INTRO

ASSISTED HUMANS, AUTONOMOUS OBJECTS

I really think this year is evolution versus revolution ... A lot more of your devices are going to run with less
direction from you but a greater sense of how to help you out - Gartner Analyst Brian Blau during CES 2016
Did you speak of a collaborative Internet? The reality is actually quite different. Today, I am constantly assisted by an OS, a
personal-smart-speech-enabled assistant, a smart thermostat and other objects connected to my quantified self, and also
by a good Samaritan located on the other side of the world.
Algorithms hidden in the cloud decide what I'm going to eat, wear, watch - more and more. Because I less and less have to
care about mundanely material things. I've forgotten the phone numbers and door codes that I used to remember carefully.
I've given up taking cabs since I realized that Uber enables me to order one from an app and that its drivers open the door
for me.
And how do I use my free time? I fuel my FOMO syndrome by glancing at my smartphone 487 times a day, but it's been a
while since I last contributed to Wikipedia or thought about becoming an artist on YouTube or Dailymotion.
So lazy... and it's going to last for a very long time if we all become eternal beings. In my complete idleness, I could then fall
in love with an interface. If it's a thermostat's, I really hope it will have Scarlett Johansson's voice.
This Hot Off the Crowd edition was fueled by months of investigation and daily discoveries on the leading crowdfunding
and crowdsourcing platforms: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, Product Hunt, Crunchbase...
At FABERNOVEL, we truly believe that we all need to monitor the latest technological gems, trends and developments from
these sites, it's the most useful way to understand what's going on before taking action.
Stphane Distinguin
CEO FABERNOVEL Group

SUMMARY
TL;TR?
Key Takeaways
_
Lazy Business
Text me when it's done
Alice through the Phone Screen
Talk to my Lawyer!
_
Spoiled for Choice
Food Delivery: the only problem is choosing
The New Digital Divide
_
Autonomous Objects
Productive Furniture

KEY TAKEAWAYS

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Too lazy and too long to read? Keep only this in mind
1# Availability + personalization + empathy = intimacy
2# Intimacy can be leveraged by businesses through
messaging interfaces, enabling a truly one-to-one and
permanent channel with every customer
3# Value can be created by reinvigorating aging
interfaces with a digital layer (SMS x AI, objects x
electronics x connectivity...)
4# Money buys time: in the on-demand economy, each
of your chores is someone else's job
5# There are 3 possible answers to the paradox of
choice generated by the digital revolution:
- Benevolence as a service
- Narrowed offering - aka curation
- AI mediation
6# Smart lamps will take over the world!

Talk Space
A Therapyby-text
Service

Enjoy delivers
electronic devices
with free expert
Setup at home

The Aspirational
Lamp invests in
the stock market
for its owner

Lazy business

LAZY BUSINESS

LAZY BUSINESS

If you've been dreaming of a technological and social

revolution, where robots are increasingly domesticated,
and where the luxury of being waited upon hand and foot,
has become a commodity, your dream has become a
reality. But forget the personal robot Ninebot just spotted
at the CES. For now, apps steal the show by acting as
butlers and concierges. Indeed, startups are increasingly
offering users services to carry out simple but
time-consuming tasks: thanks to text messages, emails
and voice commands, it has never been simpler to be
served.
Why should you pay attention?
What is fueling this new social paradigm? The laziness of
modern times or a genuine lack of time in an increasingly
urban world? We are constantly on the lookout for a
simplified customer experience that is increasingly
personalized... Working via SMS or OS, these assistants
usually communicate on first-name terms, providing the
illusion of a 'human' service. By carrying out all of the
annoying daily errands with one message, we are losing
the so-called virtue of patience.

TEXT ME WHEN IT'S

DONE
In a previous article we talked about the rise of invisible apps. Not
apps in the strict sense of the word, but rather a new way of
interacting with services by using classic communication
channels, such as text messages, emails, tweets... there is no need
to download an application on the App Store or Google Play. No
need to create an account. No interface (hence the use of the
word invisible). Over the last few months, we have seen many
startups listed on Product Hunt multiply in every sector.

TEXT ME WHEN IT'S DONE

Why should you pay attention?

