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Fuel consumption gures for the Civic 1.6 i-DTEC Black Special Edition in mpg (l/100km):
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CIVIC BLACK SPECIAL EDI TION
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Above: Business of Fashion
founder Imran Ahmed
Below: Polaris Sportsman ATV
The Craigslist killers
In 2011, three men were
murdered in Ohio, lured to
their deaths by a seemingly
innocent Craigslist ad
128
Destiny beckons
Games studio Bungie has
spent 300 million making
Destiny. The pressure is on to
deliver a massive success
098
Abigger boat
The Triple-E is Maersks latest
and the worlds largest
model of container ship.
WIRED nds out howits made
114
Fashion special
HowYoox co-founder Federico
Marchetti has led the charge
to take the luxury-goods
industry into the digital age
086
Growth hacks
Who needs marketers when
growth hacking combines
data, psychology and design
to help startups win?
108
Inspiration factory
Howpersonal-curation site
Pinterest has gone from
tastemakers library to an
essential creativity app
122
TI SSOT T- TOUCH EXPERT SOLAR. TACTI LE WATCH POWERED BY SOLAR
ENERGY, OFFERI NG 25 FUNCTI ONS I NCLUDI NG WEATHER FORECAST,
ALTI METER AND COMPASS. I NNOVATORS BY TRADI TI ON.
TI SSOTSHOP. COM
P O WE R E D B Y
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0 9 / 1 4 / C O N T E N T S / 0 0 7
Below: Vastras
scales are hand-
shaded by a
make-up designer
Clockwise
fromleft: David
LaChappelles
Anaheim, a
recycled plastic
diorama fromhis
newbook LAND
SCAPE; howy
farming is helping
to feed chickens
and save global
sh stocks; Natalie
Gaveau, founder of
Shopcade, a social
commerce app
038
START
Visionary technology
Eye doctor AndrewBastawrous is on a
mission to eradicate avoidable blindness
so he built an app and took it to Africa
067
PLAY
Doctoring the baddies
How the man behind Doctor Whos
weirdest monsters regenerated an iconic
villain, with the help of 3D modelling
079
HOWTO
Life enhancement
Build a world-beating app; turn your
phone into a digital microscope; make a
neon glowfan; create a marble machine
024
START
Clad in shadows
Siemens newMasdar ofce claims to be
the greenest in the Middle East, thanks
to algorithms, angles and metal sheets
057
IDEAS BANK
Brainfoodandprovocations
Bruce Hood; Gerd Gigerenzer;
Michael Shermer; Reid Hoffman, Ben
Casnocha & Chris Yeh; Sarah Lewis
074
PLAY
Bot pot
This Swedish-designed machine allows
ve people to make a dish together but
be warned: no communication allowed
019
START
The geodoc will see you now
Howbig an impact does where you live have
on health? Bill Davenhall believes its a
crucial factor, and wants to alert your GP
043
GEAR
Rated and reviewed
Surf-o-Morph surfboards; ATVs; starship
clock; juice infuser. Tested: smartphone
special large, mediumand small
068
PLAY
Glass eye
Artist Shelley James uses etched and
fused glass to create intricate pieces
that look different fromevery angle
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Editor David Rowan
Creative director Andrew Diprose
Executive editor Greg Williams
Managing editor Duncan Baizley
wired.co.uk editor Nate Lanxon
Science editor Joo Medeiros
Product editor Jeremy White
Associate editor Madhumita Venkataramanan
Assistant editor Oliver Franklin
Intern Kathryn Nave
Picture editor Steve Peck
Deputy picture editor Dalia Nassimi
Deputy art director Paul Rider
Art editor Ben Fraser
Deputy app director Amanda Beer
App assistant Michael McCormack
Tablet producer Lauren Hogan
Chief sub-editor Mike Dent
Deputy chief sub-editor Simon Ward
wired.co.uk
Deputy editor Olivia Solon
Reporter Liat Clark
Junior staff writer Katie Collins
Intern Chris Higgins
Contributing editors Dan Ariely, David Baker,
Ian Daly, Ben Beaumont-Thomas, Rachel Botsman,
Daniel Cossins, Russell M Davies,
Ben Hammersley, Adam Higginbotham, Jeremy Kingsley,
Daniel Nye Grifths, Emily Peck, Ed Yong
Director of editorial administration and rights Harriet Wilson
Editorial business and rights executive Stephanie Chrisostomou
International permissions manager Eleanor Sharman
Human resources director Hazel McIntyre
Finance director Pam Raynor
Financial control director Penny Scott-Bayeld
Deputy managing director
Albert Read
Managing director
Nicholas Coleridge
WIRED, 13 Hanover Square, London W1S 1HN
Please contact our editorial team via the following email addresses:
Reader feedback: rants@wired.co.uk
General editorial enquiries and requests
for contributors guidelines:
editorial@wired.co.uk
Press releases to this address only please: pr@wired.co.uk
Chairman and chief executive, Cond Nast International
Jonathan Newhouse
Publisher Rupert Turnbull
Associate publisher Rachel Reidy
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Promotions co-ordinator Dan Smith
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Regional advertisement manager Heather Mitchell
Senior sales executives Beth Hardie, Krystina Garnett
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Account manager (US) Keryn Howarth
Classied director Shelagh Crofts
Classied sales manager Emma Roxby
Classied senior sales executive Natasha Ingham
Head of digital Wil Harris
Head of product development and technology Pete Miller
Tablet project manager Liam Keating
Senior tablet producer Charlotte Tooth
Marketing director Jean Faulkner
Deputy marketing and research director Gary Read
Associate director, digital marketing Susie Brown
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Advertising enquiries: 020 7499 9080
Directors: Jonathan Newhouse (chairman and chief executive),
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Jamie Bill, Jean Faulkner, Shelagh Crofts, Albert Read, Patricia Stevenson
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0 1 0 / W H A T E L S E W I R E D G O T U P T O L A S T M O N T H
OFF
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200k
Lovely redesign of
@WiredUK. Brave
newtypeface, too
@RedFoxBandit
Thanks to Searu
(p75) for this
creepy, beach-
towel-size cover
The number of Twitter followers @WiredUK nowhas.
Dont forget, you can also tap in to the WIRED
world on Facebook, Google+, Instagramand Tumblr
ImatthepointwhereIwantAndySerkistogethis
damnOscar sowecanmoveon(Anactor evolves,
08.14). Doall of his projects have toget caught up
inOscarbaiting?RyanSummers, viawired.co.uk
Imcondentthatyourfollow-uparticlewill have
interviews with the animators who helped his
performance. PerhapsbeginwithRandall William
Cook. ToddSheridanPerry, viawired.co.uk
PRINT
Ape feedback time
The most powerful smartphone on the market
has the same processing power that HSBC had
in 1985. And what do we do with all this power?
We playFlappy Bird. Brett King, CEOof Moven
Forty-sevenpercentofourfullyfundedcampaigns
are run by women. That compares with three
per cent for VC funding. Danae Ringelmann,
cofounder andCEO, Indiegogo
FROMTHE WIRED STAGE
WIRED Money (July 1)
NUMBER OF THE MONTH
Isitjustmeorarewegrowingapart?Wevebeentogetherforyears,
and every month Ive felt like the sparks still there. Ive relished
every touch of your rough, textured covers. Your quirky sense of
design can be a bit hard to read and my friends dont get you, but
thats just made me love you more. Then this month you go and get
aglossycover andyour designs turnfromdaringtocrowdpleasing.
AmI getting paranoid or are you looking for someone new? I hope
wecanndour ame again. Joe Hall, via email
REDESIGN #1
Its us thats changed, not you
REDESIGN #2
As a 60-year-old
I was startingto
ndI couldnot
physically read
about 30per cent
of eachissue
(neonyellowtext
ona pale yellow
background, that
sort of thing).
The newformat
has givenme a
reprieve. Aclearer
font, black/grey
text ona white
backgroundand
less gimmickry.
I spendmore
time readingand
thinkingabout
the articles and
less time holding
themupto the
light hopingto see
some text. Andrez
Choma, via email
It is hilarious that HybridAir Vehicles is making
the same performance claims that it failed to
deliver on, whichiswhytheUSArmyprogramme
for which this was designed was cancelled (New
heightsinhybridtransport, 07.14). TheAirlander
was once touted as a potential commercial or
military transport, capable of lifting as much
as 15,875kg up to 2,770km it proved to be pie
in the sky. Joe Dick, via wired.co.uk
PRINT
A load of hot air
FROM OUR
WEIGHT-ON
SHOULDERS
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In Ideas Bank, Lewis, a NewYork-based
curator andauthor of TheRise, discusses
the ups and downs of self-doubt among
high achievers. Doubt and the sense of
incompletionthatcomeswithmasterycan
spuroninnovation,shesays.Itcanthrust
artistsandinnovatorsforwardjust when
success might makethemcomplacent.
LIZ BACELAR
Founder at Decoded Fashion, Bacelar
writes about how technology is influ-
encingthecatwalks. Thefashionindustry
is hungry to innovate but it wont take
risks, she says. Tech is disrupting
everything from design to retail but
tech rms are also approaching fashion
companiesfor designer collaborations.
0 1 2 / W H O M A D E T H I S ?
DANIEL NYE GRIFFITHS
WIREDgoesbehindthescenesat Bungie
asit launchesDestinyavideogamethat
has already cost 300mto make. A lot
of games claim to be the event of the
year, but fewtruly are, says Grifths.
Expectations are high but in terms of
bang-for-your-buck, agamewith100-plus
hours of entertainment is prettygood.
MAKING WIRED / BUILDING BIGGER
WIREDsent photographer Alastair Philip Wiper
(above) to South Korea to capture the worlds
biggest container ships being assembled: The
sizeandquantityofvesselsbeingbuiltattheDSME
shipyardremindedmeof somekindof hugeLEGO
worldthousandsofworkersassemblinggiantkits.
Seeing an engine the size of a house hovering in
mid-air is not somethingI will forget ina hurry.
GREG WILLIAMS
Our annual report on Europes 100
Hottest StartupswaseditedbyWilliams
andcreatedwith a little helpfromthe
WIRED network. We asked our best-
connected entrepreneurs, investors
andtechnologists whichbusinesses and
citieswereexcitingthem,hesays. Itsa
revealingsnapshot of thecurrent scene.
KATIE COLLINS
Juniorstafwriteronwired.co.uk, Collins
embracedher inner Goldilockstoreview
small, mediumandlargesmartphonesin
the Gear section. So, which one was just
right?FormeitstheLGG3,shesays. It
has a big screen, but somehowsqueezes
it into a medium-sized body. I cant use
anythingtoolargefor mydaintydigits.
MAKING WIRED / ROBOT ASSISTANT
Olaf Blecker (below, left) had a little extra help
shooting our cover star, Yoox founder Federico
Marchetti (and were not referring to WIREDs
creativedirector, centre): Its not oftenonegets
toworkwithproproboticarms onaphotoshoot.
I got to use three very fancy-looking ones, and I
posedthemall aroundFederico, soit was like he
hadarobot butler. I coulddowithoneof those
We didnt want the
robot arms to be too
Heath Robinson, so
we made themout
of laser-cut perspex
and neoprene, for a
really slick look.
Richard Guy,
head model maker
at Andy Knight
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H O T S T A R T U P S / T H E G R O W T H O F G R O W T H / 0 1 5
This issue, for the fourth year running,
we showcase the 100 hottest European
startups that you need to know about.
Our reportingteamexploredtechnology
hubs across the continent, questioning
our networkof investors, commentators,
entrepreneurs and policymakers to
identifythebusinessesthat arecurrently
causingabuzz-fromcommercetocloud
storage, fromgaming to geolocation.
Our rules in choosing the top 100 startups are simple:
were not looking for the newest, the highest-valued or
those with the most users. Instead, this is a snapshot in
time of the teams that are getting talked about locally as
hot companies that well behearingalot moreabout. We
surveyour networkextensively, ignoringanynominations
for startups where nominators have a vestedinterest, and
thencompileadatabaseof thecompanies gettingthemost
attention. It turns out that the tenhottest entrepreneurial
hubs are the same as last year: cities suchas London, Paris,
MoscowandTel Avivwherethepowerof local ecosystemsis
deliveringstellargrowthandattractinginternational talent.
This isnt trying to be a scientic or comprehensive list:
youll havesuggestions for businesses wemissedandviews
about those we included. (Do tell us: rants@wired.co.uk.)
But based on past form, we seem to be on to something.
Looking back at our rst survey fromSeptember 2011, we
weregettingexcitedaboutrelativelylittle-knowncompanies
suchasStockholmsKlarnaandMojang, andTel AvivsFace.
com(subsequentlybought byFacebook), plusasmall games
startupfromHelsinki calledSupercell. Thefollowingyearwe
weretalkingabout DeliveryHerofromBerlinandLondons
MindCandy. Not badindicators of success stories tocome.
Every few months a new must-have job title makes its
wayaroundthestartupcommunity. Last year everyonewas
lookingfordatascientists; thisyearitsgrowthhackers. Roles
such as head of growth are jumping up recruiters lists
withanewbreedof self-declaredgrowthguru spreading
the gospel at growth-hacking conferences. I rst started
hearingthe termspreadlast summer, andbecame curious:
it seemed a fresh way of thinking about marketing, whilst
leveragingstartups expertiseinengineering, dataanalytics
anddesigntoacquireandretaincustomersinscalableways.
This issueI talktopractitioners andsceptics tounderstand
whatitisandwhatitisnt. Bottomline: beyondthehype, Im
convincedthatall sortsof non-startupbusinessescanbenet
fromthismindset. Growthhackingisaboutrelentlessproduct
testing and measuring howto tap emotional engagement.
And thats just a smart way of thinking about marketing.
BSME ART DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR, CONSUMER 2013 PPA MEDIA BRAND
OF THE YEAR, CONSUMER 2013 DMA TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE OF THE
YEAR 2012 DMA EDITOR OF THE YEAR 2012 BSME EDITOR OF THE YEAR,
SPECIAL INTEREST 2012 D&AD AWARD: COVERS 2012 DMA EDITOR OF
THE YEAR 2011 DMA MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 2011 DMA TECHNOLOGY
MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 2011 BSME ART DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR,
CONSUMER 2011 D&AD AWARD: ENTIRE MAGAZINE 2011 D&AD AWARD:
COVERS 2010 MAGGIES TECHNOLOGY COVER 2010 PPA DESIGNER
OF THE YEAR, CONSUMER 2010 BSME LAUNCH OF THE YEAR 2009
David Rowan
FROM THE
EDITOR
Lyst CEO and
cofounder Chris
Morton at
his London base
These huge gypsum
crystals in Mexicos
Naica caves, some
up to 12mlong, have
been growing for tens
of thousands of years
but scientists have
only nowdiscovered
whats inside them.
Weve recovered over
60 samples fromtiny
uid pockets in the
crystals, explains
speleologist Penelope
Boston, associate
director of the National
Cave and Karst
Research Institute in
NewMexico. Nothing
that weve found is
known to science.
For the past four
years, Boston has
tried to identify the
bacteria, viruses and
archaea captured in
the crystals against
known records, but
realised no one had
ever seen thembefore.
The closest we can
come to identifying
themis to nd their
genetic relatives,
says Boston. These
relatives live as far
aeld as the volcanic
soils of Russias
Kamchatka Peninsula
and caves in Spain,
Italy and Australia
all places with similar
environments to Naica,
where temperatures
reach 50C with 100 per
cent relative humidity.
The crystal caves,
which were discovered
in 2000 by Mexican
mining company
Peoles, were opened
to scientists in 2006,
before being re-closed
in 2010. When all the
surrounding ores have
been extracted, the
water pumps will be
switched off, and the
caves will be re-ooded.
Kathryn Nave
naica.com.mx
M
y
stery
of the
crystals
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The geodoc will see you
How great an impact does where you live have on your physical well-being?
Bill Davenhall believes its a crucial factor, and wants your GP to take notice
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OURSMARTPHONE KNOWS
everywhere youve been so
why doesn t your doctor?
There is a lot of science tying
your health to where you live
andwork,saysmedical behav-
ioural scientist Bill Davenhall
(right). His mission: to expand
the emerging eld of geomed-
icine by convincing health
organisations such as the NHS
toaddyour environmental data
to your health records.
Davenhall, who heads up
health and human services at
California-basedmappingrm
Esri, arguesthat doctorsshould
cross-reference their patients
location with environmental
datasuchaspollution; geomed-
icine, heargues, couldtransform
