Could Mobile Tech Revolutionize Government?
We may not be seeing it in their actions, but at least on paper politicians are starting to come around to the idea of digitalizing government processes. In an age where everything is efficiently available at the push of a button, why should basic functions like taxes still be operating via pen and paper? (Or […]
The “API Economy” Isn’t a Fad, But It Won’t Eat Backend Tech
“Software is eating the world,” goes the infamous quip from startup investor Marc Andreessen. If that’s true, then APIs are part of a balanced diet for mobile app developers. Sure, the “API trend” that promised developers the ability to patch together complex software with APIs alone never really came to pass, but cloud APIs have […]
VR and EdTech Could Help Shrink the Class Divide
America has a class divide problem, and nowhere is that problem more apparent than in the school system. Programs like Teach For America work against the odds, but the facts remain: students born in the right places with the right level of family stability and income come out far ahead of those without. The question […]
Bots in Developing Economies Are a Major Startup Opportunity
Hindsight is always 20/20, among iPhone app developers as well as anybody else creating products in a fast-paced market. Guessing trends isn’t easy. Luckily, we’re starting to see proven success for two emerging trends, both of which have big growth opportunities for startups that jump in early: bots and developing economies. While the bot trend […]
MedTech and Diversity Themes at Y Combinator S16 Demo Day 1
Y Combinator is lifting the curtain on this year’s batch of disruptive mobile startups. While the products are diverse and often unexpected, a few themes shine through: MedTech and diversity. Seeing health-focussed startups in significant numbers is encouraging, as mobile app developers have been trying to break into the medical industry for years with limited […]
What Is the Role of a Non-Technical Startup Founder?
Non-technical startup founders often get a bad rap in the tech world. This is partly because there’s simply a scarcity of quality technical talent — and partly because many non-technical founders try to jump to the top of the ladder without proving their value. Take a look at Hacker News, Quora, Reddit, Medium, or anywhere […]
To Strike Gold in the IoT App Economy, Eliminate Clutter
Proxy, a mobile app that just raised $1.6 million at the seed stage, highlights a problem that’s plaguing the IoT (Internet of Things) app industry: clutter. Love it or hate it, the Internet is getting connected to everything. The existing standard for connecting objects to the internet is to create a native app that pairs […]
Why Co-Founders Should Learn Basic Coding Skills
If you ever take a look at Hacker News comment threads or the Reddit startup community, you’ll notice a consistent trend: non-technical founders desperately seeking technical co-founders. This trend holds true in real-life mobile app development circles around Silicon Valley (and Silicon Beach for that matter). The difficulty with finding a technical co-founder isn’t entirely […]
Founder Problems: Mobile Advertising Is Fundamentally Broken
Have you surfed the web on your iPhone or Android without an ad blocker lately? I certainly hope not — it’s a dark, cluttered place. For those not using ad blockers, driving down the Internet superhighway feels more like hitchhiking on a shady dirt road. iPhone app developers haven’t had to deal with this problem […]
Startup Blockai Tackles a Big Problem: Copyright Control
If you’re a photographer, artist, or writer, there’s only one way to stop people from ripping off your copyrighted material online: don’t share it with anyone… ever. This is a big problem for startup founders and iPhone app developers, because content is one of the most expensive — and hard to replicate — parts of […]