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Tuesday, February 4, 2014
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Farmers can benefit greatly from having up-to-date aerial imagery of their crops, but it’s virtually impossible for a smaller agricultural business to get this data. The YC-backed TerrAvion, which is officially launching today, wants to make it easy even for small farms, vineyards and orchards to get aerial imagery during the growing season.


For $30 per acre for small farms under 300 acres and prices as low as $22 per acre for large farms, TerrAvion provides farms with weekly images. Comparable services, the company argues, cost about $6-$15 for a single pass.


To do this – and to keep the cost low – TerrAvion went decidedly low tech. It’s not using drones – those would be illegal to operate commercially anyway. Instead, it is using old-school Cessna 172s with FAA-approved camera pods strapped underneath their bellies to get these images. As TerrAvion co-founders Robert Morris and Cornell Wright told me, this actually turns out to be cheaper than using drones, as a plane can cover significantly more ground than a hand-launched drone.


TerrAvion believes that as it increases density and brings more customers on board, it will be able to reduce its prices, as it can photograph more fields during a single mission.


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The camera takes regular photographs, as well as color infrared images. Based on this information, TerrAvion then creates a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index image for farmers that makes it easier to spot vigorously growing plants. In addition, the company also offers thermal views and oblique imagery, which can sometimes help find issues that aren’t apparent in regular straight-down views.


Unlike other services, which use an operator to work the camera, TerrAvion’s system runs autonomously. The pilot just has to fly a set route and the system handles the rest. The company argues that it could handle 100,000 acres a day with a single plane.


TerrAvion is currently working with two flight bases in California, where it rents the planes that are then flown by local pilots (mostly flight instructors) who want to fly a few extra hours and make some money on the side. For the time being, the service is only available in California, though the company obviously plans to expand to other areas as well.


Both Wright and Morris have an aviation background. Wright led a drone platoon in the Army and Morris has a private pilots license.


To get started, farmers simply use the company’s web-based interface to draw lines around their fields and wait for the images to come.


One TerrAvion gets the imagery, they run the data through a number of mostly off-the-shelf software and then email the farmer once the imagery is ready (typically the next morning).


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Color infrared image of the Coppola Winery



As Wright noted, the company’s methods don’t necessarily allow it to diagnose the reason for why there are issues in a certain part of a field, for example. It can, however, easily detect where some trees or vines get too much or too little water or where they should use more or less chemicals. This allows farmers to notice issues before they become unmanageable and focus their energies on areas where there are issues.


“Our emphasis,” Wright said, “is on putting the pictures in the hands of the guy who farms the field.” During its beta test last year, the team found that the economic benefit of its service doesn’t come from somebody at HQ looking at the data, but from the person who knows the field. “We view our services as a generalized tool for shortening the decision cycle in agriculture,” Wright said.


Especially now, with the ongoing drought in California and farmers not getting the water allocations they are used to, TerrAvion believes its tools could help farmers save their permanent crops.


For field crops like soybeans or wheat, TerrAvion notes, the value per acre tends to be significantly lower than for permanent crops like vines and orchards, so its service isn’t currently geared towards these farmers. Wright also noted that there are fewer options to intervene with these crops.


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NDVI infrared image of the Coppola Winery






9:38 AM

Farmers can benefit greatly from having up-to-date aerial imagery of their crops, but it’s virtually impossible for a smaller agricultural b...

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Video news startup Watchup, is announcing that it has raised $1 million in additional funding.


Co-founder Adriano Farano, a former journalist himself, has said that his goal is to create a new version of the daily newscast. To do that, Watchup released an iPad app allowing users to assemble playlists of news segments from sources like the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, and Univision — and with version 2.0, which launched last summer, it made the process largely automated, with playlists that are assembled based on users’ preferences and and that start once you open the app.


Farano declined to offer any specifics about how the app is doing, but he told me via email that the company has “validated our assumptions” and is ready “now ready to expand to new platforms, some of which you’ll find surprising but which make total sense for our effortless, personalized video experience.” (It released an app for Google Glass last fall.)


