It is unlikely that today there are those who have not heard about the concept of a startup. In this article, we have identified 5 successful Russian business projects in 2016, in our opinion.
1. Bevan
Bevan is an inflatable sofa. The creator of this project was a start-up Nikolai Belousov. The highlight of the Bevan is that no equipment is required to inflate it. It takes 15 seconds for Bevan to assume his form. Waving it in one, then in the other direction, it will be filled with air. Nothing complicated, right? Bevan fits in a small backpack, no more than 35 cm long and 15 cm wide, weighs about 1.5 kg. Holds air for about 12 hours, after which it is necessary to repeat the process to fill with air. In April 2016, the project raised 3,890,140 rubles instead of the planned 1 million rubles.2.Prisma
Mobile app Prisma, which was developed by an employee of the Mail.Ru Group, has been in the top of the App Store and Play Market for a long time. The main feature of the application is that with the help of its functionality, you can process photos in the styles of paintings by famous artists. The app was released in June 2016, and by early August, 1 billion photos had been processed using the app.3. Football
Startup FootyBall is a football club for preschool children. Many might have a question: "What is unusual in this project?". The fact is that three-year-olds are not taken to sports sections. Footyball is an exception. Children from 3 to 7 years old study here. This project earned 10 million rubles on the crowdinvesting platform.4. Multicube
MULTIKUBIK is a great find for parents. With it, the user can watch from photos to cartoons on any surface. MULTIKUBIK will be an excellent replacement for modern gadgets for children. The child's vision will not deteriorate, due to the moderate brightness of the reproduced picture. Through a successful crowdfunding campaign, the project raised $150,000 to launch sales, doubling the original goal of $75,000.5.Flash safe
Flashsafe is a flash drive, thanks to which the necessary information is uploaded to the cloud online storage. The author of the "endless flash drive" is Alexey Churkin. Using this device guarantees anonymity, security of data storage and access to them from any device. Flashsafe is presented as a key to access the necessary information at any time, freeing the user from entering a password, login, etc. This project was not initially noticed by investors. Later, he was noticed by the President of the Russian Federation and received partial funding - 250,000 rubles.Be bolder, more proactive and more determined! Don't be afraid to bring your ideas to life. Investors are looking for new lines of business where competition is kept to a minimum.
In their blog on Medium, a selection of projects that the team has “big hopes” for in 2016.
Airtable - interactive online tables
Service for collaborating teams on tables: it provides the ability to attach files to cells, several types of content, integration with popular tools. The team also develops applications for smartphones.
Leanflix - search for popular video services
Leanflix allows you to search for movies simultaneously on Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, HBO. Filters, sorting and the ability to create lists are also provided.
The Pitch is a podcast where startups pitch their projects to investors
A podcast aimed at a startup audience: the show includes interviews with investors, founders of Internet projects, as well as online pitches.
Readbug - Netflix for Magazines
Subscription magazine reader service.
Klets - messenger for company websites
A simple online messenger for websites that, according to the team, installs in one minute and works on any device.
Altexo - 3D video streaming service
The Altexo team is developing a technology that allows you to make online broadcasts of various objects in 3D format - "3D skyping", as noted on the startup's website.
Humai - life extension project with the help of artificial intelligence
The Humai team is creating technology that can copy a person's consciousness into a bionic body. According to the team, the computer interface will allow you to interact with sensors and thus feel the environment.
Humai has already received a patent for the technology.
Hivy - office manager
The service allows you to keep track of everything related to the office: from the supply of office supplies to the reservation of meeting rooms and vacations.
Company: « Civil aircraft Sukhoi
What does it offer: aircraft for the transport of professional athletes SportJet by Sukhoi
What is the price: more than $35 million
The brand, famous mainly for fighters, bombers and attack aircraft, in 2016 offers a product on the market that, unlike the Superjet 100, can be called unique. The world's first aircraft designed to carry athletes around the world is equipped not only with seats that monitor the condition of athletes and report it to doctors, but also a separate "zone wellness procedures and recovery” (unfortunately, there is no bathhouse, but there is an exercise bike), a diagnostic complex and equipment for physiotherapy. Coaches are promised a separate area for analysis of matches and theoretical training. In the summer, SportJet was presented at the Olympics in Brazil, but so far nothing has been heard about those who want to buy it. The catalog price of a regular "Superjet" is about $35 million, that is, a sports one will probably cost more. However, if we assume that it is supposed to carry athletes, who, together with their talents, often cost even more, then the investment may well justify itself.
Company: WHOOP
What does it offer: smart bracelet
What is the price: $500
On the one hand, WHOOP is another smart tracker in the world of dozens of the same, on the other hand, few of the competitors were lucky enough to be on the wrists of players in the NFL, MLB, NBA and the English Premier League. In basketball, in general, it came to a small scandal: one of the Cleveland players received a warning from the league due to the use of the WHOOP. In the summer of 2016, 20 American Olympians also used the bracelet, including swimmer Ryan Lochte, who was disgraced in Rio (which proves that WHOOP can do a lot, but is not omnipotent). The system, developed by Harvard graduates, analyzes the work of the athlete's heart and skin condition around the clock, is able to very accurately determine the levels of stress and fatigue, and with them the time needed to recover. In general, this is a medical diagnostician who is always there. Since November 2016, the bracelet can also be bought by amateur athletes, but so far only in the United States.
