http://www.fabernovel.com/

I really think this year is evolution versus revolution ... A lot more of your devices are going to run with lessdirection from you but a greater sense of how to help you out - Gartner Analyst Brian Blau during CES 2016

Did you speak of a collaborative Internet? The reality is actually quite different. Today, I am constantly assisted by an OS, apersonal-smart-speech-enabled assistant, a smart thermostat and other objects connected to my quantified self, and alsoby a good Samaritan located on the other side of the world.

Algorithms hidden in the cloud decide what I'm going to eat, wear, watch - more and more. Because I less and less have tocare about mundanely material things. I've forgotten the phone numbers and door codes that I used to remember carefully.I've given up taking cabs since I realized that Uber enables me to order one from an app and that its drivers open the doorfor me.

And how do I use my free time? I fuel my FOMO syndrome by glancing at my smartphone 487 times a day, but it's been awhile since I last contributed to Wikipedia or thought about becoming an artist on YouTube or Dailymotion.

So lazy... and it's going to last for a very long time if we all become eternal beings. In my complete idleness, I could then fallin love with an interface. If it's a thermostat's, I really hope it will have Scarlett Johansson's voice.

This Hot Off the Crowd edition was fueled by months of investigation and daily discoveries on the leading crowdfundingand crowdsourcing platforms: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, Product Hunt, Crunchbase...At FABERNOVEL, we truly believe that we all need to monitor the latest technological gems, trends and developments fromthese sites, it's the most useful way to understand what's going on before taking action.

ASSISTED HUMANS, AUTONOMOUS OBJECTS

Stéphane DistinguinCEO FABERNOVEL Group

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TL;TR?Key Takeaways_Lazy BusinessText me when it's doneAlice through the Phone ScreenTalk to my Lawyer!_Spoiled for ChoiceFood Delivery: the only problem is choosingThe New Digital Divide_Autonomous ObjectsProductive Furniture

SUMMARY

1# Availability + personalization + empathy = intimacy

2# Intimacy can be leveraged by businesses throughmessaging interfaces, enabling a truly one-to-one andpermanent channel with every customer

3# Value can be created by reinvigorating aginginterfaces with a digital layer (SMS x AI, objects xelectronics x connectivity...)

4# Money buys time: in the on-demand economy, eachof your chores is someone else's job

5# There are 3 possible answers to the paradox ofchoice generated by the digital revolution:

- Benevolence as a service- Narrowed offering - aka curation- AI mediation

6# Smart lamps will take over the world!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Too lazy and too long to read? Keep only this in mind

Enjoy deliverselectronic deviceswith free expertSetup at home

The AspirationalLamp invests inthe stock marketfor its owner

Talk Space A Therapy-by-textService

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Lazy business

If you've been dreaming of a technological – and social –revolution, where robots are increasingly domesticated,and where the luxury of being waited upon hand and foot,has become a commodity, your dream has become areality. But forget the personal robot Ninebot just spottedat the CES. For now, apps steal the show by acting asbutlers and concierges. Indeed, startups are increasinglyoffering users services to carry out simple buttime-consuming tasks: thanks to text messages, emailsand voice commands, it has never been simpler to beserved.

Why should you pay attention? What is fueling this new social paradigm? The laziness ofmodern times or a genuine lack of time in an increasinglyurban world? We are constantly on the lookout for asimplified customer experience that is increasinglypersonalized... Working via SMS or OS, these assistantsusually communicate on first-name terms, providing theillusion of a 'human' service. By carrying out all of theannoying daily errands with one message, we are losingthe so-called virtue of patience.

LAZY BUSINESS

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In a previous article we talked about the rise of invisible apps. Notapps in the strict sense of the word, but rather a new way ofinteracting with services by using classic communicationchannels, such as text messages, emails, tweets... there is no needto download an application on the App Store or Google Play. Noneed to create an account. No interface (hence the use of theword invisible). Over the last few months, we have seen manystartups – listed on Product Hunt – multiply in every sector.

Why should you pay attention?

Specially designed to accommodate each potential customer'sjourney, these new concierge services rely heavily on textmessages, which are accessible to everyone since they becameunlimited through most carriers, enabling them to reduceproduction costs at the same time. However, the rise of textmessages illustrates a deeper trend: the growth of messagingapps and their transformation into services platforms that thirdparties can leverage as a new mass communication channel. ThusWeChat lets users open a store inside its messaging service,Facebook launched a new service on its mobile Messenger Appcalled "M", and even Slack enables you to order an Uber within itsapp.