diagnosisandmedical research.
Most people will not put a
school in close proximity to a
major highway, because of the
quality of the air, he explains.
A lot of work has been done
studying circulatory system
disorders. But in other areas,
likeParkinsons, itsnotasclear.
Geotagging, he believes,
would create a wellspring of
data for medical researchers.
There was a very hazardous
metal buriedintheplayground
where I played as a kid. It
was a toxic dump site for 50
years, he says. They only
found that out ve years ago.
So the people who have moved away, what did they die from? Theres
no ability to do those kind of studies without that data.
Davenhall has created My Place History, an iPhone app which lets
individuals cross-reference their (currently US-only) addresses with
databases of environmental hazards and show it to their GP. Users are
then given a risk of major health problems, according to their exposure
to variables such as heavy metals and airborne toxins. Getting the
geographic information is the easiest step, he says. The key is howwe
trainschoolsofmedicinetochangethewaythey
lookat diagnostics. Theroadtocausality, inmy
opinion, begins with proximity. OF esri.com
Bill Davenhall
at the Grove Hotel,
Hertfordshire
(pollution level
that June day:
low, according
to the UK
Environment
Agency)
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED
app to see a map
of pollution in the US
Chinese (traditional)
Chinese (simplied)
English
Japanese
Korean
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Spanish
57
42
34
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25
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9
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13.95
1.76
2.18
1.3
0.79
0.09
0.55
0.13
0.08
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE
TOTAL TRANSLATIONS PER SHOW VIEWS
JUST YOU
TAIWAN
MISCHIEVOUS KISS:
LOVE IN TOKYO
JAPAN
WILD CAT
VENEZUELA
NEVER GIVE UP, DODO
CHINA
POPEYE THE SAILOR
UNITED STATES
UMANETTO
RUSSIA
EVA LUNA
VENEZUELA
TATYANAS DAY
RUSSIA
MONK
UNITED STATES
BOYS OVER FLOWERS
KOREA
TV SERIES
WORLD TELEVISION,
TRANSLATED
If you still cant nd
anything good on
TV, try what Russia,
Venezuela and
Japan are watching
After transmission,
crowdsourced
translators add
subtitles in
200 languages
Asia
Europe
Latin
America
North
America
Other
Arabic
Bulgarian
Chinese (simplied)
Chinese (traditional)
Dutch
English
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hebrew
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Malay
Polish
Portuguese
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Russian
Serbian
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Tagalog
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TITLES AND REGIONS OF ORIGIN
Asia
Europe
Latin America
North America
VIEWING LANGUAGES
VIEWING REGION
G L O B A L V I E W I N G / S T A R T / 0 2 1
ANCY WATCHING A JAPANESE ANIME SUBTITLED INSPANISH? OR A BRAZILIANTELENOVELA
in Indonesian? Singapore-basedViki.comcanhelp; the siteallows youtostreamsubtitledTVshows from100
countries for free, in 200 languages. Currently, 30 million people around the world tune into Vikis licensed
shows eachmonth, two-thirds ontheir mobiles. Wehavelicensedprimetimecontent fromeveryregionof the
world basically like Hulu, but global, says Armeniannative andfounder Razmig Hovaghimian. Launchedin
December 2010, Viki crowdsources translations fromits teamof volunteers; so far they have translated 600
millionwords. Here, youcanseetenViki showsrepresentingthefourglobal regions, intheirtranslatedlanguages
and where theyre watched. You can really see howTVtravels the world, says Hovaghimian. MVviki.com I
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MONEY HEALTH 2014 NEXT GENERATION
OCTOBER 16-17, 2014
BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW
WIRED.CO.UK/14
WIRED2014, our two-day event packed
with disruptive thinking and radical ideas,
will gather more than 40 speakers to
bring the WIRED world to life. Be there
and discover the future as it happens.
Newly confirmed speakers include:
Shlomo
Beatboxer &
musician
Simon Shlomo Kahn
gave up astrophysics to
work with Damon Albarn,
Jarvis Cocker and others.
Yulia
Marushevska
Student & activist
Yulias video, explaining
why Ukrainians took to
the streets in 2014, went
viral, atracting 8m views.
Sugata Mitra
Professor of educational
technology
Sugata Mitras dreamis to
build a school in the cloud,
where children can explore
and learn fromone another.
Jay Bregman
Founder & CEO,
Hailo
Jay Bregman has raised
45 million in investment for
Hailo, his app that matches
passengers with taxi drivers.
Elif Shafak
Author &
political scientist
Elif Shafak is an award-
winning Turkish novelist.
She has writen 13 books,
including nine novels.
Sam Bompas
Founder,
Bompas & Parr
Design studio Bompas &
Parr specialises in flavour-
based experiences,
food research and design.
Yuri Suzuki
Founder & creative
director, Dentaku
Yuri Suzuki has developed
Ototo, a hackable DIY
musical instrument with a
built-in synth and sampler.
TICKETING
PARTNER
HEADLINE
PARTNER
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A building
that can
breathe
The SporoBot can
dissect a mosquito
to extract its malarial
parasites 30times
faster thana human.
It was inventedby
researcher Stephen
Hoffmanto speedup
productionof
his malaria vaccine. KN
MOST INVENTIVE
EXPIRED
Paperbacks
An AI passing the Turing test
Email ennui
Old-boy networks
SMS
Doris Sung makes structures that
are alive curling and opening
with the weathers ebb and ow
THE ROOF PICTURED HERE IS ALIVE:
when it gets too hot, it becomes more
porous, letting a breeze into the room.
Its made from thermobimetal: a layered
combination of metal alloys that responds
totheenvironment, likeaplant. Their ability
to curl when heated means they can be
used for shape-changing building faades.
The creator of this livingcanopyis Ameri-
can-Korean architect Doris Sung, 50, who
takes her inspirationfrombiology. Our skin
is designed to accommodate our bodies,
she says. Our surroundings should be the
same the walls around us should respond
and adapt to the humans within them.
Her dO|Sustudiois working withSpanish
researchorganisationTecnaliatobuildsmart
windows made from the material, which,
like the canopy, will ventilate the room via
porous surfaces when heated. When the
Sun hits the canopy, its pieces will curl to
either block it or let it in, says Sung. Were
alsoworkingonself-assemblysystemswhere
the heated piece will curl and lock into a
newposition, without labour. Another Sung
prototype can fold itself into a chain.
Thekeyisinthesoftwareshedesigns.The
digital componentisimportantintheplanning
process, notonlytomodel, buttogureoutthe
shapes needed, she explains. The material
wantstocurl, butitcurlsdiferentlydepending
on how its cut. Digital design infuses that
smartness into it. MVdosu-arch.com Doris Sung with her Armoured Corset. When it warms up, each of its tiles curves to allowfor ventilation
WIRED
PaperLater
An AI Turing
Context collapse
Capillary networks
Fonetwish
TIRED
Instapaper
An AI judging the Turing test
Filter failure
Personal area networks
WhatsApp
0 2 4 / S T A R T / V R H E A D S E T S / D E S E R T A R C H I T E C T U R E
The $2bn (1bn) acquisition of
virtual reality startup Oculus Rift
by Facebook blewthe VR market
wide open. Yet Oculus isnt the
only player in the eld. Here are
ve other devices soon to be vying
for your (virtual) attention. KN
EYEDAK VRASE
Made in Scotland, this
device is designed
to allowthe use of
smartphones as a display, meaning
images are currently pretty low-res,
but making it easily upgradeable.
Available to buy later this year.
MI CROSOFT
In January Microsoft
bought patents
for 3D-display
glasses fromCalifornia-based
Osterhout Design Group. Its
plans remain under wraps, but
our moneys on it using Kinect.
SONY MORPHEUS
Designed to integrate
with the PS4, this blue-
glowing device has
a strap-on headset with an LED-
studded rear band so if you turn
away fromthe PlayStation, it can still
track your head movements.
AVEGANT GLYPH
Basically headphones
with a ip-down visor,
the Glyph (scheduled
for a December launch) has no
display, but projects images on to the
retina with a higher resolution than
either Sony or Oculus can boast.
SAMSUNG GEAR VR
Little is known about
this even the name
is provisional but
Samsungs experience creatinghi-res
OLEDdisplays for smart devices
including watches should give them
an advantage in the pixel wars.
BEYOND OCULUS
RI FT: ALTERNATI VE
VI RTUAL REALI TY
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INSUMMERTEMPERATURESOF45CORMORE, THISDESERT
buildings faadekeeps theSuns glareat bay, whilelettinglight ood
in. Siemens new22,800m
2
HQintheAbuDhabi cityof Masdar claims
to be the Middle Easts most ecologically friendly ofce building. The faades contribute to a 65 per cent
energydemandreduction, anda50per cent operational carbonreductionover other UAEofces,saysDavid
Ardill, partner at London-based architecture firmSheppard Robson and design director on this project.
Tocreateit, thearchitects wroteanalgorithmspecifyingthat eachpanel onthefaadewouldbe1.5mwide
and3.5mhigh, andthoughtheycouldbendandtwist, theywouldbestatic. Despitetheengineeringrequired
to build it, the Siemens building cost 24m 3munder budget. This approach relied on computers at the
designstagetocreateaclear, simplearchitectural ideathat couldbebuilt inexpensivelybyalocal workforce,
placing no cost premiumon sustainable architecture, says Ardill. Clare Dowdy sheppardrobson.com
4mm-thick sheets
of aluminium are
folded to form
three triangles.
The top one shades
the windows on
the oor above, the
middle one ts to
the faade and the
lower one protects
the oor below.
CLAD IN SHADOWS
This ofce claims to be the greenest in the Middle East,
thanks to algorithms, angles and cooling metal sheets
1
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For further information please go to www.witt-ltd.co.uk
Its true. Some people actually like tedious, heavy housework.
Love it, even. We dont. We do, however, love the
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It wont walk or talk or make your breakfast, but when you realise
just how well it cleans, we think it will make you smile.
Whether you live in a compact carpeted apartment or a sprawling
house with twenty different oor coverings, youll nd a robot to suit
you perfectly. As soon as you own one, youll nd it easy to keep your
oors beautifully clean. Weve created this overview to help make it
just as easy to choose your ideal model. Of course, theres nothing
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DISMANTLE THE CLASSROOM!
HAT HAPPENS IN CLASSROOMS
hasn t fundamentally changed
since Victorian days: most schools
still rely on that Gradgrindian
model whereby students absorb the
teachers wisdom, to be tested on
what they remember. Thankfully, a
feweducatorsareshowingthat alter-
native models candeliver creativity
andself-directedlearning. The key
person in education is the student,
saysevolutionarypsychologist Peter
Gray of The Rockefeller University.
Sometimes the innovation is do
nothing let the kids take charge.
Wethinkitstimetoreinvent primary
andsecondaryeducation. Herearesix
projects that passedtheWIREDtest.
Its time to re-learn what primary and secondary schools are there for. Here are six places to start
The Blue Man Group
consists of face-
painted theatrical
humanoids who
explore the world
around them. This
curious spirit has
nowtaken over
at Blue School,
founded in Lower
Manhattan by
the original Blue
Man trio and their
wives. The school,
which currently
runs up to fth
grade (UK year six),
and is expanding
Blue School
founders
(clockwise
fromtop left):
Jen Wink, Matt
Goldman, Chris
Wink, Philip
Stanton, Renee
Rolleri and
Jennifer Stanton
Blue School NewYork, US
1
to eighth grade
by 2017, believes
that curious
minds are best
at learning, and
taking on different
perspectives is
the optimal way to
encourage curiosity.
At the schools
core are six
modes of learning,
based on the
Blue Man Groups
performances.
These are
characters that
kids try on: theres
the Scientist, the
Innocent, the Group
Member, the Hero,
the Artist and the
Trickster, each with
unique worldviews.
Heroes, for example,
are leaders, whereas
Tricksters are
rule-breakers and
innovators. When
kindergarteners
were learning about
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ATIE SALEN WAS CODING AND TEACHING GAME
developmentinNewYorkin2009whenshebecameinterested
in 11-year-olds obsession with gaming. Game design is all
aboutplayerexperience,shesays. Youhavetobuildasystem
sothat they feel like they are incontrol andcanwin. That is
not a feeling that middle-schoolers often have. So Salen,
43(picturedabove), foundedQuest toLearninNewYorka
publicschool inwhichclassroomsarebuilt ontheprinciples
of gamedesign. In-housegamedesignersworkwithteachers,
andSalensnonprot Instituteof Play, whichrunstheschool,
hasincubatedastudiocalledGlassLabwithElectronicArts,
whichdevelopsgamesthat haveanassessment component.
Thecurriculumisbasedonchallenges. Wecall themquests
and missions, explains Salen. We set up a problemthat
classeshavetenweekstosolve. Whentheyachieveaquest, it
unlocksanother one. Withgamesyoufail, but that helpsyou
move forwardanddo better. Props suchas hula hoops and
diceareregularlyusedintheclassrooms. Completedquests
includeachallengetowriteabusiness planfor afood-truck
business. Another used Minecraft to build a game-based
sustainable-energy system for the school: a geothermal
model generatedbymoltenlavaowingbelowthebuilding.
There is nowa ChicagoQuest charter school and another
plannedforDenver. Nextup: usingwhattheylearnedtobring
the gamiedclassroomtoTurkey. MVinstituteofplay.org
the work of artist
Andy Goldsworthy,
they studied it
fromaTrickster
viewpoint. Soon, the
walls of the school
were lled with
guerrilla artworks:
sticks, stones and
leaves were glued
together and stuck
up surreptitiously.
This was very
much aTrickster
act, and it was
supported and
celebrated by the
school, says Matt
Goldman, school
and Blue Man
Group cofounder.
Two-year-olds in
pre-kindergarten
Larry Rosenstock (pictured)
was teaching carpentry at
a state-run high school in
Massachusetts in the 90s
whenhe realisedthat hands-on
projects were the best way to
engage children. So in 2000 he
helped set up HighTech High, a
middle school of 200 kids
in San Diego, with funding from
Irwin Jacobs, cofounder of
Qualcomm. The school is
one of 12 institutes to
specialise in project-based
learning, with ve more
(ranging from elementary
to high schools) being built
over the next ve years.
Entry to the school is by
lottery and students and
teachers work in teams as
2
designers to tailor their own
curricula. Completed projects
so far include an environmental
eld guide to San Diego Bay,
which was sold on Amazon, and
a year-long video study on gun
violence in schools. Teachers
often blend subjects; for
instance, an art project could
involve making a sculpture
incorporating gears, which
pupils are studying in physics.
The benets are clear: 87
per cent of HighTech High
students graduate fromfour-
year collegecourses, compared
to the state average of 35 per
cent, according to Rosenstock.
The plan now, he says, is to
go global. He teaches two
Massive Open Online Courses,
one with the MITMedia Lab on
deeper learning and another
with University of California,
Berkeley on howto start a
school. The world needs
to experiment more with what
a school looks like, he says.
MVhightechhigh.org
classes beat
drums covered
in neon paint,
an idea straight
fromthe Blue Man
Groups onstage
performances. At
higher grades, kids
have more say in
what they want to
learn about. The
teachers job is to
take the questions
kids come up with,
and to turn that into
a curriculum, says
Allison Gaines Pell,
Blue Schools head.
In one example,
when fth-graders
studied Homers
The Odyssey, they
became interested
in howthe Ancient
Greeks preserved
food and so
built a food
dehydrator to try
and gure it out.
By building a
curriculumon
inquisitiveness,
the schools
founders believe
theyre crafting
entrepreneurial
kids. We think
theres a kind
of combustible
alchemy from
having a rich
worldview, says
Chris Wink, a
school cofounder
and Blue Man.
Its being able to
jump fromone lens
to another. EB
blueschool.org
Quest to Learn
NewYork and Chicago, US
HIGH
TECH
HIGH
San Diego, US
3
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Wear it. Mount it. Love it.

