The Startup Factory

Mira Inc. is a New York-based company that specializes in crowd analytics for digital advertising. Founded in 2014, the company has developed a platform that customizes outdoor advertising screens according to the interests and demographics of individuals in proximity to those screens. This innovative approach allows advertisers to serve more relevant content based on the anonymous measurement of the average consumer at specific locations, such as Times Square or shopping malls. In addition to advertising, Mira's platform offers clients valuable insights into consumer behavior by analyzing demographic profiles and interests of visitors to their physical locations. This capability enables businesses to better understand their audience and optimize their marketing strategies.

BoomboxFM is a direct-to-fan distribution platform designed to support independent artists by facilitating music discovery and streaming. It allows users to explore a curated selection of undiscovered music tailored to their individual preferences. By providing a personalized Boombox page, the platform enables fans to connect with new music and artists. Through this service, BoomboxFM aims to enhance visibility for indie musicians and foster a direct relationship between them and their audience.

AnyCloud is the only secure web service where consumers can centrally find, manage, and enjoy all their photos – from any photo service, cloud storage, social network, or email – neatly organized on one web site. Given the flood of photos that consumers have spread across multiple services, AnyCloud provides a central portal that helps them save time and enjoy their photos more with family and friends. The AnyCloud team has deep expertise in managing distributed services through centralized portals within companies like Fanfare, SkyPilot, and Turnstone. The team understands the complexities of deep API integration with 3rd-party services, knows how to build and scale cloud services, and has experience with exposing APIs to external developers. To complement the team, AnyCloud has recruited an advisory board from companies like Mint, LimeLife, and Lemon with significant experience in consumer customer acquisition, partnerships, and branding. AnyCloud has five provisional patents already filed to provide “credential brokering”, which allows users to share and transfer content between online services. AnyCloud is the only software-only company that is poised to provide consumers with an easy-to-use and elegant solution to managing and mastering the flood of digital photos from across their connected life. Given that the AnyCloud service does not actually store content but instead acts as a software bridge and portal across services, AnyCloud operates strictly as a cloud software company.

CareLuLu is an online platform established in 2013, headquartered in Oakland, California. It specializes in connecting parents with licensed daycares and preschools across select metropolitan areas in the United States. The company's marketplace enables parents to search, compare, and find childcare options tailored to their family's needs, offering detailed provider information including tuition rates, photos, hours, and verified parent reviews. CareLuLu aims to simplify the process of finding safe, affordable, and high-quality child care and early education for families.

Orate is a marketplace for event organizers and public speakers to find one another, providing access to more opportunities for both. Orate's mission is twofold: 1) Make the task of finding quality speakers, with any size budget, quick and easy; 2) Assist speakers in the transition from an unpaid, emerging speaker to a paid thought leader Organizers can find, book, and provide feedback for speakers all in one place. Speakers can create a profile, search for events seeking speakers, and market their brand on this one simple, yet comprehensive platform. Join us on www.orate.me.

Our mobile-first, real-time feedback platform captures true audience sentiment, increasing participation and conversions. We are personalized, two-way feedback for the mobile generation.

SnapYeti Inc. is a North Carolina-based company that provides a platform for users to share photos while competing for prizes and promoting meaningful causes. Launched in 2013 and headquartered in Raleigh, SnapYeti allows individuals to engage with the platform for free, rewarding them for sharing their snaps. For businesses, SnapYeti offers a unique opportunity to incentivize customers to promote their brands through personal photo sharing, leveraging the power of word-of-mouth recommendations among friends and family. This approach capitalizes on the fact that a significant majority of consumers trust brand endorsements from their social circles over traditional marketing methods. Through initiatives like Snapfest, businesses can encourage their customers to showcase their affinity for products or services, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.

ImNext Inc. is a company based in Oklahoma that operates a website designed to help users locate local contractors, including plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians. The platform facilitates connections between customers and service providers who are available for work. Additionally, ImNext offers a mobile application called ImNext For Contractors, which enables contractors to update their location and availability, thereby enhancing communication with potential clients. The company focuses on streamlining the process of finding reliable home service professionals for users in their local areas.

