Last week I participated in the 2014 Startup Bus from NYC to San Antonio, then to Austin for SXSW. The Startup Bus is a 72hr hackathon where 30 people on a bus form teams and create, develop, and pitch a startup while on the bus. It was quite an experience to say the least! I am so excited to have worked with such talented people and am looking forward to maintaining these new connections. My team, Roll, made it to the semifinals and another NYC team, Smarthost, won the competition. About my team:
Roll is a web application to simplify the standby flight process for airline employees and their friends and family. Not necessarily my area of expertise, but my other teammates, Rachel Blackman, Libby Tuck, and Seye Ojumu are very experienced with the industry. We even got some press. I was responsible for our branding and the front end development of the mobile site. A few screenshots:
My intent behind the branding was to take the stress out of a very stressful process. The UI is stupid simple – search a flight and see results that highlight the relevant information for standby passengers (something not readily available in other flight searches). I’m happy with the turn out considering we only had 72hrs! The logo inspiration comes from old airline logos like Pan Am crossed with a minimal aesthetic like the logo for Simple Bank. A little about the other teams:
Smarthost (the winners)
Smarhost makes pricing recommendations for short term rentals from various sites like Airbnb and HomeAway. Currently available as an Android app.
MiniMap (finalists)
I’m very excited for this one. I spend a lot of my life being disoriented after exiting the subway…this app is basically a, believe it or not, “mini map” created specifically for mobile. It connects to your calendars and clearly points you in the direction of your next appointment. The idea is inspired by the maps in video games that tell you exactly where to go and no more.
Datalize.me
Datalize is an API that puts all of your personal data from around the internet in one place. It will be an excellent tool for creating visualizations and tools revolving around that data.
Sttack
Sttack is an app that helps you easily make introductions. Through a simple interface you can write quick introductions between two people without hassling everyone with emails. You also can keep track of the status of the introduction and see a feed of recent introductions.