Tag: startup
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: Loopd
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 Loopd!
What is Loopd?
Loopd is an event engagement platform aimed to make networking easier and to access to relevant marketing materials for your attendees, but it doesn’t stop there! Loopd is a great tool that benefits event planners and booth staff, too! It allows you to track guest traffic information, view interaction history and follow up with attendees!
How does it work?
Loopd is able to provide information and promote engagement with two devices: Bluetooth beacons and chips located in lanyards! Beacons are placed around the venue and communicate with the chips around guests’ necks to allow for location-tracking tools. For guests to share networking information, a simple tap between their badges can help exchange all needed information! Talk about convenient. To receive materials from any booth you visited at the event, a quick look to the app will give you access to all the fliers and promotions from the exhibitor! As event planners, you are able to track how successful your event is with real time analytics and to see what attracts the most guests.
Why we love Loopd!
Aside from the networking capabilities and analytics, Loopd also cuts down on check in and check out times! Event planners always find ways to cut down on waiting times to prevent boring guests, and Loopd is an amazing solution. With this technology, guests are able to cut down on their carbon footprint by networking through the badges instead of passing out business cards. Also, it eliminates the need for printed fliers since it can be shared through the app!
Have you had to opportunity to use Loopd or interested in 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 Startup Monday: Modsy
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 Modsy – the company who wants to revolutionize the way we decorate our homes!
What is Modsy?
Founded in 2015, Modsy was designed to tackle a common problem: how will you know if the furniture you buy looks good in your house? If you’ve ever furnished or redecorated a house, you know it is a huge feat and involves tons of guesswork. Modsy wanted to make home design fun and easy to cut down all the trips to the furniture store. How? By letting their customers “try on” furniture!
How it works
If you’ve ever played The Sims, you’re going to love this! First, you snap a couple pictures of your space and include the measurements, and Modsy will create a 3D model of your space. Then, their team will create a personalized room design based on your vision, budget, and layout needs. If you’re not the biggest fan of the furniture, not to fret! Here’s where your personal touch comes in: you are able to swap out furniture to your liking. If you are head-over-heels in love with the customized design, you can also buy the furniture directly from the layout! There goes the trips to the furniture store out the window!
Why we love Modsy
We love Modsy because decorating our homes used to be a process that entails nail-biting, stressful guesswork in the middle of a showroom! We can see how experts would design our space and also switch elements out for a personal touch! As event planners, we would love to to see if it could use it to design spaces for events! It could be a fun way to try out new designs.
Will you use Modsy? Have you worked with them before? 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 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’s Startup Monday: Nurx
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 Nurx!
Nurx
Nurx, sometimes referred to as the “Uber for birth control,” is a free app for your smartphone device. Essentially, this company is dedicated to eliminating the headache of going to the doctor’s office for birth control. It also means not having to sit uncomfortably in a waiting room, dodging eye contact and hoping you don’t have to make awkward small talk. Hooray!
You simply download the app and provide as much information as you can. You can also chat with a doctor if you have any questions about the contraception! Afterwards, a doctor will review it, and the prescription will be delivered to the customers house, free of charge! If you are uninsured, it’s not a problem! With the information you provide, the doctors can help you find a brand that will fit your personal preference and your budget.
Why we love it!
Nurx is a company founded by women for women! The app gives women the opportunity to access contraception, like the pill, the ring, or the morning-after pill, especially those who cannot readily access it. Also, it was created to be convenient for women who are always on the go; they help you without breaking the bank too!
Do you use Nurx? How do you like it? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!
Startup Monday: Winnie Helps Parents and Kids Explore
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on, or have worked with in the past & would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events! Today’s Startup Monday highlights Winnie, a great app for parents to use to find places to go for them and their kids!
Nominated for “Hot New Startup” at this years upcoming TechCrunch Crunchies Awards, Winnie is helping parents across the US, as being a parent can be a lot of work. Finding places for you and your kids to go can be an added difficulty. With the help of Winnie, parents can make weekend plans a lot easier!
Features of Winnie
Find Child Oriented Activities
Winnie allows parents to find the nearest changing table or best place for nursing. It also addresses those looking to go out to eat with kids. Users can select filters such as: places with highchairs, kids eat free, and kids menus to make choosing a restaurant easy.
Stories are Reviews for Parents by Parents
No need to scroll through reviews for relevant information. The stories portion of the app gives parents the opportunity to review places they have been while addressing the needs of parents. You can also post pictures of kids having a great time while putting cute stickers over their faces for privacy!