gopro.madison.co.uk

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SCHOOLS MAKE KI DS
helpless and afraid of failure,
says Kiran Bir Sethi (below),
founderof theRiversideSchool
inAhmedabad, India. Sounder
her watch, kidsareencouraged
to leave the classroom and
learn their lessons in the real world. Sethis idea
transmitted through her organisation Design
for Change has spread to schools in 35 countries,
includingthe US, China, Mexicoand, most recently,
Cameroon. Its an open-source idea, says Sethi.
Riverside pupils spend 50 per cent of their time
outside the classroom working with community
members and businesses. For an economics class,
year-11 students workedwiththeHavmor IceCream
Company inAhmedabadtomake andmarket a new
avour they called Rasmataz, which the company
now sells. For a language skills class, year-three
students spent time at Ahmedabads Kankaria Zoo
andcreatedanaudiotour for its reptile house. And
after aconferenceabout childrensrightsviolations,
Sethi asked her year-ve students to roll incense
sticks for eight hours, to bring home the reality of
child labour in India. What was amazing was how
something that was just intellectual became an
enduring understanding, she says.
In2009Sethi startedtoexpandher visiontokids
beyond Riverside, by launching A Protagonist in
every Child, an NGO. She and her pupils marched
into municipal offices and demanded change in
Ahmedabad that would make it safer for children.
The city listened, and created Street Smart, a
monthly event inwhichthe citys streets are closed
andturnedintoasafeareafor communityactivities.
In 2013, Riversides performance was 50 per
cent higher than the national average for maths
and30per cent higher for science. Andina country
where children are pushed to become doctors or
lawyers, Sethi says her students tend to be more
imaginative. Ive haddancers, hotel-management
executives and herpetologists, she says.
Riversideraises citizens, not
just academics, Sethi believes.
Wearent experimenting,she
says. Every other schooling
system that isnt doing this,
they re al ternati ve. EB
schoolriverside.com
ack in 1999, Indian-
born education
researcher Sugata
Mitra (below)
installed an
internet-connected
computer in a New
Delhi slum. The
machine entranced
local children,
who were soon
using it to learn
independently.
Nowprofessor
of educational
technology
Riverside
School
Ahmedabad, India
5
4
SCHOOL IN
THE CLOUD
Various, India and the UK
Mind Lab
Twelve countries worldwide
Pupils in the
Mind Lab school
programme spend
their time playing
board games.
In pre-school,
for instance, the
curriculumincludes
Noughts &Crosses,
Quarto, Hoppers
and Rush Hour.
As an engineer
whos worked with
computers all
my life, I couldnt
understand why
teachers were
playing board
games with kids,
says Valmir Pereira
(right), CEOof Mind
Lab, who bought the
company in 2009.
But everybody
loves it. Parents
would come to me
and tell me that
their kids used to
spend time playing
football and had
bad school grades.
After Mind Lab, they
still played football,
but their grades
had improved.
Mind Lab was
developed in 1994
by educational
researchers Ehud
Shachar, Tzvika
Feldfogel and
Dan Gendelman
in Jerusalem.
The methodology
involves at least
one hour per
week playing
board games and
learning skills
such as strategic
thinking, emotional
intelligence and
decision-making.
Pereira, an
entrepreneur from
So Paulo, ran a
2007 Mind Lab
pilot study in Brazil
involving 2,000
students across
60 schools. It now
operates in 12
countries including
the US, China and
the UK. According
to Pereira, more
than 500,000
students nowuse
its methodology.
Astudy by Donald
Green at Yale
University found
that Mind Labs
methods improve
students scores
in maths and
language tests.
Hes clearly shown
that we improve
skills in these
core subjects,
even though we
dont teach them,
says Pereira. JM
mindlab-group.com
at Newcastle
University, Mitra is
going one better
with his School In
The Cloud. Using $1
million awarded to
himas the 2013TED
Prize, he has set up
seven lab schools
ve in India and two
in the UK in which
children learn for
themselves using
internet-connected
terminals. Retired
teachers, or
Grannies, oversee
students via
Skype (Microsoft
is a sponsor). The
students are also
encouraged to form
groups and discuss
their peers work to
aid learning.
In his previous
experiments,
Mitra found that
children are able
to learn complex
biology and
physics with light
encouragement.
The schools will
run for three years,
during which time
6
Mitra hopes to rene
self-learning. Weve
never had anything
like the internet
before, he says.
The danger is trying
to force it into an
18th-century model
of education. OF
theschoolinthe
cloud.org Sugata
Mitra will speak
at WIRED2014 on
October 16-17.
wiredevent.co.uk
AN EVENT FROM WIRED TO INSPIRE YOUNG MINDS
/
/
WIRED Next Generati on i s back. The one-day event curated
for 12- to 18-year-olds fuses music, performance, talks and hands-on
workshops with speakers who have forged their own futures.
More than 20 inspiring figures will take to the Main Stage, including:
MONEY HEALTH 2014 NEXT
GENERATION
Event
workshops
HOW TO:
MAKE YOUR
OWN WEARABLE
Get hands on with
Arduino chips,
conductive thread,
LEDs and more to make
your own wearable
from scratch.
HOW TO:
MAKE A
DIGITAL COMIC
Comic-book writer Leah
Moore will talk you
through planning and
designing an online
comic and sharing it
with the world instantly.
HOW TO:
MAKE A VIRTUAL-
REALITY HEADSET
Using 3D-printed parts,
smartphones, lenses
and simple mechanics,
you can build a VR
headset to put Google
Cardboard to shame.
HOW TO:
MAKE MUSICAL
FRUIT AND PLANTS
Use Makey Makeys
invention kit to create
a banana piano. It can
turn everyday objects
into a touchpad you can
connect to the internet.
HOW TO:
BUILD A POCKET
SPACECRAFT
Since the dawn of
humankind weve
stared into the heavens.
Now you can send
something there, using
maker know-how.
Also included in the
ticket price is access
to the WIRED Next
Generation Workshops
hands-on sessions from
the WIRED network.
Workshops include:
Beth Reekles
Author, The
Kissing Booth
Beth Reekles self-published
The Kissing Booth at the
age of 15. It has since been
read 19mtimes on Watpad.
Darcus Beese
President,
Island Records
Darcus Beese started his
career as an Island intern.
Now he heads up the
legendary record company.
Suli Breaks
Spoken-word
artist
Suli Breakss YouTube
channel has more than
220,000followers and has
atracted millions of views.
Ze Frank
Executive vice president
of video, BuzzFeed
Vlogging pioneer Ze
Frank joined BuzzFeed in
2012 to discover new
formats in social video.
Tim Peake
Astronaut,
European Space Agency
Tim Peake is currently
preparing for his mission to
the International Space
Station in 2015.
Roma Agrawal
Associate structural
engineer, WSP
Roma Agrawal spent six
years working on The
Shard, the tallest building
in western Europe.
Rizzle Kicks
UK-based
pop stars
Jordan Stephens and
Harley Alexander-Sule have
released two acclaimed
albums and sold 1msingles.
TICKETING
PARTNER
EVENT
PARTNER
WHO ATTENDS
WIREDNext Generation is
open only to those aged
12 to 18. Adults are
welcome only with an
accompanying teenager.
OCTOBER 18, 2014, LONDON
TICKETS 48 +VAT. BOOK YOURS NOW AT
WIRED.CO.UK/NEXTGEN
0 3 2 / S T A R T / E X C I T I N G I D E A S / A U T O B A H N C H U R C H / F L Y F A C T O R Y
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WHEN FRANKFURT- BASED ARCHI TECTS
Schneider +Schumacher wereaskedtobuildachurchnext
to a German motorway, they drew inspiration from the
areasroadsigns. Withthepileof fast-foodrestaurantsand
cheaphotelsnearby, wecouldnotbuildatraditional church,
says the firms principal architect Michael Schumacher.
So they decided to capture the brash motorway vibe and
the AutobahnChurchSiegerlandwas born.
The church was built entirely on a frugal, donated
budget of 1.3 million (1.04 million), which put restric-
tionsinplacethat Schumacherbelievesenhancethedesign.
We wanted to have cheap material; its not St Peters
Basilica, its ona motorway, andit has touse the language
of the motorway. Parametric digital designsoftware was
usedtocreatetheplan, allowingforcontinuousadjustment.
A computer-controlled milling machine was used to
cut alatticedomemadefrom66slotted-togetherchipboard
ribs in the most efficient way possible. To cut these
strange shapes theres usually waste, but we really used
all the wood, says Schumacher.
Motorway churches are increas-
inglycommoninGermanyand, partly
thanks to its eye-catching design,
Autobahn Church Siegerland has
alreadyhadmorethan70,000visitors
in its first year. People dont go to
churcheswehavetobringthechurch
to the people, says Schumacher.
And the people are here. Amen to
that. KNschneider-schumacher.de
HOLY SERVICE AREA!
This year, I began
pushing data into my
Google Calendar using
IFTTT. Each day it adds
where Ive been, the
articles Ive read and
shared, my weight and
my sleep. Ive even got
it tracking the weather.
Ive been surprised at
how useful the data
is whether filing
expenses or searching
for articles. In fact,
my calendar is fast
becoming a personal
search engine.
WHATS EXCITING
TOM HULME
Partner, GoogleVentures
Our company slogan
is The World is Global,
Baby, and we embrace
the idea of working
from anywhere with a
solid Wi-Fi connection.
After trying Skype
and HipChat we
found Slack. Its
a communication
channel that allows us
to always be in touch,
stay productive and get
rid of internal email.
So wherever we are,
our virtual water cooler
keeps efficiency high
and our team together.
COURTNEY BOYD MYERS
Founder, audience.io
The only way to stay
ahead today is by
constant learning and
maintaining valuable
relationships that
enhance you and your
brand. I do that by
reading, curating and
sharing knowledge.
I use feedly to collect
and read, and Buffer
to share and distribute.
They help me keep
seven different social
media channels
running creating
value every day.
Harry Lambert
ANNI KA LI DNE
CEO, Dramatify
The dome shell
of curving wood
allows daylight
in fromthe
spires skylights
E A R L Y A D O P T E R S
INE OUT OF TEN CHICKENS
prefer larvae to fish. Chicken in
the wild look for larvae in animal
droppings, says Jason Drew,
CEO of AgriProtein, a South Afri-
can startup founded in 2010. Its
their natural source of protein, yet
we keep feeding them fish meal,
whichis unsustainable anddeplet-
ingour shstocks.Tohelpresolve
this, AgriProtein makes MagMeal,
its chickenfeed, frommaggots.
The company uses food and
abattoir wastetoattract itscaptive
flies. After their eggs hatch, the
larvae are dried and the resulting
protein compressed into pellets.
Its nutrient recycling, says
Drew. Were the first industrial-
scalewaste-to-proteinplant onthe
planet. AgriProteins Cape Town
factory has 8.5m flies, producing
20 tonnes of larvae every day. It
plans to open a factory in Europe
in 2015 and start licensing its
technology. Im an environmen-
talist and a capitalist, says Drew.
Twentyyearsago, youwereoneor
the other. Now, if you arent both,
youll fail. JMagriprotein.com The food of larvae
2. PROCESS IT 1. FIND FLY FUEL 3. BREED FLIES 5. GROW FLIES 6. PACKAGE 4. TIME IT RIGHT
They are then
dried, crushed to
extract oil (MagOil,
rich in fatty acids)
and milled into
a aked product
for delivery to
animal feed mills.
This provides
the protein
element for feeding
farmed animals
such as chicken,
sh and pigs.
As the larvae grow,
they will consume
all the waste
allocated to them
by batch. At the
end of the growth
stage, the larvae
are mechanically
separated from
any waste residue.
Laying areas in
large cages are
designed to be
attractive to the
ies, and they
lay all their eggs
in one place. All
the eggs have
to be at exactly
the same stage
of development
before they feed,
so the larvae dont
kill each other
when they hatch.
Within the factory,
300 y cages
are designed to
maximise mating.
Each cage contains
water systems
for the ies
(ensuring they
dont drown).
Temperature,
humidity and
lighting are also
closely controlled
to promote
their egg-laying.
At the factory, the
waste is blended
into a feed mix for
the y larvae. This
waste is pretreated
to remove any non-
food items such
as metal, glass or
plastics that have
crept in. It is also
dried to reduce
the water content.
In AgriProteins
mega-factory, 110
tonnes of organic
waste per day is
collected. This
comes from a
range of sources,
including uneaten
catering-industry
waste from airlines,
restaurants and
hotels, as well
as offal from
abattoirs and
animal manure.
2 1
4 3
5 6
FROM LITTLE
RUNABOUT
TO FLYABOUT
The fatality rate
for cases of Middle
East respiratory
syndrome (MERS)
has beenspiking
this year, according
to data gathered
by the WorldHealth
Organization. The
virus nowkills three
inevery tenpeople
who contract it.
NUMBER CRUNCH
The Aeromobil is a vehicle you can fly to work
and then drive into your usual parking spot
Scalloped
hammerheads
and a sandbar
shark caught
by the n-cam
near Oahu
A sharks life
Jaws goes GoPro
Scientists love to
research sharks,
probably because
theyre the badasses
of the sea. But despite
decades of analysis,
some basic behaviours
of Earths most
infamous predator
remain a mystery. So a
teamof biologists from
the Hawaii Institute of
Marine Biology and the
University of Tokyos
Atmosphere and Ocean
Research Institute
decided to try an
approach thats popular
with extreme athletes:
strap on a camera.
With the help of
Japanese data-
logging company
Little Leonardo, the
researchers built a
device that captures
video and movement
information (with a
triaxial accelerometer-
magnetometer) but is
small enough that it
wont interfere with a
shark on the move.
They secure the camera
to the sharks n for
up to two weeks.
Then the device auto-
releases and oats
to the surface, pinging
the research team.
The footage has
been, as ecologist
Carl Meyer puts it,
astounding. The cams
recorded Hawaiian
sandbar sharks diving
in formation with other
species (including
hammerheads and
blacktip reef sharks)
and chasing members
of the opposite sex. The
teamhad never seen
multiple shark species
congregating. This is
our rst ever sharks-
eye view, Meyer says.
Until we deployed
the cameras, we had
no idea that these
mixed-species shark
aggregations were
occurring. Finally,
researchers can keep up
with the predator that
never stops. Erin Biba
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LYING CARS HAVENT TAKEN OFF YET, BUT THERES A GOOD REASON,
says Slovakian designer tefan Klein: good cars would make bad planes, and vice
versa. Cars need to be wide and heavy, planes narrowand light. Klein, who is the
cofounder and chief designer at Aeromobil which makes a Slovakian flying car,
claimshiscreationisasroadworthyasit isairworthy. Itsitsowncategory,hesays.
Weighing just 450kg and powered by a 100hp, light-aircraft-standard Rotax
912 engine, the Aeromobil 2.5 (above) reaches 160kph on the ground. Press the
transformbuttonandarear-mountedpropellerresup, thewingsfoldout tospan
8.2m, and in under 200mof grass runway, the plane takes of at 130kph. A single
engineoneof thevehiclespatentedcomponentspowersbothdrivingandying.
Other patents include the lightweight wings and a steering wheel thats the same
for bothmodes. Wearetryingtoinvent parts that dont alreadyexist, Kleinsays.
Hestartedthinkingabout yingcars 25years agoinhis nativeBratislava, inthen
Czechoslovakia before the Velvet Revolution a ying car could escape to western
Europe. Klein, whohasabackgroundinengineeringanddesign, metangelinvestorJuraj
Vaculk, nowAeromobilsCEO, andfoundedthecompanyin2011. Sofarself-funded,
theyareraisingexternal investment whileworkingontheAeromobil 3.0, whichwill includeautopilot.
Kleinplanstoexhibit the3.0at air showsnext year andwantstodeliver therst ordersin2016and
Vaculkhashintedthat Aeromobil mayincorporatemoreautonomoustechnologyintoitsdesign. Sorry,
Googleyour driverless car might beovertakenbyapilotless plane. JeremyKingsleyaeromobil.com
The Aeromobil 2.5s engine can be lled
up using regular petrol, and gives a range
of 700kmight and 875kmon the road
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED
app to watch the
Aeromobil take ight
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S A F E N E E D L E S / S P A N / S T A R T / 0 3 7
Indiais the worlds
biggest consumer
of syringes, but,
according to a study
by the International
Clinical Epidemiology
Network, more
than 60per cent
of injections are
administered in an
unsafe manner. So to
combat this, designer
David Swann at
the University
of Hudderseld
came up with the
Behaviour-Changing
Syringe. Its coated
with CO
2
-sensitive
ink that switches
fromcolourless
to crimson within
a minute of being
taken fromits
nitrogen-lled
packaging to give the
patient or doctor a
windowfor safe use.
The syringe has been
tested in India and
Russia, South Africa
and Cameroon have
expressed interest.
The next step is
to sell it through
local partners, but
according to Swann,
the real challenge
will be changing
human habits.
Regardless of the
problem, behaviour
change is at the
heart of design,
he says. Emma Bryce
hud.ac.uk
E RE NOT JUST BEI NG
monitored by drones and
cameras: networks of spies are
now hiding in fake rocks. The
Self-Powered Ad-hoc Network
(SPAN), built by US aerospace
andtechnologycompanyLockheedMartin, isasensor net that can
guard borders and other sensitive military locations 24/7. Weve
seenhowthistechnologycanbeusedinoverseasoperations,says
Lockheed Martins business development manager Alex Moore.
Youcancover anareawithout havingpeople inthere at all.
EachSPANsensor is hiddenina 3D-printedrock andcontains
asolarcell that cangenerateenoughelectricitytopowerthedevice
indenitely. Moore says it can estimate the number of people in a
grouponfoot, distinguishhumansfromanimalsandevenrecognise
vehicle types. The system only sends summary information, so
powerrequirementsaretiny. Theplug-and-playdesignalsomeans
that other types of sensors, suchas magnetic, chemical-sensingor
olfactory snifers can be incorporated as needed. The sensors
keepgettingsmallerandcheaper,saysMoore. Eventuallywell be
abletoscatter themlikebreadcrumbs.Leavenostoneunturned
DavidHamblinglockheedmartin.co.uk/us/products/span.html
Solar-powered spy
1 VIBRATION
Passing vehicles
and people produce
ground vibrations
and sound waves
through the air.
2 DETECTION
Palm-sized sensor
nodes hidden in
fake rocks detect
and log the waves
and vibrations.
3 CONNECTION
Up to 20 nodes
automatically
connect and
pass on data in a
mesh network.
4TRANSMISSION
A gateway node
sends data back
to a base operator
via satellite link,
Wi-Fi or UHF radio.
5COMMUNICATION
Operators receive
data as messages:
moving pickup
truck at these GPS
co-ordinates
1
3
5
4 2
DESI GN
SHARPS
The SPANnetwork can scan no-mans land - indenitely
VISIONARY
TECHNOLOGY
HALF OF ALL THOSE WHO GO BLIND COULD AVOID IT, CLAIMS
London-based eye surgeon Andrew Bastawrous (pictured). One of
the biggest causes of blindness is cataracts, and the surgery to treat
it takes ten minutes to complete and costs 6, he says. But many
in developing countries dont have access to diagnostic tools.
His solution: thePortableEyeExaminationKit, or Peekanappthat uses
the camera in a smartphone to carry out vision tests.
In 2007, Bastawrous, a PhDstudent at the London School of Hygiene
&Tropical Medicine, initiated a study of eye disease in Nakuru County
in Kenya, which involved setting up 100 clinics with over 100,000
worth of high-tech equipment for 5,000 people. Logistically, it was a
nightmare, says Bastawrous. Two-thirds of the place didnt have road
accessandanother two-thirdsdidnt haveelectricity. Wewereefectively
taking fragile, expensive equipment to
places where it doesnt belong. I thought
that there had to be a better way.
So he came up with Peek. It comes with
a 3D-printed clip-on adapter that uses the
cameras flash to scan inside the eye and
diagnosediseasewithin30seconds. Weve
got a direct comparison of someone using
PeekversusateamledbyaUK-traineddoctor
with the best equipment money can buy,
says Bastawrous. Its Davidversus Goliath,
andourdatasuggestsDaviddidprettywell.
Hesplanningtrialsinvecountriesover the
nextveyears, culminatinginaneforttond
andmapeveryblindpersoninBotswana. If
I showyouamapwiththelocationof 100,000
blind people on it, well feel compelled
to do something, says Bastawrous.
Its data you can no longer ignore.
Peeks software is free and Bastawrous
is planning to make it open source in the
near future. Our prime ambition is not to
developacompanythatshugelyprotable,
he says. Our ambition is to eradicate
blindness. JMpeekvision.org
How sticks
and stones
can build
new homes
Dirk Hebel wants to replace steel in buildings with one of natures most resilient substances:
bamboo. In its ability to withstand tensile forces, bamboo is superior to timber and reinforcement
steel, says Hebel, assistant professor of architecture and construction at the Future Cities
Laboratory in Singapore. The 42-year-old German is exploring the potential of over 1,400 bamboo
species. It grows much faster than wood, and is easy to obtain in large quantities, he says. By
extracting the bres and combining themwith adhesive agents, Hebels teamhas created a new
composite material that is ten per cent stronger than steel. Our goal is to be 50 per cent stronger,
