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Our ultra-fast Daily: Three takes on new products. Yesterday’s top ten launches. That’s it.
January's Maker Grant recipients are...
Join us today in celebrating our inaugural Maker Grant recipients: Kyleigh Smith of Hey It's Harold, Danny Postmaa of Pages by Headlime, and Derrick Reimer of SavvyCal.
These three makers inspired us through their creativity, determination, and commitment to follow their own paths in building their products. We’ll be sharing their individual stories on our blog throughout the week, so you can read in their own words the journey they have each been on.
"I’ve always looked up to all the makers in the Product Hunt community, so to launch a product of my own on PH in January was a dream come true. To now receive one of the first Maker Grants for that work is really beyond belief. I’m honored to be one of the first Maker Grant recipients and am excited to use this opportunity to continue my maker journey and empower others to become makers as well." - Kyleigh
"Amazing program, especially for starting indie hackers for whom this could go a long way. - Danny
"I'm honored to receive one of the first Product Hunt Maker Grants! Especially for makers not on the traditional venture capital track, every dollar counts. Thank you Product Hunt for investing in the community!" - Derrick
We are also excited to share the next three Maker Grant recipients from February very soon. We've been reviewing your nominations all weekend, thank you to everyone who has taken part.
Stay tuned for more Maker Grant recipient news dropping later in the week. 👀
These three makers inspired us through their creativity, determination, and commitment to follow their own paths in building their products. We’ll be sharing their individual stories on our blog throughout the week, so you can read in their own words the journey they have each been on.
"I’ve always looked up to all the makers in the Product Hunt community, so to launch a product of my own on PH in January was a dream come true. To now receive one of the first Maker Grants for that work is really beyond belief. I’m honored to be one of the first Maker Grant recipients and am excited to use this opportunity to continue my maker journey and empower others to become makers as well." - Kyleigh
"Amazing program, especially for starting indie hackers for whom this could go a long way. - Danny
"I'm honored to receive one of the first Product Hunt Maker Grants! Especially for makers not on the traditional venture capital track, every dollar counts. Thank you Product Hunt for investing in the community!" - Derrick
We are also excited to share the next three Maker Grant recipients from February very soon. We've been reviewing your nominations all weekend, thank you to everyone who has taken part.
Stay tuned for more Maker Grant recipient news dropping later in the week. 👀
Announcing Product Hunt Maker Grants
Each month we are blown away by the creativity of the Product Hunt community. Hundreds of products are launched on Product Hunt every week, from the clever, to the useful, to the downright zany. It’s our privilege and joy to play a part in each Maker's journey and each new product discovery.
We know that building products can be expensive work, and passion doesn’t always pay the bills. As a way of saying thank you to the community, and to encourage makers to keep building, this year we’re offering cash gifts of $5,000 to three makers each month.
You might be asking: how are the Maker Grant winners selected? We’re reviewing makers who launched in the previous month who we believe are shining examples of innovation, grit, and engagement with the PH community. We’ll also be prioritizing those who are bootstrapping their businesses or working on their side projects without the help of venture funding.
This is just the beginning. We’ll be building the Maker Grants program out further with community feedback over the course of the year, including exclusive benefits just for grant recipients.
Please tell us your thoughts or even nominate a Maker who inspires you for February's grant.
We know that building products can be expensive work, and passion doesn’t always pay the bills. As a way of saying thank you to the community, and to encourage makers to keep building, this year we’re offering cash gifts of $5,000 to three makers each month.
You might be asking: how are the Maker Grant winners selected? We’re reviewing makers who launched in the previous month who we believe are shining examples of innovation, grit, and engagement with the PH community. We’ll also be prioritizing those who are bootstrapping their businesses or working on their side projects without the help of venture funding.
This is just the beginning. We’ll be building the Maker Grants program out further with community feedback over the course of the year, including exclusive benefits just for grant recipients.
