Tag: internet

From Bunker to Living Room: 10 Wartime Innovations That Transferred to Civilian Life

From Bunker to Living Room: 10 Wartime Innovations That Transferred to Civilian Life

Sep 3, 2015 |

What do a computer, a microwave, and duct tape have in common? All of these now indispensible items were originally developed for war. Military technology often has widespread applications for civilian life, and thus, it is not uncommon to see the transition from military to commercial use. Though war is no doubt ugly, the high stakes can propel technology forward to accomplish unimaginable feats. Some of the most important technology today was developed not because of desire, but because of necessity. Money, too, is a key reason why major tech breakthroughs occur in the military. With a $637 billion defense budget each year, the United States is able to allot approximately $63.3 billion a year on research, development, and testing. This large sum makes it possible to turn theories into products quickly, whereas low budget inventors may take years to accomplish the same thing. In fact, many military technologies were created when the defense establishment decided to take on projects that had been initiated decades earlier, but never had the proper funding or attention to actualize. Explore ten of...

Read More
Shopping for security and selling secrecy in the Startup Nation

Shopping for security and selling secrecy in the Startup Nation

Aug 29, 2013 |

On 6 August 1991, the World Wide Web, otherwise known as the Internet, became publicly available and  fundamentally changed the world as we knew it. The Internet opened a world of opportunities for users as it became a means to acquire knowledge, facilitate electronic commerce and communicate with each other from all over the globe. However, rapid Internet developments and increased online usage by both the government and public have made us vulnerable and exposed to cyber attacks. When it comes to national security, the Internet is perceived as both a weapon and a threat. Due to its own experience, Israel has become a leader in protecting cybersecurity and is uniquely positioned for cyber challenges. This is one of the reasons, according to David Shamah in ZDNet, Israel’s startups are catching the eye of tech heavyweights. The Israeli startup scene has seen a lot of activity in the security field lately (i.e. IBM’s recent acquisition of security startup Trusteer, Cisco opening a tech incubator for cyberdefense startups, etc). The ZDNet article addresses the question of why, when it comes to IT security, big tech firms keep looking to...

Read More
DIY ROI: Where to invest in website building technology 2.0

DIY ROI: Where to invest in website building technology 2.0

Aug 12, 2013 | ,

Could it possibly be easier? Click. Drag. Drop. Done. Presto! Congratulations – you’ve just created a website. With a few easy steps, you could be Picasso with pixels, an artist who needs no training to create a stunning website. This is the work of automated website builders, sites that simplify the otherwise coding- and time-intensive (not to mention expensive) process of building a website. They are the IKEA of the internet, clarifying an otherwise prohibitively complex task for the average user in a few steps, all the while staying easy on the eyes. But the site-building process, although simplified, is not by any means totally simple. Here’s the first irony of automatic website builders: it’s exceedingly difficult to find them with a single, or even many, Google searches. There are a few potential reasons for this: that they all excel at Search Engine Optimization (or SEO, for short), by now a standard service for the websites they create; that there are a bunch of charlatans posing as free website builders hoping to dupe the unsuspecting newbie into buying overpriced...

Read More
What we’re hearing: Angel investing in Boston — with Richard Lucash

What we’re hearing: Angel investing in Boston — with Richard Lucash

Mar 18, 2013 | ,

We recently posted about incredible opportunities we’re seeing to invest in Israeli startups, and it got us wondering what angel groups in other parts of the world have been seeing. To get some more color on the Boston tech scene, we went directly to the source. We had the chance to talk to Richard Lucash, a Boston-based attorney for emerging tech companies, about deal flow in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Richard co-founded the LaunchPad angel group and, with Jeff Stoler, recently launched a new angel group called SideCar Angels What’s deal flow like in Boston? In Boston, most angel group deals are syndicated.  The area is the national leader in doing angel syndications.  As part of this syndication effort, members of multiple groups may take part in due diligence.  SideCar is focusing on facilitating deals by filling out syndicated rounds. How do you generate deal flow? A large percentage of our deal flow comes from Boston area angel groups and micro VCs, however, often the companies approach us directly. What types of deals have you been seeing? We see...

Read More

Latest from Twitter

Follow @OurCrowd