he says. If we can control this bre, we could take any natural bre for building material. And its
not just greener the market is huge. Indonesia has millions of tonnes of bamboo. That helped in
our research, to create something that these countries can produce. Jon Chewfuturecities.ethz.ch
Eye doctor Andrew Bastawrous is on a
mission to eradicate avoidable blindness
so he built an app and took it to Africa
0 3 8 / S T A R T / P E E K V I S I O N / B A M B O O B U I L D I N G S / A L V I N U P G R A D E D
Peeks adapter and
software allows
ophthalmologists to
grade the severity
of their patients
cataracts. The
patients data is also
geotagged, which
allows doctors to
locate and contact
themin rural areas.
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Sea change
Deep-sea explorers and scientists have long relied on the Alvin submersible,
based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to visit the abyssal depths. But after 50 years
of diving everywhere fromhydrothermal vents to the wreckage of the Titanic, it was
ready for a makeover. Three years and $41 million (24 million) later, Alvin is back in
the water, with upgrades to propulsion, sensors and all the technology scientists
will need for the next ve decades of discovery. Heres his overhaul. Jeffrey Marlow
1. CREW SPHERE
The ve-tonne
titaniumalloy
sphere can take
pressures up to
6,100 metres (thats
1,980 metres
deeper than before)
putting 98 per
cent of the sea oor
within reach.
2. VIDEO SYSTEM
During one of
Alvins rst return
missions, its ve
newHDcameras
and high-intensity
LEDs captured
a tiny ice worm
grazing on a
chunk of frozen
methane hydrate.
3. VIEWPORTS
The old Alvin had
12cmviewports
they could
endure deep-
sea pressure, but
it was hard for
scientists to see.
Engineers doubled
the area of its
three forward-
looking windows.
4. SAMPLE BASKET
Scientists need
to transport sea
oor samples to
onshore labs for
analysis.Alvins
new basket
features twice the
capacity 181kg
to haul heavy gets
to the surface.
5. CONTROLS
Alvins pilots used
to struggle with
manual controls
in strong currents.
Computerised
thrusters and
steering maintain
the subs position
automatically,
so they can focus
on the science.
3
2
1
4
5
How will gaming
change in the
next ten years?
Virtual reality and presence will continue to transform
gaming and entertainment. VR is the ultimate platform;
no other mediumallows players to feel present in a virtual
environment and believe others are truly sharing that
space with them. It will enable human interactions in
digital spaces like never before. We will finally be able
to step into the games we love. I could not be more excited;
this is the best time to be a gamer. Harry Lambert
KIKI WOLFKILL
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER,
343 INDUSTRIES
Why people play games will not change
signicantly in the next decade, but how
they do so will. Lines will blur between
players and creators, narrative and
gameplay. Instead of buying a game youll
enter a world. These worlds will support
multiple platforms, with the gameplay of
one creating the content for another. Itll
be completely frictionless and driven by
what you want to do at any given moment.
SEAN MURRAY
MANAGING DIRECTOR,
HELLO GAMES
My generation grewup with Mario. Now
theres a generation growing up with
Minecraft. Over the next ten years it
will start making games. Theyll create
technology that adapts games to the way
theyre played like procedural generation,
which creates rich and varied places, and
AI, which makes themreactive to howyou
play. Developers in the future will be like
sculptors, shaping systems to formworlds.
KATE EDWARDS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL
GAME DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION
The greatest change will be less one of
technological advance than of content.
I expect it to be more inclusive, and
although core franchises and their
sequels will exist, they wont dominate the
landscape theyll be just another option
in the daily global streamof game releases.
Gaming will occur across a variety of
platforms as augmented and virtual
reality nally deliver on their promise.
CHIA CHINLEE
CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER,
MIND CANDY
Aside fromVR, ultra-personalisation
through analytics is the most powerful
macro-wave set to drive the next ten
years of gaming. Games will collect and
analyse data on the y, and the non-
playing characters you interact with will
become your condants, because theyll
knowyour likes, dislikes and quirks. Brands
will increasingly cater to their tastes; a new
generation of advertising will take hold.
DAVE RANYARD
STUDIO DIRECTOR,
SCE LONDON STUDIO
VR could well become the normfor
gamers in the next decade. It has the
potential to be as disruptive to games
as talkies were to movies. Wearables
and haptic feedback integrating the
sense of touch into games are two
innovations set to propel the promise
of VR. Gaming will change irrevocably
when we can not just see but feel the
virtual environments we create.
BRENDAN I RI BE
CEO, OCULUS RIFT
T H E B I G Q U E S T I O N
0 4 0 / S T A R T / T H E F U T U R E O F D I G I T A L P L A Y
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Feed
your
mind
Feed
your
mind
Neurozan is an advanced, comprehensive
formula to help safeguard your daily
intake of essential vitamins and minerals.
Including iron, zinc and iodine which help
to maintain normal cognitive function
and pantothenic acid which supports
normal mental performance.
Neurozan Original contains a specially
developedcombinationof nutrients andis
certifiedby FoodFor TheBrain.
Neurozan Plus dual pack provides even
greater nutritional support withhighpurity
Omega-3 fromNorway. DHAhelps to
maintainnormal brainfunction.
Soif youre lookingfor a supplement
thats different, keepNeurozan inmind.
Micronutrients with iron, zinc & iodine,
whichcontribute to normal cognitive function
ORIGINAL DUAL PACK WITH DHA
Neurozan is certifiedby pioneeringcharity FOODFOR THE BRAIN. www.foodforthebrain.org
From , chemists,Waitrose, Holland&Barrett, healthstores &www.neurozan.com
*(IRI value data. 52 w/e 2 Nov 13).
WIRED
INSIDERS
PICK OF
UPCOMING
EVENTS
WIRED
2014
Our headline two-
day event features
over 45 speakers,
an interactive
lab and excellent
networking. Main-
stage guests range
fromBuzzFeeds
Ze Frank, to adman
John Hegarty,
to author and
academic Elif
Shafak. Discount
tickets available
online. October 16-17,
wired.co.uk/14
WIRED NEXT
GENERATION
Aone-day WIRED
event to inspire
newthinkers aged
between 12-18, Next
Generation is an
opportunity for
young people to
meet like-minded
creatives, be
inspired by WIRED
individuals and get
hands-on in our
workshops. Group
discounts available.
October 18, wired.
co.uk/nextgen
WIRED
RETAIL
On November 24,
WIREDwill host its
first event focused
on the worldof
shoppingand
e-commerce. The
day will include
main-stage talks
andastartupstage.
Speakers from
the worldof retail
will engage with
delegates over a
range of innovative
ideas. wiredevents.
com/retail
SILENT DISCO
AT THE SHARD
Want to party 300
metres up? The
View From The
Shard on the
skyscrapers 69th
floor will hold a
silent disco every
weekend until
November. Dance
the night away
while taking in the
spectacular views
of London. 24.95-
39.95, theviewfrom
theshard.com
ROKOS
22 36 48
steel bowl
Multi-award-winning
designer JimRokos has
created a playful and
elegant bowl. Available in
mirror and mate, it can be
placed in three positions:
22, 36 and 48 giving the
piece its name. Made in 18/8
grade stainless steel, the
bowl is 345mmin diameter.
Pair it with ROKOS tilting
decanter and flower vase.
349
rokos.co.uk
Santa
Theresa
1796 rum
The 1796 dark gold
Venezuelan rumwas
first produced in 1996 to
commemorate the 200th
anniversary of Hacienda
Santa Teresa. Aged for
over 15 years to create its
brown sugar aroma, the rich
molasses rumis perfect neat,
but it can also be enjoyed
on the rocks with a delicate
mixer, such as ginger beer.
39.85
whiskeyexchange.co.uk
Barclays &
WIRED Consulting
special event
The secondin aseries
of events fromBarclays
Wealth andInvestment
Management with WIRED
Consultingexploredthe
impact of stress andemotion
on decision-making.
Incorporatinginput from
senior military figures,
the discussion threwup
fascinatinginsights, many of
which can be viewedonline.
Visit
wealth.barclays.com
Audemars
Piguet Royal
Oak watch
The Audemars Piguet Royal
Oak watch is crafedfrom
stainless steel andfeatures
40brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Swiss watchmaker has
createdafeminine but
durable piece, usingan
octagonal bezel secured
by eight hexagonal screws.
This piece is alsoavailable
embeddedwith 444
baguete-cut diamonds.
18,300
audamarspiguet.com
Followus onTwiter:
@WIREDINSIDERUK
EVENTS, NEW PRODUCTS
AND PROMOTIONS
TO LIVE THE WIRED LIFE
COMPILED BY
RUBY MUNSON-HIRST
INSIDER
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The springless action
of this precharged
pneumatic air rifle
eliminates recoil,
with the air cylinder
capable of delivering
more than 100full-
power shots per
charge. Almost every
precision-engineered
component can be
adjusted to fine-tune
the FTP900. A light-
touch match trigger
minimises jerk when
firing and combines
with the built-in
air-stripper, which
stabilises the pellets
flight on exit from
the barrel, making
sure your shot is on
target. 1,485
www.emmetand
stoneshop.co.uk
104cm-107cm
F E T I S H
FINE-TUNEDFIRING
AIRARMS
FTP900
WIRED fited
the FTP900with
an MTC Genesis
5-20x50LR scope
WIRED
LOVES
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These surfboards
take their shape
fromthe sleek lines
of marine animals:
the black Orca from
killer whales, the
grey Delno from
dolphins; and the
white Squalo from
sharks. The skegs
are also fashioned to
reference the ns of
the animals. Produced
on request by Italian
designer Giulio
Iacchetti for Surfers
Den, the expanded
polystyrene boards
are precision milled
then reinforced with
plywood foam. They
are then laminated
with epoxy resin
to protect against
Sun and saltwater
damage. 1,500
surfersdenspecial
surfboards.it
BIOMIMICRY BOARDING
SURPH-O-MORPH
SURFBOARDS
BY SURFERS DEN/
GIULIOIACCHETTI
F E T I S H
ORCA
SQUALO
DELFINO
WIRED
LOVES
WIREDsplit the phones into large, mediumand small sizes (see subsequent
pages). WeusedtheAnTuTuperformancebenchmarkingtest for Androidand
Windows, andGeekbenchfor iOSto assess hardware. The cameras were tested
ina variety of conditions, andany special features scrutinisedfor usefulness.
HOWWETESTED
Many jeered whenSamsung unveiled unveiled the
comically oversizedGalaxy Note thr three years
ago. Yet compared to todays phablets phablets,
the original Note is fairly small. It star started a
trend for larger devices, and15cmin inheight
is nowthe norm. But is bigalways better? better?
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
At almost 18cmtall,
the Z Ultra has tablet
ambitions. Watching
lms on such a large
HDscreen is a joy, and
paired with a powerful
processor, it breezed
through videos and
games. Its waterproof
to 1.5mand encased in
toughened glass, but,
sadly, the camera is
only 8MP its Z1 and Z2
siblings get a whopping
20.7MP. 8/10349
sonymobile.com
Power: quad-core
2.2GHz Snapdragon
800 processor, 2GB
of RAMScreen size:
6.4in Sharpness:
344ppi Benchmark
score: 35,066 Camera
resolution: 8MP
LGGFlex
The curved design
of the LGGFlex is
its dening feature,
intended to reduce
glare. With only
245ppi, the GFlex
doesnt deliver on the
potential of its big
screen, but the one
Power: quad-core 2.26GHz Snapdragon
800 processor, 2GB of RAMScreen size:
6in Sharpness: 245ppi Benchmark score:
35,714 Camera resolution: 13MP
area where it does
excel is rawpower.
Its got one of the
fastest processors
WIREDhas seen,
making it more than
just an impressive
engineering feat.
7/10 429 lg.com
Power: quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor,
2GB of RAMScreen size: 6in Sharpness: 367ppi
Benchmark score: 24,761 Camera resolution: 20MP
processor, a beefy
3,400mAh battery,
a 20MP camera
and expandable
memory with 7GB
of free SkyDrive
stor storage age. If you you don dont
Nokia Lumia 1520
The tiled interface
of the Windows
1520 is smooth,
sensitive and easily
proddable useful
given its size. It also
has has an an impr impressive essive
mind the lack of
open-source, the
1520 is an exciting
alternative to an
Android device.
8/10 429
nokia nokia.com/gb-en .com/gb-en
The 162.8mm-tall
Lumia 1520 is
the rst full HD
Windows Phone
TESTED
PHONE
SPECIAL
1 / 3
Bigger,
faster,
phabber
Galaxy Galaxy Note Note 33
Samsung has further
optimised the Android
experience for a larger
screen. The 5.7in Super
AMOLED display is
pin-sharp full HD, and
the 13MP camera also
produces ne results.
The multi-tasking,
high-performing
Note 3 is a phablet
masterclass that will
reward those taking
full advantage of its
complexity. 9/10 439
samsung.com
Power: quad-core
2.3GHz processor,
3GB RAM
Screen size: 5.7in
Sharpness: 386ppi
Benchmark score:
35,936 Camera
resolution: 13MP
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F E T I S H
These knives
combine laser-
etching technology
with centuries of
Japanese sword-
making knowledge.
The blades are
made from21
layers of roll-forged
metal, producing
a super sharp,
resilient edge that
The burners of
the Grand Cuisine
automatically
adapt to different
pan sizes and
the 120-degree
rotation of its
knobs is double
that of standard
hobs, allowing
precision control
of heat output.
All ve burners
can also be used
simultaneously
without any
reduction in
power. 6,900
grandcuisine.com
SENSITIVE SLICERS
TOGKNIVES
SUPERIOR STOVE
GRANDCUISINE GASHOB
is embedded with
ten antimicrobial
copper alloy
layers. The eco-
friendly handles
are made froma
tropical hardwood
alternative made by
treating FSC maple
with a bio-waste
liquid. From100
togknives.com
The largest hob on
the Grand Cuisine
can boil a litre of
water in 60 seconds
This colourful plastic
bottle splits into
eight essential tools
for all your grating,
squeezing, mashing
and measuring
needs. Akebono also
suggests that the
funnel attachment
can transformthe
set into a vase. $40
www.akebono-sa.co.jp
VERSATILE VESSEL
AKEBONO
BIN8 KITCHEN
TOOLSET
This juicers slow
press system
thoroughly
crushes fruits
and vegetables to
extract up to 35
per cent more than
standard juicers.
ORANGE SQUASHER
TEFALINFINYPRESSREVOLUTIONJUICER
An additional
supplied course
grid basket
allows you to
make coulis and
sauces. The quiet
70db motor runs
at just above the
volume of normal
conversation,
letting you whip
up a midnight
cocktail without
waking the entire
house. 199
tefal.co.uk
This colo
bottle s
eight ess
for all yo
squeezin
and mea
needs. A
suggest
funnel at
can tran
set into a
www.ake
VERSAT
AKEB
BIN8
TOOL
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED
app to see more highly
desirable kitchen kit
The angular
shapes of Svetlana
Kozhenovas 2012
porcelain Lilia
bowls were inspired
by cubismand
water lily owers,
allowing the
geometric pieces to
tessellate. Nowthe
Czech designer has
created an entire
dinner set (plates
and beakers shown,
left) using the
same beautifully
intricate forms.
From20 svetlana
kozhenov.com
GEOMETRIC GOURMAND
SVETLANA
KOZHENOVA
PORCELAIN
h
l
od
e by
ple
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Initially designed
for The Aviary in
Chicago to create
cocktails, this at
vase can make
anything from
avoured oils to
herbal teas.
Designer Martin
Kastner raised
over $700,000
(411,000) on
Kickstarter to put
his invention into
mass production.
99 theporthole
infuser.com
FLAVOUR FILTER
PORTHOLE
INFUSER
KITCHEN
Bring some flair
to your kitchen
with this sharp
culinary kit
Counter culture
The infuser is 17cm
tall and 5cmdeep,
holdingupto 390ml
0 4 8 / G E A R / M E D I U M P H O N E S
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Battle for the middle
ground
The ve-inchmarket is where the Androidmanufacturers are
currently playingtheir strongest hands. Andevenafter
testing, it is anunenviable task to choose betweenthem. This is
where bonus features canmake all the difference
The 146.4mm-tall
HTC One M8s s
5in, edge-to-edge edge-to-edge
screen is full HD
Sony Xperia Z2
In traditional Sony
style, the Xperia Z2 is
a robust but rened
piece of kit that offers
one of the best mobile
experiences around.
But its the multimedia
capabilities of the Z2
that make it stand out,
such as the stunning
photos and 4K video.
It also provides a
splendidly vivid, full
HDdisplay measuring
5.2 inches. 9/10 549
sonymobile.com
Power: quad-core
2.3GHz Snapdragon
801 processor
Screen size: 5.2in
Sharpness: 424ppi
Benchmark score:
34,424 Camera
resolution: 20.7MP
LGG3
As well as offering
excellent speed,
camera and battery
performance, the
G3 looks and feels
gorgeous. The key
feature is its superb
5.5in screen with a
virtually non-existent
bezel. Its resolution
of 2,560 x 1,440
provides a giddyingly
high 583 pixel-per-
inch count, and with
memory expandable
up to a mighty 128GB,
LGs latest is ideal
for movie buffs.
9/10 480 lg.com/uk
Power: quad-core
2.5GHz Snapdragon
801 processor,
2GBof RAM
Screensize: 5.5in
Sharpness: 583ppi
Benchmark score:
N/ACamera
resolution: 13MP
Nexus 5
The Nexus 5 isnt
anything to marvel at
aesthetically, and the
display isnt as vivid
as those on more
expensive phones,
but it is sharp and
bright. Its also driven
by similarly powerful
Power: quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon
800 processor Screen size: 4.95in
Sharpness: 445ppi Benchmark score:
24,381 Camera resolution: 8MP
components to
those on pricier
phones. Indeed, its
excellent value may
make you question
the high price tags
of the agship
brigade. 7/10320
google.co.uk/nexus
Samsung Galaxy S5
The latest agship
handset fromSamsung
is even closer to
perfection than the
S4. Its still a little
plasticky, but minor
quibbles aside, this 5.1-
inch device is glorious
to use. It boasts
one of Samsungs
famously rich Super
AMOLEDdisplays,
and the 16-megapixel
camera withLive HDR
viewoffers great
photography, too. 9/10
579 samsung.com/uk
Power: quad-core
2.5GHz Snapdragon
801 processor
Screen size: 5.1 in
Sharpness: 432ppi
Benchmark score:
34,811 Camera
resolution: 16MP
Power: quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor
Screen size: 5in Sharpness: 441ppi Benchmark score: 33,730
Camera resolution: Dual 4MP lenses
HTCOne M8
The brushed-metal
unibody frame gives
the M8 a design
edge over its rivals,
but in action its a
little slower than
the competition and
it doesnt offer quite
the same camera
performance.
It does, however,
boast a rather nifty
second lens that
allows you to play
with depth of eld.
Sense 6 HTCs
latest software
also helps to create
a premiumfeel to
the interface. 8/10
529 htc.com/uk
TESTED
PHONE
SPECIAL
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FORBESLIFE.COM
LAUNCHINGSEPTEMBER2014
Exotic travel, stylish clothing, dreamcars and homes.
Celebrate luxurious places, products and experiences.
Enjoying success and life at its best.
WIRED lets rip with all-terrain vehicles
designed for the toughest tasks
from ploughing snow to hauling logs
Bringing military
tech to the
consumer market,
the WV850 is one
of the toughest
ATVs you can buy.
ROBUST ROVER
POLARIS SPORTSMAN WV850 H.O.
With a 77hp, 850cc
engine, the vehicle
claims a cargo
capacity of 385kg,
and the ability to
tow a further 680kg.
Its airless ballistic-
damage-resistant
tyres are tested for
combat, but will do
equally well in more
sedate settings.
Power steering,
upgraded shocks
and all-wheel drive
help to keep your
ride smooth. From
$14,999 polaris.com
0 5 0 / G E A R / R U G G E D A T V S
ATVS
TOUGH TRIKE
RUNGU JUGGERNAUT
MIGHTY MOWER
RAVEN MPV7100S
The three 12cm fat
tyres of this trikes
wheels allow you
to oat over sand
or snow and to roll
over obstacles
of up to 15cm in
Removing the
cutting deck from
the Raven MPV
ride-on mower
transforms it
into an all-terrain
With its dual-level
rear bed capable
of handling up to
318kg and a towing
capacity of 750kg,
this six-wheeled
ATV, powered by a
Rotax V-Twin 1000
engine, can haul
serious cargo. The
Outlander 6x6 has
a range of modular
accessories
including log bars,
a fully enclosed
container and a
rear-winch kit,
making it adaptable
for anything from
forestry to farming.
16,300 can-am.
brpscandinavia.com
This snowmobiles
1,056cc, four-
stroke engine with
electronic fuel
injection produces
up to 177hp at any
altitude, making
it (according to
maker Arctic Cat)
the most powerful
snowmobile engine
in the world. The
5.7cm lugs of the
Power Claw tracks
are designed
for off-trail
exploration, with
the springless FOX
FLOAT 3 air shock
rear suspension
reducing snow
build-up. $15,399
arcticcat.com
POLAR
POWER
ARCTIC CAT
XF 9000 HIGH
COUNTRY LTD
SIX-WHEELED WORKHORSE
CAN-AM OUTLANDER 1000 XT
your path. Low
gearing is handy
for difcult terrain
and an extended
wheelbase
means weight is
distributed evenly.
The Juggernaut also
features a sturdy
hydraulic rear
brake, guaranteeing
stopping powerinall
conditions. $2,500
riderungu.com
vehicle with a
420cc engine.
Although only
capable of 27kph,
the engine also
charges a 7,100-
watt generator,
allowing you to
drive this hybrid
in silent electric
mode. From $3,999
ravenamerica.com
Electronic fuel injection
means the engine starts
easily in any weather P
H
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.

