10 Ground-Floor Tech Businesses to Start Now
The internet is still rapidly evolving, and entrepreneurs are finding creative ways to keep up.
By Eric Bender
| March 17, 2006
|
We're living through the mother of
all digital convergences. Broadband internet access is becoming
ubiquitous, new high-speed wireless networks are coming online, old
media are going digital, and new media are being born every day.
And the software, hardware and services to support it all are
astonishingly cheap. We're entering a golden age for
entrepreneurs, says James Behrens, CEO and co-founder of Orb Networks. "The
big companies have not fully recognized how disruptive this
is," says Behrens, whose company delivers TV through any
device that can stream video. "They're all trying to put
up tollgates, but the internet is open." Content Continues Below
Orb is among thousands of startups
riding this wild wave of advanced internet and mobile services.
Here are 10 rapidly evolving communications technologies that offer
serious entrepreneurial opportunities--and in most cases, will also
help you run your business better.
- IPTV: With more than half of
U.S. users accessing the internet via broadband, and broadband
delivery speeds climbing, the stage is set for TV over the net.
MPEG Nation
is one of many new ventures helping other businesses mine this
opportunity. For an $8.95 one-time fee, customers can upload a
video file up to 1GB and have MPEG Nation convert it to popular
streaming formats for ongoing display. The service benefits from
the convergence of ever-cheaper storage, high-speed networking and
the flexibility to scale those resources on a just-in-time basis,
says president Scott Wolf, 23. It was spun off just last year from
Digital Silo, which stores and distributes home videos on the web.
Together, the two firms have already attracted more than 10,000
customers and are approaching a million-dollar annual run rate,
zeroing in on profitability.
Most organizations just use MPEG Nation
to display videos on their websites. But others are finding ways to
make businesses in new media. For example, one company targets the
Indian marketplace in the U.S. by selling subscriptions to videos
of Indian performers in concert. Internet TV is rewriting the
business model for media. Says Wolf, "You can sell your indie
film or build your own TV channel that covers just car
mechanics." What are you waiting for?
- Blogging: Blogs are a recent
example of how relatively simple web technology can create a huge
ripple. We've seen the blogosphere produce huge public mood
swings during elections, and some firms have found them an
excellent way to communicate with customers, partners and
suppliers. They're great for project management and tech
support, and a few of the most popular bloggers are even charging
for blog access. Blogs depend heavily on....
- RSS: Share nicely, as the day-care teachers say. That's
what RSS does-it lets you instantly swap links of updated
information across the web. You can tap RSS readers or sites (such
as personalized home pages on Google or Yahoo!) to customize your
news access. RSS also lets you spread your own message-your blog or
website can use it to distribute information about your company.
Down the road, some firms will even sell ads along with their RSS
feeds-if it can be done without annoying recipients. One new medium
RSS begat is....
Page 1 | 2 
|
What makes a good client gift?
What guidelines do you follow when buying gifts for your clients? Have you ever received an unusual or inappropriate gift?
|