The new round follows $500,000 in angel funding that Watchup raised in 2012. Farano said it’s not a Series A, per se, since the money doesn’t come from institutional backers.


Investors in the new funding include Microsoft Ventures, StartX (where Watchup was incubated), the Knight Foundation (Farano was a Knight fellow at Stanford University), Campus Televideo founder Ned Lamont, TV news producer Tom Yellin, and angel investor Gerry McIntyre.


“Watchup has taken on the challenge of news overload,” said Benoit Wirz, director of business consulting at the Knight Foundation, in the funding release. “The platform melds great design with choice and accessibility, all attributes which have contributed to its growth and success.”


You can download the Watchup iPad app here.





9:09 AM

Video news startup Watchup , is announcing that it has raised $1 million in additional funding. Co-founder Adriano Farano, a former journali...

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Ice fishermen on Lake Waconia in Minnesota were pleasantly surprised when a Wisconsin brewery, Lakemaid, flew a twelve-pack of their frothy suds over the icy wastes to their warm fishing cabins using a hefty, remote-controlled quadcopter. It was a match made in zero-degree weather: the brewery took orders and flew their drones out to the fishermen who, in turn, didn’t have to trudge to the shore for liquid refreshment. The FAA, however, didn’t find the arrangement so appealing.


According to FAA rules, you cannot fly a drone for commercial purposes or above 400 feet in the United States. Therefore a robot flying a sixer over to some thirsty pescatarians is right out. One phone call from the FAA shut down the entire operation and, in turn, set off an Internet firestorm. But the company, whose logo is a fulsome lake maiden with a slippery tail, will not be grounded for long.


“The model of UAV used for the video was a DJI F550,” said Lakemaid president Jack Supple. “There was a little wind that day so it was laboring to lift the twelve pack. We had to lighten its load by some bottles to safely fly it. We were about to order a larger drone when the FAA called. So we’re waiting to see where this goes. Regulations come out in 2015 and we’ll be ready.”


The company even began a petition on Whitehouse.gov to get their beer drones (BUAVs) back in the air and has definitely caused a social media ruckus on Twitter and Facebook. Their website still features a 2011 retail list but has been revamped to focus primarily on their flying robokegerator.


Savvy students of marketing will note that this move is an excellent PR stunt for the small Stevens Point, Wisconsin brewery, although there is some disappointment that the FAA spoiled the fun. Over Super Bowl Weekend the “fishermen [were] going to sit there from Friday 5 p.m. all the way through Sunday,” said Supple to the AP.


Want to try Lakemaid? Supple says you’ll have to wait (or order a sixer online). The drones probably won’t make it to the coasts just yet. “The only way to get it in New York and San Francisco would be to know a real nice relative traveling from the Upper Midwest, or to call a shipping retailer in one of those states.”


I asked Supple what was next for Lakemaid. Rockets perhaps? He balked at the question.


“We never even considered using rockets. Lakemaid Beer Frosty Winter Lager is far too good to risk on a violent rocket ride and crash landing on a frozen lake surface. The ability of the UAV to set the twelve pack gently and tenderly down in the snow next to the fish house make us fans of this form of delivery,” he said.





8:54 AM

Ice fishermen on Lake Waconia in Minnesota were pleasantly surprised when a Wisconsin brewery, Lakemaid , flew a twelve-pack of their frothy...

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Yesterday, as Facebook launched its news reader app Paper, design-focused startup FiftyThree called out Facebook publicly for using their brand name. Facebook declined to change the name of their brand new reader app.


But FiftyThree has taken action to protect its brand name. FiftyThree’s trademark application for the term “Paper”, which was filed for on January 30 (the same day that Facebook announced Paper), surfaced today in the USPTO database.


FiftyThree CEO and co-founder George Petschnigg had previously told TechCrunch that FiftyThree is “keeping its options open.”


Using a startup’s brand name wasn’t the noblest move by Facebook, but technically FiftyThree’s only trademark in the USPTO was for “Paper by FiftyThree”. So Facebook went for it.


FiftyThree cofounder and CEO Georg Petschnigg said in an interview yesterday that FiftyThree had applied for the “Paper” trademark, on its own, alongside its already-approved “Paper by FiftyThree”.