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D
S
:

K
A
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H
R
Y
N

N
A
V
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F E T I S H
TOUGH TRIKE
RUNGU JUGGERNAUT
This snowmobiles
stroke engine with
injection produces
up to 177hp at any
altitude, making
maker Arctic Cat)
the most powerful
snowmobile engine
in the world. The
5.7cm lugs of the
Power Claw tracks
exploration, with
the springless FOX
FLOAT 3 air shock
rear suspension
reducing snow
$15,399
arcticcat.com
ARCTIC CAT
XF 9000 HIGH
COUNTRY LTD
your path. Low The Juggernaut also
0 5 2 / G E A R / S M A L L P H O N E S / S P A C E C L O C K
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Put compact
power in
your pocket
Buyinga top-end
phone these days
means youhave
to go big, right?
Not necessarily so:
there are a few
sub-4.9-inch-
screenedgems for
those who like
their devices a
little more discreet.
Andtheyre a
diverse bunch, too
Sony Xperia
Z1 Compact
Sony has kept many
of the Xperia lines
impressive specs
consistent across
handsets including
the crisp, vivid screen.
Here, the 127mm-tall
Z1 Compact adds a
20.7MP camera, which
produces splendid
results. Another treat
is the 2,300mAh
battery, lasting nearly
two two days days. If If agship agship
specications appeal,
but not agship size,
look no further. 9/10
449 sonymobile.com
Processor:
quad-core 2.2GHz
Snapdragon 800 processor
Screen size: 4.3in
Sharpness: 342ppi
Benchmark
score: 35,108 Camera
resolution: 20.7MP
Motorola Moto X
With a sharp 4.7-inch
screen and powerful
internal components,
the Moto X is a superior
experience to the
cheaper Moto G. It
also offers touchless
control even when
its asleep it will
recognise your voice
commands. This
smartphone wont
suit everybody, but for
those on a budget it is
worth considering.
6/10 349
motorola.co.uk
Power: dual-core
1.7GHz Snapdragon
processor, 2GBRAM
Screen size: 4.7in
Sharpness: 312ppi
Benchmark score:
23,013 Camera
resolution: 10MP
Nokia Lumia 1020
A41MP camera in a
phone might sound
like a joke, but it gives
the 1020 serious
photographic chops.
The imaging tech
makes for a squarish
handset with a circular
nodule protruding from
the back. Snaps are
crisp, with accurate
colours and fantastic
dynamic range. Its not
the most specced-out
phone available, but
it has conquered its
niche. 8/10 349
nokia.com/gb-en
Power: dual-core
1.5GHz Snapdragon
processor, 2GBRAM
Screen size: 4.5in
Sharpness: 332ppi
Benchmark score: 11,538
Camera resolution: 41MP
iPhone 5s
In 5s formthe iPhone
remains a luxurious, if
dinky, bundle of tech.
The four-inch screen
offers great viewing
angles and natural-
looking colours. Its
A7 chip is blisteringly
fast, and it also has
Power: dual-core 1.3GHz Cyclone
(ARMv8-based), 1GBRAMScreen size: 4in
Sharpness: 326ppi Benchmark
score: 2,577 Camera resolution: 8MP
perhaps the best
camera weve seen
on a smartphone,
thanks to its wide-
aperture lens. This
iPhone is still very
much at the top of
its game. 9/10 549
apple.com/uk
TESTED
PHONE
SPECIAL
3 / 3
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WIRED
LOVES
Prosperity isnt usually a problem. But
growingwealthandpopulations indevel-
oping countries pose a threat to Earths
resources. Emerging middle classes in
countriessuchasChinaandIndiaprovide
greater economic stability but also
increase energy consumption and food
demand. The opportunity, or crisis, is
growing. Welcome to the Stress Nexus.
The Stress Nexus project began in
2009, whenShell realisedthat thefuture
of energy productionwas not just about
carbon. As fossil fuel energydeclines, the
balanceof carbonproductionandwater
consumption could become critical.
For example, nuclear power is carbon-
efficient, but its water intensiveandcan
lead to water contamination. Biofuels
also consume water and may require
shipping fromsource to point of use.
Meanwhile, obtaining water will
become more difficult. As groundwater
recedes andis pumpedupfromdeeper,
The
stress
nexus
desalinationplants will multiplyandmore
pipelines will beneededtodeliver water.
And, as populations increaseanddiets
improve, pressuretoproducemorefood
will alsoaffect water use. Climatechange
may add further problems. For Maike
Boggemann, project manager for Shells
Strategy and Scenarios team, it was no
longer enoughtotrackjust oneelement:
The resource i ntensi ty of any
resources development is increasing.
Sectors tend to look only at their own
resources. Theres an assumption that
there will be enough of the other things
youneedtodevelopyour thing. That was
thereasontostart workingontheNexus.
Her team worked with Eric Berlow, a
Berkeley ecologist and network expert,
toidentify 300interconnectedfactors.
Thesewerelater trimmedto100in2011.
The Nexus report revealed that by
2050, thegapbetweenenergysupplyand
demand could be the size of the energy
industrys total output in2000. By2030,
as water use grows, freshwater supply
could fall 40per cent short of demand.
Inthistimeframe, thefoodrequiredtofeed
the world could increase by 50per cent,
with demand for beef both water- and
land-intensive up80per cent.
To enable greater prosperity without
intolerablydrainingtheworlds resources,
all elements of the global economy will
needtoworktogether. Thenext 50years
will be a time of both huge change and
opportunity. TheStress Nexus is away to
understandthesechanges, but strategy
will need to be matched by action.
WATER, FOOD, ENERGY. IN
THE FUTURE WE WILL REQUIRE
ALL THREE IN GREATER
AMOUNTS THAN EVER. SO
HOW CAN WE MAKE IT WORK?
60% 60% 40%
F O O D E N E R G Y WA T E R
ADDITIONAL
FOOD NEEDED
TO FEED THE
WORLD BY 2050
INCREASE IN
ENERGY USE
BETWEEN TODAY
AND 2050
SHORTFALL
BETWEEN WATER
SUPPLY AND
DEMAND BY 2030
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Above: the100+
interconnected
factorsthatcreatethe
StressNexusof food,
water andenergy
S H E L L / W I R E D P A R T N E R S H I P
MONEY HEALTH 2014 NEXT GENERATION
OCTOBER 16-17, 2014
BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW
WIRED.CO.UK/14
Presenting the WIRED Innovation Fellows
12 emerging disruptors from across
the WIRED network who are changing
the world in their own unique way. We
want to recognise their achievements
and share their work and incredible
stories with you. The Innovation Fellows
to appear at WIRED2014 will be:
Dhairya Dand
Researcher,
MIT Media Lab
Dand has designed ice
cubes that knowhow
much youre drinking
and shoes that talk to
you by tickling you.
Nelly Ben Hayoun
Headof experiences,
WeTransfer
Designer, artist and
budding astronaut Ben
Hayoun has worked
with stars fromBeck
to Bobby Womack.
Emiliano Kargieman
CEO,
Satellogic
Kargieman is
pioneering the private
space sector and aims
to launch a fleet of
satellites into orbit.
Nina Tandon
CEO & cofounder,
EpiBone
EpiBone grows human
bones for skeletal
repair. Tandon is the
author of Super Cells:
Building with Biology.
Jennifer Broutin
Founder & CEO,
SproutsIO
SproutsIO has
developed a simple
micro-farming kit
for people to grow
their own food easily.
Sandesh Reddy
Chef & cofounder,
Kichin
Kichin allows its users
to make decisions
about food based
on their mood or
dietary requirements.
Joel Jackson
Founder & CEO,
Mobius Motors
Kenyas Mobius
Motors designs and
builds affordable
vehicles for Africas
mass market.
Skylar Tibbits
Director, Self-
Assembly Lab, MIT
Artist and designer
Tibbits co-teaches the
Howto Make (Almost)
Anything seminar at
MITs Media Lab.
Mina Girgis
Executive director,
The Nile Project
The Nile Project
addresses the Nile
basins challenges
using education,
music and enterprise.
Uma Ramakrishnan
Indias Centre for
Biological Sciences
Ramakrishnan uses
evolutionary science
to explain biodiversity,
mainly in the Indian
subcontinent.
Ionut Alexandru
Budisteanu
Bucharest University
Budisteanu has built
an AI-controlled car
and a device that
helps blind people see
using their tongues.
Rachel Wingfield
Cofounder &creative
director, Loop.pH
Creative studio Loop.
pH has made lighting
inspired by molecular
biology and props
for Paul McCartney.
TICKETING
PARTNER
HEADLINE
PARTNER
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BRUCE HOOD
Choose a job, a career
and a smaller brain
O
about Edinburgh drug culture, Train-
spotting, the main character Renton
reelsofalistof thetrappingsof domes-
ticated life that most of us choose
including jobs, marriages, mortgages
and pensions. Yet domestication has
anolder andmore scientic pedigree.
Much of Charles Darwins On the
Origin of Species discusses how
breeders useddomesticationtoselec-
tively shape the desirable attributes
of animals. Originally, this process
involved breeding those animals who
were more docile and amenable to
captivitydogsbeingthebest example
of the diversityof the forms, sizes and
temperaments that could be shaped
when wolves were captured and bred
by our prehistoric ancestors. In the
50s, Russiangeneticist DmitryBelyaev
showedthat thewildSiberiansilverfox
could be domesticated so that within
12 generations the ofspring behaved
like puppies, with oppy ears, playful
temperaments and, most strikingly,
smaller brains. It is no coincidence
that in all the wild animals that have
been domesticated by man, there is
alsobrainreductionbyabout 10-15per
cent. Onebiological explanationisthat
selecting against aggression involves
choosing individuals who have lower
levelsof hormonessuchastestosterone
which can increase brain size.
Breedersselectwhichanimalstorear
but, of course, we also choose within
ourownspecies. Therearehundredsof
studies demonstratingthat our selec-
tions of mates are not random but
rather statisticallyrelatetoattributes
that could have provided a better t
for adaptationtovaryingevolutionary
environments. Many of these studies
pointtoaspectsof biological tinterms
of fertility and health. However, we
also have to possess psychological
attributes that ensure that we are
capable of passing on our genes. In
other words, we select individuals
who are psychologically adapted
to living in groups.
Althoughhumanculturepredatesthe
end of the last Ice Age, the transition
fromnomadichunter-gathererstolarge
populationsof settledgroupsmayhave
required a brain better suited to co-
existence. We may have become a
self-domesticatingspeciesbypromoting
genesthat produceindividualswhoare
prosocial. Meanwhile, those animals
that live in large groups typically
produceofspringwhichhaveextended
periods of juvenile rearing. So its no
surprise that humans have one of the
longest childhoods of all animals.
Our childhoods are a critically
important timetolearntherulesof the
group. Thetransitionfromdependent
infant to independent adolescent
capable of breeding requires learning
howto be accepted and, more impor-
tantly, howto avoid exclusion. When
youconsider that psychological devel-
opment of the child, one can clearly
see a progression froma self-centred
individual to one that increasingly
integrates with others.
Bruce Hood is
a professor of
developmental
psychology at the
University of Bristol.
He wrote The
Domesticated
Brain (Pelican).
He is speaking
at WIRED2014
on October 16-17
(wiredevent.co.uk)
ne of the more curious facts about
humanevolutionis that, since the end
of thelastIceAge, 20,000yearsago, the
humanbrainhasshrunkinsizeby10-15
per cent. This stands instark contrast
tothegenerallyacceptedviewthat, for
themajorityof ourevolution, thebrain
has beenincreasing insize a general
featurefoundinotheranimalsthat live
incomplexsocial groups. Largebrains
arethoughttoprovideextraprocessing
power for dealing with the problems
of figuring out others. So why the
reduction?Onepossiblereasonis that
brain shrinkage may be a by-product
of domestication.
Usually, domestication is a termwe
associate with the prerequisites of
living in civilised modern society. For
example, in the opening and closing
monologues of thegrittyurbanclassic
n the face of it, both the
medical profession and the
public are more aware than
ever about the exact risks of
problems in any given preg-
nancy. Advances in genetic
technol ogy now al l ow
embryos tobescreenedfor hundreds of
riskfactors, includingDownssyndrome,
breast cancer andsickle-cell anaemia.
Some parents see genetic optimi-
sation as a great possibility and a
basic right, while others are appalled
by the thought of anyone having the
option to produce designer babies
with perfect genes. Yet however
you view these developments, what
most who follow or conduct the
debate dont know is that the major-
ity of doctors and patients do not
understand the basics of this fasci-
nating yet controversial technology.
Imagine you are 35 and pregnant.
Your joy at being pregnant is tem-
pered by anxiety about the risks of
Downs syndrome, the most common
cause of chromosome aberration
at birth. Your doctor advises you to
take the rst trimester test. The test
result is positive, and you are under-
standably alarmed. Should you go
ahead and have a second, invasive
test such as amniocentesis, with a
risk of losing the baby?
To answer that, its crucial to
understand what a positive first
trimester test means it merely indi-
cates that there is a significant risk.
Yet among 20 women aged 35 with a
positive test, only about one can be
expected to have a baby with Downs
syndrome; the other 19have perfectly
healthybabies. Soyour babyprobably
does not have Downs syndrome.
However, a British study found
that some pregnant women and
obstetricians believe a positive rst
trimester test means that the baby
is very likely, or even certain, to have
Downs syndrome.
Few parents are aware that the
results of genetic screening tests
GERD GI GERENZER
Want healthy children?
Study some statistics
are not certain or understand how
frequent false alarms are in genetic
screening. And many doctors them-
selves do not realise that most posi-
tive screeningresults are false. Inone
study with 21 obstetricians, only one
doctor understood. Most thought the
chance of having Downs syndrome
with a positive first trimester test
was either very high 90-100 per
cent or very small, close to zero.
Parents would be rightly alarmed if
they knew about this variability in
physicians judgments.
Future advances i n prenatal
and newborn screening for genetic
disorders will result in the desired
identications of genetic disorders,
but also in even more undesired false
alarms. For instance, when new-
borns were screened for metabolic
disorders, eight false positives were
reported for each true positive iden-
tified. Family physicians with poor
genetic literacy also tend to see
genetic defects that the baby doesnt
have. Mothers of these false-alarm
babies needlessly worry about their
childrens future or may even abort
babies who are perfectly healthy.
The combination of physicians and
parents risk illiteracy can damage
childrens emotional development.
Remember that a fal se al arm
means that after the initially stress-
ful positive screening, the infants
good health is conrmed in a repeat
screening. Nevertheless, mothers of
false-alarmchildren reported having
difcult children, experiencing more
worry about their childrens future,
and having a dysfunctional relation-
ship with them. Even four years after
the test, half of these false-alarm
children still showed disturbed
behaviour. When children sense that
parents think there might be some-
thing wrong with them, it may well
become a self-fullling prophecy.
In my own work, I have trained
about 1,000 doctors in continuing
medical education, and about 80
per cent of these dont understand
their own test results. Yet the dam-
age done to patients by doctors
innumeracy is avoidable.
The solution is not simply better
tests. Even more advanced tests such
as non-invasive prenatal testing can
err. The solutionis simple: teachdoc-
tors risk literacy in medical school.
Every medical department should
have a centre for risk literacy to deal
with this knowledge gap. In addition,
every parent should become risk
savvy. Who would have thought, a
fewhundred years ago, that so many
people on Earth would learn to read
and write? In 21st-century medicine,
the challenge for doctors and the
public is to become risk literate.
O
Gerd Gigerenzer
is director of the
Harding Center
for Risk Literacy in
Berlin, and author
of Risk Savvy
(Allen Lane)
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MI CHAEL SHERMER
An amazing coincidence:
youpickedupWIRED09.14
Stafwho schmooze can
boost your business
essary, says the Imperial College
LondonstatisticianDavidJHandinhis
2014bookTheImprobabilityPrinciple:
WhyCoincidences, Miracles, andRare
Events HappenEveryDay(Ideas Bank,
07.14). Hand recounts Hopkinss book
story plus dozens of equallyunlikely
events toillustratewhy, inaworldas
vast as ours andwithsomanypossible
eventsintheofng, theextraordinarily
unlikelymusthappen; eventsof vanish-
ingly small probability will occur.
Thereareseveral lawsof probability
at work, says Hand, starting with the
lawof inevitability, whichstates, If
youmakeacompletelist of all possible
outcomesthenoneofthemmustoccur.
Thelawof trulylargenumbersmeans
that with a large enough number of
opportunities, any outrageous thing
is likely to happen.
Evelyn Marie Adams, for example,
won the NewJersey Lottery twice, in
1985 and1986. The odds of this occur-
rence were about one in a trillion.
But someone had to win the lottery,
says Hand, and he points out, When
we look at the number of lotteries
there are around the world, the
numberof peoplewhoplay, thenumber
