Top startup accelerator, 500 Startups, recently unveiled its latest batch of startups in Silicon Valley. Batch 14 consists of 34 fledgling companies seeking the brass ring. They run the gambit of services and apps in a variety of markets, which you can read more about in the 500 Startup blog announcement. This article covers 4 of the most interesting companies in the batch.
StackShare
StackShare is aimed primarily at the developer/programmer audience niche, providing them with a tool to survey the most popular software being utilized and by who. Users can check out what’s trending or drill into more specific categories. They maintain a wealth of information about each program on dedicated pages. For example, you can look up the popularity, the number of stacks it is deployed in, read reviews and see which companies are utilizing it. Amidst the sea of options out there, StackShare will greatly reduce the time developers need to find the right software for their clients and evaluate the platforms they are currently using.
MonkeyLearn
There has been a great deal of buzz surrounding the field of artificial intelligence lately, so MonkeyLearn’s platform is hitting the scene at just the right time. A common misconception about AI is that it uses a specific set of instructions that were conceived by the programmers from the very beginning to deal with every possible situation the program may encounter. However, the modern method for developing AI systems takes a more organic approach by starting with some basic software rules and then “teaching” the AI to identify trends and patterns it can refer to as it grows. MonkeyLearn provides users the ability to perform “machine learning” through a simple, elegant interface and thereby develop some amazing programs. Several pricing tiers are offered, primarily based on the number of queries the AI will make per month. There’s even a free version that offers limited access to the system and is an excellent way to evaluate the benefits of their platform.
Concepts
Developed by TopHatch, Concepts is a lightweight design app that can be utilized on portable devices like an iPad. With the maker revolution in high gear, the power to create your own CAD designs with such an easy to use interface will definitely make a huge splash. Since the app can be launched on mobile devices, designers can work on their concepts anywhere the inspiration strikes them. Designs can be imported and exported in a variety of formats, like svg, png, dxf and psd. Plus, with cloud connectivity, they can be shared with design groups with just a swipe and a tap. The app is free to download and comes with basic color and sketching tools. In-app purchases offer upgrades and expansions depending on your particular design needs.
Stamplay
Another startup with the developer community in its cross-hairs, Stamplay offers a unique platform for programmers to build, deploy and host their web-apps. More specifically, their API program acts as a hub through which an app can connect to other software without the need to program specifically to those APIs. This means that, as a developer, you can spend more time designing your app, user interface and feature-set, instead of wasting countless hours configuring it to patch into other programs. Pricing for the service is based per app and includes a stamplayapp.com subdomain, hosting and varying amounts of API calls, storage and bandwidth. The Core plan, which is offered for free, starts you off with 50k API calls, 100GB of bandwidth/month and 1GB of storage. Since the plans are based per app, multiple Core plans can be utilized for each app you develop.
Along with the other 30 startups in Batch 14, it certainly looks like 500 Startups will have plenty of opportunities to celebrate success.
