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Stirr wrap-up, part 2: Assorted Web 2.0 appetizers

Startups not presenting at Stirr: Allth.at, Collanos, EmbraceMobile, H3, KidConfidence, RB-Apps, Weebly, Zenter.

Rafe Needleman Former Editor at Large
Rafe Needleman reviews mobile apps and products for fun, and picks startups apart when he gets bored. He has evaluated thousands of new companies, most of which have since gone out of business.
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Rafe Needleman
2 min read

As I suspected, there were interesting Web 2.0 finds in the audience at the Stirr event. Many of these online products are still being built, but they're interesting to experiment with:

    • Allth.at: Lets you set up custom, persistent searches. In other words, you can tell it which sites to search (Google, eBay, Technorati, etc.), and which sites to exclude. You can also have the system alert you when there are new results in your searches. Somewhat redundant for those of us who use RSS agents (like Google's) to track keywords on the Web, but has the advantage of working with more than just feeds.

  • Collanos: Online workspace for teams. Peer to peer. Shades of Groove. Requires a download, but looks conceptually simple, which is something one cannot say about all the workspace products out there.

  • EmbraceMobile: Enables polling and market research via mobile phones. Also can be location-based, so if you're signed up for the service, and you walk into a particular store, you might get a text message to take a quick survey. Could be big in Europe and in the US among teens.

  • H3: Think LinkedIn, but with money. If you're trying to hire someone, you put a hiring bounty on the job, and send a note to your contacts. They can also send the note out to their contacts. When somebody finally gets hired, the bounty is split by the person who found the candidate and all the people who forwarded the note to him or her.

  • KidConfidence.com: New site for parents that collects reviews of videogames for kids. Focuses on the playability and educational aspects. It might also scrape reviews from other sites (like other services do). Will be adding other media types (TV shows, movies) in the future.


  • RB-apps: The company is building Web-based apps for business. The two examples I heard about: an event marketing system and an online media advertising billing system. The site is pretty sparse, so it doesn't look like you can try the apps out yet.

  • Weebly: An AJAX-based Web site builder. A new release of this tool is coming soon, which I plan to cover.

  • Zenter: Justin Kan told me about an online presentation app being created by some Y Combinator guys. Looks early stage. Guys: Get it done ASAP if you want Google to buy you.

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