Michael Shermer
is founder of The
Skeptics Society.
He wrote The
Believing Brain
(Robinson)
hen actor Anthony
Hopki ns was si gned
up to star in the 1974
big-screen adaptation
of George Feifers novel
The Girl from Petrovka,
he prepared diligently,
as ever. He went to several London
booksellers in search of a copy, but
none had it in stock. Heading for
home, at Leicester Squaretubestation
he chanced upon a book on a bench.
It was The Girl from Petrovka. Two
years later, when Hopkins met Feifer
and mentioned the coincidence, the
author noted that he had lent his last
copy, withhandwrittenedits init, toa
friend. WhenHopkins ippedopenhis
copyhesawFeifers handannotations
it was the same book!
Given the human propensity to nd
meaningful patternsandhiddenagency
inrandomsequencesof eventswhat I
call patternicityandagenticitymany
people see in such concurrences the
hand of the divine or the machina-
tions of some mysterious force, which
somehow connects things based on
their meaning. But suchparanormal or
supernatural explanations are unnec-
n the old lifetime employment
model , both managers and
employees were encouraged to
lookinward. Managersfocusedon
makingemployees more efcient
tools of the business, while
employees focusedonenhancing
their position within the company
hierarchy. But once that model began
I
W
of tickets they buy, and the number of
weeks that they play, we rapidly
approach a truly large number.
Finally, Hands law of selection
meansthatwenoticecoincidencesafter
thefact, especiallythosemeaningful to
us. Nooneelsebut Hopkinswouldhave
thoughtanythingunusual aboutnding
that particular book, for example, and
no one asks why he didnt nd a copy
of The Silence of the Lambs before he
took that role. We do not keep track
of such non-coincidences.
According to Google Books, there
are about 130 million book titles in
the world. If the average print runwas
around 5,000 copies, that totals 650
billionbooks. Withaworldliteracyrate
of 84.1 per cent, that means around5.9
billionpeoplearereadingsomeofthem.
It would be miraculous if someone
somewhere did not find a surprising
connectionwithone of those books.
Because ultimately, the sum of all
coincidences equals certainty.
breakingdown, that focus turnedinto
self-defeating self-absorption.
Today, bothcompanyandemployee
need to look outward towards the
overall environment in which they
operate, especially when it comes to
networks. Companies have to under-
standthe employees broader place in
theindustry, whiletheemployeeshould
realisethat their professional network
is one of the key assets that can boost
their long-term career prospects. At
thesametime, aspart of theemployer-
employeealliance, theemployeeought
to tap their own individual network
to advance their employers business,
becausewhotheyknowintheindustry
canbejust as valuabletothecompany
as what they knowin terms of skills.
Employee networks are extremely
valuable to companies as a source
of information. As Bill Gates wrote
more than a decade ago, The most
meaningful way to diferentiate your
company fromyour competition, the
best way to put distance between you
andthe crowd, is todoanoutstanding
jobwithinformation. Howyougather,
Reid Hoffman
is cofounder of
LinkedIn and
partner at Greylock.
Ben Casnocha is
an award-winning
entrepreneur.
Chris Yeh is an
entrepreneur, writer
and mentor. They
are the co-authors
of The Alliance
(Harvard Business
Review Press)
AAAAAAA N A NN A N A N A N AA N A N A N AAA N A N AAA NN A N A NNN A N A NNNN A N A NNN
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0 6 0 / I D E A S B A N K / U T I L I S I N G D O U B T
manage and use information will
determine whether you win or lose.
Can you recall the last time you
solved a thorny problem at work?
What was the rst step you took? For
most of us, our instinctive response
is to schedule a meeting: assemble all
the smart people at the company who
mighthaveananswer. Butyoucantjust
rely on the information circulating in
the brains of your current employees.
There are more smart people outside
your company than inside it. In a
healthyecosystem, this is always true.
Many i n seni or management
positions already know this. They
frequently reach out to their own
friends intheindustryfor information
to help them make better decisions
on the job. But frequently, senior
management neglect a broader and
more useful resource: the collective
knowledge and networks of all the
companys employees eventhemost
junior among them.
Each employee can receive and
decipher intelligencefromtheoutside
world that helps the company adapt.
For example, whats a competitor
doing? What are key tech trends?
Its the managers job to recognise
and encourage the power of each of
thesescouts. Evenif youchoosenot to
emphasise network intelligence, your
most driven employees are going to
build their external professional
networks anyway. Its up to you to
encouragethemtodosofor their jobs.
If your company helps anemployee
to invest intheir individual network
by encouraging rather than banning
social mediaproducts, orallowingthem
to expense lunches with interesting
peopletheyaremorelikelytorespond
favourably when you ask themto tap
their network on your behalf.
A proactive network intelligence
programmealsohelpsrecruiting. Entre-
preneurs areoutwardlyfocusedthey
have to be. Want an entrepreneurial
candidate? Facilitating the expansion
of their individual network makes you
a far more attractive employer.
Network intelligence and the
associatedwillingnesstoseekhelpfrom
people outside the company has been
one of the key factors in the success
of Silicon Valley. And right now, few
companiesinanyindustrycanafordto
ignorethebenetsof lookingoutward.
Sarah Lewis is the
author of The Rise:
Creativity, the Gift
of Failure, and the
Search for Mastery
(WilliamCollins)
hen he succumbed to
a bout of tuberculosis
in 1924, Franz Kafka
passed away i n the
belief that all of his
manuscriptswouldsub-
sequently be burned, as
per his explicit wishes. He saw them
as soincomplete that he couldnt bear
the thought of their being shown to
the world. Kafkas friend Max Brod
published them anyway, giving
us iconic works including Amer-
i ka, The Tri al and The Castl e.
Kafkas work would go on to acclaim.
Yet there is a gap between Kafkas
success and his viewof his writing.
Indeed, inventors, entrepreneurs
andgroundbreakingartists oftenhave
Kafkas sense of acute incompletion;
theyhaveaimedforsomethingbeyond
success. Instead, their goal is a kindof
mastery. By mastery, I dont mean the
dedication to excellence or success
that label that the world confers on
us if we hit a certain mark. Mastery is
about constantly trying to close the
gapbetweenworkandvision. Mastery
means enduringa constant sense that
ones work is incomplete.
Kafka lived out what is called the
Dunning-Kruger effect the greater
our proficiency, the more clearly we
recognisethepossibilitiesof ourlimita-
tions. In a study called Unskilled and
Unaware of It: How Difficulties of
RecognisingOnes OwnIncompetence Incompetence
Lead to Inflated Self-assessments Self-assessments,
social psychologist David Dunning Dunning
and then graduate student Justin Justin
Kruger described this paradox with with
four simple self-assessment studies studies.
The participants who scored in the the
bottom quartile on tests in humour humour,
grammar and logic grossly overes- es-
timated their test performance and and
ability and considered themselves themselves to
be in the 62nd percentile. In reality eality,
theywereinthe12thpercentile. When When
theystudiedparticipantswithstrong onger
skills, theyweremoreacutelyawareeof
theirshortcomings, leadingtodeat deated
SARAH LEWI S
Why a great artists
work is never done
W
estimatesof theirrankings. AsBertrand
Russell said, Thewholeproblemwith
theworldis that fools andfanatics are
always so certain of themselves, and
wiser people so full of doubts.
The Dunning-Kruger efect is both
a curse and a blessing. Doubt and the
senseof incompletionthat comeswith
mastery can spur on innovation. We
laudPaul Cezannespaintings, although
he wouldsignless thantenper cent of
hisoeuvre, duetothefact that heoften
felt his work fell shy of his mark. Jazz
musicianandcomposerDukeEllington
saidthat hisfavouritepiecewasalways
the next one the one he had yet to
complete. Singer Joni Mitchell once
saidthat sheappreciatedwhat shesaw
as the weak link in a song because it
made her move forward.
This sense of the unnished may be
inbuilt tomastery. Thesenseof coming
closecanhelpartistsandinnovatorsset
out on a journey to achieve more than
they ever thought they could. Doubt
and incompletion can thrust artists
and innovators forward just when
successmight makethemcomplacent.
Frustrating as it can be for the maker,
longwill thedynamicremain. Theresult
is that an innovation has a double life
successful tous andwoefully incom-
plete inthe eyes of its maker.
Was Kafka being a perfectionist?
Aconstanttweaker?AsIseeit, hissense
of incompletionisawaytounderstand
akey keyfeatureof innovationandmastery ery.
020 7152 3196
CONSULTING@WIRED.CO.UK
How can your business tap
into youthful knowledge?
Well show you.
Presentations / Workshops
Reports / Events / Design
At 24 years
old a humans
cognitive motor
performance has
reached its peak.
Spontaneity is a luxury. Its also good
fun. Which is what a few hundred
lucky guests got to experience when
Bentley sent thema cryptic invitation
to Night Call the launch party of its
new Continental GT V8 S, at historic
Farnborough Airport.
The party, which was shrouded in
mystery aheadof opening, took place
in an abandoned wind tunnel used by
Bentley totest theaerodynamics of its
last V8-powered car in 1957. The RAF
also used the site for crafting such
Continental
superpower
planes as the Spitfire. The tunnel,
which had laid dormant for decades,
was recently unearthed and opened
for exploration once again.
Among four-metre replacement
turbine blades, sections of aircraft
fuselage and chunky technology of
yesteryear, Bentley VIP guests cele-
bratedtheContinental GT V8 S launch
with a soundtrack provided by Hed
Kandi DJs and NaimAudio.
WIRED added its own thoroughly
modern injection of technology and
BENTLEY IS KNOWN FOR DESIGN
AND LUXURY. THE LAUNCH OF ITS
NEW GT V8 S WAS NO EXCEPTION.
ART INSTALLATIONS, DJ SETS
AND A MYSTERY LOCATION ALL
MADE FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT
B E N T L E Y / W I R E D P A R T N E R S H I P
wired.co.uk/promotions/V8S
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The visuals
Londonartists
The Light Surgeons
built abespoke
installation for
Night Call (above).
Takinginspiration
fromthe flowof air
in awindtunnel,
the piece visualised
audioviamultiple
projections. APC
with apowerful
graphics processor
renderedthe
physics in real time.
The car
Bentleys newGT
V8 S is the leaner,
meaner and faster
sibling of the firms
Continental grand
tourer. Its four-litre
V8 turbo produces
521bhp and can
propel the V8 S to
100kph in just 4.5
seconds. It has a
range of 800km
on a single tank
and hits 309kph at
top speed.
The guests
The atendees at
Night Call came
fromacross the UK.
Invitations were
received just days
earlier, so guests
were rewarded for
their spontaneity
with a stay at The
Aviator hotel.
Some were even
given the privilege
of borrowingaV8 S
for their journey to
the party.
The venue
The historic test
site provideda
grandbackdrop
for the Night Call
party. Brutalist and
utilitarian in design,
it starkly contrasted
with the colourful
andstylish V8 S
models. The guests
may have been a
VIP crowd, but few
couldsay theyve
dancedin awind
tunnel before.
The music
The party was
a showcase of
British design. DJs
fromUKrecord
label Hed Kandi
provided the audio
entertainment
for Night Call
with a specially
curated house set.
The dancefloor-
filling tunes were
delivered via a
sound systemfrom
UKmanufacturer
NaimAudio.
The theme
Mystery, fun and
spontaneity were
everywhere at
Night Call, fromthe
playful installation
to the hosting team
led by Dr Kafka.
Even the events
secretive invitation
was designed as
a comic book,
starring the mad
scientist himself
and evoking
the golden age
of adventure.
BENTLEY NIGHT CALL
Apiece of
design theatre
An evening to
remember for all
the right reasons
performance art by commissioning
London-based design collective The
Light Surgeons. In the vast return duct
of thespace, theteamset upabespoke
installationpayinghomagetothebuild-
ings past while looking firmly ahead.
Visitors could use six microphones to
alter visuals projectedontothetunnels
walls. Relyingonacustom-built physics
model, the projections replicated the
movement of sound waves, bouncing
across thewalls andmergingwithother
signals picked up by the microphones.
Oncethroughthereturnduct, guests
made their way to the turbine itself.
Under the huge blades, party-goers
enjoyed an exciting cocktail created
by mad scientist Dr Kafka, host for the
evening with his glamorous assistants.
When the dancing came to an end
andtheDJs hunguptheir headphones,
guests retired to the comfort of the
nearby Aviator Hotel. Returning home
the next day, many of themmust have
wondered when Bentley might call on
their spontaneous sides again.
W I R E D C U L T U R E / E D I T E D B Y O L I V E R F R A N K L I N / 0 6 5
This eerieoil renery isnt what it
seems a closer look reveals it to
be meticulously constructed from
everyday objects. The artwork
was one of several created by
David LaChapelle for his new
book LANDSCAPE. I wanted to
use the products of oil reneries
plastics, disposables, everyday
things, says LaChapelle, 51.
The models, measuring more
than 1.5 metres tall and several
metres wide, were constructed
over a year at the photographers
LA studio; a second collection,
depicting petrol stations, was
built in the forests of Maui in
Hawaii. LaChapelle consulted
friends who had created scale
models for Hollywood lms
such as Titanic to help build
the scenes. The pieces were
then lit with LEDs and torchlight
before being shot against
fantastical backdrops; this
one, titled Anaheim, was shot
in the Californian desert.
The nal reneries incorporate
a vast array of plastic objects.
There are plastic containers,
soda bottles, headphones, phone
chargers, he explains. So much
stuff nowis made to be obsolete.
The waste is stunning to me.
LaChapelle wants the project
to highlight societys reliance
on crude oil. Climate change is
happening now, he says. I hope
the book asks the question: what
do we do? OF LAND SCAPE is
out on September 1 (Damiani)
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED
app for more images
fromLANDSCAPE
Plastic
planet
T R A N S F O R M I N G T H E D O C T O R / M U S I C A L B O O K S / P L A Y / 0 6 7
HOW THE MAN BEHIND DOCTOR
WHOS WEIRDEST MONSTERS
REGENERATED AN ICONIC VILLAIN
As lead prosthetics artist on
Doctor Who, Neill Gorton has
createdcreaturesfromeverycorner
of timeandspace. But thehardest
thing is making realistic people,
says Gorton. Case in point: the
recent scene in which he had to articially age Matt
Smiths eleventh Doctor for his regeneration into
the twelfth, played by Peter Capaldi. It was a lot of
pressure,hesays. Nobodyknowswhatanalienlooks
like, so no one can say its wrong. But Matts regen-
erationwas theclimaxof his years ontheshowif it
hadlookedrubbish, it wouldhave beena disaster.
An avid Whovian as a child, Gorton began his
special-effects career on horror films such as
Hellraiser II beforemovingontoHollywoodprojects
likeSavingPrivateRyan. HisChesham-basedstudio,
MilleniumFX, hasproducedthemonstersfor Doctor
Whosinceits returnin2004; Gortonhimself helped
toreintroduceclassicmonstersfromtheDalekstothe
Zygons. For the eighthseries, startinginAugust, he
is nowredesigningmonsters he rebootedjust a few
years ago including the iconic Cybermen. When
weredesignedthemin2006, wetookabodymould,
sculptedthewholethinginclayandcast eachpart in
foam, says Gorton, 44. But if youreally scrutinise
the Cybermen we did [then], youll see there is a
lot of variance. So for the new series, Gortons
team sculpted one half of a Cyberman suit, then
laser-scannedit andcreatedasecond, identical half
using 3Dmodelling software. The armour was then
milled from high-density foam. Now we have
a figure that is completely symmetrical, he says. It takes out a lot of guesswork.
Thenewcreatures, saysGorton, reect achangeintonefor theseries. Peter[Capaldi]
is older, so I think the whole showwill be a bit more grown up, he says. Not Gorton,
thoughhesbuildinghimself aDalekbetweenlming. Asakid, I alwayswantedtohave
one. he says. AndnowI can. OFgortonstudio.co.uk Doctor Whois onBBC1 inAugust
FOAM-
HEADED
CYBORG
GORTONS TOP FIVE DOCTOR WHO CREATURES
THE SILENCE
We put balloons
in their heads
to create a
pulsing effect
WEEPINGANGELS
Theyre mostly
actresses wearing
stone-effect
head prosthetics
THE OOD
The tentacles
are meshed, so
they move when
the actor talks
READERS
NOTES
A NOVEL
APPROACH TO
COMPOSI NG
Hannah Davis is using sentiment-
analysis algorithms to turn novels into
songs. I wanted to translate between the two
art forms, says the NewYork-based artist.
Her software, TransProse, scans the text
for emotional words, and an algorithm
composes a piano piece froma set of rules.
Happier novels are played in the major key,
sadder novels in the minor key, explains Saif
Mohammad, a researcher at Canadas National
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Research Council who helped develop the

