CONTENT
CourseHorse, Inc., found in 2011

Product/Service: What, in a sentence, does this company do/sell
It sells educational classes of broad categories from 800 top educators for all ages in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?
Nihal Parthasarathi, CEO and Katie Kapler, EVP, Product, are currently involved in its day-to-day operations.

Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?
It is headquartered in New York and located between the streets of Spring and Varick in the Soho District of Manhattan. Its class providers/partners are located in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Products/Services: What does the company offer its users/subscribers? Services, products, consumer goods?
CourseHorse offers 40,000 courses from 800 top quality class providers in New York and Los Angeles. It helps people of all ages to identify, find and enroll in class according to their interest and needs. It also offers points reward system to reward returning students with discounts.

Method of Making Money: How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models?
The company earns a commission every time a student books a seat.

Target Customers: Who are the target customers for this company?
Students of all ages and professions.

How many current users/customers, etc: How many customers do they currently have?
Revenue: 2M as of January 2014. It continually to grow at 7 times per year and current at a $3.5M run-rate.

How does the company advertise its product/services?
Via its official website: http://coursehorse.com

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?
It seems to me is a very new start-up tech company of its kind.

Works Cited: You must document all the websites and articles you use to find the above information. Simply include a list of websites at the end of the blog post.
Listed as #73 by Forbes as America’s Most Promising Companies (2014) http://www.forbes.com/companies/coursehorse/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nyuentrepreneurschallenge/2012/12/10/from-75k-to-500k-how-nyu-entrepreneurs-challenge-kickstarted-coursehorse/

Product/Service: TheLadders is an online recruitment service provider for finding candidates for available job opportunities. They also offer a free mobile-to-mobile career app.

Founder/Co-Founders: Marc Cenedella is the Founder and Executive Chairman of The Ladders. He founded the company with Alex Douzet and Andrew Koch in 2003, formerly serving as CEO, and is based in the New York headquarters.

Office/Headquarters: TheLadders is headquartered in New York City.

Method of Making Money:  How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models?

Target Customers: job seekers, employers and recuiters

How many current users/customers, etc: The Ladders currently have over over 6 million members, which includes job seekers, employers and recuiters.

How does the company advertise its product/services? The Ladders advertise its services by Web and TV ads.

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: Careerbuilder, Execnet, Experteer. Advantages: mobile apps that is highly customizable, free services that allow for job seekers to uncover job that may not be posted

Works Cited: http://www.theladders.com/theladders, https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/theladders

Product/Service: What, in a sentence, does this company do/sell?
This company job is to make amateur teams (baseball, softball and basketball) in the United States be more effective, informative and connected, so they created a software platform that makes the way amateur team collect, share, and manage information better. They also have an app that provides live streaming and stats for over fifty thousand amateur teams.
Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?
The Co-founder of this company is a man named Ted Sullivan. He is still involved in the day to day operations.
Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?
This company only have one headquarter which is located in Manhattan at 89 chambers street suite 202, New York, 10007.
Method of Making Money: How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models?
This company makes money from users who created a premium fan access which will allow them to view live game-stream from their mobile device, re watch a previous game, look at a season stats and charts, and recap stories for a price of $39.99 per year or $7.99 per month. They also sell sports gears for different prices.
Target Customers: Who are the target customers for this company?
The target customers for this company are people who love sports such as baseball, softball and basketball, but might be too busy to watch the game and keeping up with the stories from their favorite teams.
How many current users/customers, etc: How many customers do they currently have?
I didn’t find anything regarding the users/customers, but I saw that they have six hundred and sixty-six fans.
How does the company advertise its product/services?
This company advertise their product from their website, their app and through other sites such as YouTube.
Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?
This company is unique because it was only company that I saw online that created a software platform that makes the way amateur team collect, share, and manage information.

Works Cited: You must document all the websites and articles you use to find the above information. Simply include a list of websites at the end of the blog post.
https://gc.com/home

CONTENT
Product/Service:
A smart grid is a modernized electrical grid that uses analog or digital information and communications technology to gather and act on information – such as information about the behaviours of suppliers and consumers – in an automated fashion to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics, and sustainability of the production and distribution of electricity. Electronic power conditioning and control of the production and distribution of electricity are important aspects of the smart grid. Smart grid policy is organized in Europe as Smart Grid European Technology Platform. Policy in the United States is described in 42 U.S.C. ch. 152, subch. IX § 17381.
Roll-out of smart grid technology also implies a fundamental re-engineering of the electricity services industry, although typical usage of the term is focused on the technical infrastructure.