Bring Me That is a technology platform that facilitates online food ordering from a wide range of delivery restaurants throughout the United States, including those without their own online ordering systems. This innovative service addresses a significant gap in the market, as over 100,000 delivery restaurants do not offer online ordering. Currently, Bring Me That enables customers to order from more than 40,000 restaurants across all 50 states, with plans to expand access to nearly 100,000 restaurants. The platform allows users to select from local dining options and provides a seamless delivery experience, complete with secure payment methods, thereby enhancing convenience and efficiency in food ordering.

Curagami is a company that specializes in content curation and marketing solutions, focusing on crowdfunding content from various online sources. Its innovative tools are designed to assist small to medium-sized businesses in identifying, funding, and understanding key conversations that can influence their brand strategy. By utilizing gamification techniques, Curagami enhances the user experience and fosters sustainable online communities. The company's services aim to streamline the process of content curation and social marketing, ultimately helping businesses achieve profitability and growth in the digital landscape.

PopUp, Inc. is a North Carolina-based company founded in 2012 that has developed a location-based social communication application for iPhone. The PopUp app allows users to leave messages, such as jokes, tips, reviews, and updates, tied to specific physical locations. As users move through their day, they receive relevant information from friends and trusted brands directly on their phones, rather than through a traditional timeline. Additionally, users can create their own popups to share insights with their followers, enhancing the discovery of local information. The platform empowers individuals, brands, and content publishers to connect with their audiences by delivering context-rich content at designated locations, making it easier to engage with the environment around them.

Sell more by knowing who clicks your email links and visits your website with RocketBolt's intelligent lead tracking.

Brevado is a technology company based in Hauppauge, New York, specializing in creating interactive visual timelines for project-based businesses. The platform enables users to outline their processes through milestones and steps, facilitating collaboration between teams and clients. As tasks are completed, both clients and team members receive automatic progress notifications, ensuring that all stakeholders remain informed throughout the project lifecycle. Brevado's intuitive and user-friendly design allows clients to easily monitor project status without being intrusive, fostering effective communication. Additionally, clients have their own accounts to provide feedback, comments, and upload relevant files, enhancing collaboration and transparency in the project management process.

Trinket is an innovative open-source teaching platform that facilitates the creation of interactive class websites. It allows educators to develop, prepare, and deliver their courses seamlessly in a single environment. The platform supports coding and collaboration directly in web browsers, making it accessible on any device without the need for logins or software installations. Trinket emphasizes the sharing and reuse of open content, enabling teachers to find and exchange high-quality lesson plans and curriculum materials with peers. This streamlined approach enhances the teaching experience by fostering collaboration and resource sharing among educators.

Our artificial intelligence technologies learn your likes and interests to serve you what you’ll love.

4Soils is dedicated to engaging the mobile generation, particularly children, with their faith through interactive Bible content. The company develops a range of iOS applications designed to present Bible stories in an engaging manner. Its flagship product, Bible Heroes, combines storytelling with games, reading features, and music, while also offering a portal for parents to monitor their children's engagement. In addition to this, 4Soils is preparing to launch Sproutville, a mobile virtual world for children, which will serve as a platform for partners and further enhance its offerings. The company's products are available both as bundled applications and as individual story apps, ensuring accessibility for a wide audience.

Tuee is a guest relationship management (GRM) tool designed for service-based businesses, particularly restaurants, to enhance customer retention and operational efficiency. The company utilizes a tablet system to gather experiential and contact information from a significant portion of guests at the point of sale. This data enables Tuee to deliver immediate operational alerts, personalize communication through email and social media, and implement loyalty campaigns. Currently, Tuee operates in 67 restaurants across eight states, focusing on fostering personal relationships between businesses and their guests.