software. Octaves use an overall joy-to-
sadness ratio, he says. Tempo is based
on active-to-passive emotions.
As a result, Alice in Wonderland
is bouncy and cheerful, AClockwork
Orange is menacingly manic and Cormac
McCarthys The Road is a bleak and
sombre listen. The word audiobook just
got a newmeaning. OF musicfromtext.com
Doctoring
the baddies
VASTRA
Each scale is
hand-blended
by prosthetics
artists.
ZYGONS
We use foam
rubber suits,
custommade
for each actor.
:

Whipping
up a storm
HOW HOLLYWOODS WEATHER WIZARDS
ARE LEARNING THE ART OF RESTRAINT
When it comes to weather,
Hollywood typically values
carnage over climate
science (see Sharknado).
For Into the Stormhowever,
director Steven Quale didnt
want a whirlwind worthy of
Oz, just an accurate one.
I didnt want to make
a super-stylised lmthat
had ridiculous tornadoes,
says Quale, whose effects
background includes
working as James Camerons
second unit director on
Titanic and Avatar. So Quale
consulted a UCLA climate
professor about the specics
of tornado intensity, and
meteorologists, who kept
the lms weather systems
grounded in reality. Mostly
though, he consulted
YouTube. Twenty years ago,
you had to have somebody
with a camera being at the
right place at the right time,
he says. Now we have
people with camera phones
taping these events as they
are occurring. We actually
based all of our tornadoes on
YouTube footage.
The resulting thriller,
which follows an American
town being ravaged by
twisters, includes a realistic
array of Mother Natures
nest: fromrope tornadoes
Above: the effects crewused
6m-tall propane ame bars as a
reference for the re tornadoes
(really tall, thin and very
fast, says Quale), to wedge
tornadoes (up to three
kilometres wide, picking up
wind speeds of 480kph in the
centre), to re tornadoes
(very beautiful, but deadly).
To create the storms,
Quales teamrigged the
set with powerful wind
machines. The actors
were regularly subjected to
160kph fans blowing debris,
laughs Quale. I learned
that you can blow wind in
somebodys face or you can
have rain pouring down, but
the minute you combine
the two, those raindrops
are projectiles. It feels like
needles hitting you in the
face. Visual effects artists
then whipped up the nal
storms and digitally added
thousands of pieces of extra
debris, fromtrees to jumbo
jets. The result, he says, is
still carnage but it is as
believable as possible.
Alex Godfrey Into the Storm
is out on August 22
Tablet extra!
Download the WIRED
app for more images
fromInto the Storm
DIRECTORS
DEATH TOLLS
Hollywoods most
violent lm-maker
might surprise you
according to data
artist Randal Olson,
Lord of the Rings
director Peter
Jackson has killed
1,517 on-screen.
randalolson.com
MEDIA MATTERS
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300 TI NY
BUBBLES
125mm
W E A T H E R F X / O P T I C A L A R T W O R K / P L A Y / 0 6 9
The matrix of suspendedbubbles gives
youa different patternfromevery angle
This sculpture was
designed to mess
wi th your mi nd.
Glass allows you to
create paradoxes,
says London-based glass artist
Shelley James. Your visual sys-
temjust doesnt knowwhat to do
with something transparent.
Jamessinspirationcame15years
ago, when doctors diagnosed her
with myalgic encephalomyelitis
AKA chronic fatigue syndrome.
I stopped being able to lter out
diferentkindsofsensorystimulus,
she says. After recovering, James
decided to focus on the biology of
sensory perception in particular
howvision could be manipulated.
She has since collaborated with
Bristol EyeHospital tocreatesculp-
tures based on retinal scans, and
worked with an x-ray crystallog-
rapherat KingsCollegeforaseries
basedonthe structure of DNA.
This piece, part of a series on
Platonicsolids, will beexhibitedat
LondonsJerwoodSpaceinAugust.
Tocreateit, Jamesdevelopedanew
technique for capturing intricate
patterns within each piece. The
designsarerstetchedontoalump
of glass, before being carved out
withasandblaster. Afterheatingina
kiln, anadditional layerismeltedon
(moltenglass is tooviscous todrip
intothegrooves) andtheprocessis
repeated. Myworkletspeopleplay
withtheirownsenseofperception,
says James. The themes that Ive
been exploring perception and
illusion, patternsandrhythmare
all around us, all the time. Azeen
Ghorayshi shelleyjames.co.uk
Glass
eye
BATTLE OF THE BOXES
In his newbook Console Wars, author Blake J Harris chronicles the
most famous rivalry in gaming: the early 90s battle between
Mario-powered Nintendo and Sonic-fuelled SEGA. Its a rollicking tale,
with more ups and downs than one of their 16-bit platformers (a lm
version produced by Seth Rogen is already in the works). In the end,
what brought down SEGA wasnt its console war with Nintendo, but
rather a more subtle cultural war between SEGA of America and SEGA
of Japan, says Harris. Here, WIRED charts howthe industry is still
waging war today. OF Console Wars (Atlantic Books) is out on August 7
NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM VS
SEGA MASTER SYSTEM
1985
Rising out of the ashes of the early 80s video game
crash (game over, Atari), the NES sold more than
60 million units thanks to blockbuster titles such as
Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda many of
which remain successful franchises to this day.
WINNER: NINTENDOENTERTAINMENTSYSTEM
PLAYSTATION 4 VS
Wii U, XBOX ONE
2014
Its still early days, but Sonys PlayStation 4
already has the upper hand in the latest skirmish,
continuously outselling the Xbox One since launch
no doubt helped by consumer-friendly prices and the
bungled launch of Nintendos Wii U.
WINNER (SO FAR): PLAYSTATION 4
NINTENDOWii VS
PLAYSTATION 3, XBOX 360
2006
Surprisingly, the Wii outsold the vastly more
sophisticated PS3 and Xbox 360 through a
combination of innovative motion control and social,
family-friendly games such as Wii Sports
(breaking a whole lot of TV screens in the process).
WINNER: NINTENDOWii
PLAYSTATION 2 VS SEGA DREAMCAST,
XBOX, NINTENDO GAMECUBE
2000
Sonys PS2 had backward compatibility and a
DVD player but, most importantly, the games
nally matched the hardware. Grand Theft
Auto in particular became a global phenomenon
partly thanks to the shocked tabloids.
WINNER: PLAYSTATION2
SONY PLAYSTATION VS
NINTENDO 64, SEGA SATURN
1994
Although Sonys console lacked the star-studded
franchises of Nintendo (remember Crash Bandicoot?),
the more affordable PlayStation made up for it
in sheer number of games, boosted by the hit titles
Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid.
WINNER: SONY PLAYSTATION
SEGA MEGA DRIVE VS
SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
1990
Although the SNES shifted more units worldwide,
SEGAs 16-bit box actually outsold Nintendos console
in Europe and America following the ad-fuelled
success of Sonic the Hedgehog and adult-oriented
games such as Mortal Kombat and Streets of Rage.
WINNER: SEGAMEGADRIVE
Designis
astate
of mind
YOUR BRAIN ACTIVITY WILL
GIVE LAUREN BOWKERS
HEADPIECE ITS SPARKLE
This ornate headpiece
is brain-reactive bling.
Created by designer
LaurenBowkerincollab-
orationwithSwarovski,
its surface is coated
with thousands of lab-grown gemstones
engi neered to respond to mi nute
heat changes in the skull, caused by the
wearers brain activity.
We used a magnesium-aluminium
synthetic stone, which has a similar
composition to human bone, and altered
it soit wasevenmorereceptivetotemper-
ature, explains Bowker, 29. Each stone
is painted with a chemical coating which
changes colour due to heat; her London-
based label THEUNSEEN used a similar
technique for its environment-sensitive
Air jacket (WIRED 03.14). We created a
coating so that you get a colour change
withauctuationwithinonedegree, she
says. Dependingonwhat areaof thebrain
youreusing, [theskull]generatesdiferent
amounts of heat so the headpiece
visualisesthewearersthoughtprocesses.
Although the piece is purely for show,
Bowker believes thetechniquecouldhave
otherapplications. Wevehadcompanies
wantingtouseit oncomapatientstoseeif
theres any response, she says. Its very
non-invasive, andanothervisual language
of whatsgoingoninsidethehumanmind.
Bowkersheadpiecewill goondisplayat
the Victoria &Albert Museumin London
next March, before becoming part of
the prestigious permanent collection.
It has also inspired THEUNSEENs new
collection, whichlaunches inSeptember.
We want to show people theres more
to wearable technology than putting a
loadof electronics onsomeone, shesays.
Consider it the ultimate thinking cap.
OF seetheunseen.co.uk
NEW TO
THE BOARD
Boardgames areback,
thanks toKickstarter.
Its hardtooverstate
howimportant
crowdfundinghas
becometous, says
Peter Adkison, owner
of gamingconvention
GenCon(August 14-17
inIndianapolis). Here
areour four picks. OF
Arcadia Quest
Raised: $774,222
Mini-gure
games publisher
CoolMiniOrNots latest
Kickstarter project
puts players in charge
of a guild ghting to
reclaimArcadia from
its vampyric overlord
and to keep it out of the
hands of other players.
DreamHeist
Raised: $60,276
This Inception-inspired
game is as complicated
as the movie. Players
must collect cards
to move through four
dream-world stages
and plant an idea in
the Marks mind
while ghting off
subconscious attacks.
MERCS: Recon
Raised: $816,274
Players work together
in a dystopian near
future to guide a squad
of MERCS across a
board representing
the ofce of another
MegaCon, to complete
a card-assigned
sabotage mission.
DeadwoodStudios USA
Raised: $50,497
Players take on the role
of bit-part actors in a
low-budget western
and attempt to work
their way up the
casting-ofce ranks.
Start off in dead body
roles and aimfor
Clint Eastwood status. P
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EMBEDDED
GEMSTONES
This typeface is good for more than
just spelling. Created by NewDelhi-
based design student Khyati Trehan, The
Beauty of Scientic Diagrams depicts a
world-changing invention in each letter.
Now, repeat after us: Ais for ArchimedesKN
LOVE LETTERS
TO HISTORYS
BIGGEST IDEAS
AISFORARCHIMEDES
Inventor of the water-screw
DONT
TAKE
THAT
PILL!
InLucy (August 22),
Scarlett Johansson
plays a mule for a
drugthat gives its
user super powers
before things go
awry. Heres our guide
to sci-highs and
their side effects. OF
Red Pill
(The Matrix)
Side effect: the
realisation that
were all living
inside the machine.
Substance D
(AScanner Darkly)
Going cold
turkey puts you
in a permanent
catatonic stupor.
Soma
(Brave NewWorld)
Total obedience
to the dystopian
World State.
Melange (Dune)
He who controls
it, controls
the universe.
Ephemerol
(Scanners)
Turns babies into
brain-exploding
telepaths.
Nuke (RoboCop 2)
Addiction, occasional
psychotic rampages.
Ablixa(SideEffects)
Sleepwalking,
murderous
tendencies.
NZT-48 (Limitless)
Vastly enhanced
cognitive abilities
followed by
inevitable death.
Cortexiphan(Fringe)
Psionic powers,
insanity, death.
Moloko Plus (A
Clockwork Orange)
A bit of the old
ultraviolence.
DOWNER
DEADLY
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Win your wings
M O V I E N A R C O T I C S / A I R R A C I N G / T Y P O G R A P H Y / P L A Y / 0 7 3
BISFORBOYLE, ROBERT
Outlinedpressure-volumerelationship
CIS FORCURIE, MARIE
Discovered radiumand polonium
DISFORDOPPLER, CHRISTIAN
Proposed the Doppler effect
E IS FOREDISON, THOMAS
Invented(amongothers) thephonograph
STEERCLEAROFTHE GATES
The gates are 25mhigh and 12mwide.
Made Made frominated rip-stop nylon, they will
bur burst if hit. The planes have an eight-metre
wingspan, wingspan, so its a challenge to get the plane
thr through without clipping it, says Jones.
KEEP ASAFE DISTANCE
The start speed limit is 200 knots
[370kph], [370kph], says Jones. We calculate
what what g-forces the pilots will pull, and the
necessar necessary distance fromthe crowd. They
normally normally pass within [a few kph] of that.
PIPTHEMATTHE POST
Each run takes 70 seconds. Ascot is
an an out-and-back track, so you turn at the
end, end, theny it inthe other direction, says
Jones Jones. Weve had ve guys nish [other
tr tracks] within half a second of each other.
FLY RIGHTATTHE SPEEDLIMIT
If pilots exceed 370kph or 10g for a
signicant signicant period, they are disqualied. Each
plane plane feeds real-time data to controllers in
the the race tower. The pilots need to y right
up up to the limits for as long as they dare.
GETREADYTOPULL10 G
At the vertical turns, pilots ip the
plane plane at high speed, dropping from320kph
to to 80kph before accelerating rapidly.
Pilots Pilots will be going from1 g to 10 g in a
small small fraction of a second, says Jones.
MANOEUVRE FAST
At the chicane, pylons are 125mapart.
That Thats less than two seconds between
gates gates, says Jones. Thats the minimum
pilots pilots can cope with less than that and
they they cant get the plane to respond in time.
Flyingat 370kphjust metres above the groundtakes guts but in2010the RedBull Air Race was becoming
toofast evenfor itscreators. Thespeedandpower couldhavebeenaproblem, oblem,saysSteveJones, racedirector at
theaerobaticschampionship. After athree-year break, theracereturnstothe theUKonAugust 16withteamslimited
to a 350hp Lycoming engine, among other safety tweaks. Its levelled the the playing eld, says Jones. But they
still go like hell. Here, Jones a former racer himself talks WIREDthrough ough the track. OF redbullairrace.com
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0 0 0 / S E C T I O N / P A G E T I T L E / S T O R Y S L U G
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Bot pot
ITS THE ANTIDOTE TO SUPERCHEFS:
A MACHINE FOR WI-FI-CONNECTED,
COLLABORATIVE COOKING IN SILENCE
For Christian Isberg and Petter
Johansson, theres no such thing as
too many cooks. The Stockholm-based
designers, with programmer Lasse
Korsgaardandchef Carl Berglf, havebuilt amachine
thatenablesvepeopleindiferent partsof theworld
tocooktogether withonemajor constraint: They
cannot communicate verbally or by text, explains
Isberg, 28. Eachparticipant ispresentedwithavideo
stream of the machine and a list of 35 ingredients,
alongsidefunctionssuchasstirringandheat control.
They then take it in turns to make a selection; the
machines Wi-Fi-connected microprocessor then
dispenses that ingredient into a heated container.
When one person adds water, then someone
adds currypowder, thats where the dialogue starts
to take shape, says Isberg. This inability to tell
otherswhat todois, hesuggests, analienconcept for
the ego-driven culinary world. When you
collaborate in the kitchen, its like directing:
Thats wrong, chop the mushrooms like this.
But we wanted to see what people could create
together without an authority gure.
For the machines first trial, two chefs in
Stockholm used it to create a stew in front of a
live London audience, who then tried the dish.
It tastedgood, says Isberg, but if yougaveit to
a professional chef who didnt know how it was
produced, Ithinkhedhaveaninterestingreaction.
Theyrenowplanninganexhibitionlaterthisyear
that will mixupthecollaborators. What happens
if you give the machine to a chef, two kids and a
food critic? We want to open this up to as many
peopleaspossible.KNcollaborativecooking.net
HANDS-
OFF
COOKI NG
When a participant
completes an action, the
lamp on the left of
the machine lights upand
a receipt is printed
0 7 4 / P L A Y / C R O W D C U I S I N E / U N M A N N E D A R T
Wireds in fashion
Searu used a JPEG
image of our 06.14
cover and used
their industrial
knitting machine to
recreate it in a
Merino/acrylic mix
Abespokewardrobe
is a luxury having
an affordable outfit
made just for you is
simplynot protable
for most labels. But
LondondesignagencySearuhasfound
a way around that. Weve designed a
software platform that runs on the
industrial knitting machines that big
manufacturers use, says cofounder
BenAlun-Jones. Sopeoplecandesign
their own clothing fromscratch.
Alun-Jones (above right) andfellow
cofounders Kirsty Emery (left) and
Hal Watts (centre) met at the Royal
College of Art and soon realised that
the technology for programming
knitting machines was possible, but
complicated. People talk about how
useful 3D printing is, but its actually
pretty hard, he says. I looked at an
easier interface, where people didnt
need advanced skills to be creative.
With Searus system, you can dene
up to 36 colours, change details and
remixor repeat patterns. Your instruc-
tionsaredecryptedbySearusalgorithm
andsenttothemachine, whichproduces
one-ofclothingat asimilarpricepoint
as mass-produced high street clothes.
Its a totally new business model.
Having the machine cuts out several
layers of middlemen, Alun-Jones
explains. Wecanguarantee30percent
less wastage than current production
standards, because were responding
to demand, not trying to predict it.
ThisautumnSearuwill launchitsown
label, Knyttan, as a proof-of-concept.
It then wants to sell its API to retailers
whocanintegratetheserviceintotheir
e-commercesites. AsBrianEnosaid, its
about becoming gardeners, not archi-
tects, he says. We sow the seeds to
grownewcreations. MVsearu.co.uk
If you see lights
moving around inside
Londons Tate Britain
late at night this
summer, dont be
alarmed its just a
wandering robot. From
August 13, visitors will
be able to browse the
gallerys 500-year-old
collection online using
remotely controlled
UAVs (unmanned art-
viewing vehicles).
People around the
world will be able to
go online, take control
of a robot and explore
the gallery, explains
designer David Di Duca,
30. Created by London
studio The Workers
consisting of Di Duca
and cofounders
Ross Cairns and
Tommaso Lanza the
After Dark project is
about seeing the
artworks in a different
light literally,
says Cairns, 32.
Visitors will have
ve minutes at the
controls; a feed from
each robots webcam
will be simultaneously
broadcast online.
According to Lanza,
the aimisnt to replace
the experience of
visiting a gallery but
to bring art to a wider
audience. Its going
somewhere youre not
normally allowed to go,
on the other side of the
world. Its voyeuristic.
OF tate.org.uk Tate:
After Dark runs
from August 13-17
ROBOTS
TAKE OVER
THE TATE
076 / PL AY / CULTURAL PI CKS OF THE MONTH / 09. 1 4
HOUSE MUSIC
Who lives in a
house like this?
(Answer: Freddie
Mercury). Illustrator
Federico Babinas
Archimusic
series translates
musicians song
structures into
architectural
drawings. Prints
from$26.98
society6.com
SKULLCANDY
Manchester-
basedchocolatier
BlackChocolateCo
makes delicious
treats usinga mould
of a genuine human
skull. Perfect
for after-dinner
Shakespeare, then.
68etsy.com
FILMNOIR
Whats black and and
white and slo-mo slo-mo
all over? Frank ank
Miller and Rober Robert
Rodriguez nally nally
return to Sin City City
with the hyper hyper-
stylised adaptation adaptation
of graphic novel novel
A Dame to Kill Kill For.
Out on August 29
REVERBFESTIVAL
Imogen Heap
artist, musician and
wearer of motion-
sensing gloves
curates four days
of music and tech
at the Roundhouse
in Camden, London.
August 21-24
roundhouse.org.uk
REINFECTED
The Last Of Us:
Remastered ports
the PS3 classic
to PS4, bringing
overhauled visuals
and the complete
set of multiplayer
maps. Out August 1
GROWNSTONE
For their CaCO
3
project, designers
Laura Lynn Jansen
andThomas Vailly
have grown stone
over 3D-printed
frames, stalactite-
style. vailly.com
SCIENCE ROCKS!
Zoe Cormiers new
book Sex, Drugs &
Rock n Roll takes
an entertaining
tour through
the science
behind hedonism.
(Keith Richardss
longevity, however,
continues to bafe
researchers.) Out
August 14, 12.99
(Prole Books)
LIGHTLOOPS
The Field Test lamp
fromAminimal is
inspired by the
magnetosphere;
its laser-cut acrylic
shape mirrors the
Earths magnetic
elds. $450
aminimalstudio.com
DESIGNDICE
No art director?
San Francisco-
based Fuzzco has
made a handy dice
version. Just throw
for one of 20 helpful
suggestions.
$16 pock pocketart
director.com
ABOOK ODYSSEY ODYSSEY
Taschens limited- limited-
edition, four-volume -volume
The Making Of 2001: 2001:
ASpace Odyssey Odyssey
crams in hundreds eds
of unseen images images
and screenplay
notes for HAL-lik -like
knowledge. Why Why
havent you bought bought
it yet, yet, Dave?
$750 taschen.com
Get a FixMeStick and save 100s compared to technician
fees or buying a new PC. The FixMeStick is a virus removal
device that detects and removes infections that software
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ORDER NOWAND RECEIVE
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W I R E D . C O . U K / S U B S / C W R 1 1 4 8 5
0 8 4 4 8 4 8 5 2 0 2 R E F : C W R 1 1 4 8 5
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Howto
Make your own
windturbine
Windmills arent tobetiltedat; theycandrivedrills, polish
glass, sawwood and pound metal not to mention generate
electricity. So, should you nd yourself broken down in the
middle of nowhere, you can whip one up using a few old car
parts, explains Lewis Dartnell, author of The Knowledge:
Howto Rebuild our World fromScratch. Leila Johnston
B U I L D I N G
T H I S I S
A B R E E Z E
H O W T O / M A K E A W I N D T U R B I N E
RIGUP AGENERATOR
Windmills can provide you
with electrical power for free
but to convert motion into
current youll need a generator.
A car alternator could be a
handy solution if youre stuck,
producing a steady 12 volts
as its spindle is turned, says
Dartnell. Its the drum-shaped
component in the internal
combustion engine of any car.
CONTROLTHE SPIN
Alternators work best when
theyre spinning fast, but at
full pelt your windmill blades
wont be able to keep up. One
way to reduce the makeshift
generators excessive RPM
is to unwind and replace the
alternator spools with thinner
wire, advises Dartnell.
BUTCHERABIKE
If you want to get really
Scrapheap Challenge about
it, Dartnell recommends
controlling the speed with a
bicycle chain. Remove all the
gears from the wheel except
the largest one, he says.
Then x an automotive pulley
wheel to the large gear with
nuts and bolts. Use the same
kind of pulley as the one on
your alternator a single-belt
version works best.
MAKE YOURBLADES
Ideally, get hold of some sheet
metal. Cut nine strips out of
the metal, ten centimetres
wide and 1.2 metres long,
says Dartnell. Bend them
down lengthways, with a 10
to 15 twist, then secure
them all to the bike wheel on
the opposite side of the
gear. You can bolt them to
anything but the axle, which
needs to spin freely.
MOUNTTHE AXLE
Youll need to secure your axle
bolt, says Dartnell. A satellite-
dish mount would work. Add
a section of pole to the base
and drill holes for the axle and
alternator. Mount the alternator
under the wheel pulley, so the
pulleys are lined up, then place
a belt over both pulleys. When
the wind catches the sails
they will make the wheel spin,
setting the pulley, belt
and alternator in motion.
T E N S T E P S
T O A P P
S U C C E S S
M A K E A B E S T - S E L L I N G A P P / H O W T O / 0 8 1
Howto
Buildaworld-
beatingapp
Your app idea might not beat WhatsApps $19bn valuation, but
George Berkowski, former head of product at Hailo, sees plenty of
opportunities. Were all well-positioned to create game-changing
projects, wejusthavetobepreparedtobeabitrisky,hesays. Hisbook, Howto
BuildaBillionDollar App(out September 4, Piatkus), studies how43billion-
dollar techcompanies hit the big time. Here are his tips. Kathryn Nave
1/ Find a bugbear and a x
The best way to start is to
identify a problem, suggests
Berkowski. It doesnt have
to be related to mobile or
apps, just think about difculties that
people share and howyou can make
thembetter something that annoys you
that you can x with technology. If its
something that bugs you personally, thats
even better, he says. Working to solve your
own problems keeps you motivated.
4/ Develop a brand identity
Coming up with a great
name is important. You
should aimfor something
that alludes to the function
of your app, something thats novel,
has emotional resonance and, above all,
is simple. Were entering a world where
theres increasing competition for our
attention, explains Berkowski, so
you will need to make your proposition
as clean and crisp as possible.
7/ Get the app out there
Once you start getting good
feedback, youre condent
in what youve produced and
are ready to scale, its time
to soft-launch your app. Focus on getting
a fewhundred people using it religiously,
advises Berkowski. This will fuel word-of-
mouth and drive your product forwards.
Until youve got that product/market t,
and people love what youve built, its not a
good idea to spend much on marketing.
2/ Assemble your team
There are three key roles:
someone who understands
howto build the product,
experiences the problem
and wants a solution; theres the person
responsible for the technology that will
make it work on a small screen; and theres
the person responsible for attracting
users. If you can get people to a great
product that works, youve nailed the
three legs of the stool, says Berkowski.
5/ Build the prototype
Even if you cant code, tools
such as InVision and Proto.io
can get you to the stage of a
prototype. Dont outsource
this process go out there and try out a
handful of different tools, says Berkowski.
With a little knowledge of graphic-design
software youll be able to create a user
interface. If you can pull that together
youve got the beginnings of an app; then
you can see if its going to work or not.
8/ Make it highly visible
A 2012 Nielsen report
revealed that 63 per cent
of app sales come through
in-store searches, so you
need to ensure that yours comes up rst.
Having all the keywords that people would
associate with your app is crucial, warns
Berkowski. Its also essential to maintain
consistent brand identity across channels
so that people knowexactly what to search
for, and arent surprised by what they nd.
3/ Nail the business model
Make sure you think about
howadvertising can be
weaved in at some point,
says Berkowski. Other
common models include pay-per-download,
subscription-based software as a service
and in-app purchases. In-app makes up
the majority of App Store revenues: You
only pay for additional features once
youve got the app, so, its a great way of
demonstrating value rst.
6/ Test it to breaking point
User feedback is essential
to guring out exactly what
youre building, and for
whom. Make sure youve
got analytics throughout your app from
the very beginning, because if youre not
measuring stuff objectively then youre
missing out, Berkowski says. Be a power
user of your own app. If youre not using it
in anger, or on a daily basis, then you will
miss out on vital insights.
9/ Raise funds
Berkowski advises self-
funding as much as possible
at rst, but when it comes
to expanding, there are a lot
of people out there with money to invest.
You can nd investors fromall around the
world on AngelList, suggests Berkowski.
Then therere all the different incubators
and accelerators: Seedcamp, Techstars,
Wayra, etc. Weve even got Y Combinator in
London this summer.
10/ Growthe right way
Its important to consider
what kind of expansion
makes sense for you.
Games like Angry Birds
are language-agnostic, says Berkowski.
So all they wanted to do was share it all
around the world. In contrast, apps like
Uber and Hailo need to move city by city.
The main thing is to focus on users. Keep
delighting people, keep people using it
for longer and keep people coming back.
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HOWTO
MAKE ANEONGLOWFAN
1 2 3
Howto
Turnyoursmartphone
intoadigital microscope
Forlessthan15youcanhackyoursmartphoneintoapowerful
viewer capableof 175xmagnication. Kenji Yoshino, ascience
educationfellowat Grinnell CollegeinIowa, madethis project
as accessible as possible: Anyone could build it in half an hour and
nd any of the parts at a local hardware store, he says. KN
YOUWILLNEED:
DISMANTLETHE
LASERPOINTER
Unscrewthe laser
pointer A cheap
2 model works
remarkably well,
says Yoshino and
push out the lens.
One side will have
a translucent strip
- when assembled
this side must
face away from
the camera.
PREPARE
YOURSTAGE
Mark the plywood
2cmin fromthe
front two corners
and 2cmin from
the middle of the
back edge. Stack
the camera stage
on top and the
specimen stage on
top again with 2cm
extending fromthe
front of the base.
FINISHAND
OBSERVE
Line up the phones
camera with the
lens, then place
an object to view
on the specimen
stage. You can
stack two lenses for
325x magnication:
At that stage you
can see things on
the cellular level,
says Yoshino.
GET
DRILLING
Drill through the
entire assembly at
the marked points.
Drill a hole for the
lens 2cmfromthe
front of the camera
stage and slot it
into place. Then
make a larger,
shallowhole in the
plywood beneath
for the light source.
SECURETHE
HOUSING
Fix the bolts
through the holes.
Add wing nuts and
two washers, then
slot the specimen
stage on top. Screw
a nut 1.5cmon to
each bolt and rest
the camera stage
on top. Secure, then
add the LEDlight
on to the base.

