Highlighting the progress being made by local startups, Halifax e-commerce company Dash Hudson used the Startup Empire conference Tuesday to unveil a new feature that will make it easier for people to buy appealing clothes online.
Founder and CEO Thomas Rankin told the conference that Dash Hudson now allows subscribers to click on an Instagram photo of a model wearing clothes. The subscriber is instantly taken to an online store, where he or she can order the clothes on display.
“It’s a simple experience that takes you from seeing a product you like to buying it and having it soon,” said Rankin, who emphasized that his company is focusing on e-commerce for mobile devices.
Dash Hudson was one of five Atlantic Canadian companies that delivered presentations on their companies to the conference, whose agenda mainly featured successful entrepreneurs from other parts of North America. The Startup Empire conference was organized by Volta Labs, the Halifax organization that nurtures startups.
The five local companies briefly showcased the strides they’re making in key markets. Rankin, for example, highlighted that Dash Hudson is working to overcome the problems associated with e-commerce. It is now too difficult for shoppers to find merchandise online on various sites, try to find sizes and colours and then order the product. Dash Hudson has simplified the ordering process and has technology that finds the best price for the customer.
Having raised $400,000 from angels this summer, Dash Hudson has been further developing its product and increasing sales. Rankin said sales increased 400 per cent in August from the previous month, and the company has been increasing its number of users five per cent per week.
Another company making strong headway is GetGifted, which began in Charlottetown two years ago and has helped merchants across the Maritimes attract new clients by giving them gifts. The company has awarded $3 million in gifts online, all of which had to be claimed at the merchant’s outlet. Merchants report that these customers spend several times the amount of the gift. In Halifax, it is now used by about 60 merchants and its number of consumers is rising weekly.
In January, GetGifted will make its biggest move and launch in Toronto, said CEO Jillian McCrae. It is targeting a base market in Canada’s largest city of 300 merchants and about 25,000 consumers.
Halifax-based Swapkis is developing the first skill-swapping site for women, and CEO Katelyn Bourgoin said she is preparing to launch the company’s platform next month.
Swapskis aims to cure the problem of unemployed or under-employed women who lack the experience, portfolios and networks needed to get ahead. By joining Swapskis — and about 620 women have done so already — job hunters can barter their skills with others, getting feedback, ratings and experience. The site even lets people advertise their services for cash payments.
Bourgoin said the company is now in the process of raising capital with a target of $250,000 in equity.
The other two presenters at Startup Empire were Emily Smits, the chief operating officer of Modest Tree Media, whose Modest 3D product aids in producing online, 3D instructional programs; and Ozge Yeloglu, CEO of topLog, which helps computer network managers avoid costly downtime in their networks.
Entrevestor receives financial support from government agencies that support start-up companies in Atlantic Canada. The sponsoring agencies play no role in determining which companies are featured in this column nor do they have the right to review columns before they are published.
