Snapette wants to be the Foodspotting for fashion

Leena Rao is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school of the Medill School of journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007 she helped lead efforts for advocacy and community relationships Congressman Carloyn Maloney in New York. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003 where it was ... ? Read More

Foodspotting is a popular way to share photos of your favorite foods and dishes with your friends. Today Snapette is trying to take Foodspotting in model and apply it to fashion. Starting a startup, which is part of the accelerator 500 startups is free iOS application, which enables women to discover and share the photos in the shop by location and recommendations.

You can snap photos of your favorite bag, top, footwear accessories, jeans or other fashion item, select your location, comment on, where did you find a product (that is what the store) and then Snapette. And other users can view products close to their current location or their favorite store or brand.

Women also can see what elements are trends throughout the world, to a certain location. And other users can comment on pictures and tips and recommendations. Each user has a "virtual closet" profile page that gathers and showcases photographs of things gave they snapped like and want, and you can also place your ' Snapettes ' on Facebook and Tumblr.

In a separate section of the application, called collections, Snapette features boutiques in New York, LA, SF and London. Start actually has partnered with select retail partners for Snapette users with an exclusive view of the current products of these shops.

View the original article here

DuoDater wants to make online dating more social and less uncomfortable (offers here)

RIP Empson-writer at TechCrunch. He did not find friends here, he is here to win and you don't forget it. You can contact him at rip [at] techcrunch [dot] com ? more

Last month, Nick Paumgarten penned a lengthy article for The New Yorker detailing the growth of online dating and the impact it had on Web culture. Among other things Paumgarten implies some eye-opening statistics on the industry, including the fact that paid dating sites have become collectively, billion-dollar industry that "one of the six new marriages is the result of meetings on Internet dating site", and that online dating is now the third most common way for people to meet.

While most early blush (or stamp) around using an online platform for continuing relations wear, some friction, which has always been there still exist: from awkwardness in online networks, the potential risk of meeting eStranger, relying on algorithms to find your "compliant", etc. and more ironic for the interaction between intermediaries, most online dating sites to connect users with new people, while remaining detached from their actual social life. As Paumgarten, online dating is still remains inherently isolated.

Michael wig and Andrew Flachner, founders of the new dating site called DuoDater, agree that there are still some very fundamental problems with the current approaches to online dating (and, well, dating in General). The creation of an online dating profile can be difficult; It's hard to find the correct thing to say about yourself that will help site, either algorithmically or not, will help to pick the right person said the co-sponsors. Not to mention the facts that messaging stranger may be somewhat arduous process, and meet them in person without much background, awkward and sometimes unsafe.

Thus, the San Francisco startup offers a platform that aims to be a bit more social and less intimidating, that model championed by current dating sites: double date. DuoDater is aimed at men and women in their 20s and 30s who want to communicate and meet new people with the co-pilot. The co-founders, think that by allowing users to have a friend with their parties on the date, the interaction may be more natural and (we hope) a less awkward way to communicate and make friends.

DuoDater also built in such a way as to make a dating profile less nerve-racking process. The site offers "profile", the Duo only requires users to write a few sentences about myself individually, to the main attraction is included for creating joint description of steam daters can work together to fill. Flachner said that, so far, DuoDater in users find this less problematic and easy approach to dating profiles.

The founders also think their model provides a higher level of accountability than is generally characteristic of Individual dating, as users are less inclined to use a trick photo corners and exaggerated or romanticized descriptions of when they know, a close friend will see it and can call them on it.

DuoDater also adds a "featured Topic" idea, so new users can get up and running more easily and get out there and test the model.

When I asked whether they had considered the founders dating option group, they said that their market research and due diligence have shown that users prefer double dating with the latter because it still provides a level of intimacy that makes the experience feel like a real date, not the packages (PA) with handle, social gathering.

The founders said that, although there are several successful group, dating sites, profile group to take attention away from individuals and organizations access to a large group of people can be a hassle is that many are familiar with.

