the designated recovery area, health workers are notified. Lastly, the drone returns to the Distribution Center to be quickly restocked and sent off again!
Why do we love Zipline?
We love Zipline for its innovation and its service! They were able to develop a revolutionary idea by utilizing one of the hottest tech trends of 2016 – drones. Their work ensures that those who live in remote locations are able to provide immediate medical care without worrying about access to medicines. Also, their drone delivery service cuts down the wait time by over an hour! We really admire that Zipline has given opportunities to thousands of individuals.
Have you heard of them? Do you like Zipline, too? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
If you’d like to see other San Francisco startups we’ve featured before, click here.
ABCey Presents: Tips for a Smooth Site Selection Process
Site selection for events can be a challenging and tedious process. However, by accomplishing the right steps, you can find the best venue for your client. ABCey has curated a list of tips for a smooth site selection process that we use to pick the perfect venue!
Make an Initial List of Sites
The first step in our site selection process is doing a general brainstorm of sites that seem to fit the needs of the client. Consider the location, number of guests, and venue-type when compiling the list. Leave no stone unturned and make sure you’re getting a variety of different venues. This makes your client feel like they have options and will show them that you’ve considered everything.
Create a Master Spreadsheet for Your Client
After making an initial list of sites, create a master spreadsheet with a Site Selection tab. This should incorporate all the venues you found and important information about each venue, including pros and cons. For each site, include information on availability, contacts, venue size, location, pricing, and information about the space. Make sure the client can quickly and easily see what the venue has to offer!
Put Together a Style Guide
After the master spreadsheet has been shared with your client, it’s helpful to make a style guide with the key information and images for each of your top picks.
Send an RFP to all of Your Top Venues
An RFP (request for proposal) allows you to easily communicate your event needs to outside vendors. By sending your RFP to the various venues you’re considering, you can get a clearer idea about the availability and pricing for each site. This will help you narrow down your choices. Here are some tips on creating the perfect RFP!
Set Up a Review With Your Client
The next step is setting up a time to chat with your client over the phone or in person to go through each venue. From there, you’ll be able to get a better sense of which sites you can eliminate and which ones are worth visiting in-person.
Go on Site Visits to Check Out Top Venues
Once you and your client have picked your favorite venues, make sure to visit them in-person. This can help you decide if they’re the right fit for your event. There’s no better way to get a sense of the venue and their ability to meet your needs then to set foot on the actual grounds!
Make Your Final Decision
Hopefully the in-person site visits will help you identify your absolute top venues, so you can decide on the one you want to go with. Once you accomplish this, you can start working on the fun stuff, like figuring out event decor and can move forward with your chosen venue!
Which site selection tips did you find to be most helpful?
Did we miss anything? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!
ABCey’s Startup Monday: Guardant Health
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that showcases some of the most innovative startups based in San Francisco! These are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past. This week, we are putting the spotlight on Guardant Health!
What is Guardant Health?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWG24cjxZFY
Guardant Health was founded in 2012 by Amir Ali Talasaz and Helmy Eltoukhy. It works to improve patient health through technology breakthroughs that address long-standing unmet needs in oncology. It has helped thousands of oncologists learn actionable and accurate information about thousands of patients, while eliminating the risks and costs of tissue biopsies. Guardant Health’s genomic test allows them to appropriately match advanced-cancer patients to approved drugs in clinical trials as well as targeted therapies.
How Does it Work?
Using Guardant Health is simple. Start by submitting two tubes of blood. Guardant Health will then look for actionable somatic alterations on solid tumor sites. From there, doctors will get clear and accurate results within two weeks that they can use to help patients get the treatment they need. Guardant Health also manages billing and provides financial support, making your experience easy and affordable.
Why we Love Guardant Health!
Cancer is the second leading cause of death world-wide and 1 and 6 people will likely die of cancer. Guardant Health seeks to change this through minimally invasive biopsies using innovative technology, which helps doctors quickly and accurately determine the appropriate course of treatment based on patients’ needs. At ABCey, we love tech, especially when it is used for good! Also, as an event-planning company, we value fast service and Guardant Health certainly delivers fast results!
