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The Latest Innovative Ideas From Springwise.com

Every few days, a new batch of innovations land in my inbox courtesy of Springwise and its global network of 8,000 "idea spotters." Many are of the "what a great idea!" variety. A few are of the (slap of the forehead) "Wow I wish I'd thought of that!" type.

Among this week's features:
  • The Gruve Fitness Monitor - a wearable fitness device, developed in cooperation with Mayo Clinic, that "keeps track of the user's metabolic progress against his or her pre-measured metabolism." The information is then synced with Gruve's web site for tracking and analysis. A key target market is corporations looking to reduce the cost impact of obesity and sedentary lifestyles.
  • RevaHealth, an Irish web site that lets medical tourists find and review medical clinics. Built around a rich data set of locations, specializations, treatments and services, RevaHealth is billed as a "triumph for transparency in a sector where consumers really can't have enough information." I'm continually amazed by how little attention most U.S. health care providers pay to this emerging trend, targeted right at the heart (no pun intended) of their high-margin services.
  • Finally, there's Texas-based Givv.org, a non-profit aiming to make charitable giving simpler. Interested in funding 10 charities? Write one check and let Givv.org take care of the rest. Givv.org allows donors to support all of their favorite organizations from a single location and with a single monthly payment. No more multiple mailing lists from which to opt out or endless pleas for more money. And as a non-profit, Givv.org takes no fees from the transactions beyond payment processing costs.
Springwise's daily fix for entrepreneurs is highly recommended. None of the ideas are overwhelmingly complicated or expensive. Sorta makes you wonder about the ideas locked up in your employees' heads, doesn't it?

Now, what if Springwise offered a way for investors to buy into the ideas, much like Sellaband facilitates music lovers investing in new artists and bands? Hmmm...


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