Next New Networks Taps Into a ‘Hungry Nation’ With the First Indie Online Food Network
Our client Next New Networks is at it again! Last week, the producer of TV programming for the Internet launched Hungry Nation – a network of shows for the foodie in us all. While the Food Network targets a food enthusiast audience that enjoys celebrity chefs on cable TV, Hungry Nation gives a fresh look at the more accessible part of food culture for a younger, Web-based audience.
Hungry Nation debuted with VendrTV, a show that has already built a cult following on the Web by visiting food vendors across the U.S. to discover what’s great and new in the hip street food world. The network also launched with Working Class Foodies, a show that explores local farmers markets as part of the “slow food” movement to cook a meal for under $10. More shows will be added to the lineup – next up is 12 Second Cocktails that will launch in October to teach how to – yes, you guessed it – make a cocktail in 12 seconds.
Hungry Nation made headlines last week in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Mediaweek, The New York Daily News, NewTeeVee and Tubefilter. In an interview with Variety, Next New’s CEO Lance Podell was quoted about why food was chosen as the next Web programming frontier, “We are always trying to identify areas that are underserved by the media and see if there’s a way to serve that audience online through video [...] Much of what [cable’s] Food Network focuses on is professional, but it’s over-aspirational. … What we thought about was how much food is a part of our live and how we all enjoy talking about and sharing food stories, but in a more mundane and real way.”
Next New Networks produces TV for the Internet that covers many niche audiences and the company just celebrated 600 Million all-time views in August since its launch in January 2007. Other Next New programming includes $99 Music Videos, which launched in February 2009; Barely Political, which LaunchSquad helped launch in June 2007 with the hit video “I Got a Crush… on Obama;” and other networks that include Indy Mogul, ThreadBanger, Barely Digital, Channel Frederator, Fast Lane Daily and Ultra Kawaii.
SuccessFactors Unveils Business Execution Strategy
Earlier this month, LaunchSquad client SuccessFactors unveiled its revolutionary Business Execution Software strategy, debuting a new category of software that helps companies deal with the most important business imperative of our time – execution. The launch involved three major components: the SuccessFactors BizX strategy, a new Strategy Deployment solution and a comprehensive cloud computing strategy (SuccessCloud). All three elements are geared at the same goal of uniting Business Alignment (making sure that people are working on the right things, at the right time, everyday) and People Performance (making sure that everyone is performing at their full potential) to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
SuccessFactors’ Business Execution strategy has already generated great buzz with coverage in BusinessWeek, Investors’ Business Daily, Fortune, ZDNet and InformationWeek.
SuccessFactors is one of those rare companies that is truly revolutionizing an industry by creating an entirely new category of software that addresses a business need as timely as it is timeless. It’s an innovative approach to software that gets to the heart of what businesses need to succeed, today and everyday.
Check out SuccessFactors and remember to execute, execute, execute. It’s that rare missing link in business.
We <3 @ShakeShack II
Last Tuesday, LaunchSquad was a sponsor and participant in nextNY’s @ShakeShack II event. nextNY helps connect “the next generation of digital movers and shakers in NYC,” and the event was a mixer dedicated to this group of NY entrepreneurs, VCs, developers, designers and more. And what better place to hold such a gathering than the gastronomical hub of the tech community, the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park?
RSVPs were already “sold out” (the event was free for attendees) weeks before, and guests formed a Shake-Shack-rivaling line at least half an hour before the gates opened. Among the guests were some of the most successful entrepreneurs and VC partners in NYC, and also a lot of bright, new faces of the nextNY community; everyone mingling, eating and drinking.
Mary Kathleen Flynn from the Deal was on-site recording video interviews with the crowd, including Charlie O’Donnell, co-founder of Path101, founder of nextNY and organizer of the event (big thank you to him for putting on such an awesome party!). The Deal also compiled a photo slideshow of the attendees.
While we were there, LaunchSquad helped to sign-in guests, provided napkins and projected a live Twitter feed for the event’s hashtag, #shakeshack2. In between eating burgers and drinking shakes with everyone, we also took some time to ask the group who the current hot NY startups are (see video below).
As you can see from everyone’s tweets, the event was a huge success. We loved getting together with others in the NYC tech community and look forward to seeing folks at Shake Shack again next year!
TimeBridge Plays David to the Meeting Waste of Time Goliath
TimeBridge wants to play David to the meeting waste of time Goliath. I hope it succeeds and has the tools in place to at least eliminate meeting excuses. Can’t find a time? Handled. Don’t know if the agenda impacts you? Handled. Need constant reminders to remember a meeting? Handled. Like to play with your iPhone more than work? Handled. — James Gaskin, in his recent review of TimeBridge in Network World.
Meeting organizers – Rejoice! LaunchSquad client, TimeBridge, announced earlier this month a significant expansion of their service to support the entire meeting process from coordination to action items. The popular web app now helps manage all of the details around organizing meetings – everything from scheduling and phone/web conferencing, to agenda creation, one-click SMS reminders and running late notifications, as well as capturing and distributing action items. An iPhone application will be available soon and help you organize your meetings on the go.
“[The iPhone app] lets you scan your agenda (with a time line for your meetings), or ping late people. You can also use the iPhone app to dial in to a TimeBridge conference call directly,” said Rafe Needleman in his CNET review of TimeBridge’s new offering. “I believe the new features will help more meetings start on time, and might just make a tiny dent in the content of meetings themselves. But that’s fine. Every little bit helps.”
Over the last year, TimeBridge has grown immensely, surpassing 400,000 users. TimeBridge has also announced $5 million in funding earlier this year, which they are using to go after their goal of helping everyone run great meetings.
Check out all the details of the launch here.
Fwix Launches New Local Newswire
LaunchSquad client Fwix launched earlier this week with a novel approach to delivering local news. Not only does the company’s technology intelligently sift through and categorize locally relevant news as it happens, it also allows real people (citizen journalists) to contribute news to the Fwix “wire” from the Web, and soon, from their iPhones.
Through its widget network, Fwix helps publishers enhance their local content with up-to-the-minute local news, and expand the reach of their contract at the same time. At a time when the news industry struggles to figure out a sustainable profitable model, Fwix is redefining what a newswire is. What’s more, Fwix acknowledges that everyday people are instrumental in breaking the happenings in their areas.
It’s an exciting, constantly-morphing era for local news and the media space as a whole, and Fwix is poised to reinvent how we consume—and share—the news around us. The launch has already generated some great coverage in The New York Times, VentureBeat, ReadWriteWeb, PaidContent, and Mashable. Check out Fwix and find out what’s happening in your city.