Bring Me That is a technology platform that facilitates online food ordering from a wide range of delivery restaurants throughout the United States, including those without their own online ordering systems. This innovative service addresses a significant gap in the market, as over 100,000 delivery restaurants do not offer online ordering. Currently, Bring Me That enables customers to order from more than 40,000 restaurants across all 50 states, with plans to expand access to nearly 100,000 restaurants. The platform allows users to select from local dining options and provides a seamless delivery experience, complete with secure payment methods, thereby enhancing convenience and efficiency in food ordering.

Tuee is a guest relationship management (GRM) tool designed for service-based businesses, particularly restaurants, to enhance customer retention and operational efficiency. The company utilizes a tablet system to gather experiential and contact information from a significant portion of guests at the point of sale. This data enables Tuee to deliver immediate operational alerts, personalize communication through email and social media, and implement loyalty campaigns. Currently, Tuee operates in 67 restaurants across eight states, focusing on fostering personal relationships between businesses and their guests.

TabSprint Inc., based in Durham, North Carolina, develops a mobile application aimed at enhancing the payment process in bars, clubs, and restaurants. The app allows users to order drinks and pay swiftly using their mobile wallets, eliminating the need for traditional tab management at point-of-sale devices. This results in faster service and reduced transaction overhead. Additionally, TabSprint provides information on local drink specials, full bar menus, and prices. The application is currently available in select venues within the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.

Rented.com operates a wholesale marketplace focused on short-term rentals, providing homeowners with options for guaranteed income or commission-based earnings from their properties. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company assists property managers by granting access to new rental properties. Rented.com specializes in revenue management services for vacation rental managers, utilizing industry expertise, data, and pricing tools to enhance their clients' profitability. The company emphasizes the importance of tailored pricing strategies, adapting to market changes to optimize revenue potential. By leveraging Rented.com’s services, property managers can experience significant revenue increases while saving time, allowing them to concentrate on other aspects of their business.

Taggs, Inc. is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based company that operates a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform focused on visual content marketing analytics. The platform provides clients with tools for data collection, cross-platform comparisons, and industry benchmarking, which help brands and agencies enhance their social media engagement. By utilizing advanced analytics and machine learning, Taggs enables businesses to analyze their visual content in real time, ensuring that their advertising strategies remain aligned with current trends and achieve maximum engagement. Notable clients include ALDO, Tommy Hilfiger, Lancome, and Avon.

TabSprint Inc., based in Durham, North Carolina, develops a mobile application aimed at enhancing the payment process in bars, clubs, and restaurants. The app allows users to order drinks and pay swiftly using their mobile wallets, eliminating the need for traditional tab management at point-of-sale devices. This results in faster service and reduced transaction overhead. Additionally, TabSprint provides information on local drink specials, full bar menus, and prices. The application is currently available in select venues within the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.

Offline Media, Inc. is a technology platform that provides users with curated access to local events and experiences. Founded in 2012 and based in Raleigh, North Carolina, the company focuses on helping individuals discover engaging activities in their cities. By leveraging users' LinkedIn profiles, Offline creates a professional event platform that enhances networking opportunities. The service hand-picks various local events and activities, editorializes them, and delivers personalized recommendations directly to users. This approach encourages exploration and fosters a sense of community, ultimately aiming to help users develop a deeper appreciation for their cities and lifestyles.

AI Patents is a company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializing in the development and operation of an innovative patent search engine. This platform allows users to input inventive concepts using natural language, enabling them to quickly retrieve highly relevant patent information without requiring extensive expertise in patent searching. By leveraging advanced algorithms and insights from patent examiner reports, the search engine enhances user queries with related technical terminology, presenting a ranked list of pertinent documents. AI Patents caters to a diverse clientele, including Fortune 500 companies, patent pools, tech startups, and individual inventors, serving their needs in business development, legal departments, research and development, and valuation. The company’s software-as-a-service offering streamlines the patent search process, making it accessible and efficient for various users.

