Technology
5 Tech Startups That You Need to Know
Tech innovation is moving at the speed of light, and thanks to TechCrunch Disrupt SF, 485 startups gathered to showcase what's next. Here are our top picks to follow.
SAN FRANCISCO — Disrupt SF, TechCrunch’s platform for all things startup, has been gathering the “best and brightest entrepreneurs, investors and hackers” together for an annual network-a-thon since 2011.
Its recent 2017 iteration didn’t disappoint. It’s like Willy Wonka’s factory for tech fans; just replace chocolate eggs and Fizzy Lifting Drinks with everything from e-commerce and fintech to robotics and virtual reality. One startup is developing what it calls “a morning-after pill for chicks.” (Chickens, that is.) Another has developed a facial recognition program whose sole purpose is to track down stolen nude photos that might have ended up in some dark corner of the web.
What a time to be alive.
It’s almost an arduous task, sifting through the 485 participating startups. As usual, a few struck a chord with Red Bull more than others. These are the five companies we’ll be keeping our eyes on.
1. wrnch
WRNCH
© Courtesty of WRNCH
Geeks lost it when Montreal-based software engineering company, wrnch, introduced BodySLAM, a body-tracking program that uses artificial intelligence and computer learning to track and process human motion in real time. What does that even mean? Think of your favorite CGI character. Let’s take Caesar in "Planet of the Apes," aka Andy Serkis in motion capture suit. It’s fairly straightforward: Multiple cameras around set track his movements, which are then sent to animators who go in and build the new visual. Boom. We have a talking ape. It’s a process that happens in several steps, not in real time. There have been a few relatively unsuccessful attempts to create 3D cameras, or cameras with an invisible third layer that adds depth to the equation, though none have really taken off.
BodySLAM says forget the multi-stepped motion capture, forget the 3D camera. Instead they’ve created a camera that uses machine learning to sense dimension in real time. It’s a smart camera — a very smart camera — that generates depth the way most cameras can only spit out a 2D image, a move that could potentially change the way we experience anything caught on camera, from motion pictures to live sports.
2. Styku
Styku
© Courtesy of Styku
Whether it’s proposing goals via number of steps walked or turning every day into a competition within your network, fitness technologies that use flashy incentives to “win” at health are a dime a dozen. Styku, a system that generates its precise measurement, seeks to motivate its users a different way: by showing them exactly what they look like.
“Simply stand on the turntable and hold still for 30 seconds, while the platform spins!” the company’s website reads. As you rotate, Styku’s Microsoft Kinect V2 camera compiles “millions of data points in less than 30 seconds” via a 46-inch-tall sensor tower. The ensuing 3D model then tracks various changes in body and health metrics, things such as body fat percentage or disease risk. And while the overall effect is a bit TSA body scanners meets the Jetson’s personal trainer, a product that offers such detailed analysis of any and every type of athlete (not to mention its ability to assess risks of obesity-related disease) could appeal to fitness professionals across all genres. Which, for those of you keeping score at home, might eventually translate into interest, sales, success — just so long as Styku’s marketing can prove its technology surpasses a trainer with a tape measure enough to justify the price tag.
3. Prinker
Prinker
© Courtesy of Prinker
Without naming names, let’s all just take a moment to think about the worst tattoo we’ve ever seen. Does your friend also have a typo on his ribs? Cool.
Meet Prinker, the non-permanent, pain-free alternative to a lifetime of saying, “Yeah, I thought it was funny at the time.” Created by Korean startup SketchOn, Prinker is a device about the size of a coffee mug that allows punk-curious consumers to design and print temporary tattoos onto their skin in roughly three seconds. Korea is the definitive leader of the cosmetic industry, so it’s no surprise that each tattoo (which lasts about two days) is non-toxic and crafted from high-quality certified cosmetic ingredients.
Those of you looking for new tools of self-expression will have to wait, though. Currently, the printers are only available for businesses to rent, with plans for a standard retail version to be released in 2018.
4. GamerLink
GamerLink
© Courtesy of GamerLink
Calling all LFGers! GamerLink’s mission is exactly that: linking gamers to other like-minded gamers. So, for those of you looking to grow your esports groups, it’s easy. Jump on the app, add games you own (across any platform) and indicate which you wish to party up with. This information goes onto a live feed of others who are looking for groups, and can be as detailed as it needs to be. Want to use a mic? Want to detail your specific heroes? Create your own cocktail of GamerLink “beacons” (essentially hashtags) to refine your search.
The app has been praised for its ease and intuitive nature — a must if you’re more worried about spending your energy on the actual game, not finding the game.
5. RecordGram
RecordGram
© Courtesy of RecordGram
Every iteration of Disrupt features a Startup Battlefield, a startup competition that allows new companies the opportunity to present their work to VCs and various leader of the tech world. The winners get $50,000, bragging rights, and, of course, a nice shiny trophy.
RecordGram, winners of the 2017 Disrupt in New York, returned to the Disrupt stage, this time as presenters in San Francisco. The app makes it easy for people to not only create new beats and videos, but to share them with a worldwide network. In their own words, RecordGram is “a mobile recording studio where aspiring artists can find beats, create songs and get signed.” You could say it gives its artists wings.
According to co-founder Erik Mendelson, the company is profitable thanks to a $90 annual subscription, and $4.99 charge for producers to lease the tracks (non-exclusively). It’s a model set up in part by Mendelson’s team of co-founders: Grammy-winning music producer Winston “DJ Blackout” Thomas and Shawn Mims, who you might recall from the 2007 hit “This Is Why I’m Hot.”
And who does RecordGram have its eyes on?
"Of course music technology is my first passion,” Mendelson said, “and Red Bull Launchpad winner Specdrums immediately caught my attention. Not only am I buying Specdrums but I'm recommending that all my family and friends support them as well. Such a cool technology for all ages to engage with music creation."