Have you had the opportunity to use Guardant Health or know someone who might benefit from trying it out? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter! If you’d like to see other San Francisco startups we’ve featured before, click here.
ABCey’s Startup Monday: Virta Health
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that showcases some of the most innovative startups based in the San Francisco! These are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past. This week, the spotlight’s on Virta. This company that works to treat and reverse type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic diseases!
What is Virta?
Founded in 2014 by Sami Inkinen, Virta is an online specialty medical clinic that reverses type 2 diabetes safely and sustainably. There’s no need to worry about risks, costs, or side effects of medications or surgery with this treatment! Virta is clinically proven to work. Plus, their mission is to reverse type 2 diabetes in 100 million people by 2025. With 52% of the adult population in the U.S. suffering from type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, this startup is definitely one to watch.
How it Works?
So what does it mean to “reverse” type 2 diabetes? Although type 2 diabetes can’t be cured, if your blood sugar remains normal without having to use diabetes-specific medication and you no longer meet the diagnostic criteria, you have successfully reversed your type 2 diabetes. Virta bases their treatment off of nutritional ketosis. This is a natural metabolic state where your body adapts to burning fat rather than carbohydrates as its primary fuel. Nutritional ketosis is the most effective treatment option for reversing type 2 diabetes. Based on clinical trials, it directly reduces blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation, which are the three most significant problems caused by type 2 diabetes.
By offering all the necessary supplies, continuous physician supervision, personalized dietary guidance and health coaching, biomarker tracking and curated resources, and a private patient community, Virta gives patients everything they need to successfully reverse their type 2 diabetes all in the form of an app!
Why we Love Virta?
Virta offers long-lasting results fast! 87% of insulin users reduced or eliminated usage after just 10 weeks, 60% of patients reversed their type 2 diabetes after 1 year, and most patients have reduced their blood sugar levels by 1.0%. Now that’s effective! Virta also makes their treatment easy to manage and convenient through their use of technology. All of the treatment’s functions are on their app, so patients are frequently monitored and can easily access everything they need. We love to see companies like Virta using technology to make a difference!
Will you use Virta or recommend it to a friend who might need it? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter! If you’d like to see other San Francisco startups we’ve featured in the past, click here.
ABCey’s Tech Tuesday: 10 Event Organization Apps to Help You Stay Sane
#TechTuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. Today’s #TechTuesday features the 10 best event organization apps to help you stay sane and organized as an event planner!
1. Super Planner
There’s a new iphone / ipad app on the scene that is garnering a lot of buzz…and for good reason. Super Planner is an event industry app developed by Howard Givner, and is one of the most in-depth mobile tools on the market today.
It is a digital encyclopedia of industry calculators convenient enough to carry with you everywhere in your purse or pocket. Just as a good measuring tape, hotel directory, business calendar and frequent flyer miles are mainstays for the planner, so too should be the Super Planner.
2. 24me
This app acts as a personal assistant to help you stay on task with your planning. It includes integrated calendars, to-do lists, and notes. 24me keeps track of your tasks and schedules all in one place and sends you reminders for them so you don’t forget. The app also reminds you about bills and other important information, as it connects to your financial institutions, service providers, and social networks. This app is especially great for smaller events!
3. Asana
Asana is a great way to keep everyone on your event planning team in the loop! It lets you assign tasks to different team members while keeping track of who’s doing what. Asana gives you the ability to easily monitor what’s getting done and who’s getting it done.
4. Boomset
Boomset helps speed up the registration process by allowing you to check people in using QR codes, print bases and create wristbands. It also integrates with other platforms you might already be using for your event, so it makes registration simple!
5. CamScanner
CamScanner basically transforms your phone into a scanner. It’s great for digitalizing contracts, agreements, marketing material and other important documents you need to send to clients. It also has the ability to convert documents into PDFs. Now that’s convenient!
6. Timebridge
Timebridge makes scheduling fast and simple! The app collects information about everyone’s availability, takes into account preferences, and then automatically arranges a good meeting time. This is a great way to arrange meetings or even events with a lot of people without having to deal with the long back and forth of emailing!
