Pakistani Startup Scrybe named Cool Vendor by Gartner

A promising web-based software startup that I have covered before, Scrybe, was named Cool Vendor in PC Technologies by Gartner research group. 

This is a bit interesting since Scrybe has still not officially launched yet so there is very little that Gartner has to evaluate them as a Vendor.

The Scrybe team has been busy in a lot of branding and PR activities as of late, and is also trying to race through its beta to get all of the kinks out of the system.

I would love to review their product to see if it holds up to the rating, but I supposed when you’re being covered by CNet and TechCrunch who cares about a Pakistani blog covering you, hmm?

Pakistani Startup Profile: WiXD

WiXD is a one of the first community based web startups focused on the Pakistani market, and I think it could be on to something.

It is a community where people in Pakistan can upload their music and share it with their friends.

The idea isn’t new, especially globally, but I like the super-clean treatment of it on the website. I also really like the embeddable music player they have made, which lets you embed a song of your choice from WiXD onto your website and blog.

What gets really interesting, however, is the potential this platform can have in promoting underground music in Pakistan. If WiXD adds a few more features — such as a better rating system (think Digg) and dedicated artist pages (think MySpace) then it will have the potential of giving the underground music talent in Pakistan a spot to shine and breakthrough.

After building up its platform, WiXD plans on supporting underground bands even with a virtual storefront — which would be interesting to see as a business model. I think that can work in particular among ex-pats looking for the latest music from Pakistan.

Targeting the underground is also important because upcoming artists are much more open to their content being shared. Without such a model, WiXD runs the risk of becoming another distribution channel for piracy, which can put them in pretty serious copyright infringement waters.

Even if that becomes an issue, one good thing they have on their side is that they do not actually allow downloading or digital distribution of copyrighted music, only playback. That in itself could create some interesting business models that play with the quality of the files.

Finally, it will also be interesting to see if their community thinks of more interesting uses of their platform — such as sharing poems and thought ala The Chowk, or sharing and promoting audio lectures in universities.

Regardless, I think they have a great technical engine that can allow them to do a lot over the next few months.

Side Note: Some additional things I like about WiXD is the fact that they are using a blog to communicate right from day 1, and are updating it frequently — that is a great way for a company to connect with communities.

Next: I’ll write my analysis of WiXD as a product (I told you I can’t resist that)

I want to cover more innovative Pakistani Startup products

I’m starting a new series covering Pakistani Startups in the technology sector.

I would love to review those products and — through the blog — will offer some simple tips on any improvements that I think can happen.

Part of the reason I started my Product Design consulting practice is because I cannot just report news and must analyze the things I study.

So — all of you innovators who want to be highlighted, please leave a comment next to this post, and I will get in touch with you to find out about your products.

Islamabad Capital Police Rocks (i.e. what makes great teams)

Last night I was driving home and a wrong turn here and there and my car got stuck in the mud (literally).

Before I could even get out to assess the situation, however, a Capital Police car drove up, stopped, and the officer pushed and huffed and puffed to help me get out, at the expense of his clothes getting full of mud as well.

This is very impressive, and quite contrary to what a person would have expected a couple of years ago when the police stopped with your car offroad and in the mud. So Kudos to them.

It made me wonder though, why did this man cheerfully choose to help me or do his duty with so much interest? Generally, what makes fantastic teams that you can depend on?

Its not just people who are interested in the specific tasks at hand, but people that are passionate about what their profession stands for.

For the police, great team members are not those who get excited about getting mud on their clothes, or about the hope of getting a good monetary tip or payoff because of their efforts, but rather people who LOVE helping other people out.

In a similar way, If the profession means innovation, then almost everyone who believes in that will bring passion into whatever tasks and challenges he may be faced with. The people who are excited about some sort of monetary bonus or high salary as the basic intention for doing a good job will most likely never do that good job.

This is one of the things that keeps many of our grads from excelling — the fact that a lot of the graduating students are so focused only on the fact that good paying jobs exist in their chosen field and that that is the end-goal they seek. Since they are not trying to be passionate about something first, and then seeking appropriate returns, this makes them less prone to being successful.

Simple lesson, but it had to be told.