Pajama Entrepreneur

Hangchillparty is an online application that allows you to tell your friends if you’re down to hang out, down to chill or unavailable. You can tell your friends where you will be later and find out where your friends are right now and at a later time. The online application launched on 20 July 2010. The founders are Drew Sing and Eric DeBusschere based in Berkeley, California. I did a Q&A with Drew via email.

How do you describe Hangchillparty and why is it different from anything already out there?

In the old days, friends constantly texted to keep each other updated on when they would hang, chill, and party. Now, Hangchillparty is the easiest way to let all your friends know when you’re free to socialize. Simply signal your socializing status with a green, yellow, or red light. That’s all. If you want, let friends know who you’re with and what you’re doing. Join social signals to create real time social groups. Facebook, Twitter, or group text your friends with Hcp. When friends hang out, they Hangchillparty.

What inspired you to launch Hangchillparty?

We are two college students who are too lazy to constantly call and text friends. Instead of having to call and text friends individually, we wanted a more casual form of communication that allowed us to simply signal when we were free to socialize. We were inspired by how little friends actually hang out, and how much they spend sitting in front of a screen by themselves. We hope people are still interested in hanging out in real life.

How are you making money (or how will you make money in the future)?

Some sort of group coupon service since we organize spontaneous groups of any size. Collaborations with companies and brands that can benefit from our site and image.

Where do you see Hangchillparty within a year?

We see it as integral part of all college socializing. When friends want to hang out, they will simply signal instead of weave through their contacts, pick who to text, and wait for a response.

Are you self-funded?

Yes, we are self-funded by part-time on campus jobs and cheap living!

www.hangchillparty.com

Attention all pajama entrepreneurs! GE and four venture capital firms have created a $200 million fund to invest in entrepreneurs and startups who submit the best ideas for improving the electricity grid. There are 3 categories for proposals: Renewables, Grid and Eco Homes/Eco Buildings. If you are selected, you could receive $100,000 or even more, and get to commercialize your products using GE’s huge multinational distribution. Please go to my article on MuniWireless.com to find out more details.

Another SF Beta mixer is coming up on 13 July 2010 starting at 17:00. Join the fun at the Minna Gallery at 111 Minna Street in San Francisco to see demos by startups. Indeed, a startup called Envolve, which I featured on this site, will be doing a demo. To find out more and register go to the SF Beta website. If you are not familier with SF Beta, here’s a brief intro: SF Beta is San Francisco’s largest monthly startup mixer. Since launching in September, 2006, it has brought together thousands of people from hundreds of startups, creating innumerable connections along the way. SF Beta is produced by Christain Perry.?

sfbeta.com

Screenshot of Facebook store powered by Infused Palermo

Infused Palermo is an online service that allows merchants to sell their products on their Facebook page and through affiliate publisher networks. If you are a merchant, this is very handy because people who visit your Facebook page won’t have to leave to buy the products you offer. They can buy right on your Facebook page!  You can add a fully functioning store with inventory browsing, shopping cart, and checkout capabilities.

If you prefer to sell through affiliates, you can also give those affiliates a fully functioning store (not just a boring banner ad to click). This breaks the physiological click-off barrier to convert more eyes to buys. It also takes advantage of impulse buying behavior.

Infused Industries launched on 1 June 2010. The founders are Brian Cary, Michael Bender, Arthur Tew, and Andy Cary. They have offices in San Francisco and Raleigh, North Carolina.

You can view a demo of Infused Palermo working on a Facebook fan page.

* * * * *

Q&A with Brian Cary, co-founder of Infused Palermo

What inspired you to launch Infused Palermo?

Statistics have shown that regular display ads are becoming less effective in capturing clicks. We set off in July 2009 on a mission to create an ad platform that enables merchants of all sizes to combine their advertising and e-commerce efforts into an interactive experience for visitors on the web, and to change the way customers interact with brands online.

How are you making money (or how will you make money in the future)?

We charge a monthly fee based on customer’s requirements plus a metered commission on transactions processed through our store. We currently charge a setup fee to bring customers on board to cover integration costs and store management costs. We are working hard on popular integrations to significantly reduce, and in a lot of cases eliminate, the setup fee.

Where do you see your product/service within a year?

We see our product line being expanded into additional ad technology offerings, such as combining online video, social media integration (such as ‘Like this product’ and distribute the message to friends on various social networks), and group buying functionality with our e-commerce enabled advertising platform. We are in the process of releasing mass sign-up functionality and an API for retrieving orders, so in a year we should see creative uses of our technology across the web.

Are you self-funded?

Yes.