Two of the Nation’s Most Innovative Companies: Sweet Images and Safer Gadgets
It’s fair to say that most startups get into the pure software/app game, but a few bold companies dare work with physical objects. CIX has chosen two hardware-based startups for its 2016 Top 20, so let’s see what it takes to be considered one of the most innovative companies in the country.
Timelapse for the Masses
ZEITDICE has built a set-it-and-forget-it timelapse camera. You can drop this thing pretty much anywhere, hit one button, and let it do its thing. “Its thing” is taking high-definition images for up to three months on a single charge, which you can easily edit into a timelapse video. (No way you’d leave your DSLR out for that long.)
The camera has a maximum aperture of f2.8, boasting a 150-degree field of view. You can use it to capture RAW footage, which is easily editable through ZEITDICE’s own software (besides whatever postproduction software you’re already on).
Normally features such as these are only found in higher-end cameras, which you’d never just leave sitting around. Since ZEITDICE is also weatherproof, the only risks are that someone will steal it, or the local squirrels will start worshipping it.
ZEITDICE was founded by Michael Schwanzer. As you’ve probably guessed, the name “ZEITDICE” comes from “zeitgeist” and “dice”. Because it looks like one of those fancy Dungeons-and-Dragons dice.
Plugging the Holes in the Internet of Things
TrustPoint fulfills a rather pressing need, delivering security tools for the Internet of Things. Most off-the-shelf network devices for the Smart Home are woefully insecure, as a massive (yet poorly-written) DDOS attack recently showed: these devices are easily hacked within an hour.
TrustPoint is leveraging its expertise in machine-to-machine communication to build tools for vehicle-to-vehicle safety as we enter the self-driving age; to managing the humble yet increasingly-ubiquitous networked devices that surround us:
Unlike conventional security technology designed for relatively high powered computers running over high bandwidth Internet, TrustPoint’s ECC technology achieves the highest public key strength per bit, fits into the smallest of constrained devices, and supports an M2M certificate format specifically optimized to be small and efficient.
TrustPoint was founded by Dr. Scott A. Vanstone, who passed away in 2014, and Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, who serves as the company’s president and CEO.
About Wantoo
Wantoo is a simple, powerful cloud-based platform that makes it easy to listen, analyze, and act on feedback from your team, your customers, or anyone else. Our minimalist, intuitive UI is as friendly to your product team as it is for your customers. We are proud to be listed alongside ZEITDICE and TrustPoint in the 2016 CIX Top 20. For more information, visit wantoo.io.