Please tell us your thoughts or even nominate a Maker who inspires you for February's grant.
Spend money. Save the planet.
The ecofriendly product trend is one we're encouraged to see continue to build momentum.
Watershed, launched today, is a software platform for running climate programs, helping others to offset their own carbon emissions. Companies like Stripe, Shopify, and Sweetgreen are using Watershed for their climate programs for instance.
"Watershed enables companies to measure their carbon footprint, build a plan for reductions, then take action—from funding carbon removal projects to buying clean power."- Taylor Francis, cofounder Watershed
In other Green Tech product news this month:
TreeCard, the wooden debit card that plants trees as you spend, has today announced it has raised $5.1 million in seed funding.
Olive launched last week to help reduce packaging from online shopping. Consolidate multiple items from different stores into one recyclable package.
inBalance, hunted by YC's Michael Seibil, uses machine learning to accurately forecast electricity prices from solar, wind and load.
If this mini-round up piqued your interest to discover more socially minded products, we covered more climate conscious launches in this September digest.
To keep on top of emerging products in this space as they launch, you can always follow the Green Tech topic.
Watershed, launched today, is a software platform for running climate programs, helping others to offset their own carbon emissions. Companies like Stripe, Shopify, and Sweetgreen are using Watershed for their climate programs for instance.
"Watershed enables companies to measure their carbon footprint, build a plan for reductions, then take action—from funding carbon removal projects to buying clean power."- Taylor Francis, cofounder Watershed
In other Green Tech product news this month:
TreeCard, the wooden debit card that plants trees as you spend, has today announced it has raised $5.1 million in seed funding.
Olive launched last week to help reduce packaging from online shopping. Consolidate multiple items from different stores into one recyclable package.
inBalance, hunted by YC's Michael Seibil, uses machine learning to accurately forecast electricity prices from solar, wind and load.
If this mini-round up piqued your interest to discover more socially minded products, we covered more climate conscious launches in this September digest.
To keep on top of emerging products in this space as they launch, you can always follow the Green Tech topic.
Remote onboarding FTW
Today's newsletter was crafted by us and sponsored by our friends at Rippling.
Rippling has helped thousands of startups automate their HR and IT.
In its latest product drop, Rippling is making it easier for startups to hire and manage people remotely, anywhere in the United States.
As soon as someone is hired out of state, Rippling's new PEO will automatically register the company with each state tax agency, keeping it compliant with all of the different local labor laws. Rippling will handle the whole onboarding process, from payroll and benefits to devices and apps (like Slack, AWS, and GitHub).
For anyone that has hired someone out of state and only afterward realized the paperwork headache that can follow - this product is for you.
The Rippling PEO can also give founders and employees access to better benefits that would normally only be accessible to much larger companies. As a result, Rippling can help some companies save an average of $1,775 per employee per year in benefits and admin savings.
With Rippling, founders can manage and run HR and IT all in one place, meaning more time for doing what matters most, building your product.
Rippling has helped thousands of startups automate their HR and IT.
In its latest product drop, Rippling is making it easier for startups to hire and manage people remotely, anywhere in the United States.
As soon as someone is hired out of state, Rippling's new PEO will automatically register the company with each state tax agency, keeping it compliant with all of the different local labor laws. Rippling will handle the whole onboarding process, from payroll and benefits to devices and apps (like Slack, AWS, and GitHub).
For anyone that has hired someone out of state and only afterward realized the paperwork headache that can follow - this product is for you.
The Rippling PEO can also give founders and employees access to better benefits that would normally only be accessible to much larger companies. As a result, Rippling can help some companies save an average of $1,775 per employee per year in benefits and admin savings.
With Rippling, founders can manage and run HR and IT all in one place, meaning more time for doing what matters most, building your product.
