8 ms·
Y Combinator Summer 2013 Demo Day, Batch 2
- patmcguire 13y agoRegalli's not a bad idea - you go into any of the hispanic neighborhoods in New York and there are wire transfer locations all over the place. They're something like 2% of Mexico's GDP. Major, major demand.
- subdane 13y agoSeniors as an emerging market? Interesting that there's companies intentionally targeting seniors - Amulyte, True Link and even arguably Soundfocus.
- dlinder 13y agoBaby Boomers (those born after 1945) are entering retirement.
- twakefield 13y agoThere is a huge demographic (baby boomers) in the U.S. that are becoming seniors [1]. That probably has something to do with this phenomenon. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boom
- Udo 13y agoThe augmented reality glasses (Meta) sound very interesting - picking up where Google fell flat.
- zeckalpha 13y agoHowever, they need to change the A in the logo from: |=| |=| | | to: === |=| | | because I read it as METH.
- Lifebot 13y agoI've thought about the idea Butter Systems does countless times while eating out. Very cool if it works out. If flexible WIFI-enabled electronic-paper ever comes to fruition, you could make authentic paper-like menus that are interactive. I think that's still 10-20 years out there.
- namenotrequired 13y agoI have, too. For me, personality of the service is one of the reasons why I'd eat in a restaurant so I didn't think it would work out (yet), but I'd gladly be proven wrong here.
- Lifebot 13y agoYea, that's one of the big problems I've pondered too. Which brings up another thought: Does a party tip less if they do the ordering themselves?
- jkaunisv1 13y agoThe key for me is the stuff like "fill my water glass" and "check please" - you can never get the waiter's eye for those, it seems. I like what the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co does in this regard - a simple red/green two-sided sign that you flip to red when you want a waiter, otherwise they will ignore you. Beautiful.
- robflynn 13y agoI agree. That also takes care of the overly attentive server as well. I had lunch with some co-workers a few weeks ago and the server stopped by our table so many times that we could barely have a conversation. It was mostly to ask us how everything was... over... and over... and over. I appreciate check ins but there are upper limits to their effectiveness. :)
- ngoel36 13y agoYou would think Sam Brin could have asked Sergey to fund the company.
- smickie 13y agoIt's that time of the year again, where you have several minor heart attacks reading through the list of start-ups that might just be one you're about to launch. On a another note, I have to say one that really stands out to me is True Link. The old-people credit card, my grandad has almost fallen for online scams before and I think all would happily get our grandparents this peace of mind. Brilliant idea that one.
- cwilson 13y agoI actually think this is a good idea for everyone, not just old-people, and I'm curious as to why it's being marketed this way. My parents and siblings have all had issues with this. In fact, the worry I have is that they will pigeon-hole themselves into being a product for old people. When they go to expand to other markets (which according to their demo day pitch they will be), they may run into brand issues. No one, not kids, 20 somethings, or middle-aged people, want to feel old or be associated with anything that might make them feel that way (have you ever heard or seen someone rant about receiving an AARP letter in the mail?).
- rdl 13y agoThey can re-use the back end and banking relationships when moving to non-old-people markets, but I think they'd be better off using a new brand for cards for under-18, cards for normal people, etc. Going 100% after the elderly market makes plenty of sense, though, for the future. There already are under-18 products, and elderly are kind of a unique market -- you don't want your parents/grandparents to be scammed, but they have every right to spend their money however they wish (since it's their money), unlike under-18 where it's usually money from parents.
- dmckeon 13y agoWonderful idea, but drop "for old people" and replace it with something less like an elevator pitch, and more like appealing marketing: 'reduced risk' or 'anti-scam'. And then market it to people who are either children of aging parents or parents of younger teenagers - or both.
- 13y ago
- conanbatt 13y agoLe tote is like Neckflix from the series The league. http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-leagues-netflix-for-neckties-is-a-reality,67780/ http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-leagues-netflix-for-neckt...
- rdl 13y agoI had no idea Meta was a YC company until last night. If I had the money, they're the one company I'd invest in -- amazing team (Steve Mann! Probably ahead in 1980 of everyone else in 2013!), great product, great market, lousy competitor (Google Glass). Oculus Rift is more of a long-term competitor, IMO.
- michalu 13y agoApparently http://www.hackermeter.com/ http://www.hackermeter.com/ and https://onemonthrails.com/ https://onemonthrails.com/ decided to split the cost of the stock photo for their landing page and share it.
- ryanglasgow 13y agoThis is what happens when you use free stock photos. The photo in question is taken from Unsplash (http://unsplash.com http://unsplash.com) and can be found if you scroll to the very bottom.
- justin66 13y ago> This is what happens when you use free stock photos. It happens often enough with not-free stock photos, as well. You're not paying for exclusivity in a lot of cases. I worked for a company that rolled out a front page with some office-themed photos which matched a nationwide office supply retailer's page.
- egypturnash 13y agoHaving lived through the nineties, my immediate thought upon reading about Amulyte was OI'VE FOWLLEN! AND I CAAN'T GET UP!!!! [1] Meta certainly looks interesting, but I just keep reading their logo as METH. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQlpDiXPZHQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQlpDiXPZHQ
- Pro_bity 13y agoI think that people need to give Estimote a close enough look. Their sensors could be a huge step in the merging of online and real world retail.
- trin_ 13y agoWow Estimote sounds horrible. Who the hell would want that as a customer???
- diminish 13y agoSee the HN poll for predicting most promising YC S13 startup. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6249141 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6249141