Company: NIX
What does it offer: biosensor for athletes and not only
What is the price: unknown
The Boston-based company is working on a solution to a small, but certainly important problem: NIX is developing a sensor that can analyze sweat and determine the level of hydration of the body. It is expected that a disposable device that does not require power sources will help not only athletes, but also, for example, soldiers, as well as those who work in conditions that suggest the possibility of dehydration and the problems that follow it: low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, etc. e. A nice bonus of the NIX project: a graduate of Moscow State University (although not only) Ida Pavlichenko is developing it.
Company: Trainerbot
What does it offer: 24/7 ping pong partner
What is the price: $379
The project of the brothers Alexander and Harrison Chenov, who, according to legend, spent their childhood at the tennis table, is a small (fits into a backpack) robot that can play ping-pong. To be more precise, Trainerbot can only serve, but not return balls, however, this was enough for the project to get into the accelerator and raise $258,000 on Kickstarter. The first commercial samples are promised to be sent to customers in May 2017.
Company:"Interprocom"
What does it offer: analytics for yachtsmen
What is the price: from €1000
The information-analytical system "RegataScope" (and by the name it is immediately clear that the product is Russian) is a tracker for sailboats that can build 3D models of the movement of ships in real time and analyze them on the go. Perhaps not the most unique idea, firstly, it is backed up by the talents and competencies of the creators (the ideologist is a former top manager of IBM and SAP), secondly, it has already been successfully tested at major competitions, and thirdly, it aims at a very niche and understandable market . About 12 million rubles have already been invested in the project, and at least at the first stage Interprocom is going to help out at least $1 million.
Company: horsecom
What does it offer: headphones for horses
What is the price: $149
It is unlikely that many people knew about this, but horses are able, firstly, to listen and hear music, and secondly, to respond to it. Taking advantage of this knowledge, Horsecom developed a set of two devices: a device for the rider and a device for the horse. It is assumed that during the race both of them will be able to hear the same melodies and interact (only the rider, however, has a microphone so far). The kit comes with an app that gives you access to a special equine soundtrack (eight new tunes every month) and lessons in dressage and animal handling.
Company: Fuse Mobile
What does it offer: app for football referees and Apple Watch
What is the price: for free
Players have sensors, a coach has a tablet - this is no longer news, but the judges of all technologies over the past few years have got only foam, which draws the boundaries for the wall during free kicks (and not always successfully). Fuse Mobile decided to intervene in the situation and released an application for Apple Watch called GOREF, with which the referees can measure the time and record the match. In addition to being such an obvious idea, the product turned out so beautiful that it was awarded the App Design Award 2016.
Company: Rent-a-ref
What does it offer: Uber for judges
What is the price: Price on request
Another referee service that solves an equally obvious problem: Rent-a-ref allows you to find and invite a qualified referee to the game, as well as immediately pay (in a good way) for his services. So far, the service is available only in the US, but the problem exists in other countries, which means that a solution may also be in demand.
Company: lettr
What does it offer: virtual autographs
What is the price: from $10 per signature
Created by a veteran of the first campaign in Iraq, Drew Bartkiewicz, the project is a story about how the idea of ordinary letters can be in demand in the world of short texts. Lettr helps users exchange meaningful messages and receive customized messages from stars and virtual autographs (looks real but on screen). In some sports, such as baseball, memorabilia (i.e., anything that is signed famous person) is the subject of a separate cult, and only the digital part of this market, according to experts, will reach $ 3 billion in 5 years. The agreement between lettr and MLB (US major baseball league) has already been signed. Selling air has never been so profitable!
In their blog on Medium, a selection of projects that the team has “big hopes” for in 2016.
Airtable - interactive online tables
Service for collaborating teams on tables: it provides the ability to attach files to cells, several types of content, integration with popular tools. The team also develops applications for smartphones.
Leanflix - search for popular video services
Leanflix allows you to search for movies simultaneously on Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, HBO. Filters, sorting and the ability to create lists are also provided.
The Pitch is a podcast where startups pitch their projects to investors
A podcast aimed at a startup audience: the show includes interviews with investors, founders of Internet projects, as well as online pitches.
Readbug - Netflix for Magazines
Subscription magazine reader service.
Klets - messenger for company websites
A simple online messenger for websites that, according to the team, installs in one minute and works on any device.
Altexo - 3D video streaming service
The Altexo team is developing a technology that allows you to make online broadcasts of various objects in 3D format - "3D skyping", as noted on the startup's website.
Humai - life extension project with the help of artificial intelligence
The Humai team is creating technology that can copy a person's consciousness into a bionic body. According to the team, the computer interface will allow you to interact with sensors and thus feel the environment.
Humai has already received a patent for the technology.
Hivy - office manager
The service allows you to keep track of everything related to the office: from the supply of office supplies to the reservation of meeting rooms and vacations.