Invest in Nothing
Last week, OnePlus cofounder Carl Pei announced a new way to invest in, well, Nothing. That is, his new venture called Nothing. 😜
"Usually, the community would have to wait for an IPO to invest in a company, but by that time, the valuation is already high. We are inviting you to own Nothing from the very beginning, at the same price as our Series A, and be on board for the entire ride.🚀"
Since announcing the community-funding opportunity, Carl and the team at Nothing have already received over $27M of registered interest in just 7 days from over 20,000 people, eclipsing their $1.5M allocation.
It's not too late to get involved. If you pre-register, you will have private access to the round on Crowdcube before it goes public.
How it works and what to do now:
1. Submit your email for for early access. *If you live in the United States, Canada, Japan or any country where you think crowdfund based equity might be restricted: please read the FAQ and do your research as you might not be able to invest.
2. Make sure you select Product Hunt on the drop-down list for where you heard about this.
3. Go to Crowdcube and create an account. (This is where the investing will take place)
4. Have a credit or debit card ready, sit tight and wait for Nothing's email. You’ll get a notification a few minutes before go time, be sure not to miss it!
**It’s important you know that investing in start-ups and early-stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio.
"Usually, the community would have to wait for an IPO to invest in a company, but by that time, the valuation is already high. We are inviting you to own Nothing from the very beginning, at the same price as our Series A, and be on board for the entire ride.🚀"
Since announcing the community-funding opportunity, Carl and the team at Nothing have already received over $27M of registered interest in just 7 days from over 20,000 people, eclipsing their $1.5M allocation.
It's not too late to get involved. If you pre-register, you will have private access to the round on Crowdcube before it goes public.
How it works and what to do now:
1. Submit your email for for early access. *If you live in the United States, Canada, Japan or any country where you think crowdfund based equity might be restricted: please read the FAQ and do your research as you might not be able to invest.
2. Make sure you select Product Hunt on the drop-down list for where you heard about this.
3. Go to Crowdcube and create an account. (This is where the investing will take place)
4. Have a credit or debit card ready, sit tight and wait for Nothing's email. You’ll get a notification a few minutes before go time, be sure not to miss it!
**It’s important you know that investing in start-ups and early-stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio.
The Clubhouse collection
Last week we reviewed 10 new tools that can help level-up your Clubhouse experience.
This a trend that looks set to continue as more Makers are innovating on top of the latest audio social network.
Here are 6 new tools to add to your Clubhouse collection.
Direcon for Clubhouse launched today and serves as a moderation platform and audience insight tool.
Clubhouse App Invites will help anyone still waiting for an invite to get immediate access.
Clubhouse Bio Builder helps your bio standout with access to 70 fonts and easy to use text-editor.
Clubhouse Avatar Maker allows you to quickly add colorful rings to your avatar.
Clubhouse Bio Generator lets you create an influencer worthy bio with this satirical product.
Clubpad brings sound reactions to your show including applause, laughter, crickets and more.
This a trend that looks set to continue as more Makers are innovating on top of the latest audio social network.
Here are 6 new tools to add to your Clubhouse collection.
Direcon for Clubhouse launched today and serves as a moderation platform and audience insight tool.
Clubhouse App Invites will help anyone still waiting for an invite to get immediate access.
Clubhouse Bio Builder helps your bio standout with access to 70 fonts and easy to use text-editor.
Clubhouse Avatar Maker allows you to quickly add colorful rings to your avatar.
Clubhouse Bio Generator lets you create an influencer worthy bio with this satirical product.
Clubpad brings sound reactions to your show including applause, laughter, crickets and more.
Beat imposter syndrome
Earlier this week Maker Aashni Shah launched HypeDocs on Product Hunt.
"When I joined my last job, I had lost most of my confidence and felt imposter syndrome. My manager recommended I start a HypeDoc - a living list of all my achievements. I started tracking my wins and could immediately tell the positive impact it had on me."
Since then Aashni turned her HypeDoc into a product to help others suffering from the same issue.
