It’s sometimes hard to find the the time or motivation to go to the gym and exercise. It’s often much more convenient to be able to exercise wherever you are. Fitspot offers an app that lets you request a personal trainer to come at home or to the office and train you for a flat fee. […]
Author Archives: bayrock_admin
Bayrock Advisory, Bayrock Ventures, Blacksnow
Iconomi – Open Fund Management Platform For Cryptocurrencies
06
Sep
Sep
Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoins have taken the world by storm and created many discussions in the past few years, mostly in the financial community. Today, an increasing number of people and merchants are using and accepting bitcoins for everyday transactions. One of the technology that makes bitcoins possible is called the blockchain. A blockchain is a distributed database […]
29
Aug
Aug
Launched over a year ago, Triller is a great music video making tool. The app lets you easily create and edit your own music videos in a way that was previously kept for professional recording artist only. After more than 10 millions download, the app is now becoming more than just a tool to create cool music videos. […]
30
Jul
Jul
Roomi has developed a platform that helps you find a better roommate. The company just announced that it has raised an additional $4 million to start expanding internationally. The platform has already more that 375,000 users across the United States and is rapidly growing. More and more people are looking for roommates these days. Rents and list prices […]
26
Jul
Jul
Orchestra One offers a software platform to schedule, bill and communicate intelligently with patients for direct-pay health providers. The company lets doctors and clinics offer a world-class experience to their patients which is unmatched by regular health practices. The system lets patients chat directly with their health providers, automatize payments and even create memberships plan […]
21
Jul
Jul
Great news today as Unilever, the large FMCG conglomerate acquired Dollar Shave Club for $1bn. The move by Unilever is to better compete with its largest rival, Procter & Gamble which owns the historic leader in the shaving category, Gillette. The growth and rise of Dollar Shave Club has been absolutely stellar with great offerings […]
06
Jul
Jul
Instantgo is a new platform that let people search and find people that can provide them with their expertise and get compensated for it. The idea is really for people to make the best of their time when talking over the phone and get paid for the time they spend helping others. Much like lawyers […]
20
Jun
Jun
Earny offers an automated price protection service. Whenever you buy something, Earny will review the receipt you receive in the email and check if there is a merchant that offers a lower price on the item you just bought. Because of the money-back guarantee of many retailers and several credit card companies, Earny is then […]
16
Jun
Jun
CogniFit has just updated its website offering the possibility to users to search, find and buy a large number of independent cognitive assessments and neuropsychological tests online. CogniFit now provide users a new way to decide if they just want to be assessed and then continue with a specific brain training tailored to their needs or just […]
16
Jun
Jun
Tablelist has just announced the acquisition of NightPro, a global venue, ticketing and CRM platform targeted at the $75bn nightlife market. NightPro has already helped manage more than 4 million guests in 22 cities. Tablelist is the leading company provider for real time and online reservations for nightclubs, bars & lounges in the United States, the […]
15
Jun
Jun
Singularity University (SU) is a platform that offers cutting-edge educational programs as well as a startup accelerator among other offerings. On the education side, Singularity University offers live and online executive education programs and conference. On the innovation side, the SU Labs help catalyze innovative projects, companies and initiatives. The university has also a global […]
08
Jun
Jun
Roomi has developed a platform for people who are looking for roommates. Finding the right roommate is often difficult and Roomi offers a numbers of features to make sure that people who gets to live together are making the right choice. With current high real estate prices for most cities in the U.S., the market is rapidly […]
04
Jun
Jun
Rappi offers instant delivery of groceries leveraging a crowdsourcing model through a large network of drivers that delivers online orders to consumers. The Y Combinator startup focuses its efforts primarily in Colombia and partners with large retailers and brands to offer a unique and targeted offering to its user. The demand for ecommerce, online deliveries and instant […]
28
May
May
Planetary Resources, a company specialized in the earth observation business announced that it has raised $21M from investors such as Tencent and Google co-founder Larry Page. The company leverages its Ceres system, a constellation of satellites equipped with infrared and hyperspectral imaging capabilities, to provide real-time, intelligent and useful data to industries such as agriculture, gas […]
21
Apr
Apr
Cabify, which competes in the on-demand transportation market, just announced a large Series C round of $120 million lead by Rakuten, the Japanese e-commerce giant. The round values Cabify at $320 million post-money. Cabify is one the leaders of its market in South America and has also an extensive presence in Spain. The company currently operates […]
19
Apr
Apr
We are all aware than one of the largest and the relatively untapped market for technology in the coming years will be South Asia and most particularly India. With more than a billion people, strong growth rates and the rapid adoption of the latest technologies by the population, the opportunity for digital companies seems endless. One […]
19
Apr
Apr