Invisible Apps: service is conversation on FABERNOVEL's blog

TEXT ME WHEN IT'SDONE

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By playing on the "human" side of exchange and advice, invisible apps promote the best customer relationships andprovide the best, tailored advice.

INVISIBLE APPS: CONCIERGE AS A SERVICE

With Magic you can ask for anything, as long as it's legal and possible. You justhave to send a text. 48 hours after its launch, the service had received over 17,000text messages with requests ranging from a bunch of bananas to a tiger!

Clac Des Doigts, a French copycat of Magic, satisfies all your last-minute cravingsday or night (flowers, meals, ironing, shows, another set of keys).

Jam is a French invisible app that helps students solve their daily problems andsatisfy their needs. Can't find an apartment? A classroom? Simply send a textmessage or Facebook message and Jam's Team will text you the best offers orindications they find.

Unload your clutter and get rid of anything you don't need by text – that's whatUnload helps you to do. Simply send pictures of your things, and Unload'sassistants will determine items that can be sold, and those that should be givenaway.

OutFitR provides on-demand fashion advice to help users find their style and thebest outfits for events. Users text "HELLO" and OutFitR connects them to their veryown professional stylist.

Talkspace lets you talk to a psychiatrist with its "Unlimited Messaging Therapy".

Invisible Apps Collection on Product HuntINVI

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Cloé looks for the best places for colleagues to go out or the idealrestaurant for St Valentine's Day. Julie and Clara will find a datefor your next meeting while balancing the agendas of allparticipants. Not to mention Luka and Nestor. It's not just bychance that these services bear human names: creating a senseof trust and closeness is key to a successful customer experienceof services that often deal with your personal matters and thatyou can reach through means of communication usuallydedicated to friends or colleagues. Most of the time, there are realpeople responding directly to user requests, however there are agrowing number of services that use artificial intelligence, theChatbot of the on-demand era, leaving humans to simply controlthe service and validate the demand. And even Google is workingon it.

Why should you pay attention?These fictitious names enable our interlocutors to create intimacyand convince users to extend their digital trust. It is alsointeresting to point out the difference between the simplicity ofthese services and the complex artificial intelligence needed toestablish a relevant and contextual response. That's why AI voiceservices such as Siri, Cortana, Alexa or Xiaoice are in competitionwith text messages – as they're easy to implement. Voice is anecessary step in creating proximity with the user, but it doesn'tseem too credible at the moment.

ALICE THROUGH THE PHONESCREEN

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Alfred is an automatic,hands-off service. It's"your very own personalbutler". It takes care ofthe many to-dos andchores that make upyour daily routine, suchas laundry and groceryshopping (generallythrough otheron-demand services.)

Amy is an artificiallyintelligent personalassistant, who canschedule your meetingsand book them in yourcalendar. To do that,Amy can read emailsand organize agendasto make room forappointments. She willalso converse with yourinterlocutors to avoidany overlaps.

Miley offers a personaljob hunt service.Simply send a text tothe given number, andMiley will find you yourbest match work-wise.

THAT'S NOT MY NAME

Horace can sort youout with areplacementmoisturizer in lessthan three hours.

Stefan's Head will sendyou clothing discounts.Once you send it atext, Stefan will let youknow when limited-edition clothing goeson sale, at adiscounted price.

Follow Alfred's activityon AngelList TH

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In the previous edition of Hot Off the Crowd, we focusedon services that have brought legal resources, includingcontractual and B2B assistance, to the masses. With aparticular emphasis on the rise of "lawyers on demand",and the growth of collective services like Flightradar orrefund.me, which focus on the airline industry.

The simple principle of delegating a complaint,sometimes collectively, is being used by severalbusinesses today. Many startups, often American ones,offer services to consumers who feel aggrieved by dailyinjustices.

Why should you pay attention?

Yes, the business of being lazy is still booming. If certaincompanies were counting on you not going throughwith your complaint to get your money back because ofthe obstacles put in your way, the time you have to waitby post - even though you paid online – there are anincreasing number of startups who are hoping you willdelegate this task to them. But don't be gullible, they'renot doing out of the goodness of their heart or in thesearch of justice but often for a commission.

