There’s a very interesting article in a recent issue of Business 2.0 (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/09/01/100169862/index.htm)
about top 10 game changing companies/start-ups. I found a few of them very relevant and exciting, but a few, not so disruptive, for instance:
1) Blinkx: A web video search and ad insertion application- Google is already on it and they are trying to launch an appropriate ad insertion technology(an adsense extension is already in place).
The deviation that Blinkx has introduced is: speech to text technology (allows it to understand relevance and context by reading what is said in the video- and then using the same to publish ads within the video), and the fact that it is an advanced Video Search Engine (which today Google is not!)
I still feel that this is a step forward in creating a disruption, and that a technology like this will display it’s real strength and disruption quality when integrated with DTH, video rental sites etc.
There are a few very cool, web2.0 ideas like:
2) Expensr: an online personal finance management site with a difference; it allows you to compare with others of similar profile and let’s you know how do you fareagainst them in terms of managing your finances.
(I am already working on a similar web 2.0 application for www.onimoney.com, (from a loans perspective) and shall be introducing it very soon)
3) Virgin Charter- Book your Flying Taxis online!! An online booking site for chartered flights!
4) Patients like me: Again a web2.0 site, which allows patients to record, track and discuss their medical conditions.
I think this is a very powerful tool- a person suffering with a rare or complex medical condition can actually be a part of a specific community and can in a few hours know what similar patients worldwide are doing to improve. This is a great interactive-knowledge bank. If only there was a possibility to integrate Doctors community also, it would be an awesome disruption.
These are only a handful of the lot that you can read about on business2.com. There are more interesting disruptors around energy, medicine and what have you!
Reading about disruptors makes me feel positive and confident about the future. In these times of inflation and stagnation (stagflation) the disruptors can actually help us carve a future which is exciting and growth led!
Amen!
