In the Spotlight:
Startup seizes opportunity from Dreamforce influx
LiquidSpace offers market for offices that can be rented yearly or just hourly.
Editor’s note: Here are three Bay Area startups worth watching this week.
LiquidSpace makes it easier for companies that fear commitment.
If a company is too small or too big for an office space, employees often turn to shared workspaces. LiquidSpace, a San Francisco startup, is an online marketplace that aggregates extra desks and offices that tenants can rent out on an hourly, monthly or yearly basis.
It’s like an Airbnb for office space, said CEO Mark Gilbreath.
“Businesses and companies are looking for more flexible ways to address their office needs,” he said. With LiquidSpace, “they have the ability to go to one platform and see the whole breadth of flexible office options.”
LiquidSpace’s users range from startups that don’t have enough money to rent out their own space to more established companies that have grown so rapidly that they suddenly need somewhere to put all their employees. And the Internet has made it easier to work remotely.
Founded in 2010, LiquidSpace operates in more than 750 cities in the U.S., Canada and Australia, Gilbreath said.
The company has $26.3 million in funding and 30 employees. It is probably trending on startup database Crunchbase because of the 170,000 people that descended on San Francisco last week for Salesforce’s annual conference,
“Businesses and companies are looking for more flexible ways to address their office needs.” LiquidSpace CEO Mark Gilbreath
Dreamforce.
“We could alert the thousands of people who came for Dreamforce that a productive place could be (available) at three taps on an app,” Gilbreath said.
Matrix Industries
What it does: Builds a smartwatch that is powered by the wearer’s body heat — the company says the Matrix PowerWatch is “the first smartwatch that you never have to charge” What happened: Matrix recently began shipping the PowerWatch to its early investors on crowdfunding website Indiegogo. Why it matters: Batterypowered personal devices eventually run out of juice. As long as the Matrix PowerWatch is in contact with someone’s body heat, its thermal electric technology will keep it charged, the company says. Headquarters: Menlo Park Funding: $26 million, according
How we pick the companies
Every week, The Chronicle and Crunchbase, a San Francisco firm that tracks key businesses in technology, analyze private Bay Area companies based on their financial backing, employees and activity on Crunchbase. We feature three that are moving up in the ranks. For more information on the companies, go to: www. crunchbase.com to founder and CEO Akram Boukai Employees: 10
Polarr
What it does: Offers advanced photo-editing tools as part of an artificial intelligence app What happened: The company recently released a feature called Album Plus, which uses artificial intelligence for features such as facial recognition and search tools. Why it matters: As people increasingly rely on phones to take photos, apps like Polarr are designed to improve the experience. Headquarters: San Jose Funding: $2 million, according to founder and CEO Borui Wang Employees: 10