Wondering what city to start a startup? Then Austin might just be it. Most startups resident here records tremendous growth and success in a short period of time, thanks to a thriving ecosystem of angel investors, venture capitalists, community support and the unrelenting and dogged determination of its ecosystem players.
With VCs such as Austin Ventures, S3 Ventures, Micro ventures and a few other firms willing to help you scale your idea, coupled with additional support from over 10 incubators and accelerators like Capital factory and the Austin technology Incubator, it’s indisputable that Austin is one of the best cities to locate your startup.
The city also hosts a number of tech and startup meetups such as the Austin Lean Startup Circle and Austin Tech Happy Hour; it really is every founder’s dream and it shouldn’t be terribly difficult raising funds for your business.
This is why we are bringing to you in no particular order, a number of startups that have leveraged on the resources and opportunities present in the Austin startup ecosystem to come up with innovative solutions that are helping to shape the world.
Ordoro
Startup Category: Logistics/Ecommerce
Why they rock! – Ordoro handles the task of integrating all orders from different e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and 3DCart (just to name a few) and presents them in one simple easy-to-use format. The company has come up with a very user-friendly web-app that helps business owners manage orders, track inventory, manages your contacts, prints shipping labels and contacts the relevant courier service for pickup. They Early this year, they struck a partnership deal with TPSynergy; a marriage that has birthed the platform’s ability to integrate with EDI Systems.
Atlas Wearables
Startup Category: Wearable Tech
Why they rock! – There are fitness trackers in the market today that are capable of quantifying a user’s movements when swimming, jogging or running but Atlas has taken this one-step further by creating a tracker that is capable of monitoring all the exercises you do like sit-ups, squats etc
It monitors your heart rates and suggests exercises you should be doing. With a myriad of sensors and advanced algorithms, the Atlas wristband is poised to ensure you are not slacking off at the gym.
PatientIO
Startup Category: MedTech
Why they rock! – Patient IO is a software that not only helps doctors monitor their patients’ health, it also gets the patients more involved in their care plan,by helping them keep track of their medications and its effects, reminds them of clinical visits and alerts the medical team of any changes in the patient’s health.
Recently, their parent company, Filament lab was acquired by AthenaHealth – a giant in the provision of network-enabled services and mobile apps for the health sector.
Infochimps
Startup Category: Cloud Computing
Why they rock! – Infochimps is a Big Data servicing company that helps make companies smarter and more efficient by taking away the complex task of building and managing Big Data environments and provides them with the insights they require through a more effective and streamlined process.
The company had succeeded in raising about $2.6 million in VC funding just before they were acquired in 2013 by CSC – one of the world’s largest defense contractors.
Infochimps just recently launched the Big Data Platform-as-a-Service solution for companies.
Nuve
Startup Category: Cargo Security
Why they rock! – This company is making a name for itself in the asset monitoring and protection circles. They are using sensors and smart locks to help transportation companies prevent against fuel cargo theft. These sensors are able to detect at what time and at what exact locations the thefts are taking place.
To boost product development and expand sales, the startup was able to secure $4.4million in VC funds back in 2014 and since then everything seems to be on the up and up for the security company,
Goneapp
Startup Category: Ecommerce
Why they rock! -The startup is holding its own in the e-commerce industry by helping owners get rid of items they no longer need.
They have got an app that helps you sell your item or locates a charity to give it to. The company goes one step further by sending you a box to package the item, sends you different quotes for your item and does all the calculations involved in shipping off the item.
All the seller has to do is upload the picture of the item he wants to do away with .
Able Lending
Startup Category: Fintech
Why they rock! – This startup is helping small businesses who have been turned away by banks for one reason or the other. They provide 1-3 years, $25,000 to $500,000 loans to businesses at an 8-16% interest rate.
The only catch is that you have to be able to raise the first 25% from friends and family and the business has got to be at least 6 months old.
Shelfbucks
Startup Category: Software Company
Why they rock! – Shelf bucks wants to help brands and retail stores increase revenue margins by creating a software that delivers relevant information about product content, sales, coupons, reviews or promotions directly to a potential customer’s phone.
The iBeacon-based Smart Display is incorporated into the brand’s POP merchandising to provide consumers with a convenient but comprehensive shopping experience.
Gamesalad
Startup Category: EduTech
Why they rock! – Gamesalad is a mobile game development company but what’s so amazing about their approach is that the company wants to help simplify the process of teaching programming.
They have created a simple drag-and-drop interface to help beginner programmers design and publish complex games without the need for writing a single line of code.
Edgecase
Startup Category:
Why they rock! – Edgecase wants to help make your navigation experience on e-commerce sites a whole lot faster and smarter.
They are also helping retailers increase their revenue margin via the Edgecase Product Intelligence Platform – an adaptive platform that analyses customer preferences and helps optimize the data required for a high-level e-commerce experience.
Remark
Startup category: E-commerce servicing company
Why they rock! – This startup is helping make video collaborations easier and faster.
A team of people collaborating remotely or physically on a video file no longer have to scribble down notes on sticky pads or notebooks because Remark streams timestamped comments and suggestions so you no longer have to battle with the traditional method of collating and implementing feedback.
Favor Delivery
Startup category: Logistics
Why they rock! – This startup delivers anything you need in under 60 minutes. For a very small fee, the startup is available to help you deliver or pick up any item you require.
The startup is able to accomplish this feat with the help of geographically dispersed”personal delivery assistants” or “runners.”
Do you know of any other startups that should have been on this list? Do let us know by leaving a comment in the section below and we would be sure to review and include them in subsequent editions.
