Tag: Actionable Insights

  • Human Augmentation: Blurring the Line Between Biology and Technology

    Restoring and augmenting hearing capacity. Augmenting cognition through the use of a Brian Computer Interface. Using a human exoskeleton to augment movement. Enhancing sensory processing.

  • Collaborative Robots: Living Amongst Us

    I’m going to program a robot to do my laundry and dishes for me, and be my personal butler. Unless some enterprising entrepreneur builds one and sells it to me first. May 29’s VLAB on collaborative robots showcased robots that can work side by side- collaborate- with humans. The industrial robots of the past remain…

  • Algorithm Alchemy: Turning Talent Search Into Gold

    How much do companies spend on people? Trillions of dollars… Winning or losing your market is based on whether or not you have not just good, but amazing people. -Dan Shapero, VP of Talent Solutions, LinkedIn As of today, no one’s found a scalable* way to provide general recruiting options. So far a cadre of startups…

  • Click to Fit: How Startups are Personalizing Fashion

    Click to Fit: How Startups are Personalizing Fashion

    Scalable Fashion and Personalization. What is personalization? Fabric? Check. Tailor? Check. Fashion, particularly men’s fashion, started out highly personalized. After choosing fabric from a vast selection, the clothes were tailored to a perfect fit, after which personalized changes could be made to the design before the product was hand delivered. By the late 18th century,…

  • Ambient IQ: Intelligence Anywhere and Everywhere

    “If Terminex uses connected mousetraps… they could send [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][staff] directly to traps that have experienced a “Downed Mouse Event… They no longer have to send staff to empty mousetraps. ” -Hugo Fiennes,…

  • Innovations in Food Technology

    Innovations in Food Technology

    At VLAB’s February 2014 event on “Where’s the Beef: Startups Disrupting the Food Chain,” moderator Stacy Feld, Partner at Physic Ventures, broke the ice with a survey. Only one vegan raised her hand. “How many of you are meat eaters?” Over half the crowd. “Vegetarians?” Less than half. “Vegans? … Well at least we have one.”…

  • Young Entrepreneurs Are Human, Need Guidance, and Will Succeed By Force Of Will

    Young Entrepreneurs Are Human, Need Guidance, and Will Succeed By Force Of Will

    Adam Draper, moderator of the recent VLAB event on Young Entrepreneurs, had his work cut out for him. We may as well call him “Wrangler.” His panelists, through sheer force of personality, turned a collaborative Q and A into a Gen Y style debate. Or perhaps spirited and civil “battle of wits” would be more…

  • 4 Ways Driverless Cars will Disrupt the World

    Forget about self-parking vehicles, hands-free highway travel, and automatic braking. Driverless cars could change the entire car industry, car ownership, and anything connected to transportation. What’s more, such vehicles should arrive by the end of this decade.   “Disruptive innovations… don’t attempt to bring better products to established customers… they are simpler, more convenient, and…

  • Revolutionizing Aerospace: For The Non-Rocket Scientists

    Revolutionizing Aerospace: For The Non-Rocket Scientists

    Panelists contend that innovators from other industries can disrupt aerospace the same way Apple overturned music distribution. “You have to know absolutely nothing about helicopters to work with a company like Sikorsky,” said Jonathan Hartman, Disruptive Technologies Lead of Sikorsky Innovations. His statement set the tone for VLAB’s aerospace event on September 24. Two other…

  • Education Technology Tsunami: Common Core Disrupts K12

    Education Technology Tsunami: Common Core Disrupts K12

    On Tuesday, September 17, VLAB kicked off the 2013-1014 season premiere with an evening program on the Education Technology Tsunami: Common Core Disrupts K12. The event started with a one hour networking session, with demonstrations by six up and coming startups. The main highlight of the evening, however, was the debate and insights provided by the…