Usually, the USPTO makes trademark applications public in search within five to seven days, but at the time of publishing yesterday we were unable to locate an application from FiftyThree for “Paper”. This morning, however, the application went live in the system, showing that FiftyThree filed for the application the same day that Facebook publicly revealed its own Paper app.


If FiftyThree chooses to move forward legally, the company has a case, according to trademark lawyers Roberto Ledesma and Victor Cardona


Trademarks, to a degree, are use-based. This means that “just by using a mark in a particular field, you’ve got rights,” said Cardona. “Some are state-based and some are federal-based, but if I start using a mark before you in the same area of goods or services, I’ve got rights to the mark over you.”


Obviously, applying for and winning trademarks makes those rights even stronger, which FiftyThree has done. But nothing is a sure thing, especially considering how subjective trademark law is. Just like use can determine the strength of trademark rights, with or without a filing in the USPTO, third-party use of that mark can weaken one’s rights over a certain word or brand name.


These factors will be weighed into any potential lawsuit, as will the differences between the companies. In terms of utility, Facebook Paper and Paper by FiftyThree don’t really compete. However, they likely do fall into the same category of “consumer software applications for a mobile device.”


“As the later user, Facebook would have to make the case that these uses are distinguishable and consumers will not be confused,” said Roberto Ledesma. “The more similar the marks the less similar the uses have to be to find infringement. Here the marks are identical so less similarity is needed.”


Unfortunately for FiftyThree, Facebook has the resources to wear down a smaller company, who can’t afford a lengthy and expensive legal battle. Even with $15 million in funding.


And yet, on the other hand, Facebook’s new app has brought tons of publicity to the startup. It may show up second in search results, but more people will search for “paper” than ever before.


You win some you lose some?





8:39 AM

Yesterday, as Facebook launched its news reader app Paper, design-focused startup FiftyThree called out Facebook publicly for using their b...

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Apple is said to be working on a content delivery network (CDN) all its own, according to new information reported last night by the Wall Street Journal. Cupertino wants to build a large network capable of driving more data to its customers, for the purposes of providing improved streaming offerings for its television products.


Apple is making its way down a path that has already been walked by other major Internet content players including Google, Facebook and Netflix, each of which has invested heavily in network infrastructure in order to support the vast amount of media being streamed via their online portals and products.


The WSJ report also notes that building its own CDN will help Apple manage its growing iCloud service usage, as well as hosting and delivering content from the iTunes and App Stores, both streamed and downloaded. Apple has managed to accumulate enough bandwidth from web providers to allow it to move “hundreds of gigabits per second,” however, according to Bill Norton, CSO for the International Internet Exchange, speaking to the WSJ, and that likely means they’re laying the groundwork for much bigger plans beyond existing needs.


The biggest advantage for Apple in building its own CDN might come from improved quality and reliability of services. Apps, movies and music would all potentially download faster if Apple controlled the entire chain, for instance, since it has to spend less time dealing with third-party players outside of its corporate domain, which invariably add delays, miscommunications and possible points of failure into the mix.


WSJ also notes that Apple has been on a bit of a hiring spree when it comes to adding talent specializing in both TV content and CDN tech: Lauren Provo, a Comcast exec came on board in September; Jean-François Mulé, a former VP at a TV research and dev company is another recent hire; the company is also building a roster of CDN specialists, the report suggests.


Netflix’s decision to do the same, which was detailed by GigaOM back in June 2012, was cited as a key factor in the company’s evolution as its streaming volumes increased. It gave Netflix a more direct relationship to the Internet service providers who were the ones tasked with getting their shows to their audience, and Netflix cited YouTube as the archetypical example of how at a certain point of volume, the economic case for doing it yourself becomes overwhelming.


Apple continues to add new content channels to the Apple TV with fair frequency, which adds to its streaming media load, and recent reports suggest that there’s even more coming on the horizon, with a potential SDK for new Apple TV hardware. This WSJ report suggests that’s a very real, very immediate possibility, and offers one more hint that TV may soon be something more akin to a core product line at Apple.





