I'd like to kick-off the week by recognizing a few start-ups that consider to be A-List. In order for your company to make the grade you had to fulfill the following criteria: 1) be founded no earlier than 2007 2)product or service had to be within the fashion/tech vertical 3) company vision or product must be truly innovative. Please note, that I have also not listed the companies in any particular order.
TryMyFashion
Vital Stats: Founded 2008 w: trymyfashion.com t: @trymyfashion
The Skinny: A microblogging service targeted to the fashion vertical. Partnered with several 3rd party apps (twitterfeed, twhirl, blackbird) to make it easier to post your 140 character updates. The monetization model will be focused around contextual advertising primarily targeted around fashion and entertainment. Look for media kits this summer. TryMyFashion is also looking to offer strategic services to help brands connect to consumers on a more personal level...
Why their A- List: It's a great solution for advertisers who want to break through the clutter of twitter and are looking to target the fashion/luxury niche. The company's founder, Patrick Phelan, has an extensive consulting background with ad agencies and retailers, making me think he has the chops to keep TryMyFashion around for awhile..
Tigerbow
Vital Stats: Founded 2007, w: tigerbow.com, t: @tigerbow
The Skinny: Send actual gifts to virtual places. Tigerbow has brilliantly innovated a way to convert the recipient's virtual address (twitter, facebook, email) to a physical address, never revealing this personal information to the person who sent it. It's completely stalker-free! Check out their facebook app that pulls in your friends and upcoming events: http://tinyurl.com/tigerbow . This is not the only exciting opportunity to come. Stay tuned!
Why their A-List: Amazon, who? They are reinventing gifting. With the recent news that baby boomers are the fastest growing target of social networks, Tigerbow is poised for unprecedented growth. The Facebook app was a brilliant move and after talking to company founders, David Levy and Carter Page extensively about future plans, I think everyone should use the 'bow!
MyItThings
Vital Stats: Founded 2007, w: myitthings.com, t: @yuliz (founder)
The Skinny: One of the first and leading online fashion publications for user-generated content. They have revolutionized the perspective of the editorial fashion community by giving passionate writers an Anna Wintour-like power, influencing trends. Championing fashion for design's sake, in May '08, the first annual "It Designer" contest was held in search of that undiscovered talent. This contest drew over 100k votes from the community across 5 finalists, eventually launching the spring collection of one lucky "It designer" Wakana Koike. Subscribe to their off-the-cuff "My It Things" webisodes, free to download from itunes!
Why their A-List: Founder Yuli Ziv has done a tremendous job in keeping her brand message cohesive, a tall order when running a user-generated site. I personally am a writer for the site and I enjoy the frequent writing contests and the ability to connect with like-minded individuals, who are as passionate about fashion as I am! I give alot of credit to Yuli for personally changing the way the fashion world views bloggers.
Proper Cloth
Vital Stats: Founded 2008, w: propercloth.com t: @propercloth
The Skinny: Took Made to Measure virtual. Thanks to technology and really smart programmers, Proper Cloth has made it simple to custom make a shirt online. Choose your fabric. Choose your cuff, collar and pocket. Want to stand out? Add edge with fabric inside the collar and cuff. Fabrics are imported from Italy but made in the US. Their size database has the largest selection of standard sizes but you also have the option to include your custom size, as well. Check out their Proper blog for great style advice.
Why their A-List: The user interface is clean and simple, possibly the best out their for virtual MTM. I am hoping to see more fabric selection soon. I give founder, Seph Skerritt alot of credit. He is not afraid to try new things. Proper Cloth is constantly evolving and I really like the direction it is headed.
Smashing Darling
Vital Stats: Founded 2007, w: smashingdarling.com t: @smashingdarling
The Skinny: A third party platform that allows independent designers to set up "stores" showcasing their designs-clothing, accessories and jewelry. They currently have over 300 designers now have a voice and a cost-efficient way to reach consumers. The site is easy to navigate for e-commerce, shop by Boutique if you are die-hard, or by target audience or specialty. The Darling founders - Trish Ginter (trish darling) and Julie Rorrer (Julie Darling) along with Maureen Puia (Mo Darling are passionate about their business with backgrounds in fashion and arts, respectively so the commitment it takes to cater to the needs of both consumers and merchants is unfailingly.
Why their A-List: They didn't let a little thing like EBay stand in the way of their dream. They saw a niche and successfully conquered it. Kudos for giving indie designers a place to call home. The Darlings are constantly evolving their biz - strengthening and empowering their merchant community by offering social media webinars. They also give back to the community by sponsoring Charity events, most recently SM4SC, which benefited City Harvest.
Klickable.tv
Vital Stats: Founded 2008, w: klickable.tv t: @klickabletv
The Skinny: Klickable.tv gives the end user value add in video by essentially making the content within it, klickable. For advertisers, it increases engagement and interaction within the video and ultimately to conversion. According to their data, klickable video is 1.4 times more engaging then a flat video which makes sense when you have contextually relevant placement. Monetization and product cross-sell is possible with klickable video.
Why their A-List: The co-founders, Roger Wu and Emily Gannett are the dynamic duo ready to change the way people engage with video. With their film and media backgrounds they understands the struggles of the tv v. video fight and are ready to tackle it head on, providing advertisers with creative and innovative solutions to capture audiences and conversion. For all of you advertising and media junkies, check out the klickable blog where they often hold trivia games and you can win a prize! It's one of my favorite things! :)
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post where I give you my top 10 list of company founders....
Recent Comments