Specially designed to accommodate each potential customer's
journey, these new concierge services rely heavily on text
messages, which are accessible to everyone since they became
unlimited through most carriers, enabling them to reduce
production costs at the same time. However, the rise of text
messages illustrates a deeper trend: the growth of messaging
apps and their transformation into services platforms that third
parties can leverage as a new mass communication channel. Thus
WeChat lets users open a store inside its messaging service,
Facebook launched a new service on its mobile Messenger App
called "M", and even Slack enables you to order an Uber within its
app.
Invisible Apps: service is conversation on FABERNOVEL's blog

INVISIBLE APPS: CONCIERGE AS A SERVICE

INVISIBLE APPS: CONCIERGE AS A SERVICE

By playing on the "human" side of exchange and advice, invisible apps promote the best customer relationships and
provide the best, tailored advice.
With Magic you can ask for anything, as long as it's legal and possible. You just
have to send a text. 48 hours after its launch, the service had received over 17,000
text messages with requests ranging from a bunch of bananas to a tiger!
Clac Des Doigts, a French copycat of Magic, satisfies all your last-minute cravings
day or night (flowers, meals, ironing, shows, another set of keys).
Jam is a French invisible app that helps students solve their daily problems and
satisfy their needs. Can't find an apartment? A classroom? Simply send a text
message or Facebook message and Jam's Team will text you the best offers or
indications they find.
Unload your clutter and get rid of anything you don't need by text that's what
Unload helps you to do. Simply send pictures of your things, and Unload's
assistants will determine items that can be sold, and those that should be given
away.
OutFitR provides on-demand fashion advice to help users find their style and the
best outfits for events. Users text "HELLO" and OutFitR connects them to their very
own professional stylist.
Talkspace lets you talk to a psychiatrist with its "Unlimited Messaging Therapy".
Invisible Apps Collection on Product Hunt

ALICE THROUGH THE PHONE SCREEN

ALICE THROUGH THE PHONE

SCREEN
Clo looks for the best places for colleagues to go out or the ideal
restaurant for St Valentine's Day. Julie and Clara will find a date
for your next meeting while balancing the agendas of all
participants. Not to mention Luka and Nestor. It's not just by
chance that these services bear human names: creating a sense
of trust and closeness is key to a successful customer experience
of services that often deal with your personal matters and that
you can reach through means of communication usually
dedicated to friends or colleagues. Most of the time, there are real
people responding directly to user requests, however there are a
growing number of services that use artificial intelligence, the
Chatbot of the on-demand era, leaving humans to simply control
the service and validate the demand. And even Google is working
on it.
Why should you pay attention?
These fictitious names enable our interlocutors to create intimacy
and convince users to extend their digital trust. It is also
interesting to point out the difference between the simplicity of
these services and the complex artificial intelligence needed to
establish a relevant and contextual response. That's why AI voice
services such as Siri, Cortana, Alexa or Xiaoice are in competition
with text messages as they're easy to implement. Voice is a
necessary step in creating proximity with the user, but it doesn't
seem too credible at the moment.

THAT'S NOT MY NAME

THAT'S NOT MY NAME

Amy is an artificially
intelligent personal
assistant, who can
schedule your meetings
and book them in your
calendar. To do that,
Amy can read emails
and organize agendas
to make room for
appointments. She will
also converse with your
interlocutors to avoid
any overlaps.

Alfred is an automatic,
hands-off service. It's
"your very own personal
butler". It takes care of
the many to-dos and
chores that make up
your daily routine, such
as laundry and grocery
shopping (generally
through other
on-demand services.)

Stefan's Head will send

you clothing discounts.
Once you send it a
text, Stefan will let you
know when limitededition clothing goes
on sale, at a
discounted price.
Follow Alfred's activity
on AngelList

Miley offers a personal

job hunt service.
Simply send a text to
the given number, and
Miley will find you your
best match work-wise.

Horace can sort you

out with a
replacement
moisturizer in less
than three hours.

TALK TO MY LAWYER!

TALK TO MY LAWYER!
In the previous edition of Hot Off the Crowd, we focused
on services that have brought legal resources, including
contractual and B2B assistance, to the masses. With a
particular emphasis on the rise of "lawyers on demand",
and the growth of collective services like Flightradar or
refund.me, which focus on the airline industry.
The simple principle of delegating a complaint,
sometimes collectively, is being used by several
businesses today. Many startups, often American ones,
offer services to consumers who feel aggrieved by daily
injustices.
Why should you pay attention?
Yes, the business of being lazy is still booming. If certain
companies were counting on you not going through
with your complaint to get your money back because of
the obstacles put in your way, the time you have to wait
by post - even though you paid online there are an
increasing number of startups who are hoping you will
delegate this task to them. But don't be gullible, they're
not doing out of the goodness of their heart or in the
search of justice but often for a commission.

WE WANT YOUR MONEY BACK!

