StartupRealities

Startup No 173 - StartupRealities 2020 series SovereignBroker is an international land auctioneer which procures territory from independent states and sells it at auction to other states for non-military use. This allows unlocking the value of key territories, e.g. strategically located islands which can serve as deep sea ports or special economic zones (SEZ). Examples of sovereign land purchases in history abound, including vast tracts of land such as Alaska (purchased by the US from Russia in 1867) and small territories such as the strategic Pakistani port of Gwadar (purchased by Pakistan from Oman in 1958). CEO QUOTE "Our biggest project so far is the 2,060 sq km Bir Tawil territory between Egypt and Sudan. As neither country claims this land, both countries stand to benefit from our redevelopment of the territory into a SEZ with its own airport, land transport links, solar power plants, mining and manufacturing facilities and greenhouses for agricultural produce. Liberta...

StartupRealities No 133 CountryBranded is a brand agency which helps companies develop products and services under brand names that contain relevant country references with positive associations, e.g. ScottishWindpower, JapanElectronics, BrazilBeach. The agency also helps such companies establish a credible association with the given country, including procuring raw materials from there, setting up an office in the country or hiring local staff. CEO QUOTE "Don't we all have country associations in our minds? Champagne and luxury goods must be French; fashion is Italian; automotive technology is German; and robots must be Japanese. CountryBranded steps on these associations and builds on them. Small wealthy countries are an easy sell: no one has anything against Scotland, Belgium or Norway as they are not in the news much and most people around the world have never even met a Scottish, Belgian or Norwegian person. So even if the product is not directly associated with the ...

StartupRealities No 30 CollarHoller is a manufacturer of electric collars for dogs and pets which keep the animals within a specified perimeter around the house. In the basic version, the collar inflicts a mild electric shock when the dog tries to move beyond a specified radius of its home, e.g. 50 metres. In the more advanced version, the collar is equipped with a GPS device, so the perimeter of territory where the dog is allowed to roam freely can be set virtually on a map. CEO QUOTE "CollarHoller creates a virtual fence which gives pet owners peace of mind and allows dogs the freedom to run outdoors from dawn to dusk," said company founder and CEO Colin Halls. "The rechargeable collar battery alerts the owner before the battery is fully drained, but it also alert the dog with two special electric and ultrasound signals (which are inaudible to humans). The dog is usually trained to run back to the base station and touch the collar to a contactless charging pad t...