Nov
20
Why we don’t usually sign NDAs for startup ideas
Startup ideas often begin from a moment of inspiration: An innovative solution to solve a real world problem. At this early stage, it’s understandable if you want to protect your idea and keep it a secret. However, in order to capitalise your idea and turn it into a product, you’re going to have to share it at some point. And that is when we come into the picture: The app developer or software company: Them: "We will need to sign an NDA before we share" Us: "We don't usually do that at our first meeting" Them: "But I want to…
Jun
17
App development: 5 awesome tips to get you started
Are you thinking of building an app? Well, the truth is that the app development world is vast! Whether you have a startup changing the world with the 'new bliss' or looking at bringing efficiencies or scaling your existing business, finding the right app developer is only one part of the equation and deserves a blog post in its own right. Let's assume you have found an app development company that is the right match for you; What's next? How do you build your app success? Or in other words, How can you be better prepared to ensure you…
Mar
14
Identifying the Pain Point in your Startup
If you are a startup founder or being around the startup community, you must have heard of the term 'pain point'. But what exactly is a pain point and how do you go about identifying one? You've got an idea - either because you're trying to solve a problem for yourself or because you've heard other people and what they think they need or want fixed. When this happens, the important question to ask yourself is: "What is this pain point I am trying to solve?", and most importantly, "Is this really a pain point that I need solved right…
Jan
25
$10,000 QLD Small Business Digital Grants Program
Government grants are excellent funding opportunities for any business big or small. We are extremely fortunate here in Australia to have access to a number of government funding to assist businesses in numerous aspects. If your business is based in Queensland and require app development services, the good news is grants are now available to assist fund your project. The Queensland Small Business Digital Grants Program round 4 will soon be open to assist small businesses with the costs involved in purchasing digital technologies and software services for their Queensland business. How much funding could I get? Successful applicants will…
Jun
23
What are the costs of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Blockchain for Business Apps?
We are now at a technology tipping point where the application of blockchain technology is feasible for businesses and startups. The cost of implementing Blockchain applications has reduced through vendor support in the form of Blockchain as a Service (Baas) and open source libraries. However, care should be taken before diving into implementing a project using Blockchain, as a number of hidden costs and variables must be carefully examined. What is Blockchain? You can read the comprehensive definition of Blockchain on Wikipedia; however, Dr Mark Staples (Data61) eloquently distills the essence of a Blockchain to simply, "A distributed database and…
Apr
07
Myriad in Brisbane – Connecting the dot connectors
Last week I attended Myriad, a three day technology and innovation festival in Brisbane. According to their site, some of the highlights of this event were: * 50+ local and international speakers * Next generation technology & Interactive experiences * Workshops & Fireside chats * Global Investment and insights * Powerful and inspiring stories * Connections * Investor matchmaking * Sweet, sweet Queensland sunshine. It sounds great, right? However, personally the biggest highlight was the alluring atmosphere where community members, local & international speakers and investors gathered together to discuss inspiration, innovation and impact through a common theme: the use of…
Apr
03
DayNinja app recognised for innovation
The DayNinja app has been featured on More Gold Coast publication as one out of six most innovative apps designed and developed on the Gold Coast, Australia. The free-to-download app is based on the revolutionary Pomodoro Technique by Italian Francisco Cirillo, one of the all-time favourite methods to effectively manage time and increase productivity. Innovation results from the combination of mindfulness, gamification and To Do lists to help the user find flow, block interruptions and maintain focus during the working day. "The app allows you to name and prioritise tasks for the day, creates a calendar, and uses a timer to break up the…
Mar
17
The power of psychology in User Experience & app design
Have you ever wondered what makes good app design? Why some apps are more popular than others? What exactly makes an app so addictive that finds millions of people willing to interact time and time again? In this article from Smashing Magazine, Nadine Kintscher gives a powerful analysis of how User Experience (UX) and psychology go hand in hand when designing an app that solves the right problem in an efficient and enjoyable manner. When an app design is based on good UX customers/users will intuitively seek to return to the app over and over again because is self-explanatory, clear to navigate, fast to load and…
Dec
02
Apps within apps – End of apps as we know them?
I wondered how long it would take for apps to start integrating with other apps. The first app I noticed this occurrence was Uber - integrating Password1 to retrieve a filed Uber password. Upon reflecting this really was nothing new in that Stripe and Braintree payments have been in apps for a long time via SDKs. With the arrival of the Apple Watch early 2015 users are likely to expect more than ever a consistent experience across all devices (smartphone, smartwatch, desktop and tablet). The components in the fabric of the OSs are already supporting this concept through notifications across…
Nov
24
“Millions more needed for startups” – Dave McClure
Dave McClure, founder of leading US start-up tech accelerator program 500startups, recently spoke to Rose Powell of the Australia Financial Review. Full Article here Extract: ...it is the smaller end of the scale, the early seed stage capital investors, that Mr McClure said needs to shed their timidity and take more risks, for the sake of the ecosystem and their own wallets. Mr McClure said there should be less investments in the hundreds of thousands range, and more of millions of dollars. He warned that in a global game less daring players would soon be left behind. “Our biggest winners…