8:23 AM

Apple is said to be working on a content delivery network (CDN) all its own, according to new information reported last night by the Wall St...

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SF startup atVenu today announced a $1.1 million seed funding round, led by Montreal’s Real Ventures and including private investors located in both the U.S. and Canada. AtVenu’s goal is to build a merchandize management system that suits the needs of artists and musicians around the world, to help them sell their goods with advanced tools including revenue forecasts and inventory management.


It’s a far cry from the simple lockbox and some cash method, with maybe a pen-and-paper list of what you have sold and what you still have on hand that many amateurs make do with. But the platform has already shown a lot of appeal not just to small acts, but also to some of the biggest names in music, including Kid Rock, John Mayer, Train and more. The platform launched in January last year to a select group of private clients, and has so far done more than $52 million in merch sales.


Now, atVenu is launching to the general public, in tandem with this funding announcement. That means anyone can use its web-based platform to do things like manage their inventories, receive automated nightly reports, check out analytics of tour sales performance and take advantage of reporting tools with key industry tracking offerings like Nielsen SoundScan. Festivals, venues, and labels can also make use of the platform to keep track of how their merch businesses are doing, as well as artists.


“The system is designed to be used by the party directly responsible for merchandise and music sales at live events,” explained atVenu co-founder and CEO Derek Ball in an interview. “Often this is the artist themselves, but also very common is a merchandising company who has been contracted by the artist management to do this on behalf of the artist. All of the major record labels have their own in-house merchandise companies, and there are also many independents.”


AtVenu’s main appeal is going to be for musicians and music labels, Ball says, but there’s plenty of opportunity in other fields as well.


“The atVenu platform will work for any type of live event, but the music industry is a large market who feels the pain we address most acutely,” he said. “We have had clients use atVenu at sporting events, conferences and other places in addition to just concerts.”


This seed funding will help the startup hire on new engineering talent, as well as new customer sales and support staff. AtVenu is looking to grow, and no just in the U.S., but particularly abroad. The company has a good head start, with big name clients on board already during its first year of operation, but big audiences for live shows are everywhere, so global growth is a good target to shoot for.





8:08 AM

SF startup atVenu today announced a $1.1 million seed funding round, led by Montreal’s Real Ventures and including private investors locate...

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Rule

Last summer, Finally.io launched to help the vast number of companies using cloud services to monitor their performance and make changes when things went awry. Now the company is adding a whole new wrinkle to its service, allowing its clients to set rules that can be used to test the resilience of their cloud infrastructure, automatically scale up or restart when needed.


The service works by enabling customers to enter their credentials and providing them with a single dashboard from which they can monitor cloud service performance. But with the new feature, users can easily create set rules that provide proactive automation in case that service breaks down.


“We envision this to be a bigger deal than monitoring,” co-founder Luke Gotszling told me. “It’s one thing to be alerted that your site is down, but it’s another thing to set up a rule that fixes it. This is going to be a lot more valuable.”


It’s done by creating rules that can be used to set automated parameters around Amazon Web Services offerings that include EC2, RDS, and DynamoDB. By setting up a series of if-this-then-that scenarios, it can automate tasks that can help keep their cloud services working, even in the case of an unprecedented emergency.


With the update, users can have storage capacity automatically added to RDS database instances when usage passes a certain threshold. They can stop and restart EC2 instances that degrade over time, in response to failed status checks or CPU utilization, all of which can help them from suffering a more serious failure.


Users who rely on DynamoDB can also use Finally.io to instantly scale service up or down based on actual usage, increasing during high-traffic times and scaling down during slower periods.


The rules can also be used to test the resilience of a client’s infrastructure. Using a process similar to Netflix’s famed Chaos Monkey, the service allows users to create controlled scenarios that allow random stops and restarts of various EC2 instances to see if that breaks their infrastructure.


Finally.io was founded by Gotszling and Alex Bendig, who were both early employees at About.me. The new feature is being sold based on the number of instances or DynamoDB tables that are covered by each rule, and is generally available to customers now.





8:08 AM

Last summer, Finally.io launched to help the vast number of companies using cloud services to monitor their performance and make changes wh...

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