Travel & Macro Pessimism, Micro Optimism (Part III)

I will be in Las Vegas this Friday and Alaska later this month if any readers are local and want to meetup!

This is the third post I have done that focus on cool new ideas and startups I have never heard of.  It just goes to show the creativity and brilliance of all the entrepreneurs out there.  Part I here and Part II here.

Most descriptions are from Entrepreneur mag article 100 brilliant companies.

Yessay – website aimed at helping students write better college application essays.

PaperKarma– Scan unwanted paper mail with the app, which will contact the sender and unsubscribe you from the mailing list.

 Freight Farms upcycles shipping containers into stackable modular mini-farms, reducing the footprint required for growing crops and allowing for locally grown produce in urban areas.

The Full Monty by Front Yard Coop: A solar-powered, self-propelled coop that moves around the yard to provide birds with fresh foraging, while a fence keeps them safe from predators.

Wide Open Spaces– A deal site for hunting and fishing gear, also curates under-the-radar brands.

AgLocal scored $1 million in funding last year from Andreessen Horowitz for an online platform that allows local and family farms to sell responsibly raised meat directly to consumers.

NatureBox: A monthly subscription snack-food box full of minimally processed and nutritionist-approved goodies.

Speek is changing the free conference-call game: The platform uses links instead of phone numbers and PINs, while browser-based controls make it easy to manage file sharing and see who has joined and who is talking.

and my favorite:

Rent-a-Goat.com – Online directory lists herders around the world who rent out their goats for clearing away unwanted brush and weeds, as an eco-friendly alternative to machinery or chemicals.