Trusted offers an on-demand service to help you find child care. The company has developed an app that let you easily pick a time and date and find the right provider for your child. With Trusted, you can directly engage in a discussion with potential child care, review the entire process and get additional information […]
14
Apr
Apr
Managed by Q is the leading company in the U.S. which offers a new way to easily order anything you need to run your office. The goal of the company is to simplify managing and scheduling all the tasks that are usually required to have a properly functioning office. Think about cleaners, assistants, handymen and any other […]
06
Apr
Apr
Knightscope has introduced this week a new indoor autonomous security robot, the K3. The K3 is specifically designed for indoor applications and is an addition to the existing outdoor K5. Knightscope is a security technology company that uses Software + Hardware + Humans to provide its customers with advanced anomaly detection capabilities. Deployment of the […]
21
Mar
Mar
Mattermark, a company that offers tools to discover, prospect and track companies just announced it has raised more than $7M in funding valuing the company at $42M post money. Bayrock has been a big fan and early investor as part of a syndicate for Mattermark since its earlier financing round and is excited to share this great news. […]
17
Mar
Mar
CogniFit has just released its first android application on the Google Play store. This new application delivers the same brain training and cognitive skills assessment capabilities that its counterpart on the Apple app store. With more than 15 languages available and now available on all major platforms, CogniFit offers a way to seamlessly take care […]
25
Feb
Feb
Virtual reality is on everybody’s lips today. We are constantly seeing new products being launched in the market and the largest technological companies such as Facebook and Samsung are investing massively in it. In the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this week, both companies have presented new initiatives to accelerate the penetration of virtual reality. […]
19
Feb
Feb
The secondary market which allow people to buy and sell unlisted shares is an important component of the startup world. By definition, shares and stocks of a startup are usually not listed in a trading exchange and therefore are quite illiquid. People find themselves owning shares of promising companies which they can’t resell easily. The […]
17
Feb
Feb
It seems clear to everyone that India is going to be one of the largest markets for startups and technological companies in the coming years. Large companies such as Facebook and Amazon have already invested billions of dollars to try to get a good position in that market in the future. This vision is not only reserved to large conpanies. We […]
11
Feb
Feb
Most of us have become increasingly more dependent on our smartphones and other electronic equipments to run our daily lives. Because of this reality, we usually dread running out of battery. We try to find a way to always stay connected. In one word, having enough “juice” is something that has become truly important for many of us. […]
02
Feb
Feb
Sproutling, a startup that creates innovative and smart IoT products for children has been acquired by Mattel. The acquisition builds on Mattel’s mission to be a leader in the play, learning and development segments and helps the company further its digital presence. The acquisition by Mattel is another sign that large and well positioned groups […]
01
Feb
Feb
Google which has been reorganized under the company name Alphabet will today offer for the first time a more detailed information about how its different businesses are doing. As the company reports its quarterly results, analysts are looking to better understand how much YouTube, Android and other of its previous bets are contributing to the […]
29
Jan
Jan
When we get first started with a new project, we should have quite a good idea of what we want to achieve and what we are trying to build. The more laser-focus we can be, the faster and the better we will manage the first key steps of the creation of a company. Still, having […]
28
Jan
Jan
We had an interesting business case and dilemma in the last week where we saw an interesting startup that had quite a lot of potential. The company offers an intelligent system for hotels to better manage and communicate with their clients through their phones. You can use the system to order for example new towels […]
27
Jan
Jan
The economy is cyclic. We have period of growth followed by period of deceleration. We all know that and we have witnessed some of the biggest bubbles and period of growth in the last decades. This will always be the case as it is the normal cycle of business. Still, the interesting aspect of this […]
26
Jan
Jan
It is sometimes puzzling how people in an organization can hear the same ideas and concepts and have a completely different take on a matter. We tend to believe that what we communicate is clearly understood by other parties when most often than not, people hear what you say with different nuances. Being able to communicate […]
25
Jan
Jan
We all know how important it is to have the right skills and talent in a company to make it succeed. Still, it is sometimes hard to keep the discipline of spending the right amount of time to find the best collaborators. Because we are in a hurry or because we need to replace someone, […]
22
Jan
Jan
One of the market which has for the moment been relatively protected from technological disruption is the art world. In what is still today a very exclusive world, most sales are done by the leading auction houses or between wealthy individuals through dealers. Recently, some startups have started to look into ways of entering in […]
21
Jan
Jan
Most if not all startups and companies use external service providers to be able to offer their products and services. Having your servers in the cloud with AWS, your company’s email through Gmail, your databases with MongoDB or any other 3rd party extensions shows to which extent we have become reliable to their services to be […]