WE WANT YOUR MONEY BACK!

Crusader, litigator or nit-picker? We don't know for you but where startups are concerned it's clear business is
business!

Paribus
Paribus helps you get your money
back. If you miss a coupon, a
better deal or if the price simply
drops, Paribus will help you
remedy a basic injustice and get
your money back for you, if
possible.
Paribus on Product Hunt

Service
Service helps consumers get what
they deserve from businesses. The
promise: "you tell us about a
problem you had with a business,
and we fix it for you" - non
refundable airline tickets, late
deliveries, bad service at
restaurants, and many more.

Fixed
Fixed is an app designed to help
users solve simple drivers' legal
problems. For instance, it can help
you solve parking ticket disputes.
They're also planning to launch a
service to deal with speeding
tickets, credit card overcharges...
CrunchBase reports a $700k
Seed on January 17, 2016

Spoiled for choice

FOOD DELIVERY: THEONLY PROBLEM IS CHOOSING

FOOD DELIVERY:
THE ONLY PROBLEM IS CHOOSING
The collision between our laziness and hunger has resulted in an
explosion of the number food-delivery startups. They are now so
numerous that the paradox of choice has now kicked in: when all
the restaurants of your city are available from your couch, it proves
difficult to make a quick choice.
That's why a new crop of services - such as Deliveroo (UK), Take Eat
Easy (Belgium), Foodora (Germany) and the Americans Caviar,
Sprig, Munchery - deliberately offers limited options through a list of
handpicked restaurants. Those startups are growing at a rapid pace
leading to a head-on competition where guerrilla marketing (e.g.
widespread coupon distribution) and logistics infrastructure (e.g.
ramp-up of bike fleets) are the main theaters of operations. And of
course, such a race entails sizable fundraising rounds to do
everything quicker than the competitors.
Why should you pay attention?
If the promise is really to simplify choice, in an ideal world there
would only be one, overarching platform, with a limited list of
recommendations. However, not everybody can keep ahead in this
saturated market. That's why Dinein.co.uk's adventure drew to a
close, despite a successful first round of fundraising in Europe and
its aquisition of MyDeliveryCab to distance its competitors. The
arrival of behemoths such as Uber or Amazon also shakes things
up.
The Curated Food Delivery Trend on JWTintelligence

CURATED OUTSIDERS

CURATED OUTSIDERS
A stricly curated approach to food delivery
FoodNow is all about simplicity. By simply removing choice, FoodNow focuses on
providing the best meal you can eat, near to your location. "One click and the food
is yours, it removes the paradox of choice that makes GrubHub, Seamless
overwhelming and confusing to use" explains its founder.
Uber Eats. No longer just your average cab service, Uber is now turning into your
dream delivery driver service. By using its own drivers, it distinguishes itself from
competitors by being more productive and offering curated food options and local
meals.
Caviar, a premium food delivery service, offers delivery from a curated list of select
restaurants for a flat fee of $9.99. In many cases, the restaurants it features do not
offer delivery of any kind.
Arcade is a food delivery texting service (another invisible app!) that curates dishes
from the best NYC restaurants. The service is available online, by phone or text
message, and offers curated meals that enable customers to order food items from
one or more restaurants. Arcade offers one dish, from one restaurant every day
with a focus on quality.
On-demand and selected Food Delivery Start-up on Product Hunt

WHEN FOOD STARTUPS GO FULL-STACK

WHEN FOOD STARTUPS GO FULL-STACK

We are also increasingly seeing startups that deal with a larger part of the food
value chain, creating and preparing their own menus in their own kitchens, in
addition to the logistics part.
Maple promises restaurant-quality meals from a menu developed by famous chefs.
Without a restaurant. The app provides three entree choices per meal, prepares it
with care in Maple's kitchen, and delivers it to you - in NYC.
At Munchery, the San Francisco-based startup, cooks prepare meals during the day
when they are not needed at their regular restaurant jobs. Customers order online or
through an app and the food gets delivered to their homes with warming
instructions.

Sprig specializes in healthy on-demand meals in San Francisco. The user-friendly

app enables you to choose and order your meal in four easy steps. Sprig's menu is
limited, but all the food is prepared in its own kitchen run by several high-profile
chefs.