Of course the inherent risk to DuoDater in the model is one of the major players in the online dating space, like Match.com, PlentyOfFish and eHarmony, OK Cupid, you can create your own double-dating service and quickly have run to beat in terms of user base. But Flachner said that he thinks DuoDater is well positioned as an alternative, because it focuses on the casual atmosphere of double dating and centered around the events and experiences, instead of relying on algorithmic models (potentially less "human" approach) to connect to specific people.

DuoDater offers an interesting spin on traditional dating model and, indeed, it is surprising that this model is not something that is done on a large scale. Of course, this may be justified; without a paid model this is hard to learn to make money and double dating organically bring their own problems. DuoDater is currently free to use, and start the initialization of at this point, it will draw on its beta version to test the waters of whether this approach truly viable and scalable. Fee-based premium service may be at its future road map, too.

For readers who want to do some early test double dating platform click over to DuoDater.com and enter code "techcrunch" invite for access.

Let us know what you think.

View the original article here

The useless wants to be your Go-To online resource for Outdoor Gear (and give you cash back)

RIP Empson-writer at TechCrunch. He did not find friends here, he is here to win and you don't forget it. You can contact him at rip [at] techcrunch [dot] com ? more

For outdoor inclined, there are hundreds of places to make the online purchase of equipment and clothing. Outdoorsmen and women can just site their favorite brand, whether REI, backcountry, Moosejaw or Patagonia, but there's really not much in the way of aggregating in outdoor retailers. (Although there are European sites such as GearZone.) As comparison shopping, loyalty discounts and coupon sites removed in niche verticals, naturally, the outdoor industry find their way into the mix.

Active startup junkie, founded in 2009 that again this week, aims to be a niche resource, which brings together the largest brands in outdoor gear and clothing industry and allows users to share their opinions on these retailers and get cash back for shopping.

The active addict cooperates with more than 100 branches, including those mentioned above, to create a competitive market for retail sale, which will vie for the biggest names new clients based on how much cash back they could earn by using Active useless, which, given the price of a new pair of skis may be of interest to fans of the cash-strapped outdoors.

The active addict is essentially a type of Ebates model for industry cash back open, in which users can browse through the site's database of over 80 000 items to compare prices from retailers by clicking on the site of the seller to buy the product, earning cash for every purchase. (ShopStyle encounters on the open market of Ebates).

Every 3 months, active useless cashes out of the user account created, after which he will recharge account at Paypal or donate the money back in one of the non-profit partners, startups, such as the Nature Conservancy.

However, the goal here is not just to create clean coupon or deal site, copy and paste of Ebates or fat wallet model, says founder and CEO Kevin Mcinerney, but to create a full-featured community in the world of sport outdoor action. The active addict not only allows users to compare prices of equipment from the outdoor brands and make purchases, but also offers content on adventure, action sports news, original videos, as well as reviews of gear from writers and users of the site.

In the near future, actively useless plans to roll out of the remuneration system, a la Gogobot or Consmr, where users would be incentivized to write detailed, in-depth reviews of products and equipment. More reviews of users and the more they are active on the site, they will receive badges and awards, as well as discounts and deals from its launch retail partners. The site also has "social wall" where users can keep tabs on their friends buy and browse and publish recommendations or suggestions for gear.

In its current form active useless is positioning itself as affiliate marketing platform for open brands, drive traffic to Web sites of these brands and, through partnerships, taking a cut of income from sales and marketing efforts. Although brands in all industries using affiliate marketing through the rewards program, loyalty, comparison shopping and all third party strategy for some time, the user is often unaware of such partnerships, and how to compare or cash back site (both active useless) profit from this relationship.

McIerney said that he wants active useless as far as possible be in these forms transparent and instruct the users of the site of the Commission, which it receives from its retail partners, including offering lionshare those profits for their users.

"In the end, as this user, and because it's their cookie we hunt, we want our customers experience the upside of these relations, McInerney said. "We want our customers to trust us, and we believe that transparency and benefit sharing is a good way to do this."

The active addict currently raised $ 150 K in Angel funding and expects further investment as it moves forward with its awards program.

For more check out the video below and let us know what you think. As an active useless better meet the needs of users and become the go-to resource for niche industry outside?

View the original article here