TALK TO MY LAWYER!

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WE WANT YOUR MONEY BACK!

ServiceService helps consumers get whatthey deserve from businesses. Thepromise: "you tell us about aproblem you had with a business,and we fix it for you" - nonrefundable airline tickets, latedeliveries, bad service atrestaurants, and many more.

Crusader, litigator or nit-picker? We don't know for you but where startups are concerned it's clear – business isbusiness!

FixedFixed is an app designed to helpusers solve simple drivers' legalproblems. For instance, it can helpyou solve parking ticket disputes.They're also planning to launch aservice to deal with speedingtickets, credit card overcharges...

ParibusParibus helps you get your money back. If you miss a coupon, a better deal or if the price simply drops, Paribus will help you remedy a basic injustice and get your money back for you, if possible.

Paribus on Product Hunt CrunchBase reports a $700kSeed on January 17, 2016W

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Spoiled for choice

The collision between our laziness and hunger has resulted in anexplosion of the number food-delivery startups. They are now sonumerous that the paradox of choice has now kicked in: when allthe restaurants of your city are available from your couch, it provesdifficult to make a quick choice.That's why a new crop of services - such as Deliveroo (UK), Take EatEasy (Belgium), Foodora (Germany) and the Americans Caviar,Sprig, Munchery - deliberately offers limited options through a list ofhandpicked restaurants. Those startups are growing at a rapid paceleading to a head-on competition where guerrilla marketing (e.g.widespread coupon distribution) and logistics infrastructure (e.g.ramp-up of bike fleets) are the main theaters of operations. And ofcourse, such a race entails sizable fundraising rounds to doeverything quicker than the competitors.

Why should you pay attention?

If the promise is really to simplify choice, in an ideal world therewould only be one, overarching platform, with a limited list ofrecommendations. However, not everybody can keep ahead in thissaturated market. That's why Dinein.co.uk's adventure drew to aclose, despite a successful first round of fundraising in Europe andits aquisition of MyDeliveryCab to distance its competitors. Thearrival of behemoths such as Uber or Amazon also shakes thingsup.

FOOD DELIVERY:THE ONLY PROBLEM IS CHOOSING

The Curated Food Delivery Trend on JWTintelligenceFOOD

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A stricly curated approach to food delivery

FoodNow is all about simplicity. By simply removing choice, FoodNow focuses onproviding the best meal you can eat, near to your location. "One click and the foodis yours, it removes the paradox of choice that makes GrubHub, Seamlessoverwhelming and confusing to use" explains its founder.

Uber Eats. No longer just your average cab service, Uber is now turning into yourdream delivery driver service. By using its own drivers, it distinguishes itself fromcompetitors by being more productive and offering curated food options and localmeals.

Caviar, a premium food delivery service, offers delivery from a curated list of selectrestaurants for a flat fee of $9.99. In many cases, the restaurants it features do notoffer delivery of any kind.

Arcade is a food delivery texting service (another invisible app!) that curates dishesfrom the best NYC restaurants. The service is available online, by phone or textmessage, and offers curated meals that enable customers to order food items fromone or more restaurants. Arcade offers one dish, from one restaurant every day –with a focus on quality.

CURATED OUTSIDERS

On-demand and selected Food Delivery Start-up on Product Hunt

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We are also increasingly seeing startups that deal with a larger part of the foodvalue chain, creating and preparing their own menus in their own kitchens, inaddition to the logistics part.

Maple promises restaurant-quality meals from a menu developed by famous chefs.Without a restaurant. The app provides three entree choices per meal, prepares itwith care in Maple's kitchen, and delivers it to you - in NYC.

At Munchery, the San Francisco-based startup, cooks prepare meals during the daywhen they are not needed at their regular restaurant jobs. Customers order online orthrough an app and the food gets delivered to their homes with warminginstructions.

Sprig specializes in healthy on-demand meals in San Francisco. The user-friendlyapp enables you to choose and order your meal in four easy steps. Sprig's menu islimited, but all the food is prepared in its own kitchen run by several high-profilechefs.