THE NEW DIGITAL DIVIDE

THE NEW DIGITAL DIVIDE

Smartphones, wearables, drones, smart TVs, connected
thermostats, Bluetooth speakers... The number of electronic
devices in our homes and lives keeps soaring: so even if they
are supposed to be dead simple, intuitive to use, they tend to
overwhelm us - at least in the first steps of their installation
and usage. Contrast that with our time consciousness and
expectation of instant gratification, and you can easily
understand why 2015 saw the rise of on-demand "Genius Bar
as a service" providers, enabling consumers to get up to speed
with their latest fancy hi-tech purchases.
Why should you pay attention?
The gap between our capacity - and available time, probably to handle new devices and the speed at which they keep
emerging is widening, compounded by the fact that each one
increasingly needs to communicate in some sort with others in a sense, Meltcafe's law is turning against us.
We thus face a new digital divide, transcending age or social
differences: the limits of our cognitive abilities vs. the trajectory
of technical progress. And new forms of (say, code or UI-based)
literacies will marginally help us. There is a paradoxical way
out: that more technology could prevent us from grappling
with more complex technologies - waiting for an automated
savior to clean up our digital mess, be it a robot or an
intelligent app.

HELPLESS, REALLY?

HELPLESS, REALLY?
Eden proposes some "Tech Wizards" who are going to solve your tech problems or
install your TV, Wi-Fi network... in your home anytime and anywhere. Thanks to that
service, maybe you will forget all the problems you've faced skimming through
endless user instructions...

Enjoy redefines after-sales service. Enjoy, a startup created by the former head of
Apple Stores, offers free delivery and visit with every purchase made on its
website. Experts will hand deliver technology products to customers at a place and
time of their choosing, and spend an hour helping them get up and running.

HelloTech is an at-home tech support service. For $79 an hour, the tech-savvy
college students of this startup provide support within 24 hours after the initial
request. "We are totally on-demand and in-person, scheduled at a specific time like
6pm no two-hour windows," said co-founder and chief executive Richard Wolpert.
Tech Field Support Startups, a growing Market on AngelList

Autonomous
Objects

PRODUCTIVE FURNITURE

PRODUCTIVE FURNITURE
Still lifes are dead. The idle piece of furniture is increasingly a
view of the past: we are now quite familiar with the gradual
metamorphosis of mere objects into connected ones. Whereas
the IOT trend today mainly implies the enhancement of the
good old functions of everyday objects (connected pots, light
bulbs, doorbells, locks...), a second wave is coming, pointing
toward a hybrid future where the same objects will generate
value not only through their usage, but also from some sort of
production - unrelated to their initial function.
Thus in the near future any electrical device could be turned
into a bitcoin miner, servers could be hidden inside heaters,
and furniture could also be algae production units.
Why should you pay attention?
Moving away from simple automation, it is a real
"autonomization" of things that we are witnessing - objects are
no longer solely reliant on humans' uses to have a specific
purpose. It thus gives us a taste of what a materially networked
economy could look like: highly decentralized, with a range of
economic agents - that is, capable of making their own
economic decisions - vastly exceeding the realm of human
beings.

FIAT LUX

FIAT LUX
Living Things is a prototype of photosynthetic furniture a kind of giant light bulbs in this case - turning waste
light, heat and carbon dioxide into spirulina, an edible
bacteria that can be harvested for a locally-grown,
high-protein meal.
BitFury light bulbs automatically mine bitcoins for their
owners (i.e. participate in the verification of Bitcoin
transactions by helping solve cryptographic puzzles),
thus generating a new revenue stream. It's a particularly
interesting example for it points toward a future where a
crucial infrastructure - that is, the payments processing
system - could be widely distributed and hidden in every
household.
A concept created by design students from Copenhagen,
the Aspirational Lamp uses a solar panel as its power
source and sells the surplus of generated energy to the
grid in order to buy stocks. The resulting profit is
automatically reinvested in the lamp itself (for instance
ordering a replacement for a faulty component)... as well
as given back to the lucky owner.
CES 2016: new LED bulbs do more than light up

WE ARE FABERNOVEL

WE ARE FABERNOVEL
WE CRAFT THE FUTURE OF YOUR INDUSTRY.
AT STARTUP SPEED.

WHO WE ARE
We are a global interdisciplinary
team of 150 business, technology
and design experts working
together with our clients to make
things happen with the speed and
boldness of entrepreneurs.

OUR OFFICES
From our offices in San Francisco,
Paris, Toulouse and Lisbon, we work
with clients everywhere in the world
to help them define and develop
new opportunities.

WHAT WE DO
We design, implement and deploy
product or services to create new
business models and develop new
streams of revenue and profit.
We combine customer insights,
strategy, design, marketing and
technology services to create a
journey from concept to impact.