Hearing about startups day in and day out has exposed me to companies doing some pretty cool stuff. However, not all startups are created equal. There are times when I come across ventures and I'm just blown away by what they're trying to do.
I've put together a list of emerging businesses – with local college ties, of course – that I think we should keep a close eye on. (And to be clear, you cannot hold me personably responsible for any investments gone awry).
- UNItiques (BU): You’d be surprised how much crap you can accumulate when you’re in college. But when it comes to getting rid of clothes or other items, your options aren’t great. (Craigslist? No thanks.) That’s until UNItiques came along. This online marketplace requires a .edu email address before people can buy or sell their stuff, which makes it seem a whole lot safer. UNItiques has already had traction, and I expect it to take off even more as it spreads from school to school.
- Currency Panda (MIT): Doesn’t it suck when you have your passport at the ready to go abroad, but you realize you forgot to hit up the bank for currency? Sometimes you have to even order certain currencies weeks in advance. Currency Panda eliminates this frustration by letting people buy currency and have it delivered to them. At the same time, if you come back from a trip and have leftover foreign bills, you can sell them - pickup service included. There’s so much demand in that market, I can’t see how it’d do anything but take off.