Able Device, Inc., established in 2012 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializes in providing SIMbae licensed software and tools. These solutions enable purpose-built machines, such as utility meters and security systems, to embed and execute remote monitoring and control applications directly on a mobile operator’s SIM card, eliminating the need for an external CPU. This approach simplifies development, reduces costs, and future-proofs machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. Able Device serves developers and service providers, offering a patented technology that revolutionizes wireless architecture in various industries, including remote monitoring, point-of-sale, and security systems.

Alekto Corporation, founded in 2012 and based in Durham, North Carolina, specializes in managing consumer transactions and credit scores through its innovative transaction management system. The company addresses the prevalent issue of erroneous credit reporting, which can lead to significant financial losses for consumers. By offering a patent-pending service that ensures accurate credit report updates, Alekto helps individuals avoid the complications and costs associated with correcting credit errors after they occur. The company’s focus on preventing credit reporting mistakes empowers consumers to achieve better loan rates and access essential services like credit, housing, and employment, thereby enhancing their financial well-being.

Arcametrics Systems is a provider of online advertising services that specializes in enhancing the effectiveness of digital marketing through advanced correlation and pattern recognition technology. The company offers full custom "lookalike" audiences, enabling advertisers to target consumers with a high likelihood of converting on specific offers. By leveraging predictive analytics and extensive data assets within an automated workflow, Arcametrics delivers significant insights and consumer targeting capabilities to advertisers of varying budgets. Early adopters of the platform have reported an average threefold increase in campaign return on investment, highlighting the effectiveness of Arcametrics' approach in reducing waste within online advertising and maximizing the impact of marketing efforts.

Entasso, Inc. is a talent market platform based in Durham, North Carolina, established in 2011. The company specializes in job search services, aiming to connect recent college graduates with entry-level positions. Through various interactive tools such as games and quizzes, Entasso allows users to showcase their skills, interests, personality, and preferences. This innovative approach helps employers articulate their hiring needs, including cultural fit and specific skills, while matching them with candidates who demonstrate the desired qualities. By facilitating ongoing relationships between employers and well-suited candidates, Entasso streamlines the hiring process, reducing the challenges associated with traditional job boards and applicant tracking systems.

RxAnalytics helps athletes improve their fitness and health by providing personalized recommendations driven by predictive analytics. Founded by PhD geneticists and statisticians who are collegiate athletes and competitive CrossFitters, RxAnalytics combines in-depth domain expertise with proprietary machine learning analytics to create a novel platform for behavior, training and performance analysis. One individual, one roadmap to increased performance, fitness and health.

Berst is a mobile app that makes it really easy to connect around a moment, a time, and a place. Our lives are a series of events and Berst uses your location as the primary means of sharing your thoughts and photos with others.

Ruzuku, Inc. is an online software company based in Durham, North Carolina, founded in 2012. It offers a platform designed for authors, coaches, speakers, and consultants to create, host, and sell online courses and coaching programs. The platform enables users to develop engaging learning experiences and fosters the creation of activity-based learning communities. Ruzuku focuses on providing easy-to-use technology that facilitates the sharing of knowledge and enhances learning efficiency for everyday users. By allowing individuals to engage with invited participants, Ruzuku helps clients expand their businesses and improve their educational outreach.

Optimere, which encompasses ArchiveSocial, Monsido, and NextRequest, specializes in providing solutions for compliance, risk management, and digital governance. ArchiveSocial offers a social media archiving service that automates the capture of content and metadata from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, ensuring that organizations remain compliant with public records laws while mitigating risks associated with social media usage. Its comprehensive features include continuous archiving, advanced search capabilities, and customizable retention rules, catering primarily to government entities, law enforcement, and various sectors such as financial services and healthcare. Monsido focuses on website management and accessibility, helping organizations enhance their online presence, while NextRequest streamlines public records requests, promoting transparency and efficiency in government operations. Together, these companies empower organizations to manage their digital communications effectively and maintain compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.