19
Jan
Jan
Like many people around us, we do believe the virtual reality is going to experience a very important push in 2016 and beyond. Many companies have already received significant investments and this trend is about to continue this year. As the technology of the products underlying the virtual reality revolution is getting more stable and […]
19
Jan
Jan
Many reports have come out this week showing how many skilled jobs will disappear in the future because of technology, robotics and other new ways to work more productively. It is true. New technologies and progress are changing the work environment and many positions and jobs that exist today could rapidly become obsolete in the future. […]
18
Jan
Jan
When we launch a new company or project, we usually analyze how much money we are going to need short-term, make an initial budget and get started. The issue is that most often than not, things tend to take more time that we initially planned and if we didn’t carefully save some extra money, we might […]
07
Jan
Jan
Reports on the exponential increase of the usage of messaging platforms are abundant. Experts believe that 2016 is the year in which more and more people will use messaging platforms instead of traditional social media to communicate. Facebook recently purchased WhatsApp for a staggering amount and Facebook Messenger has reportedly reached 800 million users on its platform. […]
06
Jan
Jan
With the expected explosion of the virtual reality industry and the recent announcement that the first Oculus handset will be shipped in March of this year to consumers, another area of virtual reality is getting some traction. A company called Virtuix has developed one of the first omni-directional platform that lets users physically move around while […]
06
Jan
Jan
VHX lets users create their own SVOD platform and rent/sell their videos online to their audience and even integrate a white label app in the different app stores. This means you can effectively and easily start your own Netflix platform for your content and market it to your audience. It offers another way to monetize […]
05
Jan
Jan
Leveraging existing and new asteroid prospecting technologies, Planetary Resources uses hyperspectral and infrared sensors to detect the composition of materials and measure thermographic properties of materials on earth from space. Planetary Resources is among a number of companies that compete in what is referred as the earth observation business. The idea is to gather new data […]
04
Jan
Jan
The beginning of this year 2016 is filled with substantial uncertainties. China is still heavily suffering which provoke important turmoil and volatility in the financial markets. The Fed just raised its interest rates for the first time in years. The Middle East is prone to constant incidents and geopolitical tensions. Europe’s growth is uncertain. Valuations […]
28
Dec
Dec
With the rapid changes technology is bringing to the healthcare industry, a number of companies are trying to offer on-demand services for in-house doctors and at-home procedures. A similar model exists for a number of years in Europe where people are used to call for doctors to come visit them at home. In the U.S. […]
22
Dec
Dec
Before starting a business, it is always a good idea to go speak wth your lawyers and understand what could be the pitfalls of a certain business. It is usually hard to get a clear thinking on every legal aspects of a project without getting some external advice. Guidance will make you more efficient and avoid you to be lose time in […]
21
Dec
Dec
Some of us have been dreaming for a long time to be able to use robots for a multitude of tasks in our lives. Today, we see how robots are used in factories around the world to produce many of the products we consume or surgeons use them to perform better surgeries. Improvements in robotics have been tremendous […]
18
Dec
Dec
For the longest period of time, many people believed that the Gillette blade business was one of the best businesses in the world. And it was. What better than having very high margins, dominate a market and get consumers that are loyal and constantly use your products. Quite rare in any business and a real cash […]
17
Dec
Dec
For the longest time, the way to incentivize employees and sharing a piece of the action was exclusively through option grants rather than with restricted stick units (RSUs). Stock options offers a form of ownership to employees by giving them the right to purchase stocks in a company after certain conditions have been met (traditionally based on […]
16
Dec
Dec
Let’s get ready. After long battles with American tech companies, the European Union just ratified a new set of laws regarding privacy which are extremely though. Those regulations will make it hard for big tech companies to comply without a lot of efforts, changes and money. For small startups, it will create important compliance barriers to enter the […]
15
Dec
Dec
Did you ever see a unicorn? We didn’t (at least not consciously). A unicorn in the startup world is a company which value has reached a billion dollar. In the tech world, few succeed and many fail. When a company is worth a $1bn and you did participate in its last round, you really (really, […]
13
Dec
Dec
Entrepreneurs often ask us why we are not willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before they send us their project. An NDA is a confidentiality agreement to make sure that the dealings between two parties or more remain strictly confidential. Most serious venture capitalists don’t sign an NDA for most projects. One of the main […]
19
Nov
Nov
Clef has developed a unique technology that allows users to log into websites without having to enter a password through the simplicity of their mobile phones. For website owners, it is relatively easy to add this nice and important feature on their own website through the Clef API in order to offer their users real two-factor authentication.
