TC50 has been going on these last few days.  I attended on the final day of presentation which covered new apps in the Social Stream, News & Discovery and Commerce Marketplaces areas.

I love this event for the unbridled, youthful energy of the entrepreneurs and their followers.  For that rare and exciting idea, the momentum generating potential of success at the conference is huge.  Everyone here is networked and more important, willing to shout it out.  If something is compelling, it can catch fire quickly.

The hit rate on quality ideas appeared fairly low.  Are we nearing a trough for high impact web 2.0 ideas?  I think it’s a period for creating tactical businesses.  Those which fill a targeted need and do it well.  Ideas that leverage, or live within, the existing tidal waves — Twitter, Facebook and iPhone/mobile.  No game changers or companies who become verbs.   There are endless and growing number of opportunities in that domain.  I like concepts that package convenience around existing and emerging user behavior.  For example, there was a company that had a mobile app for ordering from concession stands in stadiums and venues.  The conference winner, Red Beacon, a referral and matching service for local services (plumber, personal trainer, contractor) intends to do exactly this albeit in a crowded space.  A related company that is launching which I think will do very well because of its market focus in Save Energy 123.  This site advises homeowners on energy-saving projects and matches them with local products and service providers. Read more »

• TC50 Winners
• Participating Companies

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