Planning a Weekend Getaway with the Kids Made Easier
Traveling with kids can be a huge source of stress. The app lets users jump to other locations, making finding things to do on your vacation a lot easier. Parents can avoid worrying and focus on enjoying exploring a new place with their kids!
Click here to download the Winnie app.
Will you be using Winnie? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: Top 5 Bay Area Events 8/19/16 – 8/21/16
Happy Thursday everyone! Are you as excited for the weekend as we are? From the Pokemon World Championship Viewing Party to the Pacific Sound System Summer Boat Party & After Party, there are so many events happening. To help you plan the perfect weekend, ABCey Events has compiled a list of the top 5 Bay Area events for our Weekend Lineup!
Top 5 Bay Area Events
1. Pokemon World Championship Viewing Party
Fri, 8/19/16 | 12pm – 8:30pm | Free | Razer Store San Francisco
Even with all of the Pokemon Go coverage, we still miss the good ol’ days. What are they? Pokemon cards of course! This Friday, you can watch the Pokemon World Championships and relive your childhood. Although the championship isn’t open to the public, you can check out the action at the Razer Store’s viewing party! In addition, this party will have tons of raffles and giveaways. If you’re a Pokemon fan, dress up in your best costume and play Pokemon Go with the masses!
2. Startup Basecamp Motel Launch Party
Fri, 8/19/16 | 6pm – 8:30pm | $10, buy here | Startup Basecamp
As you grow older, it’s harder to find and connect with like-minded people! Thus, Startup Basecamp was created to give entrepreneurs, startup professionals, investors, and digital nomads a place to both live and work! Not only is this a cheap alternative to hotels but it also gives professionals a way to connect. To celebrate the opening of their newest motel, Startup Basecamp is hosting a launch party with an open bar, refreshments, and a DJ. Come join in, network, and connect!
3. Noise Pop’s 20th Street Block Party: Food & Music Festival
Sat, 8/20/16 | 12pm – 6pm | $5-10 suggested entry donation, $95-Headliner Experience tickets | 20th Street Corridor
Do you like music? Love great food? Want to support a great local cause? If so, head over to the Mission district and hangout with 15,000 people at this SF block party hosted by Noise Pop! On 19th & 20th Street, between Bryant and Harrison, this block party will fill the streets with alternative indie music from a variety of artists. There are 17 neighborhood food vendors, 29 craft business/artisan vendors, a cooking demo and more! You can get the VIP treatment with $95 Headliner Experience tickets or pay the $5-$10 suggested entry donation. But these funds are going to an amazing cause: the Mission Language & Vocational School! Also, if your 21+, go to the pre and after party for even more fun!
4. Bloom Festival & Campout
Sat-Sun, 8/20/16-8/21/16 | Sat, 11am – Sun, 7pm | $50 – $130, buy here | Lake Sonoma Resort
If you love electronic music festivals and camping, then this is the event for you! The Bloom Festival will have artists performing all day long, so break out your camping clothes and gear to stay warm. In addition, Jeno & Garth, DJ M3, DJ Sharon Buck, and Harry Who are just a few of the amazing performers at this festival! This event is all ages, but don’t forget to bring your ID! In addition, CalGang Thai Eatery will be there to give you amazing food and beverages. You can also take advantage of Lake Sonoma and bring a boat, or rent water equipment. Best of all, parking is free! Come enjoy the music and camp out under the stars this weekend at one of the top Bay Area events!
5. Sunset Sound System Summer Boat Party + After Party
Sun, 8/21/16 | 5pm-11pm, after party: 10:30-2am | 21+ years old | $70, buy here; after party $5 with boat ticket, $10 without | Pier 3
Climb aboard the San Francisco Spirit this Sunday for an evening of great music and lots of partying! On this boat party, you’ll get to hear tons of great beats from DJ’s Galen, J-Bird, and Solar, and special guest, Chez Damier! Then, head over to Monarch for the official after-party. Don’t miss this opportunity to mingle, lounge, and dance the night away!
Which one of these Bay Area events will you be attending? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
Startup Monday: DoubleDutch-Live Engagement Marketing Platform
Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on, or have worked with in the past & would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events! In today’s Startup Monday, we highlight a live engagement platform and mobile app: DoubleDutch!
As event professionals, we always try to create better experiences for our event attendees. It’s also important we have right tools for the event to run smoothly. Afterward, we really want to learn from the event, so that our next one is even better! So, how do we manage all this information? With DoubleDutch, you’re able to do all those things and more!