19
Nov
Nov
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam […]
18
Nov
Nov
We have been talking about the possibility of a tech bubble for couple of years already as the valuation of several startups have reached unprecedented levels. Those companies which valuation are above $1bn are usually referred as unicorns.
16
Nov
Nov
Nearly every devices that we own will soon be connected to the Internet. This is what the industry usually refers to as the IoT (Internet of things). This is creating a big transformation on how we interact with the objects around us and is forcing hardware manufacturers to rethink some of the functionalities and design […]
13
Nov
Nov
Diamonds are truly eternal. A Hong Kong based businessman just bought a $48m diamond for his 7-years old daughter. Not judging the fact that this might be a pricey gift for such a young kid, we are reminded that the diamond business can be an excellent one.
12
Nov
Nov
It’s key to know what not to do in an business as some mistakes can be extremely expensive down the line. We often think about what we need to do next to continue growing our business.
11
Nov
Nov
Alibaba just announced that it sold $14.3 billion in a single day. That number is absolutely staggering and only confirms how fast online sales are replacing traditional sales channels and stores. It is also interesting to note how the gap between successful companies and others keeps growing in today’s global economy. More and more markets are destined […]
13
Oct
Oct
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13
Oct
Oct
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12
Oct
Oct
Saudia Arabia’s decision to further reduce the price it charges for its supply of oil will continue to create pressure on commodities price overall and will continue to rattle the markets in the weeks ahead. We can continue to expect a lot of volatility in the equity market and with the right timing and patience, […]
17
Jul
Jul
Diversification is one of the key difference between entrepreneurship and investing. When you create and run your project, you need to spend most of your time focusing on it if you want to succeed. There are so many elements to be managed that you don’t really have the time to think about something else. On one […]
30
Jun
Jun
CogniFit has just announced the release of its new brain fitness platform for schools and instructors. The new platform allows parents, instructors and kids to easily assess and train a large number of cognitive skills which are important for learning.
13
Jun
Jun
The level of fatigue has a great impact on the ability of a pilot to fly a plane. Fatigue is one of the leading physiological cause of mistakes or accidents in aviation. The U.S. Navy has always been very interested in understanding how fatigue can also affect top pilots. It is critical to be able […]
15
May
May
Many of the services that consumers can get online are free. The most visited websites such as Google, Facebook or Yahoo are free to use. Companies are often the ones covering those costs.
15
May
May
Designed for healthcare professionals, the new version of the CogniFit professional tool is aimed to assess and train patients’ cognition. CogniFit now provides healthcare professionals with a dedicated online platform to track cognition across 25+ key cognitive skills, such as memory, attention and perception. You can find more information on the professional platform here.
07
May
May
We are all aware that the global market for personal computers has been rapidly decreasing over the last few years. In 2013, shipments declined over 10% and another decline is expected in 2014. Many analysts have explained that one of the main reason for this brutal shift is the increasing interest of consumers for tablets […]
06
May
May
When we create a startup, we usually have a bold and grand vision about its future. We want to create a product or a service which will have an impact and change to an extent the existing dynamics in a market.
22
Apr
Apr
The NeuroGaming conference is an exciting venue for the leading companies in neurogaming, neuroscience and other innovative solutions in the brain fitness industry. We are happy to announce that CogniFit’s CEO, Tommy Sagroun, will be talking about the latest developments in the brain training industry and the new solutions CogniFit offers to consumers and professionals […]
22
Apr
Apr
The CogniFit team is very proud to be selected by Senior Homes for a second year in a row for the “Best Senior Living Awards 2014” in their Most Innovative Products category. CogniFit has always developed a large number of cognitive solutions including applications for senior living homes. This second nomination in a row illustrates […]
01
Jan
Jan
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30
Dec
Dec
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16
Dec
Dec
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29
Aug
Aug
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11
Aug
Aug
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