ShopHero expands grocery delivery into new stores

Provo-based ShopHero recently announced its expansion into stores in 30 different states and three countries. This is in addition to the 18 Utah independent grocers already in ShopHero’s network.

Grocery delivery continues to expand nationwide, and ShopHero helps smaller independent grocers offer the service to their customers.

Vutiliti Launches HotDrop a Revolutionary Energy Monitoring Device

Vutiliti (pronounced “view-tility”), a Utah company, unveiled its revolutionary new device called “HotDrop” at the Solar Power International trade show in Las Vegas earlier this month. HotDrop is an affordable energy monitoring device that installs in seconds and provides real-time energy load information wirelessly over great distances, solving the greatest pain points of energy monitoring.

“The response from the energy industry is extraordinary,” says Steve Ellis, CEO of Vutiliti. “Monitoring electricity usage at any level has traditionally required electricians and time-consuming installations with expensive equipment. HotDrop has changed everything about that, and the industry leaders instantly recognized these amazing benefits for their bottom lines.”

The HotDrop, at the size of a 9-volt battery, fits anywhere and is powered through a unique and patent-pending approach that requires no batteries or wiring to install it. With a typical installation time of less than 10 seconds, and a real-time, long-range wireless communication system that transmits miles away, HotDrop is designed for the toughest environments where reliability, real-time information, and distance are vital. A HotDrop device is configured in seconds through Vutiliti’s mobile app.

RoviTracker: The Link Between Humans And Equipment

While Alain Eav consulted for a heavy equipment manufacturer, he learned what a nightmare it can be to manage equipment. “The industry likes to keep things pretty simple,” Eav explains. “That means using a whiteboard or magnetic board to keep track of their equipment, client, service record, rental dates, etc.” You know what seems risky to me? Keeping track of insanely expensive machinery ON A WHITEBOARD. AN ERASABLE WHITEBOARD. You get one disgruntled employee with a paper towel and you’re toast.

Varkain Contributes $100,000 toward Pre-Seed Round for Vutiliti

Varkain, a venture capital group based in Las Vegas, has contributed $100,000 toward the Pre-Seed Round for Vutiliti. Vutiliti (pronounced “view-tility”) gathers and provides real-time information on utility usage (electric, gas, water, renewables) so that consumers, businesses, and governments can monitor and budget utility usage. Vutiliti’s mobile and web programs guide consumers to actual consumption reduction, saving them money while reducing usage of water, gas, and electricity generation.

Personalized Learning Is The Mission Of Core-LX

BoomStartup company Core Learning Exchange has been selected to to join the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) Emerging Private Sector Partners program. Phew. That’s a lot of links in one sentence. But you know what they say: the more links, the more elite the program invitation.

Zizzle: Learning Chinese Just Got Easier

Anyone who has tried to learn Chinese formally, or has simply looked over written Chinese characters can recognize the complexity and difficulty that comes with learning to read and write Chinese. Zizzle is a Germany-based company which has set out to make this process a little easier, creating an app that utilizes storytelling and pictorial devices to create a better way for Chinese learners to read and write Chinese characters.

Tracking The Progress of RoviTracker

Too many people get into “sexy” startups for the attention. They think that a landing page or pitch deck with phrases like “big data,” “internet of things” (IoT), or “the Uber of (blank)” will be what gets them funding and success. They forget that the fundamental point of building a business is to help people and to solve a problem. They forget that what governs a startup’s success is how well it can identify and remedy a pain point — not something as arbitrary as how quickly it reaches the unicorn mark.