WHEN FOOD STARTUPS GO FULL-STACK

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Smartphones, wearables, drones, smart TVs, connectedthermostats, Bluetooth speakers... The number of electronicdevices in our homes and lives keeps soaring: so even if theyare supposed to be dead simple, intuitive to use, they tend tooverwhelm us - at least in the first steps of their installationand usage. Contrast that with our time consciousness andexpectation of instant gratification, and you can easilyunderstand why 2015 saw the rise of on-demand "Genius Baras a service" providers, enabling consumers to get up to speedwith their latest fancy hi-tech purchases.

Why should you pay attention?

The gap between our capacity - and available time, probably -to handle new devices and the speed at which they keepemerging is widening, compounded by the fact that each oneincreasingly needs to communicate in some sort with others -in a sense, Meltcafe's law is turning against us.We thus face a new digital divide, transcending age or socialdifferences: the limits of our cognitive abilities vs. the trajectoryof technical progress. And new forms of (say, code or UI-based)literacies will marginally help us. There is a paradoxical wayout: that more technology could prevent us from grapplingwith more complex technologies - waiting for an automatedsavior to clean up our digital mess, be it a robot or anintelligent app.

THE NEW DIGITAL DIVIDE

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Eden proposes some "Tech Wizards" who are going to solve your tech problems orinstall your TV, Wi-Fi network... in your home anytime and anywhere. Thanks to thatservice, maybe you will forget all the problems you've faced skimming throughendless user instructions...

Enjoy redefines after-sales service. Enjoy, a startup created by the former head ofApple Stores, offers free delivery and visit with every purchase made on itswebsite. Experts will hand deliver technology products to customers at a place andtime of their choosing, and spend an hour helping them get up and running.

HelloTech is an at-home tech support service. For $79 an hour, the tech-savvycollege students of this startup provide support within 24 hours after the initialrequest. "We are totally on-demand and in-person, scheduled at a specific time like6pm — no two-hour windows," said co-founder and chief executive Richard Wolpert.

HELPLESS, REALLY?

Tech Field Support Startups, a growing Market on AngelList

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AutonomousObjects

Still lifes are dead. The idle piece of furniture is increasingly aview of the past: we are now quite familiar with the gradualmetamorphosis of mere objects into connected ones. Whereasthe IOT trend today mainly implies the enhancement of thegood old functions of everyday objects (connected pots, lightbulbs, doorbells, locks...), a second wave is coming, pointingtoward a hybrid future where the same objects will generatevalue not only through their usage, but also from some sort ofproduction - unrelated to their initial function. Thus in the near future any electrical device could be turnedinto a bitcoin miner, servers could be hidden inside heaters,and furniture could also be algae production units.

Why should you pay attention?

Moving away from simple automation, it is a real"autonomization" of things that we are witnessing - objects areno longer solely reliant on humans' uses to have a specificpurpose. It thus gives us a taste of what a materially networkedeconomy could look like: highly decentralized, with a range ofeconomic agents - that is, capable of making their owneconomic decisions - vastly exceeding the realm of humanbeings.

PRODUCTIVE FURNITURE

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Living Things is a prototype of photosynthetic furniture -a kind of giant light bulbs in this case - turning wastelight, heat and carbon dioxide into spirulina, an ediblebacteria that can be harvested for a locally-grown,high-protein meal.

BitFury light bulbs automatically mine bitcoins for theirowners (i.e. participate in the verification of Bitcointransactions by helping solve cryptographic puzzles),thus generating a new revenue stream. It's a particularlyinteresting example for it points toward a future where acrucial infrastructure - that is, the payments processingsystem - could be widely distributed and hidden in everyhousehold.

A concept created by design students from Copenhagen,the Aspirational Lamp uses a solar panel as its powersource and sells the surplus of generated energy to thegrid in order to buy stocks. The resulting profit isautomatically reinvested in the lamp itself (for instanceordering a replacement for a faulty component)... as wellas given back to the lucky owner.

FIAT LUX

CES 2016: new LED bulbs do more than light up

FIAT

LUX

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WE CRAFT THE FUTURE OF YOUR INDUSTRY. AT STARTUP SPEED.

WHAT WE DOWe design, implement and deployproduct or services to create newbusiness models and develop newstreams of revenue and profit.We combine customer insights,strategy, design, marketing andtechnology services to create ajourney from concept to impact.

WHO WE ARE We are a global interdisciplinaryteam of 150 business, technologyand design experts workingtogether with our clients to makethings happen with the speed andboldness of entrepreneurs.

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