7. Blossom
This event organization app helps simplify communication between the event planner and the client. It allows you to create a card system detailing different sections of the project, so everyone knows what stage each part of the event is at. There’s even a client review card so the client can approve the final step!
8. Eventgrabber
Sometimes it can be hard to find events you want to attend. Luckily, Eventgrabber can help! It matches people with the types of occasions they’ll likely be interested in. They can look at the top events going on, see the most popular events with locals, and even order a taxi or an Uber to take them to the next party. As an event planner, this app is extremely useful for attracting guests who would genuinely be interested in your type of event!
9. Heytell
This app essentially turns your smartphone into a walkie-talkie, making communication with your event staff easy! There’s no need to hang on to multiple devices, and it prevents you from having to physically locate various members of your crew during the actual event!
1o. Pingg
Pingg is a great tool for running your events, as it lets you create invitations, guest lists, and thank you messages for your attendees all in one place! Not only this, but you can also add a gift registry, schedule reminders, and search for local services for your event as well. This handy app let’s you keep all the little details of your event organized!
What event organization apps do you use to stay sane when planning events?
Event planning can be extremely stressful and overwhelming, and these tools are guaranteed to help simplify your job! Which apps you use? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
How to Create Corporate Swag Bags Your Attendees Will Love
Swag bags can be a great way to thank your guests and give them a lasting memory! However, you want to make sure that the items you include are unique and memorable so that they don’t get thrown in the trash. Here are some tips for creating meaningful corporate swag bags that your attendees will love!
1. Eye Masks
Eye Masks are a great way to advertise your event if you put your logo on it. They’re useful and can easily be packed into a carry on. This is an especially good option if your guests are traveling to your event!
2. Portable Phone Chargers
Corporate events can often last the whole day or even multiple days and many attendees rely on their smartphones for navigation, emails, networking, etc. They’re bound to run out of battery at some point. Make their lives easier by giving them an easy way to charge their phones while at your event! They’ll be happy to skip the stress of searching for an outlet.
3. Cord Tacos
Cord tacos keep all the different cords your guests are most likely traveling with nice and organized. From phone chargers, headphones, computer chargers, and more, your guests are guaranteed to find this cute tool useful!
4. Self-Care Kits/Event Survival Kits
Corporate events can be long and stressful. Make your guests’ lives easier by providing them with a kit filled with all sorts of essentials. From tissues and pens, to stress-relieving toys and lotion, there are many things you can include that will make your guests’ experiences at the event and traveling to the event more comfortable.
5. Hydroflasks
Hydroflasks always come in handy and will help your guests stay hydrated. Also, adding a logo to it increases the likelihood that your guests will use it! It’s eco-friendly and reusable as well, which is a huge plus!
6. Unique Snacks
Snacks are always needed, especially for long events. Even though food is often provided at corporate events, snacks are a good option that your guests will love!
7. LED Rings
It’s always nice to find a fun item in your swag bag, so put in an LED ring! It’ll stand out and is an item your guests will find especially useful if there’s an after party!
8. Experiences
People love experiences! Give your guests a reason to keep your bag by including a voucher for a special, VIP experience at your event, or tickets to a nearby attraction! This will make them feel more excited about being at your event and they’ll feel like they’re getting something out of it.
9. Seasonal Items
Seasonal items can be extremely useful, especially if they apply to your event location. For example, if your event is in a sunny, warm area, consider including sunglasses or flip flops with your event’s logo on it! Try using attractive colors and patterns to make your swag bag stand out!
10. Professional Books
By choosing a book as one of your gifts, you’re showing your guests that you care about their growth and well-being. Find books that align with your brand and industry that can inspire your attendees. If you don’t want your guests to have to carry around an entire book, you can always provide access codes to professional ebooks, so they can easily read them on their electronics!
Which bag ideas will you use for your swag bags?
