The Roundup

We’re trying something new in the newsletter today.

Instead of a deep dive on one particular product (our usual style), we’re recapping last week’s big/small/weird/creative/futuristic product launches, along with a few other things you may have missed across the Product Hunt ecosystem. We hope you dig it, but please share your honest feedback here.

 Big Tech 💻

Facebook News, a dedicated place for journalism on Facebook, just arrived. The “News Tab” became available on Friday to certain U.S. users, and will roll out more widely in the coming months. The idea is to drive revenue back to media companies — the Facebook News homepage will by curated by journalists with “editorial independence.” Tell us what you think.

Google launched a new set of apps designed to help you balance your life with technology last week. The “Digital Wellbeing” experiments debuted in the Play Store, and include apps like “Unlock Clock” to tell you how many times you unlock your smartphone per day, “Post Box” to control when (and how often) you get notifications, “Morph” to show you different apps based on the time of day, and “WeFlip” to help you unplug during IRL time with others.

Productivity ✍️

Coda, a startup reinventing docs, just took the hood off of a refresh. The update is sleeker, simpler and faster to give makers a more efficient space to collaborate on projects. Todoist also released a big update, which includes new task views and the option to create sections for to-do lists.

“Well, this update is simply great. Love it. I used Todoist since 2010, closed 39'840 Tasks and reached a Karma of 58'480. But I have to say that this update is almost perfect.” - Daniel

Kapwing made a splash last week to introduce real-time collaboration on multimedia projects. With its new tools, creaters can edit video, animate, add music, caption images, make ads, design graphics, create memes...should we keep going? Since Kapwing came out of stealth about a year ago, it’s grown 10X (to more than 1 million users) and just raised a $11 million Series A.

Hardware 👀

Fujifilm is making interesting moves. Their new X-Pro3 digital camera is reverting, in a sense, to include more analog features. The idea is to replicate a film-like experience on a digital camera, meaning make it slower and more deliberate. When you want to review your photos during a shoot, you have to actually stop and “open” the screen.

The Weird and Wacky 😜

An unexpected pairing: an app that recommends stock investments based on your astrological sign. Will it actually help you make money? According to Maker Daniel Greenberg, the answer is yes.

“For a Leo born on August 18, 1997, Bull & Moon’s algorithm recommended 6 stocks. Over the duration of Q3 2019, the portfolio returned 7.47% versus a market baseline of 1.7% in the same quarter.” - Daniel

Predictions 🔮

The first analytics tool for TikTok influencers just launched. We think we’ll be seeing a lot more of these type of tools in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Some other stuff...

An AMA about fundraising, intellectual property and mixing nostalgia with tech. An article on why now is the time to be a maker in generative media. A debate on paying for ad-free YouTube. Some honest feelings about AirPods. And a podcast about growing from zero to eight figures in 24 months.

Give us your feedback!

There’s nothing quite like a reminder of your mortality to start the week.

ICYMI:  You Will Die in X Weeks recently launched on Product Hunt to help you interactively visualize how many weeks you have left to live. 💀

Maker Shah Galeeb Ahmed says he hopes this “scares people into not wasting time.”

“I had a similar graphic on my personal site that counted down the weeks left in my life, and lots of people found it either awesome or scary. So I thought I'd let others build their own.” - Shah

Other comments illuminated that these types of products typically get two types of responses; some people enjoy this strange form of motivation and others hate visualizing their life passing by. Which one are you? 🤔

If you fall in the former group, you can try out Population Project to see how much of the world’s population is younger and older than you. You’re getting old is another fun (or terrifying) tool for a snapshot of world events and statistics around your birth date.

For more constant morbid reminders, try Death Clock, a Chrome extension that reminds you of life’s fleeting nature every time you open a new tab. And of course there’s WeCroak, the app that makes the reality of death inescapable. The app sends you a reminder five times a day at unpredictable intervals, but always with the same message: “Don’t forget, you’re going to die.”

“The idea is, when you contemplate mortality 5 times a day, it's easier to pay attention to what matters, and let go what really doesn't.” - Manasvini

It’s Monday morning, you’ve had your first cup of coffee, and you’re starting to get in the zone. Just as you reach a flow state, you get a Slack notification.

