On Monday, October 5 the world’s best startups will pitch their businesses in the semi-finalists showcase. Then on Tuesday, October 6, we’ll announce the Tech.co Startup of the Year. If you want to catch up, take a closer look at a few of our semifinalists from the Chicago region, then see them in person at Celebrate 2015 tomorrow for our Startup of the Year Semi-Finalist showcase. Chicago Startups Caysh Caysh brings a social layer to gift cards....

The Ransomware Taskforce (RTF), launched by the Institute for Security and Technology aims to shine a light on the issue of hackers locking up data and refusing to release it until payment is made. It’s a problem that has increased in this pandemic year, affecting both individuals, as well as corporations and governments. The newly formed taskforce is composed of companies including Microsoft and McAfee, as well as non-profit organizations such as The Cyber Threat Alliance....

In the tech company’s latest push back against the Russian state-sponsored hacking group, it obstructed attacks by redirecting the sites down a Microsoft-controlled sinkhole. According to Microsoft, the Russian spies behind the attacks have been targeting Ukrainian organizations since the start of the war, as well as US government institutions and foreign policy think tanks. Strontium is also understood to be behind the 2016 DNC e-mail leak and countless cyberattacks on US businesses....

In a world where those who wish to work remotely can, a global workforce is possible, and this feature is an obvious way to help streamline communication even when your coworker is on the other side of the Earth. Here’s what the feature looks like and how it works. Local Time Displayed Users can already see other user profile cards simply by hovering over their profile picture in a chat or channel....

The Microsoft Ventures Accelerator Tour is visiting 11 US cities to spread the word about their 7 global accelerator programs that run in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, London, Paris, Seattle, and Tel Aviv. This tour is specifically to promote the Machine Learning Accelerator in Seattle which is currently accepting applications for their new class beginning on February 2, 2016. Boston will be the seventh stop of the tour on October 22....

“Modest is poised to create major shifts in the mobile shopping experience,” announced Google’s Eric Schmidt, who is backing the company. This platform allows retailers to create a free mobile app store or drop a smooth shopping experience into an existing mobile app in minutes. One major change to this mobile platform: No shopping carts. Besides the removal of shopping carts, consumers will enjoy a vastly improved experience with the creation of a purchase edit window....

The Jobr app has described itself as “Tinder for jobs,” thanks to its swipe-based approach to pairing users with potential jobs. Initially, those who sign in using their LinkedIn profiles can quickly approve or dump potential job offers through a single swipe. After LinkedIn cracked down on use of its API, Jobr switched to Facebook. Monster’s interest indicates the job-finding site is invested in boosting mobile engagement. TechCrunch has the details on how they’ll move forward: The move looks like a larger, legacy site buying up competition too fresh to be copied....

If you’re up on your pop-culture then you’ll immediately understand the reference. However, if you’re unfamiliar with what’s happened over the last 3 years at HBO then allow me to enlighten you: the new Game of Thrones season premiers every March. This year I decided that I wanted a much more immersive Game of Thrones viewing experience, so I took to the internet to find some top notch apps. However, like most of my Android inquiries, search results were pushing me wholly towards iOS....

Launched at the end of June, MunchQuick is a new food startup that both cooks healthy, filling meals, and delivers them to customers curbside – all in under 20 minutes or less. All one has to do is to place an order directly through MunchQuick’s website or mobile application, and the food is guaranteed to be delivered within 20 minutes otherwise the meal’s on the company. The company’s meal offerings change every day, with different offerings each day for an entree, vegetarian entree, salad side dish, and dessert....

Naming your startup can be a big deal. And, trust me, everyone you know will have an opinion. As a good friend of mine once lamented the difference between my profession (graphic designer) and his (copywriter): Today, more than ever, you can spend a ton of time and money coming up with startup name ideas, testing them, focus-grouping them and researching them with the endless online tools at your disposal....

Yes, it is great actually. Here’s a mobile marketplace with a distinct niche: Seattle-based startup OfferUp instantly distributes items for sale across a handful of platforms, saving you at least 30 minutes. And, they are starting out by targeting moms – smart move, as parents are always trying to get rid of baby and kid items their kids have outgrown (been there, done that). Just take a photo of whatever you want to sell on your smartphone and post to OfferUp....

On November 30th, One Month announced a challenge for their students – a Startup Bootcamp Competition. Students who start the next class on 1/15 will be entered in a competition that culminates at the end of the 30-day class. One participating entrepreneur will be awarded $10,000 in cash for having the best performing startup. One Month Startup participants pay $499 for access to the 30-day course, and will also receive a one-year unlimited subscription to the award-winning One Month entrepreneur learning platform (normally $990)....

Pheed is a free social media platform, based out of Los Angeles, that launched on October 12th. The accompanying iPhone app was released a month later, making its way into Apple’s Top Charts soon after. The platform enables users to upload and share all forms of digital content including text, photo, video, audio, and voice-note. In a sense, Pheed has cherry-picked the features we love from other platforms and integrated them into one simple and fast app....

The debate over the ethics of facial recognition is as complicated as it is troubling. Ethics panels, police experts, and Facebook comment sections have all weighed in on the topic, and we’re still not exactly sure how to approach the technology as it pertains to law enforcement. The backlash and resistance to the technology on a smaller scale, however, has been pretty swift. City governments and large corporations alike have taken stern stances against the software and, if that trend continues, it could spell trouble for future proliferation of the tech....

Inside Every Department Browse the merchandise: check out the different options in color, take a closer look at the fabric, and touch and feel every item before making a decision. Hold up the leggings and see how soft, thin, or sheer they are. See how the dress drapes, how the cuff of the jeans falls, how the coat is built. This is just like being at any of your other favorite retail stores, except that you still have the online capability of instant search for other similar items....

While procrastinators get a bad name in everything from the classroom to the board room, the benefits are well-documented in everyone. From stress management to creative thinking, putting off work is sometimes the best way to get it done. It Calms You Down Yes, procrastination is often associated with undue stress. The fear of failure paired with the knowledge that you could’ve been working on your important endeavor is enough to cripple lesser entrepreneurs....

Janis Machala is the managing partner of Paladin Partners. Paladin is a consultancy firm based in Kirkland, WA founded in 1995 focused on start-up growth and team building. Janis is moderating a panel on Monday Oct 26 at Seattle Startup Week called Making B2B Companies Scale: Women Entrepreneurs Weigh In. The four speakers on the panel each overcame unique issues in building their own companies: Mary Jesse is the founder of IvyCorp....

The Learning Paradox In the tech industry, nobody stops learning. The common approach is to simply go to university. After a few years you think that you managed to learn absolutely everything that is necessary to be successful. It does not matter if you learn management or something technical. You are taught that this is what you have to learn but at the end of college, you may be surprised to notice the fact that most of what you learned is already outdated....

The problem is, people don’t realize how much time is spent not only setting up a meeting, but also preparing for one. The back and forth communication over availability and settling on a good place to meet all take way too much time. If you’ve never met the person you have to set up a meeting with, you have no idea what their preferences are on location, whether they like to eat at an upscale location far away, or if they’re good with a decent restaurant around the corner....

While cryptocurrency is experiencing a serious dip at the moment, the movement remains an important aspect of the business world. More and more businesses have begun accepting cryptocurrency for goods and services, including movie theaters, sports arenas, and coffee shops. Now, everyday Shopify users can get in on the fun, as the ecommerce website builder has launched Crypto.com payment transactions for all its merchants. This service is as easy to set up as it is innovative, giving users the ability to accept up to 20 different crypto coins, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu coin, and Cronos....