What’s the best gift you got from attending a corporate event? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
ABCey Presents Startup Monday: Rothy’s
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that showcases some of the best and most innovative startups based in the San Francisco Bay Area! These are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past. Today, we’d like to highlight the sustainable fashion company, Rothy’s!
Rothy’s
What is it?
You’ve likely seen them plastered across your social media accounts, if not on someone’s feet in San Francisco! Rothy’s is a US fashion startup that manufactures women’s shoes that are machine washable and made out of 100% recycled plastic materials. This makes Rothy’s shoes breathable, moisture-free, and allows them to maintain their shape. Founders Roth Martin and Stephen Hawthornthwaite felt that there was a need in the fashion industry for sustainable shoe wear that was not only fashionable, but also comfortable.
Why We Love It
In addition to their aesthetics, the shoes are highly eco-friendly, and they are created for women on-the-go. As a company comprised of many women and a female CEO, ABCey loves this concept! They claim to be comfy like sneakers- oh, and also? They are really CUTE! We also love that they produce sustainable shoes! With these flats, you can be comfortable, stylish, and help the environment all in one purchase! As of Earth Day, they had already officially repurposed over 10 million bottles!
How it Works?
Visit Rothy’s website, browse through their shoe selection, pick your favorite style and size, and they’ll ship it to you like any other online store! Wear them whenever, wherever. If they get dirty, don’t fret! They’re machine washable so you can clean them with ease. If you get bored of the pair you have, Rothy’s has a system in place where you can wash your pair and send them to Rothy’s recycling facility so they can be reused, and you can buy a new pair that you like!
Now that’s sustainable fashion at its finest!
Have you purchased a pair of Rothy’s? How do you like them? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!
ABCey Presents: 10 High Tech Photobooth Trends of 2018
Besides your swag bags, photos taken at your event are the best memorabilia any guest could have. Photobooths are a great way to get your attendees involved and can be the perfect social media marketing strategy too! From artful product design to social enablement, these photobooth experiences are designed to seamlessly complement your brand and maximize visibility and engagement. ABCey has compiled a list of 10 high tech photobooth trends of 2018 that you can try at your next event!
1. 360 Degree Photobooth
With a rig set up around, your guests can take a picture where you can view it from all angles! This creates an amazing photo-op for groups or singles, and creates an interactive component with the photo. Pixperience has some great 360 photobooths for your events!
2. Projector Booths
Instead of having to single still backdrops, spruce it up a little with a projector booth! You can switch up the backdrops for every photo and can also personalize it for every person! Ask if your guests want to upload one of their videos for a background or if they want to choose one from the set! Either way, guests are able to interact with whatever background they choose to create the perfect photo!
3. GIF Booths
Animated GIFs (pronounced “JIF,” like the peanut butter brand) have completely permeated, and in some cases, taken over social media! Let your guests create record a short and fun, animated photo to let them remember what a great time they had at your event. We even had our very own from Bosco at the Sephora VIB Rouge SF Flagship Launch, and our guests had a blast using it!
4. Light Painting Photobooth
Painting with lights. It’s an unforgettable photo op! You can use these lasers to write words or draw shapes in midair and the photo captures it all! It creates an amazing effect and allows you to get a little creative too! What will your light say?
5. Hashtag Photobooth
#Hashtags #Are #Everywhere! Who can resist them too? They are a fun way to help others find pictures similar to the one you posted. With this booth, you take a photo with the event hashtag and the hashtag printer will print a copy of the photo with the hashtag to put up on the mosaic wall! It’s a great way to personalize every photo with unique hashtags from your attendees!
6. Flipbook
A picture is worth a thousand words. This flipbook is a way to tell a whole story through a stack of photos. By printing frame by frame, these photos look as if the guests are moving, allowing you tell a story or show some dance moves, too! Giggle and Riot have super cool flipbook photobooths for your stop motion stories!
7. iPad Booths
These little iPad booths are nothing new, but have really started to gain popularity lately! People are realizing how fun and convenient these photobooths are! You are able to take the photo and send it to yourself, without any hassle or wait. It also doesn’t need to be manned all night long, so you can focus on the other aspects of your event!