With HypeDocs you can:
🎉 Track all wins, big or small
🧑🏽🤝🧑🏿 Create an accountability group
🥅 Set goals like "get a promotion"
🧘🏾♀️ Set your mission to help stay focused
📝 Track an unlimited number of achievements
🧑🏿🤝🧑🏽 Join a HypePod- bi-weekly accountability groups
⏰ Receive weekly reminders about your own achievements
Some early reactions from the community suggest Aashni was not alone in needing a product like this:
"Love this! I was raised to be humble (southern US culture for ya), but now that I’m in tech, you gotta be HYPED ON YOURSELF." -Anna
"Thank you for teaching me how to celebrate the small wins. So important for so many people!" -Jake
"Hypedocs is the best money I spent on my mental health in 2020." -Regina
As a special shoutout for the Product Hunt community, Aashni is offering a lifetime 50% discount on paid plans for those coming from the post-page. (You only have a few days left to redeem this!)
"When I joined my last job, I had lost most of my confidence and felt imposter syndrome. My manager recommended I start a HypeDoc - a living list of all my achievements. I started tracking my wins and could immediately tell the positive impact it had on me."
Since then Aashni turned her HypeDoc into a product to help others suffering from the same issue.
With HypeDocs you can:
🎉 Track all wins, big or small
🧑🏽🤝🧑🏿 Create an accountability group
🥅 Set goals like "get a promotion"
🧘🏾♀️ Set your mission to help stay focused
📝 Track an unlimited number of achievements
🧑🏿🤝🧑🏽 Join a HypePod- bi-weekly accountability groups
⏰ Receive weekly reminders about your own achievements
Some early reactions from the community suggest Aashni was not alone in needing a product like this:
"Love this! I was raised to be humble (southern US culture for ya), but now that I’m in tech, you gotta be HYPED ON YOURSELF." -Anna
"Thank you for teaching me how to celebrate the small wins. So important for so many people!" -Jake
"Hypedocs is the best money I spent on my mental health in 2020." -Regina
As a special shoutout for the Product Hunt community, Aashni is offering a lifetime 50% discount on paid plans for those coming from the post-page. (You only have a few days left to redeem this!)
Myspace, anyone?
Nostalgia-inducing products are pulling at our heartstrings right now. On Monday we reviewed David Dobrik's Dispo, the camera app that elicits nostalgic feelings associated with using a disposable camera.
Towards the end of last year, Maker Of The Year Runner-up, An, created SpaceHey. A fully functional Myspace-like site where users can have fun, meet friends, or be creative. From its blue and white exterior, to the “I built this using HTML” vibes, SpaceHey feels like a living time capsule.
As the OG of social media, Myspace elicits nostalgia for that simpler time on the internet when Myspace Tom was everyone's first virtual friend. If you’re keen to relive the memories, we think you'll enjoy it.
If you're ready to go fully down the rabbit hole of nostalgic products, here's a lil' journey back in time:
💽 Make Wordart will have you reliving simpler times of art projects in IT class
📟 Gifcities is the retro animated GIF search engine
👾 The Internet Arcade is a playable archive of 900+ retro arcade games for your delight and nostalgia 🕹️
💾 Retro App Store show's how the App Store would look if it was launched in 80s
🐍 Retro Widget and Retro Widget 2 blast users back to the 2000s using their iPhone and Apple Watch. Snake 2 anyone?
Towards the end of last year, Maker Of The Year Runner-up, An, created SpaceHey. A fully functional Myspace-like site where users can have fun, meet friends, or be creative. From its blue and white exterior, to the “I built this using HTML” vibes, SpaceHey feels like a living time capsule.
As the OG of social media, Myspace elicits nostalgia for that simpler time on the internet when Myspace Tom was everyone's first virtual friend. If you’re keen to relive the memories, we think you'll enjoy it.
