Startups Starter Kit - Tech Resources / Tools

Startups, regardless of the size or capital, need a starter kit consisting of essential tech tools if they want to survive in the era dominated by everything digital. Apart from increasing productivity, the tools help in cutting down of costs and completion of tasks with efficiency.

From software for contract management to organization of contacts, here are 5 tech resources/tools that should be present in any startup’s starter kit:

1. Smartphones apps

Smartphone apps are now extremely important for any startup business. They are used for almost everything; creating a backup of essential files, remote communication, reputation management, file sharing, team management and much more.

Businesses can even manage their finances by keeping a record of payments collected, calculation of taxes and management of invoices with apps like Xero and Freshbooks. Mobile apps should be present in the starter kit if startups want to get going on the right foot.

2. Infographic creators

While its usual that presentations and meetings would include charts and graphs, infographic creators are the next big thing when it comes to grabbing attention of investors and clients through visual appeal. While there are professional infographic creators available that startups can utilize, new businesses may not be able to pay the high fees as most of them would want to keep their costs down in the first few years.

This is where infographic creators come in, allowing anyone to create a beautiful infographic with information. An example comes in the form of Piktochart. Using this tool, inforgraphics can be created and embedded in web pages, presentations and even shared on social media websites.

3. Cloud backup

While there are laptops, computers, flash storage, external hard drives for saving important company data, startups still require a cloud backup solution because offline solutions are still vulnerable. There are several solutions available such as DropBox and Google Drive, but recently, a new cloud backup service launched on Kickstarter by the name Space Monkey may just be what would be just the right fit for a new company with a specific budget.

Space Monkey offers 1 TB of cloud storage and the data is stored in hardware spread across different data centers so if the network in any one country goes down, businesses can still access data from shared networks running in other countries.

4. Mutli-device chargers

Startup business owners as well as employees may be using tablets, smartphones and laptops. While most of the devices are used within the office, there may be instances when the team and the owner have to travel, perhaps to attend the conference in another city or region or for a meeting.

This is where multi-device chargers come in. They act as a backup solution when there’s no electricity socket available nearby. Example of multi-device chargers includes Phorce, launched on Kickstarter last year. These chargers can keep devices powered up at crucial times, allowing users to carry on with important tasks.

5. Sophisticated smart card scanners

Startups that are looking to speed up things can opt for card scanners that can export information and images from business cards, licenses, passports and other supported printed documents. They rely on advanced technology such as Optical Character Recognition.

Examples of these card scanners include SnapShell and IDScan. The extracted data can also be transferred to different applications.