Preview: Start-ups at Stirr
Four Web 2.0 start-ups hit the stage at the monthly Stirr event tonight. Here's a preview.
I'm heading down to the Stirr mixer shortly, where, before Sun's Scott McNealy talks with the audience about entrepreneurship, I'll be moderating pitches from four start-ups. Three of them I've covered previously:
Attendio makes a system that automatically feeds your calendar with events it thinks you'll find interesting (let's hope it gets the times right).
Confabb is a conference directory. Rumor has it the site is soon to be acquired. Maybe we'll find out tonight.
JobCoin is a hosted job board service that I think is really clever.
The fourth company is Collaborative Drug Discovery. In a nutshell: Open-source development concepts applied to drug creation. I can't begin to explain it better, let alone critique it. But if you've ever felt that you needed a more efficient way to upload your high-throughput enzyme inhibition and high-content cell assays, check it out.
On the consumer side, see also Mepath[blog post], an initiative to create public drug trials, or at least make it possible for clinical drug users to compare their experiences (efficacy and side effects) with other people.
I'll also be looking for other interesting Web 2.0 companies at the event. I often find the most intriguing start-ups by talking with event attendees, not by hanging out with presenters. Come find me at the event if you've got a good pitch.