8. Mirror Booth
Don’t you wish that you can see yourself while you take your photos so you know you look good? Here’s the answer to all your prayers, the mirror photobooth! With this, you can see your own poses in the mirror while it takes your photo! Say goodbye to awkward poses and stray hairs you missed when you checked yourself out!
9. Video Photobooth
Video from Bosco
These photobooths are amazing because you can make a short little clip, featuring you! It’s the perfect way to show off some of your dance moves or let a little of your silly side out. And, you can send them directly to yourself!
10. Ball Pit Photobooth
Who doesn’t love a good ball pit? Let your guests relive their childhood memories by diving into a pit of balls to take the perfect photo! It’s the optimal time to let your inner child out and capture these moments of joy!
What’s your favorite high tech photobooth? Are there any we missed? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
ABCey Presents Startup Monday: Spoke
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that showcases some of the best and most innovative startups based in the San Francisco Bay Area! These are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past. Today, we’d like to highlight Spoke!
Spoke
What is it?
Spoke is a workplace manager system that gives support teams within organizations a single place to manage employee requests. It includes ticketing, knowledge management, and self-service powered by artificial intelligence (A.I.). By allowing employees from different departments to communicate on a single platform, this system makes workplace management simpler and more efficient!
Why We Love It?
Spoke uses advanced technology to make work management faster and easier, and at ABCey, we love tech! This system allows companies to focus more on the work that’s important to them. It helps employees get answers quickly, so they can continue doing their jobs well. Not to mention, it’s extremely affordable with prices ranging from as little as $1/month-$3/month, depending on the type of plan you get. Now that’s a steal!
How Does it Work?
Spoke uses chatbots, which automatically respond to employees’ questions on Slack, email, SMS, and the web, so you don’t have to respond to every single request! Its ticketing system is also organized and easy to use, unlike traditional ticketing systems, giving you everything you need to manage employee requests all in one place. Not only this, but Spoke’s knowledge management base keeps tabs on all sorts of important information, no matter where it came from within the company. This way, you don’t have to worry about keeping track of it all yourself!
Do you use Spoke? How do you like it? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!
ABCey Presents: 10 Tips to Thrive at Pride!
Pride is finally here! ABCey has a list of 10 tips that will help you survive and make the best out of this weekend full of love and festivities!
1. Sun Protection
Afternoons in our foggy city may be cool, but be sure to put on some sun protection (sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses) before you leave the house to avoid some nasty sun burns!
2. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
We may not even know it, but it’s easy to become dehydrated when we spend the day dancing and keeping up with our favorite floats at Pride! Don’t forget to bring your own Hydro Flask water bottle to save a few bucks and to stay well-hydrated.
3. Bring Ca$h
Many local vendors will be at Pride, so be sure to bring some cash to support your LGBTQ-friendly businesses in case they don’t accept credit cards!
4. Phone Charger
You’re going to be taking pictures and videos all day, so make sure you bring a portable charger so that you don’t run out of juice. Snap away!
5. Go Hands Free
You won’t worry about losing your phone or any of your free Pride swag when you put it in a cute bag!
6. Comfortable Shoes
We all have those super shoes that we’re dying to wear out, but opt for your comfiest shoes because you’ll be on your feet all day!
7. Add Some Rainbows!
What Pride outfit is complete without rainbows? Whether it’s on an umbrella or on your socks, add a rainbow for a little more fun!
8. Rainbow Glitter
If you don’t have the perfect outfit for Pride yet, don’t worry! Rainbow glitter is the ultimate makeshift outfit! Cover yourself in glitter and head out to the parade! What else could you possibly need?!
9. Pride Balloons
What’s more fun than balloons? Use rainbow balloons to accessorize your outfit or to just carry around the parade!
10. Bring Your Friends!
Friends make any event better! Round up all your closest friends to eat amazing food and to make memories you’ll talk about for years!
Which one is your favorite tip to thrive at Pride? Do you have some of your own? Let us know in the comments and on Facebook and Twitter!
For more pride-inspired fun, ABCey Events has a Pre-Pride Checklist for you!