Can you do that thing for that person and also can you do it ASAP? That’d be greeeeat. 

We’ve all been there. 👆

Last week, Shoulder Tap launched to combat these interruptions. The tool lets you manage requests for your time in Slack, turning random “shoulder taps” into a queue. It also gives team members visibility into how many people are looking for your help at any given moment, as well as what’s being asked of you. If there’s something you can help a teammate out with, you can pull a request from their queue.

The service runs $10/month for “unlimited taps.”

Shoulder Tap joins a long list of tools that aim to make you more productive on Slack, especially as we shift to a more remote workforce. 💬

There’s Donut for getting matched with a new “coffee” buddy each week on Slack. Humble uses Slack to help eliminate meetings. Halp is a Slack-first ticketing internal help desk. Gyroscope Team Dashboard promotes team wellness through Slack. Abot also promotes team wellness, and lets employees give anonymous feedback via Slack.

AI is coming for VCs, per a new app called AngelFace.

The app started as a facial recognition tool to help retail stores catch shoplifters, but was rejected by investors. Instead, Makers Tosh Velaga and Igor Nefedov pivoted and created a project that identifies whether or not someone is a venture capitalist from a quick photo of their face.

The duo scraped VC pics from Google Images and Signal, a directory for sourcing investors. The idea behind the app is to make it easier to spot VCs in the wild, which is a nice idea for budding entrepreneurs, but could create a paparazzi effect for investors.

Would you use AngelFace to track down a VC? We want to know.

Right now, AngelFace is focused on investors in Silicon Valley. If you live outside of the Bay Area, there are other (slightly less aggressive) ways to get in touch with VCs. A few options:

👀 Glassdollar is a tool that helps you find VCs based on your startup

👀 Investor Hunt is an AI-powered database of over 40K investors

👀 Angel Database is a huge database of over 13K angel investors

You’ve probably heard of  Casper, the re-inventor of mattresses.

Back in 2014, the New York-based startup took something old (mattresses) and made them new again (by compressing them into a cardboard box), raising $1 million in revenue during the company’s first 28 days in business. 💸

The idea sparked a ton of competitors to do the same, with dozens of variations of  smart mattresses,  no pressure mattresses and  cuddle mattresses that aimed to upend traditional mattress retailers.

The basic business model —bypassing middlemen by selling items virtually — caught on, and gave rise to the larger direct-to-consumer movement. The wellness industry expanded in tandem, and Casper decided it would be more than just a mattress company. 😴

Four years ago, Casper (naturally) expanded to offer sheets and pillows after 18 months of development.

“I want all the things!!!” - Sarah

Then the company  launched a dog bed (a trend that has since caught on with  other direct-to-consumer giants).

“Definitely thought it said 'designed by dogs' and I was SUPER impressed... I can't help but be slightly bitter that dogs can benefit from Casper mattresses before I've managed to — but that's my fault” - Ben

Last year, the company opened up “ The Dreamery” in New York City. It’s a physical space where you can reserve a nook to nap in (on a Casper bed) for $25 per session. A few months later, the company gifted sleepers with  Casper Glow, a portable, sleep-friendly light that fills your room with a warm light to help you wind down and wake up more naturally.

“The interaction design with gestures, synchronizing multiple lights, and portability are well thought out. I had always considered getting the Philips wake up light, but the Casper Glow is now on the top of my list.” - Kunal

This month, Casper launched  CBD Sleep Gummies, which are exactly what they sound like. It's a smart move, as recent data has shown that CBD is definitively on the rise:

“Interesting direction from Casper, but it makes total sense. Another product from Casper designed solely to help you sleep” - Aaron

And that’s where Casper’s  reportedly headed — towards a possible IPO as “the Nike of sleep.”

Last month we wrote about Gin Lane, the branding agency behind startups like Hims, Everlane, Warby Parker, Recess, Harry’s, SmileDirectClub and Quip, and their big pivot away from their clients. The company announced it was rebranding itself to Pattern, a new holding company for up to five different lifestyle brands.

The first said lifestyle brand launched last week and it’s around — *drumroll* — cookware. The new brand is called “Equal Parts” and it’s essentially a mix (or equal parts, heh) of cooking tools and on-demand guidance. Their demographic is millennials, who apparently cook less than any other living generation. 🥘

The Pattern team's inspiration came from their own burnout; they found solace in cooking against “the stream of emails and notifications following us home each day.”