DoubleDutch Live Engagement Platform:
This company’s main product is their live engagement platform, which helps everyone from sponsors, attendees, planners, exhibitors, and marketers! Under this platform, there are 5 different sections: Studio, Event App, Lead Manager, Performance Manager, and Exhibitor Portal. All of these applications help to improve the event process and the overall success of the event!
Studio
First, customize your app and plan your event with DoubleDutch’s Studio! After you create the perfect app that matches your brand, use Studio to send out event invites to promote your app and event. In addition, manage your event content including: agendas, interactive maps, event information, user profiles, and more. And thats not all! You can help your sponsors advertise their posts, achievements, and activity to your guests!
Event App
Having an app for your event will be sure to impress attendees, but it’s also great for event professionals and will make your guests’ event experience so much easier! For event producers, the DoubleDutch Event app lets you give out attendee lists, surveys, polls, Q&A’s, direct messages as well as set up gaming aspects and forums. Also, attendees can create their agendas, and see profiles of sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers!
Performance Manager
Learn what worked and what didn’t with their Performance Manager! During the event, you can easily see how the event is going, what your guests like the most, poll/survey results, and more. Now you have tons of info that tells you how your event went and valuable insight for the next ones!
Exhibitor Portal
Your event exhibitors and sponsors will love Double Dutch too! Because the Exhibitor Portal lets exhibitors contact and understand their attendees, they are set to have a better booth and business! From customizing exhibitor’s app profiles and scheduling meetings to managing staff and giving offers to guests, there is nothing this app doesn’t do!
Lead Management
Finally, their platform has a Lead Management application to help you market your event! It looks at attendees’ actions, interests, and engagement, so that you can make informed decisions. Also, your attendees will love when DoubleDutch gives them recommendations on connections/sessions based on their activity at an event! Try their demo and see how DoubleDutch can improve your events!
Integration and Security
Are you currently using a different registration system? DoubleDutch has the answer! In addition to their platform, this company has added integration features that allow you to combine schedules, profiles, etc. from more than 100 other registration systems! They make it that easy!
You can also integrate with Salesforce and Marketo to have the best marketing campaigns and CRM services! Now you can use their platform with the info and work you already have. There are also security measures that make sure your data and event is safe!
Are you planning to use DoubleDutch? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
#TechTuesday: Affectiva – Emotion AI
#TechTuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming technologies for their innovative ideas and impact on the event world! This Tuesday, we are introducing Affectiva, a leading emotion recognition technology company!
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming the next big thing in the tech industry, and we are seeing startups making impactful changes. Co-founded by Rana el Kaliouby and Rosalind W. Picard, Affectiva is a leading startup that brings you emotion-aware AI! This is great for events because this technology lets you track your guests’s engagement level!
You can also integrate secure, emotion data to your apps with Affdex Software Development Kit (SDK) and APIs. allowing you to get more data about your customers and guests! However, Emotion as a Service gives you an alternative to simply send in videos to get emotion data, at low cost! Also, its Offline Lab Solutions allows you to further analyze and study emotional behavior by using biosensors!
Add Emotional Intelligence into your Digital Experiences with Affectiva!
How it works:
Affectiva uses a combination of computer vision and deep learning technology to analyze online facial expressions. Here are 3 solutions that are being offered!
1. APIs & SDKs
Affdex SDKs and APIs are now available for companies who want to integrate its software into their products. With SDKs, you will be able to capture your customers’ emotions in real-time when they are using your products. This software is available on iOS, Android, Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux devices. Now you can improve your platforms even more with Affectiva’s APIs, as it provides high accurate analytics, surveys, and interaction!
Try their demo here, and contact them at gaminginfo@affectiva.com if you are interested!
2. Emotion As A Service
Instead of using SDKs and APIs, you can use “Emotion as a Service”. This cost-effective service lets you send in your videos for analysis instead. You will be able to accurately measure your customer’s emotions. Also, you don’t need to set up or integrate anything! So contact them at sales@affectiva.com to get started!
3. Offline Lab Solution
Offline Lab Solution gives users more detailed reports. Because it uses biosensors such as Eye Tracking, EEGs, and more, you can now understand your customers’ emotional behavior on a deeper level. Learn more about it here!
Why we love it:
Affectiva is quickly becoming a prominent startup in the tech industry. The reason is simple! It lets us know how users feel and react in regards to our brands and products. This allows for improvement and will help create unique experiences that people enjoy.
Planning to use Affectiva? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!