Startup50

Startup 50 was founded after freelance writer Jeff Vance wrote a "Top Mobile Startups to Watch" roundup for Network World. After soliciting recommendations for worthy startups through social media sites, he was inundated with nearly 200 recommendations. As part of the process of narrowing down the field, he put a “Final Forty” list on his own blog. The response to that list was overwhelming. VCs called to ask if he could pass on the rest of the 150. Other VCs asked if he could codify his selection criteria as an informal RFP-type document, and to this day, that page remains one of the most heavily trafficked ones on the blog.

Vance launched Startup50 in January 2013 as a startup community. It is a destination where readers can discover interesting startups and give them feedback. Meanwhile, the startups themselves can interact with followers, advocates and even skeptics. www.startup50.com