For the vast majority of executives, the value of a tech start-up isn’t in the credentials of the founders, nor is it in the amount of money the venture is attracting. The real value is in the sneak peek it gives into the future consumer technologies. By looking at overarching trends in up-and-coming businesses, you can prepare your business for the new trends and be ready to act when the time comes. One of the best sources of start-ups is seed venture firm Y Combinator. At the end of August, the firm conducted their semi-annual “demo day,” an event where their new class of up-and-comers is presented to the public. For my column in Mediapost, I went through the list of newbies and identified what marketers can learn from them. Read it here.

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