If you're ready to go fully down the rabbit hole of nostalgic products, here's a lil' journey back in time:
💽 Make Wordart will have you reliving simpler times of art projects in IT class
📟 Gifcities is the retro animated GIF search engine
👾 The Internet Arcade is a playable archive of 900+ retro arcade games for your delight and nostalgia 🕹️
💾 Retro App Store show's how the App Store would look if it was launched in 80s
🐍 Retro Widget and Retro Widget 2 blast users back to the 2000s using their iPhone and Apple Watch. Snake 2 anyone?
Star in a Super Bowl ad 🏈
The internet's resident mischief-makers are at again, and this time they want to put you in a Super Bowl ad in 2022.
Mschf just announced it's latest drop:
"We’ve secured an ad spot for next year’s Super Bowl, but instead of just running a boring old ad, we are giving it to the people. All you have to do is buy a spot, send us a 3 second video, and tune in on game day in 2022 to see yourself during the Super Bowl.
Already we have about 500 of the 5,000 spots filled (about $500,000 committed). This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to support your team, shoutout your family, plug your business… really do anything you like." - Daniel Greenberg
If your dream is to see yourself up on the big screen or secure one of the most expensive ad spots in history, now is your chance to shine. 🎬⭐️
Mschf just announced it's latest drop:
"We’ve secured an ad spot for next year’s Super Bowl, but instead of just running a boring old ad, we are giving it to the people. All you have to do is buy a spot, send us a 3 second video, and tune in on game day in 2022 to see yourself during the Super Bowl.
Already we have about 500 of the 5,000 spots filled (about $500,000 committed). This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to support your team, shoutout your family, plug your business… really do anything you like." - Daniel Greenberg
If your dream is to see yourself up on the big screen or secure one of the most expensive ad spots in history, now is your chance to shine. 🎬⭐️
Reality TV for Startups
Numerous lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders have seen us binge-watching TV shows, documentaries, and movies with Netflix Party, or on Disney+, Peacock, Hulu, Apple TV and for a short time Quibi (RIP).
TV shows have kept us indoors and entertained during our downtime these last 12 months.
At the start of 2020 we got into a new reality show, launched not by a well-funded studio, but a B2B startup, 360Learning. Onboarding Joei follows Joei Chan through her onboarding process at a new company.
The mini docu-series popularity shocked Joei, "I was very surprised to see people other than my parents interested in watching the show," with people around the world tuning in to share in her frustrations and fears as she navigated a new role whilst the pandemic took hold.
Season two just kicked off as we see Joei take on the new challenge of growing a team and becoming a first-time manager in this remote-first world.
This well-filmed and very open show struck a chord with the community last year, and we're excited to follow along this year for season 2.
Some community reviews of season 1:
"This perspective is amazing, honest and valuable. If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were watching a Netflix produced show." -Kevin
"I love how this show is REAL. You could expect the company to be willing to hide some of the difficulties showcased in some episodes - but they didn't. Bravo" - Pauline
"My favorite series during the lockdown 😍" -Yevhenii
TV shows have kept us indoors and entertained during our downtime these last 12 months.
At the start of 2020 we got into a new reality show, launched not by a well-funded studio, but a B2B startup, 360Learning. Onboarding Joei follows Joei Chan through her onboarding process at a new company.
The mini docu-series popularity shocked Joei, "I was very surprised to see people other than my parents interested in watching the show," with people around the world tuning in to share in her frustrations and fears as she navigated a new role whilst the pandemic took hold.
Season two just kicked off as we see Joei take on the new challenge of growing a team and becoming a first-time manager in this remote-first world.
This well-filmed and very open show struck a chord with the community last year, and we're excited to follow along this year for season 2.
Some community reviews of season 1:
"This perspective is amazing, honest and valuable. If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were watching a Netflix produced show." -Kevin
"I love how this show is REAL. You could expect the company to be willing to hide some of the difficulties showcased in some episodes - but they didn't. Bravo" - Pauline
"My favorite series during the lockdown 😍" -Yevhenii