The brand launched with five kits of cookware (which start at $249 and max out at $575 for the “complete kitchen“), which comes with eight weeks of a text-based personal cooking coach. The idea is congruent with Pattern’s ”Direct With Consumer“ ethos, which brings guidance to new customer experiences. With this mind, we could imagine future Pattern launches of, say, bedding supplies alongside a sleep app or exercise guides to complement workout gear.

The news comes just a day after another kitchenware brand launch on Product Hunt from Our Place. Our Place’s mission is to make products inspired by traditions, and they’re starting with dinner. The result is a collection of sleek and minimalist pans, plates and glasses “designed for rising rents and shrinking cabinet space.” 💯

“I didn't think I could feel this way about a pan.” - Sam

In fact, we’ve seen a bunch of cooking launches within the past 30 days. A few to check out:

🍳Becooked lets you make recipe cards

🍳Ckbk is like Spotify but for cookbooks

🍳Feast is home cooking delivered straight to your door

🍳CookUp helps you save and cook recipes you find online

Over the past several years, a myriad of doodads, apps and wearables have cropped up to help with our (collective) poor posture. It turns out most people slouch more as they stare at a computer screen all day.

Most recently there was Postura, a Headspace-like app with daily stretches for your back. There’s also been personal posture trainers, a portable laptop stand for neck alignment, posture monitors to wear, and an ergonomic arm rest for shoulder pain.

But what about something that — like your mom who yelled at you to stand up straight — literally watches you?

Last week, Fix Posture launched on Product Hunt with a ~creative~ tactic to solve your slouch.

The app was made by UX designer Olesya Chernyavskaya, and it simply blurs your screen if you don’t maintain good form while you work. How? It checks your position using your webcam.

Rightfully so, some people had some concerns about your webcam so brazenly watching you.

“Really nice concept and idea! But obviously the app needs the webcam on all the time. That's a hard no from me.” - Arda

However, the app claims to store no user information, and Olesya is upfront about building the app in public on Glitch.

This isn’t actually the first time we’ve seen a health app that wants to watch you. Two weeks ago, a digital training app called Onyx launched to count your reps, correct your form and bring tracking to all of your exercise.

Just over two years ago, Light Phone debuted on Product Hunt to become “your second phone.” The idea was a phone for “going light” — aka leaving the house without the distractions of an app-filled device. 

“We intentionally designed it to be used as little as possible. You can make and receive phone calls (keeps your same number!) while maintaining the peace of mind that you are reachable and still able to called your loved ones,” co-founder Joe Hollier wrote on Product Hunt at the time. 

Joe, who is an artist and designer, met his co-founder Kaiwei Tang, another designer, in 2014 at Google’s “30 Weeks“ incubator. When they first launched the Light Phone, it was intended as more of an experiment than an actual product. 

Some initial reactions: 

“This is the ultimate "zen" phone. Be present. Be more aware of your surrounding. Showing up by slowing down." - Kendrick 

“Maybe this is secretly the iPhone 8. They got rid of the headphone jack last year, so maybe Jony Ive decided to just get rid of everything else. Except the price of course.” - Evan 

“The price is right and the concept is spot on. I would love to use this on weekends or when traveling...in other words, moments when I really want to check out.” - Amy

Now, Light Phone has come out with a new version of its minimalist phone and it aims to eclipse your smartphone entirely. 📱

While the original Light Phone only let you store nine contacts in its address book, the latest version has an unlimited address book, texting, directions and faster connectivity speeds. For $350, it’s an escape from the never-ending cycle of mindless scrolling, posting and liking that goes on in your smartphone. You can actually be offline when you want to be, without losing connectivity altogether. 

In Light Phone’s own words, the team is looking to fix how our phones have become so addictive that they’re now a form of glorified procrastination. 

“There’s is no way for us to appreciate anything, and appreciation gives our lives meaning and purpose,” they wrote on Medium. 

Would you get this? 🤔

P.S. The Light Phone isn’t the only app-less phone available. The Fox Mini 1 is another “dumb” phone and only $30.

