Internet startups are making a comeback in 2012. Business owners are recognizing how they can improve efficiency, productivity and facilitate discussions through technology. Relationships are even nurtured when friends can share information and ideas through convenient applications. As the mid-point of the year approaches, there will be five up and coming Internet startups that have captured the attention of the business community. Determine if any of these applications hold any relevancy in your life.
1. Coursekit
Coursekit is an innovative new Internet startup whose goal is to turn courses into communities that facilitate discussions and relationship building. This process enhances the learning experience. When people get to know each other, the classroom expands beyond the twice per week lecture. Instead, conversations are fostered throughout the week. People will share ideas and make the learning experience interactive rather than traditional lectures, which are primarily a one-way discussion. Joseph Cohen is Coursekit’s co-founder and CEO.
2. Rocketr
Rocketr facilitates collaboration and helps people innovate faster. This forum is ideal for exchanging ideas, notes and fostering conversations. Online notebooks can be posted online and notes can be shared and edited. Members of the community can add to the notes once the notebooks are made public. Notebooks may also be held private and access given to authorized individuals only. Jet Cooper is the founder and CEO of this social note-taking community. With the help of Andrew Peek, Rocketr has launched its product to market quickly.
3. GiftRocket
GiftRocket allows consumers to send gift cards to people via email. The gift cards may be purchased on the GiftRocket website. GiftRocket’s website is sourced from Yelp’s business listings. The gift cards may be redeemed via smartphone. The gift card is turned into cash that is later deposited in the recipient’s PayPal account after the “Redeem” button is selected. This is a novel concept because the consumer can simply pay by cash, credit or debit and expect the deposit when the transaction occurs.
4. Food.ee
Food.ee combines and catalogues all local restaurants into a single location. Famished food connoisseurs can find and order the food they most desire. The application is incredibly intuitive. Food.ee makes recommendations for restaurants based off preferences and even remembers past orders at restaurants. The application can even determine what entrees friends like the most and what their recommendations are at each restaurant. No longer do friend have to call friends for recommendations before a big date or client dinner. They can simply use the application for instant feedback and recommendations.
5. MBA Watch
This application is recommended for aspiring MBA students who want to be connected to a group of business students. Students connect with business people in the community to learn more about business opportunities and real world applications. This information helps to educate and bring people together. Learning becomes interactive with MBA Watch.
Consider How Internet Startups Can Change Your Interaction With the World
Many of the up and coming Internet startups mentioned are related to education and learning. Since many people went back to school to refresh their skills during the recession, many applications were designed to help people in the educational community. CourseKit, Rocktr and MBA Watch are each applications that are expected to significantly facilitate collaboration and enhance learning opportunities. Both Food.ee and GiftRocket are more universal but are still relevant in an educational community.
As the year unfolds, only time will determine how these Internet start-ups will shape the way people interact with others. There are numerous other startups to mention that are gaining significant recognition in the business world. These applications are particularly notable because they are changing the way that people interact with one another. New applications will influence the development of future, more relevant applications.
Sarah Williams is a business accountant and contributor of the How To Become an Accountant Guide at Become Career, a website with detailed information and guides on career choices.
Image: cc licensed flickr photo shared by woordenaar
