Glee updates: Making Money Ideas

I’m on the road with the StartupBus Europe trip to LeWeb. When you left us yesterday, the ‘buspreneurs’ were busy forming teams around the ideas they had pitched.

As we sped down the autobahns of north Germany, the product ideas were honed and many ideas were sketched out on paper, and even on the bus’ windows.

Following a short ferry trip to Denmark, we rolled into Copenhagen – one of Europe’s most exciting startup cities. Our host for the evening was Startup Bootcamp, where the 2011 group of startups left last week but things are far from quiet as the accelerator franchise plans for a busy 2012 around Europe.

The StartupBus Europe teams pitched their initial concepts:

LocaFoo: For iPhone and Android, this location-based game will see you picking up virtual items around you to attack and defend against your friends. Brands will be encouraged to get involved. Perhaps you could throw a Starbucks coffee or a McDonalds hamburger at your opponents.The app will have Foursquare and Facebook integration.

BUT: Will brands want their products used as weapons?

Buybone (working title): Imagine a version of eBay where you list your needs and customers bid to sell your their products. Whether the seller is down the road or on the other side of the world, this will be a safe way of buying without being ripped off, with Buybone acting as an escrow service.

BUT: Will the team have their wireframes ready by the time we get to Berlin in a few hours time?

YoBro: – This is instant mobile group audio chat for shared interests. The service links people with shared interests. Type in an interest and the app will link you with others who have entered the same text. A natural link here is to gather around Twitter trending topics. To prevent rooms getting too noisy, each will be limited in size before a new room is automatically generated.

BUT: Do people want to group audio chat with strangers? And where’s the money?

Wander: – Trips and travel are fun, and planning should be too – that’s the premise behind Wander. It will allow you to create a personal travel guide. It will be available when mobile, with timeline and map for exploring. It will emphasise spontaneity – as you explore a location, it will tell you when a point of interest you want to visit is nearby. There will be an offline mode for when you don’t have access to mobile data.

BUT: Who is the specific target market?

Invoi: – The aim here is to disrupt voicemail, by making it interactive. The team is building a service that uses voice recognition, translating voicemail to tasks and events. The user will be able to set conditions – so, for example, when certain words are said in voicemail messages, you can get the service to call someone else, make a to-do list and more.

BUT: Can the team get a working demo completed in time?

After a short sleep in a Copenhagen hostel, we’re on the road again, bound for Berlin. After a brief stop there we’ll be moving again as we head for today’s final destination of Zurich. We’ll keep you posted on the teams’ progress as we make our way towards our ultimate destination in Paris tomorrow evening.

In the meantime, you can invest virtual cash in your favourite idea on the StartupBus Stock Exchange game. You can also join us in Berlin at an event this afternoon. Click here for more details.

Now that it's nearing the end of the year, there are some money chores you need to take care of, such as making sure you've spent the money in your Flexible Spending Account because it will expire before the New Year. You're actually allowed to file an extension if you haven't used up all your FSA dollars, but you need to check your company policy to see if they allow that. Don't fret if you can't extend, here are some last-minute ideas to use your FSA money:

Over-the-counter items: We're not allowed to spend our FSA dollars on over-the-counter medicines without prescriptions but there are plenty of non medicinal products that we can still use the FSA money for. For example, band aids, crutches, first aid kits, and rubbing alcohol.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture is covered by your FSA, so if you have a condition such as pain, consider acupuncture.

Chiropractic: Your FSA also covers chiropractic visits, so now may be the time to schedule an appointment with your chiropractor.

Birth control: Contraceptives are covered by the FSA, although some require prescription.

Glasses and contact lens: Schedule a vision exam and use your FSA dollars to buy a new pair of glasses or supplies of contact lenses.

Prescription medicine: Buy prescription medicine if it makes sense for you to do so.

Doctor's visit: Your FSA will cover the copay so if you're due for a doctor's visit, try to go before the end of the year.

Medical monitoring and testing devices: If you need a gadget to measure and monitor your blood pressure or ovulation, perhaps it's time to buy one now. Pregnancy and glucose test kits also qualify.

FSA is best used when it covers items that your health insurance doesn't generally pay for. Remember to use them or you'll lose them before the year's up!

This post originally appeared in SavvySugar.

Glee updates

Monday 26 December 2011

Making Money Ideas

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