Craig Newmark knows the power of the internet. After all, he designed his first website in 1995 to help his friends put the word out about local events in San Francisco; today, Craigslist is now one of the top ten most-visited sites online. But Newmark is trying to harness the power of the internet for a new project: Craigconnects, which brings nonprofit groups and charities together to meet, share ideas, and work together to bring about change.
Craigconnects came about when Newmark tallied all of the nonprofit groups he had donated to or advised over the years and the total was more than one hundred -- far above the twenty or thirty Newmark had estimated. Craigconnects is Newmark’s way of making it easier for everybody to keep track of their nonprofits, and for the groups to benefit themselves. At the moment, Newmark funds the site himself; and he plans to continue to do so until he can determine an appropriate way to raise funds otherwise.
Right now Craigconnects features six different categories of charities and nonprofits: Military Families and Veterans, Back to Basics Journalism, Public Diplomacy, Open Government, Consumer Protection, and Technology for the Common Good. Each portal currently includes only charities and nonprofits that Newmark supports or advises himself. But he hopes to continue to expand the categories as more groups get involved; one part of his vision for Craigconnects is for it to be one-stop portal for everybody to research and contact charities.
Newmark’s overall vision for the site goes far beyond a simple portal, however. He wants everyone in the world to unite for the common good using the internet, with Craigconnects acting as one of the major tools. Judging by his previous success and his long-term commitment to Craigconnects, there is a good chance that Newmark will achieve exactly that.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Plugging into Play
Chances are good that you’ve done it at some point in your life. Maybe alone, maybe on a team, maybe without thinking about, or maybe while thinking too much about it, you’ve kicked or thrown or bounced a ball. That was the beginning of Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman’s innovative energy company, Uncharted Play. Founded in 2011, Matthews and Silverman both spend time in developing countries before coming up with their key concept: a ball that doubles as a portable generator.
Dubbed the sOccket Ball, the invention uses the kinetic energy of play to create and store usable electricity. The newest iteration of the ball, which currently comes only in a soccer ball version, though a basketball is under development, can be used to power things like LED lamps, water purifiers, and other small, electronic devices. Uncharted Play has teamed up with local organizations to promote the ball and teach people how to use it; so far they have distributed more than 2,500 balls to Mexico, El Salvador, Nigeria, Haiti and Costa Rica.
Not only is the sOccket Ball innovative from a technical standpoint, but Matthews and Silverman had the foresight to address another common problem with sport balls, especially those that experience frequent use: wear and tear. The average sport ball can be punctured or otherwise destroyed in a matter of months. The sOccket Ball is not only made of ninety-five percent recycled materials, it can never be deflated and has a projected lifespan of three to fifteen years. And after only fifteen minutes of play, the sOccket Ball can power a light for up to three hours.
The founders of Uncharted Play are not resting on their success, however. A team of engineers is already hard at work on a new version of the sOccket Ball, working not only to make it more efficient and effective, but better inline with traditional soccer balls (it weighs slightly more and lacks some of the give). Whatever they come up with, Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman have already scored a goal for green, sustainable electricity.
Dubbed the sOccket Ball, the invention uses the kinetic energy of play to create and store usable electricity. The newest iteration of the ball, which currently comes only in a soccer ball version, though a basketball is under development, can be used to power things like LED lamps, water purifiers, and other small, electronic devices. Uncharted Play has teamed up with local organizations to promote the ball and teach people how to use it; so far they have distributed more than 2,500 balls to Mexico, El Salvador, Nigeria, Haiti and Costa Rica.
Not only is the sOccket Ball innovative from a technical standpoint, but Matthews and Silverman had the foresight to address another common problem with sport balls, especially those that experience frequent use: wear and tear. The average sport ball can be punctured or otherwise destroyed in a matter of months. The sOccket Ball is not only made of ninety-five percent recycled materials, it can never be deflated and has a projected lifespan of three to fifteen years. And after only fifteen minutes of play, the sOccket Ball can power a light for up to three hours.
The founders of Uncharted Play are not resting on their success, however. A team of engineers is already hard at work on a new version of the sOccket Ball, working not only to make it more efficient and effective, but better inline with traditional soccer balls (it weighs slightly more and lacks some of the give). Whatever they come up with, Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman have already scored a goal for green, sustainable electricity.