Founder/Co-Founders:
Atlanta, GA – Nov. 17, 2014 – The Board of Directors for the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), a member-funded organization focused on accelerating Smart Grid interoperability, today announced Sharon Allan, industry luminary, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Allan’s 30 years of experience in the energy and information technology industries will help SGIP strengthen its collaborative ties between utilities, research labs, regulators and business leaders around the world. Allan will work closely with members to increase visibility for the work SGIP is doing to address the key grid modernization issues of resiliency and integration of new systems.
The Smart Grid is a compilation of concepts, technologies, and operating practices intended to bring the electric grid into the 21st Century. Defining the smart grid is difficult for several reasons. First, there is no single template that defines exactly what the smart grid will look like or how it will operate in any given service area. Without a consensus template people tend to construct their own mental vision of how the technologies, systems, and customers will interact. There is also the reality that customer mix, geography, weather and other factors will almost certainly make the smart grid in each service area a little unique. The second factor contributing to the uncertain definition is the fact that the smart grid does not yet exist. Many of the systems and technologies expected to become a part of smart grid either haven’t been developed yet or are in prototype or early stages of testing and implementation.
Office/Headquarters:
This smart grid company is located throughout the word. The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation, with headquarters in Armonk, New York. IBM manufactures and markets computer hardware and software, and offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology.
Products/Services:
– Reduced consumption and lower customer bills
– Fewer field visits and faster customer response
– Improved efficiency and quality of call center operations
– Reliability index improvements
– Improved billing operations efficiency, improved cash flows, and lower costs
– Improved operational efficiency and lower costs from smart metering
– Informing customers to increase peak event load reduction without pricing incentives
Method of Making Money:
The smart grid company make money with electrical company such as IBM, Coned, MTA etc…. they money also through advertising, selling data, subscribers, people who use electricity a lot such as saving them in there bills.
Target Customers:
– Mostly ConEd customers to reduced their bills.
– People in company who travel a lot with electrical equipment.
– Technical building equipment
– Building operations
– Building envelope insulation
– National grid

How many current users/customers, etc:
Demand response is a temporary measure to meet grid peaking capacity requirements. The need to purchase expensive peaking power on the wholesale market to satisfy demand can be expensive. Lately, utilities are seeking to automate demand response processes and offer their industrial, commercial and residential customers value-added services within their demand-side management programs. Because demand response is a form of power generation, it can be used as a cost-effective way to reduce the need to purchase expensive whole power from inefficient forms of peaking generation. Utilities are also increasingly relying on demand response tools, like Siemens Demand Response Management System (DRMS), for their cost-effectiveness and relatively short implementation times.
How does the company advertise its product/services?
– AT&T offers smart meters with pre-paid data plans for utilities
– Smart grid consumer collaborative launches research initiative
– Global Smart grid market
– National Summit on Smart Grid and Climate Change which they held in Washington, DC
Competitors/Competitive Advantage:
– ConEed
– National grid
Works Cited:
https://www.smartgrid.gov/future_grid
http://w3.usa.siemens.com/smartgrid/us/en/demand-response/Pages/demand-response.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM#Company_logo_and_nickname
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-summit-on-smart-grid-and-climate-change-to-be-held-in-washington-dc-274608791.html

Report on Squarespace (the Company that I researched)

Product/Service: What, in a sentence, does this company do/sell?

It is a service industry; where users can build and host websites, online shops and blogs. Blogs or sites can be either personal or business.

Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?

Anthony Casalena is the Founder of Squarespace, Inc. He started the company in 2003 in his dorm room of the University of Maryland. He is also the current CEO (Chief Exceutive Officer).

Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?

They are in NYC (Broadway and 5^th Ave), in Portland in the state of Oregon, and in Ireland, a European country. Full addresses are below.

• NYC: 459 Broadway, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10013
• Portland: 222 NW 5th Avenue, Fourth Floor, Portland, OR 97209
• Ireland: Le Pole House, 1st Floor, Ship Street Great, Dublin

Method of Making Money:  How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models?

Squarespace makes money on Premium Payment model. They charge different amounts depending on number of payments per year (meaning monthly payments or once a year payment).

Target Customers:  Who are the target customers for this company?

Individuals who wants to be a blogger, or businesses like a restaurant willing to create websites, or people who want to publish pictures from their events such as wedding are target customers for this company.

How many current users/customers, etc: How many customers do they currently have?

Exact number of customers is unknown, but the company website mentions big brand names like CISCO, HBO, and Target among many others as their customers.

