StartupRealities

StartupRealities No 158 TinfoilCars is an automotive design company which produces external car parts (doors and roofs) with a smooth surface finish that resembles crumpled aluminium tinfoil. The company's patented finish has two advantages: 1) The surface reflects light in all directions, making the cars easy to spot from a distance (while the smoothness of the surface does not create additional drag). 2) If the car is involved in a minor accident, a bent bumper or a damaged door do not need to be repaired at all, as deformed parts blend in easily with the rest of the car. CEO QUOTE "We are saving the world millions of hours of unnecessary work. You no longer need to go to a car repair shop to fix a bent bumper You can simply drive it and no one will notice." said TinfoilCars founder and CEO Tina Carluccio . Aluminium tinfoil (image source: Wikipedia )

StartupRealities No 148 TilesOut is an architecture design and construction company which has developed and patented new house roofing technology based on thick layers of alternating plastic cling film and bubble wrap. The roofing material is continuously applied on a roof beam structure by a robotic arm resembling the flying shuttle of a textile loom, suspended from a cherry picker . The thickness of the roofing sheets reaches up to 50 layers of alternating clingfilm and wrap, with minimal weight. ADVANTAGES The new roofing material has several advantages over traditional ceramic or bitumen tiles: 1) light weight; 2) translucent to sunlight (without being fully transparent); 3) providing perfect heat insulation in winter; 4) flexible and pliable (unlike corrugated PVC roofing sheets, which are brittle); 5) continuously applied on site, so no preliminary calculations and delivery specifications are needed; 6) easily repairable by applying more layers of sheeting. CEO QUOTE...

StartupRealities No 126 LogoExpander is a graphic design consultancy which improves brand and company logos by maximising the space that the logo takes up and minimising the blank space around letters and symbols. The company's specialty is designing logos in a 16:9 aspect ratio, which optimises space use compared with square logos. An example of a logo of similar proportions is the eliptic horizontal logo of Samsung. CEO QUOTE "When you display your logo on your website, you are in full control of the layout and will clearly make it work. However, when other people display your logo on their website, say, in a list of partner or client institutions, this list puts square logos at a disadvantage because someone with the horizontal Samsung logo will take up twice the amount of space. There is no malice in it; the format simply doesn't work for square logos. We help to fix this by redesigning logos in the most sensible format possible." - explained company founder...

StartupRealities No 119 WaveCancellation is a swimming pool and garden pond design company which has developed equipment that cancels out waves on the water surface, creating a permanently still mirror-like expanse of water despite any wind or mechanical disturbances. The company has installed its premium infinity pools at the fanciest resorts and hotels in the world. CEO QUOTE "Waves are natural. But an absolutely still water surface is simply divine." - said WaveCancellation founder and CEO Waverley Cancellieri. Lake with still surface in British Columbia (image source: Wikipedia )

StartupRealities No 118 CreatingSeating  is an innovation and design company which helps airlines rebrand and upgrade their economy-class plane seats. The company's key focus is renaming window seats as #CreativeSeats, as these seats allow maximum privacy for the passenger, while gazing out of the window of a flying plane is known to enhance creativity and ideation. For passengers who would use the window blinds as a headrest to help them sleep, the company has designed additional headrests that are fitted at the top of aisle and middle seats. The company recommends that windows blinds should not be pulled down or the windows darkened (depending on the plane model) during flight to allow passengers in window seats to interact with and be inspired by the outside world. CEO QUOTE "Passengers who want to doze off on the plane usually ask for a window seat. But that's such a waste. Windows exist for a reason: to allow us to look out of them, not to prop our sleeping heads...