ModCloth: The Internet's Fashion Spot
When most people want to get rid of clothes that no longer fit or were never quite their style, they donate them to a charity or have a yard sale. In 2003, Susan Gregg Koger took a different approach: she created a website to sell vintage finds from thrift stores that she had decided not to keep. The result was ModCloth.
Rather than a fairly static, staid website, Koger envisioned ModCloth as something much more akin to the experience of browsing a thrift store -- albeit an excellently organized one. Today the site still offers one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, but also offers clothes, accessories, and household supplies from current independent designers. There is also a social aspect to the company; the “Be the Buyer” section of the site where user votes determine collections that will later be sold through ModCloth.
With more than $15 million in revenue, Susan Gregg Koger’s ModCloth is maturing into not only a vital fashion portal, but a tastemaker.
Rather than a fairly static, staid website, Koger envisioned ModCloth as something much more akin to the experience of browsing a thrift store -- albeit an excellently organized one. Today the site still offers one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, but also offers clothes, accessories, and household supplies from current independent designers. There is also a social aspect to the company; the “Be the Buyer” section of the site where user votes determine collections that will later be sold through ModCloth.
With more than $15 million in revenue, Susan Gregg Koger’s ModCloth is maturing into not only a vital fashion portal, but a tastemaker.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Vestas Makes Waves in the Wind Industry
Since its establishment in Denmark in 1898 as a manufacturer of household appliances, Vestas Wind Systems A/S -- as it is now known -- has grown to one of the world leaders in the wind power industry. It was not until 1979, more than eighty years since its founding, that Vestas entered the wind marketplace with its first wind turbine, a model with a ten meter rotor and an output of thirty kilowatts (kW). Today, Vestas is pioneering offshore wind farming with its new turbine, specially designed for the unique challenges of sea winds and conditions. The V164-7.0 MW turbine has blades eighty meters long and has a rating of 7,000 kW, making it one of the largest, most efficient turbines in the world.
But not all of Vestas’s history has been smooth sailing. Its first major setback occurred in 1980, when a flaw was found in the fiberglass construction of the blades. Due to this discovery, all Vestas turbines were stopped until the flaw, which caused blade failure in storm winds, was fixed. Although it was a costly problem to resolve, there was one advantage: since 1981, all Vestas blades are designed and manufactured in Vestas facilities. Other setbacks followed; in 1985 a shipping company’s bankruptcy nearly caused Vestas’s bankruptcy when a large order of blades was unable to be delivered on time; the 2005 global economic recession was another serious dent in the company’s bottom line due to a weak dollar and soaring steel prices.
Through it all, Vestas has been committed not only to customer service, but to its vision of a sustainable energy future. Since its first foray into the wind power industry, Vestas has had its eye set on a day when wind power would equal the effectiveness of traditional fuels. And as technology progresses -- thanks in a large part to the company’s dedication to constant research and development -- that day is getting closer than ever before.
But not all of Vestas’s history has been smooth sailing. Its first major setback occurred in 1980, when a flaw was found in the fiberglass construction of the blades. Due to this discovery, all Vestas turbines were stopped until the flaw, which caused blade failure in storm winds, was fixed. Although it was a costly problem to resolve, there was one advantage: since 1981, all Vestas blades are designed and manufactured in Vestas facilities. Other setbacks followed; in 1985 a shipping company’s bankruptcy nearly caused Vestas’s bankruptcy when a large order of blades was unable to be delivered on time; the 2005 global economic recession was another serious dent in the company’s bottom line due to a weak dollar and soaring steel prices.
Through it all, Vestas has been committed not only to customer service, but to its vision of a sustainable energy future. Since its first foray into the wind power industry, Vestas has had its eye set on a day when wind power would equal the effectiveness of traditional fuels. And as technology progresses -- thanks in a large part to the company’s dedication to constant research and development -- that day is getting closer than ever before.
Trader Joe's Pulls Ahead
Since its founding in 1958, Trader Joe’s has grown from a small chain of convenience stores to the leading national chain of organic food stores, focusing on their inexpensive branded products and smaller stores. There are now 350 Trader Joe’s locations nationwide as opposed to the 300 stores operated by its closest rival, Whole Foods.
