on-demand services
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Starship Technologies CEO Lex Bayer on focus and opportunity in autonomous delivery
Starship Technologies is fresh off a recent $40 million funding round, and the robotics startup finds itself in a much-changed market compared to when it got its start in 2014. Founded by software industry veterans, including Skype and Rdio co-founder Janus Friis, Starship’s focus is entirely on building and commercializing fleets of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots.
Starship invented this category when it debuted, but five years later it’s one of a number of companies looking to deploy what essentially amounts to wheeled, self-driven coolers that can carry small packages and everyday freight, including fresh food, to waiting customers. CEO Lex Bayer, a former sales leader from Airbnb, took over the top spot at Starship last year and is eager to focus the company’s efforts in a drive to take full advantage of its technology and experience lead.
The result is transforming what looked, to all external observers, like a long-tail technology play into a thriving commercial enterprise.
“We want to do 100 universities in the next 24 months, and we’ll do about 25 to 50 robots on each campus,” Bayer said in an interview about his company’s plans for the future.
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Package delivery startup Doorman is shutting down
Doorman, a startup delivering packages when you schedule them will be no more after October 6th, 2017.
The startup sent a letter over the weekend letting customers know it would no longer be in business in two weeks, saying it was “joining forces with a larger team.”
We’re not sure if this joining of forces means Doorman has been acquired or if it’s some other structure. Read More
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Mulberrys is an on-demand laundry startup hoping to clean up where others have washed out
On-demand laundry has proven a tough business for some. Washio folded up its business last year, selling its assets into competitor Rinse. At the time Rinse’s founder Ajay Prakash told TechCrunch the on-demand model wasn’t the most efficient or economical way to handle the dirty business of cleaning clothes. But now Mulberrys, a new cleaning competitor in the Bay Area, hopes to… Read More
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Verifly launches drone insurance by the flight, and on-demand in the US
A startup called Verifly is making insurance on-demand, and per-flight, available to drone users today with a new mobile app and service that’s been in the works since late 2014. The service launches just in time to support a burgeoning consumer and commercial market for unmanned aerial vehicle use in the U.S. Read More
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In defense of the Uber-ization of everything
I recently posted on Facebook a short rant about digital transformation for established enterprises. The skinny is that there are endless amounts of why and barely no opining on the what or how when it comes to executing any kind of digital transformation of your business or industry. Not surprisingly, Uber got caught in the crossfire and became the subject of the comments. Folks declared how… Read More
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As on-demand startups fizzle, Zirx moves cars for other companies, not individuals
Zirx was originally created as an app that let individuals order valet parking service, on-demand. But facing crushing costs, the San Francisco startup recently shifted its focus to the “mobility” needs of businesses. Now, Zirx gives companies free-to-use software, called the Zirx Mobility Services platform, that they can use to have their vehicles moved around in time to get any… Read More
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On-Demand Darwinism: Survival Of The Fastest
When it comes to evolution, many focus on those special specimens that survive, known as the “fittest.” But what about the losers? Those that couldn’t adapt and simply fell off the merry-go-round of life? In startup-land we have a healthy obsession with failure that helps drive iteration and, in turn, survival — and hopefully massive success. Read More
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“Desksourcing” Is A New Labor Market Concept In The Mobile-First World
I’ve always been fascinated by how labor markets work. People are the foundation for how things get done. How we organize across and within companies impacts both creativity and efficiency. The first big labor market shift in my lifetime that I can remember was outsourcing. Fueled first by globalization and ignited further by Internet connectivity, arbitrage opportunities in labor… Read More
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Why Homejoy Failed … And The Future Of The On-Demand Economy
On the heels of Homejoy’s failure, the fundamental “on-demand marketplace” model has come into question by investors, the media and even consumers. That questioning is very relevant, as there has been an overload of VC money that has been injected in the on-demand service platform space over the past few years ($4 billion-plus in 2014). Read More
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Startups Serving The 99 Percent Will Be the Next Billion-Dollar Companies
Many fast-growing companies in Silicon Valley have one thing in common: they cater to a small, affluent, urban population — the 1percent. Residents in high-cost cities like San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles can order an array of goods and services from their mobile phones. These startups, including Uber, Instacart and a host of food delivery apps like Munchery, GrubMarket, Blue… Read More
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