  How does the company advertise its product/services?

In broadcast television, radio, online, magazines, and newspapers. They were in SuperBowl 2015 too.

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?

WordPress is one of the biggest competitors of Squarespace.

Squarespace makes it easy for beginners to advance level users to build websites. One can drag and drop content easily. Unlike this, one need to commit weeks to learn how to use WordPress properly.

Squarespace has better support team unlike WordPress.

Works Cited: You must document all the websites and articles you use to find the above information. Simply include a list of websites at the end of the blog post.

http://www.businessinsider.com/cool-startups-to-work-for-in-new-york-2014-10#squarespace-6

http://www.wsj.com/video/super-bowl-2015-squarespace-ad/6624ECEE-2A4A-48EE-B89F-FCFB95AD7709.html

http://mashable.com/2014/10/07/squarespace-google-integration/

http://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/squarespace-vs-wordpress/

Product/Service: What, in a sentence, does this company do/sell?

Answer: They offer a technology platform where people can buy stock in their favorite brands by invest as little as $10 and pay no fees to trade or sell.

Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?

Answer: I cannot find any in information the founder of this incredible company, however, I do know that Mr. Barry Schneider is the Chairman, President, and CEO.
Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?

Answer: The headquarter of this company is located at 150 California Street San Francisco, CA 94111. As a new company they only have one headquarter.

Method of Making Money:  How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models?

Answer: Loyal3 has a unique business model. Rather than charge fees to users, they perform services for companies, and charge them for those services. Like helping raise capital, lower costs of individual shareholders and increase brand engagement.

Target Customers:  Who are the target customers for this company?

Answer: They target regular people with or without trading experience in the United States.

How many current users/customers, etc.: How many customers do they currently have?

Answer: They do not provide any data about how many current users/customers that are using their service.

How does the company advertise its product/services?

Answer: Advertise their product they use social media site like Facebook and twitter. The company also advertise on their website. They featured on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Fox Business, Nerd Wallet, The New York Time, Wallet Street Journal, and Business Time. Those type of appearance give them a huge exposure to the public.

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?

Answer: they are competing against company like Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade and E*TRADE. What sets them apart is that they don’t charge the investor any fee to sell or buy shares in company. They also give regular investor the opportunity to participate in IPO, the other competitors does offer this service. What makes it even more interesting is that IPO is still reserve for people with a large amount of money and influence in the business world but they manage to give this service to people with limited income like myself free of charge.

Works Cited: You must document all the websites and articles you use to find the above information. Simply include a list of websites at the end of the blog post.

http://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-LOYAL3-EI_IE408109.11,17.htm

https://www.loyal3.com/about-loyal3.html#contact

http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/loyal3-review/

http://www.nasdaq.com/investing/online-brokers/loyal3.aspx

http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/23/loyal3-raises-18m-to-make-buying-stock-as-easy-as-a-facebook-like/

ZocDoc

Product/Service: ZocDoc is a company that provides patients with free online access to healthcare services.  ZocDoc was created to solve patient problems and improve the modern healthcare experience.  Patients can sign in to gain access.

Founder/Co-Founders: Cyrus Massoumi is CEO and founder of ZocDoc.  ZocDoc was created in or around 2007 when Cyrus Massoumi ruptured his eardrum and spent four days searching for a doctor.

Office/Headquarters: The headquarters of ZocDoc is located at 568 Broadway #901, New York, NY 10012.

Products/Services:  The service provides millions of patients with physician ratings, medical services, physician appointment times, and appointment booking without the phone calls or month-long wait to book an appointment.

Method of Making Money:  Healthcare providers who partner with ZocDoc pay a subscription fee for ZocDoc’s service.  In turn ZocDoc help providers increase the efficiency of their practices, fill their last minute cancellations, and provide prompt medical care to patients.

Target Customers:  Patients or anyone in need of healthcare services.

How many current users/customers, etc: An exact number of users/customers were not listed.  Currently, ZocDoc serves more than 40% of the US population, across 2,000+ cities. We’re continually expanding our service to new cities and towns according to patient demand.

How does the company advertise its product/services?  They use social channels, such as Twitter, Facebook, and word of mouth.  Journalist are encourage to visit their Press page for coverage information.

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: ZocDoc has opened the doors for other companies, such as iMedicalApps, Gigaom.com, and mashable.com.

Works Cited: 

https://www.zocdoc.com/aboutus

https://www.google.com/search?q=google&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl#rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&q=competitors%2Fcompetitive+advantage+of+zocdoc