Peloton, the exercise bike startup that lets you stream indoor cycling classes from your home, filed for an IPO last week. 🚲

And now for a quick trip down Product Hunt memory lane...

Peloton was founded by former Barnes & Noble e-commerce executive John Foley in 2012, when he realized that his instructor-led workouts were much more rewarding than his solo gym sessions. 

With a $3.5 million Series A in the bank and a Kickstarter campaign for its internet-connected bike, the company garnered popularity by tapping celebrity fitness instructors to lead remote classes. 

A few first impressions on Product Hunt: 

“Prioritizing healthy habits while working long hours at a startup DEFINITELY took a toll on me. Like any fitness and healthy eating routine, you need to find what works for you and your schedule. Peloton definitely accomplished that for me. Since purchasing the bike in November, I've cleaned up my act and have lost close to 30 pounds.” - Giselle 

“I've become a metrics junky; the bikes ability to record everything and show progress is great.” - Mario 

A bike costs $2,200, in addition to Peloton’s digital library of fitness classes (which can be streamed live or on-demand), which cost $39 per month. 

In 2018, Peloton launched Tread, a connected treadmill that will run you $4,295. For context, you can typically buy a new treadmill for under $1,000, or one off Craigslist for a few hundred dollars. 

“Very ambitious and lots of challenges to overcome convincing people to drop $$$. But I could see this cutting into the market of high-intensity interval training gyms like Orangetheory. Being able to take those types of classes on-demand/on your own time and getting a similar experience could be its biggest selling point.” - Brad 

To date, Peloton has 1.4 million community members (people who have a Peloton account). Last year, the company raised a $550 million Series F at a $4.15 billion valuation. Peloton reported $915 million in total revenue this fiscal year, an increase of 110% from 2018. It’s losses, however, were significantly higher than last year, at $245.7 million up from $47.9 million. 

The company also gave rise to more at-home fitness startups, like Mirror (an interactive home gym that’s a mirror), Tonal (a digital strength training system), ClassPass Live (live-streaming at-home workout classes) and Studio (digital running coaching), to name a few. 💪

Peloton plans to raise $500 million in its Nasdaq offering will trader under the ticker PTON.

“Cameo is lit!! Got my friend a video from Toddy Smith for her birthday and she screamed so loud i can't hear anymore” - Victoria

“This is one of the coolest apps I have a seen in a very long time. We use Cameo to reward our team members with their work anniversaries and it has been a epic success.” - Charlie

“If you want life advice, a shoutout, or just a word of encouragement from your favorite celeb, look no more.”- Jaren

Cameo, the startup that lets you book celebrities to send your friends and family personalized video shoutouts, is on a roll. The company launched in 2017, when co-founders Steven Galanis, Martin Blencowe and Devon Townsend originally set out to build the new “autograph from professional athletes,” betting on the rise of influencers on social media and selfies upon every celebrity sighting. 🤳

Today, the company has 18,000 celebrities in its arsenal —from Caitlyn Jenner to Charlie Sheen to Snoop Dogg — and has delivered more than 300,000 video requests. It’s also raised more than $65 million in venture backing. Yesterday, Cameo announced that Stefan Heinrich Henriquez, the former head of marketing for TikTok, is joining the team as CMO. 🚀

Product Hunt recently spoke with Steven (Cameo’s CEO) about their startup story, where we covered how the team first won over “talent" (celebrities), their keys to viral marketing and their crazy launch story that was *almost* a failure.

A sampling:

“We launched with one person and the first Cameo ever resulted in a reaction video. Marketplaces are always tough because it’s the chicken and the egg — how do we get fans to come if we don’t have the people they want and how do we get the talent to come if the fans aren’t here? The second we had that first reaction video, it really put the wheels in motion for acquiring more and more talent and customers.

In the summer of 2017, we hired 15 college interns and had them DM people on Instagram and Twitter all day to get talent to come on the platform. And that ended up being the secret sauce. We have 120 employees now, and probably 70-80 of them are dealing with talent. Most talent is still being sourced through Instagram or Twitter DM. It was huge because it enabled us to not go through agents or managers. Anyone in the world can DM anyone in the world. You could DM Justin Bieber and he may read it.“

Two of the co-founders give you, the Product Hunt community, a shout out on Cameo. Watch.