How has Trader Joe’s captured the market so wholly? Though it may seem counter-intuitive, one key is the fact that Trader Joe’s has smaller stores and fewer products on offer than other grocery stores. Instead of fifty thousand different products, they carry only four thousand. This means that in 2011, Trader Joe’s made $1,750 per square foot while Whole Foods made only $863. The other key to their profits -- $8 billion in 2011 -- is that much of what Trader Joe’s sells is Trader Joe’s brand. They buy direct from suppliers, and don’t need to charge shelf-placement fees to those same suppliers, which drives down cost.
And if you have yet to experience Trader Joe’s, with communities across the United States clamoring to be the site of the next location, chances are good you will.
How has Trader Joe’s captured the market so wholly? Though it may seem counter-intuitive, one key is the fact that Trader Joe’s has smaller stores and fewer products on offer than other grocery stores. Instead of fifty thousand different products, they carry only four thousand. This means that in 2011, Trader Joe’s made $1,750 per square foot while Whole Foods made only $863. The other key to their profits -- $8 billion in 2011 -- is that much of what Trader Joe’s sells is Trader Joe’s brand. They buy direct from suppliers, and don’t need to charge shelf-placement fees to those same suppliers, which drives down cost.
And if you have yet to experience Trader Joe’s, with communities across the United States clamoring to be the site of the next location, chances are good you will.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Robert Iger World
You might not know the name Robert Iger, but you certainly know the company he has led since 2005: The Walt Disney Company. A former weatherman and president of various divisions of the American Broadcasting Company from 1993-1999, Iger has spent the last seven years making Disney the world’s largest media company.
Iger worked strenuously to repair much of the ill-will left by his predecessor, Michael Eisner, who served as president and Chief Executive Officer from 1984-2005. Thanks to Iger, Roy E. Disney dropped the “Save Disney” campaign which had been instrumental in Eisner’s departure. Pixar Animation Studios, whose movies have made a combined $6.3 billion, marked another notch on Iger’s belt in 2006. Another major coup came in 2009, when Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment.
It remains to be seen where Iger will take Disney next. With the company’s continued domination in feature films, and an unparalleled marketing arm, there may not be many places left for an Iger-led Disney to conquer. But if there are, you can be sure Robert Iger will find them.
Iger worked strenuously to repair much of the ill-will left by his predecessor, Michael Eisner, who served as president and Chief Executive Officer from 1984-2005. Thanks to Iger, Roy E. Disney dropped the “Save Disney” campaign which had been instrumental in Eisner’s departure. Pixar Animation Studios, whose movies have made a combined $6.3 billion, marked another notch on Iger’s belt in 2006. Another major coup came in 2009, when Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment.
It remains to be seen where Iger will take Disney next. With the company’s continued domination in feature films, and an unparalleled marketing arm, there may not be many places left for an Iger-led Disney to conquer. But if there are, you can be sure Robert Iger will find them.
G. Gil Cloyd's Innovative Innovation
It may seem obvious, but innovation is the most important component for long-term success. The problem G. Gil Cloyd, chief technology officer at Procter & Gamble (P&G), faced was that innovation itself was beginning to look a little threadbare and musty. With the rapid pace of a global business like P&G, any innovation the company introduces has a shelf life; and when Cloyd began to analyze the problem in 2004 he discovered that innovation’s shelf life was rapidly decreasing.
Cloyd developed what he termed “holistic innovation.” Whereas the prior emphasis was more on technical aspects of a given product, Cloyd’s holistic innovation refocused priorities to the experience the product gave the customer. If the customer placed higher value in the product, he or she would be more likely to stick with it longer and remain more loyal to the product family.
G. Gil Cloyd retired from Proctor & Gamble in 2008, after thirty-three years of service. But his influence is still felt, even today. His successor, Bruce Brown, credited Cloyd for bringing a “broader, more-productive, more-open and more consistently successful innovation culture at P&G.”
Cloyd developed what he termed “holistic innovation.” Whereas the prior emphasis was more on technical aspects of a given product, Cloyd’s holistic innovation refocused priorities to the experience the product gave the customer. If the customer placed higher value in the product, he or she would be more likely to stick with it longer and remain more loyal to the product family.
G. Gil Cloyd retired from Proctor & Gamble in 2008, after thirty-three years of service. But his influence is still felt, even today. His successor, Bruce Brown, credited Cloyd for bringing a “broader, more-productive, more-open and more consistently successful innovation culture at P&G.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)