Three M8 x 110mmfull thread carriage bolts

Nine M8 nuts

Three M8 wing nuts

Five M8 washers

2cmx 18cmx 18cm

piece of plywood (for base)

0.3cmx 18cmx 18cmPlexiglas

(for camera stage)

0.3cmx 7.5cmx 18cmPlexiglas

(for the specimen stage)

Laser pointer

LED light
If your desktop
fanisnt exciting
enoughfor you,
KipKedersha,
AKAKipkay, has
a solutionthe
AmazingNeon
GlowFan. Inspired
by a rainbowfan,
Kipkay takes
things further,
witha little neon
paint anda black
light. Jeremy Cook
kipkay.com
Gather supplies
Youll need: a box
fan (ve-bladed
works best);
several shades
of glowing acrylic
paint; a paintbrush;
a screwdriver;
sandpaper. A black
light is also needed
to make your
fan glow, and a
variable-speed
light dimmer
switch can be used
to remotely vary
the fans speed,
which will change
the light patterns.
Prepare the fan
Hook up your fan
to the dimmer
switch and
connect it to the
power supply.
Turn the rooms
normal lights off,
then focus your
black light on the
fan. Depending on
the fans speed,
different glowing
effects can be
seen. The blades
should appear to
turn, ash and
pause in space.
Like, groovy, man.
Sand and paint
Unscrewthe grille.
If the blades are
a light plastic you
can leave it off.
Thoroughly scuff
the blades with
the sandpaper
so the paint will
adhere to the fans
surface. Paint each
blade a different
colour: Theyll
need a fewcoats,
warns Kipkay.
Howto
Builda
marble
machine
HOWTO
CONVINCEPEOPLE
THATYOUCAN
READTHEIRMINDS
If youve ever seenanonline
video of a marble machine, in
whichmarbles are elevatedand
thendroppedusinga series of
obstacles, theres a goodchance
youwere watchingone of Matthias
Wandels contraptions. Wandel
came upwiththe original version
of the machine in1996 whenhe
andhis brother were free to
experiment intheir fathers
workshop. The basic version
presentedhere is a single-
wheel versionof the machine
he createdin2000. JC
Gather supplies
Youll need: several
marbles; a piece
of wood thicker
than the marbles
youre using (most
marbles are around
14mm); and a dowel
shaft around 6mm
in diameter. If youd
like your marbles
to do something
other than drop
to the surface
they came from,
youll also need
to devise a track
or other marble
stunts thats left
up to the readers
imagination.
Build the wheel
Cut a 25cm-
diameter circle out
of the wood, with
a small hole (up to
3mm) in the centre.
Decide howmany
marbles youd like
on your wheel and
drill a hole for each.
Angle the holes
towards the centre
of the circle, and
make themdeep
enough for the
marble to t into.
Viewed head-on,
the holes at the top
should be angled
down, and at the
bottom, angled up.
Make a feed trough
Youll now need to
support and feed
the wood section
with marbles.
To allow feeding,
cut out a piece
of wood so that
it slopes toward
the wheel to angle
marbles towards
the holes. Then
cut the top into
a circumference
matching that of
the feed holes.
This will allow time
for the marbles
to drop into the
holes and then be
pulled to the top.
Assemblethewheel
To support the
wheel vertically, cut
out another piece
of wood. Attach
the trough to the
bottom, using a
spacer to allowthe
bottomof the wheel
to dip belowthe
feed cut-out. Line
up the bottomof
the marble holes
so they are parallel
to the feed trough,
then mark the wood
in the centre of the
lifting circle. Drill
a hole here that
is slightly larger
than your dowel.
Finish and rotate
Expand the
diameter of the
hole in the lifting
circle and tightly
press in the
dowel. Feed the
wheel through the
supporting hole,
then fashion a
crank out of wood
with two of the
same sized holes in
it. Press the dowel
in one end, and a
shorter dowel in
the other to form
a handle. Feed
marbles on to the
trough, turn the
handle, and watch.
If you want to impress somebody, just tell
themthat, like X-Mens Professor Xavier,
you can read their mind. Followthese
steps laid out by comedy mind reader
Doug Segal and youll have themunder
your spell. Chris Farnell
1/ Giveinstructions
Tell your victimto
think of a number
between one
and 50. It has
to be a two-digit
number, both
digits odd, both
digits different,
says Segal, who is
currently touring
his live show,
I Can Make You a
Mentalist. Next, ask
themto think of a
mammal beginning
with the rst letter
of that number. To
your audience this
will look like youre
giving yourself a
greater challenge
not only are you
guessing what
number they are
thinking of, but
also what mammal
theyre thinking of
based on that.
2/ Reveal all
Write your answers
down on a piece
of paper. For the
mammal, write
tiger, and for
the number, write
37. Although your
audience picked a
number between
one and 50, the
criteria you laid out
actually means
they only have eight
numbers to choose
from: 13, 15, 17, 19,
31, 35, 37 and 39.
Of those numbers,
ve of thembegin
with the letter T.
Phrasing the
question the way
we have, people
nearly always
choose 37, says
Segal. And were
more much likely
to think of a tiger
rather than a tapir.
I
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M
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C
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G
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;
M
A
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;

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L O N G - F O R M S T O R I E S / 0 8 5
Its fair to say that fashion and luxury-goods companies opposed the internet for years. Luca Solca, p86
L O N G - F O R M S T O R I E S / 0 8 5
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X
A
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A
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A
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E
D
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M
A
4
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P
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O
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H
O
P
.
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I
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O
F
F
O
O
D
,
I
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I
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A
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M
P
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O
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I
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U
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I
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E
W
H
A
T
M
I
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H
T
B
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I
N
S
I
D
E
L
E
T
T
E
R
F
O
R
M
S
-
Feder i co Marchet t i s
company, Yoox, has
t ur ned t he l uxur y-
goods i ndust r y di gi t al
R
O
B
O
T

A
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M
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:

A
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Y

K
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BY
Gr eg Wi l l i ams
PHOT OGRAPHY :
Ol af Bl ecker
_
Right: Yoox CEO
Federico Marchetti
photographed for
WIRED at its Milan
HQ, June 2014
0 8 6
company, Yoox, has
t ur ned t he l uxur y- t ur ned t he l uxur y-
company, Yoox, has
t ur ned t he l uxur y-
0 8 6
_
Right: a stacker
crane zips along a
12.5m-tall aisle in
a Yoox warehouse
near Bologna
0 8 8
L O C AT I O N

P H O T O G R A P H Y :
Fr ed
MacGr egor
On May 17, 2000, accountants from KPMG were called
to the Carnaby Street of ces of the online fashion retailer
boo.com. Their task was to begin liquidating the assets of
a company that had burned through 80m in cash from
investors including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Bernard
Arnault, the then chairman of luxury group LVMH. Boo.com
became the most conspicuous British failure of web 1.0.
Two months earlier, a 30-year-old Italian entrepreneur,
Federico Marchetti, had launched a company called Yoox.com
the name was derived from the Y and X chromosomes and
the 00 a nod towards the binary of computer code. Like the
founders of Boo.com, Marchettis vision was of a web-based
company that sold clothes and accessories but, unlike the
London-based startup, Marchetti thought of his platform as
being less about lifestyle and more about, well, selling stuf.
The rst line of his business plan was that Yoox would be
the global internet retailing partner for leading fashion
and design brands. Marchettis straightforward statement
of intent has, to a large degree, come about. Now, as well
as Yoox.com, which sells end-of-season and remainder
clothing for brands such as Dolce & Gabanna, Yves Saint
Laurent, Armani, Stella McCartney, Prada, Lanvin and Diesel,
the Yoox Group owns thecorner.com, which showcases
designers through mini-stores, a footwear retail platform,
shoescribe.com, and powers meaning all web services
and order fullment the online operations of 37 of the
worlds best-known luxury brands as an invisible partner.
Marchetti is referred to as the Jef Bezos of fashion, in
that he has mastered the logistical aspect of the business:
the management of online stores, the handling and shipping
of products, digital production, payments and customer
care. These parts of the fashion industry dont receive the
attention of catwalk shows or play into the popular notion
of the agonised genius in the atelier, but nevertheless
are crucial to the way that luxury brands are perceived.
To achieve this Marchetti has done something that, in the
year 2000, appeared unlikely: he has succeeded in persuading
executives in the luxury goods industry, many of whom were
initially skeptical toward online retail, that e-commerce can
complement their traditional activities by providing them
with a global sales platform and new ways of marketing their
products through responsive, elegant websites.
Marchetti describes how, as a teenager, he would look at
things and wonder how they might be improved. Thats
what I applied to fashion and the internet 15 years ago,
he says. I looked at these two worlds that were so distant
from each other, but I saw that they could help each other
one day with the help of a link. I was, I am, the link.
UK fashion
disruptor #1
_
Imran Amed, a
former management
consultant,
launched the
blog Business of
Fashion (BoF) from
his sofa in Notting
Hill in January
2007, despite not
knowing a huge
amount about the
fashion business.
It was just this
black box, he
says. It didnt
seem to follow
the traditional
rules that other
industries
wouldfollow.
That intrigue
was just what
Amed craved. A
year earlier he had
resigned from a
high-paying job at
McKinsey that had
sent him around
the world advising
CEOs. Fashion
was different. It
seemed that there
was something
irrational about
it its creative.
Without creativity,
the fashion
industry doesnt
exist. But its also
operational.
Channelling an
outsiders curiosity,
Amed explored
and explained the
basics of what was
typically portrayed
as a glamorous
but impenetrable
industry. That
dispassionate yet
inclusive approach
began to attract
a sizeable global
following, which
now stands at
more than 1.5
million people,
and increased the
Canadians stature
as an objective
observer. Seed
funding of 1.3
million came from
Index Ventures,
luxury brand
LVMH and Samos
Investments in
February 2013.
Because of its
focus on commerce
rather than the
ufer side of
the industry, BoF,
which is based in
Londons Soho, is
the place where
entrepreneurs
come to break
stories: in spring
2014, Net-A-Porter
founder Natalie
Massenet gave
Amed an exclusive
rst look at the
digital retailers
new shoppable
magazine, Porter.
Having reported
on the impact of
technology on the
fashion industry,
Amed is now
looking to monetise
the BoF brand
by connecting
talented people
with opportunities
through a new
careers platform.
After all, he
says, without
technology, what
BoF has developed
into wouldnt have
been possible.
Matt Cowan
_
Left: Imran Amed.
GQ India named
him Best-Dressed
Global Indian, 2012
P H O T O G R A P H Y :
Nei l
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ince I was a child I wanted to be an
entrepreneur, Marchetti explains in June
2014, sitting at a white, circular table in the
vast space that serves as his ofce at the Yoox
Groups headquarters in the Navigli area of
Milan. The space feels more like a luxurious
warehouse than the domain of an executive of a listed
company with a market capitalisation of 1.16 billion (930m).
Marchetti, who is neat and trim, grew up in Ravenna, a
small city on the Adriatic about 70km east of Bologna. The
son of a warehouse man at Fiat and a telephonist, Marchetti
didnt grow up in the kind of family that sends its children to
do an MBA in the US. But after an undergraduate degree in
economics and commerce from Luigi Bocconi University in
Milan, he was awarded a scholarship to Columbia University.
And, although Marchetti had no interest in climbing the
corporate ladder, he took a job as an analyst at Goldman
Sachs, initially in London and then in Milan.
I wanted to work for banks for three years with the
simple goal: to learn as much as possible, he says. I was not
passionate about corporate nance; I got there, I worked 90
hours per week for three years and I learned a lot, then I left.
Marchetti put together a business plan in October and
November of 1999 and quit his job in December, having been
at the Boston-based consulting rm Bain Capital for only
three months. (He describes the experience of working there
as horrible.) Marchetti spent January pitching his startup
idea: potential investors were receptive, but nobody wanted
to be the rst to write a cheque. Then, in mid-February 2000,
Marchetti met Elserino Piol, the former CEO and Chairman
of Olivetti. He understood technology, understood people,
understood how to make a company, Marchetti says. Piol
invested three billion lira (1.2m) in exchange for 33 per cent
of the business, and still sits on the Yoox board. The deal was
done in March 2000. A month later tech stocks across the
world began to tank. Marchetti says that he was unfazed.
Im pretty orthodox in following a plan, he says.
So I have a vision, and there is a plan from here to the vision
So basically I dont care what happens.
Nevertheless, he points out that there was a degree of
good fortune in his timing. If everything had happened
two months later, we wouldnt be here, thats for sure, he
says, because the doors of the venture capitalists, they
closed for three years after April, no money for anybody.
Marchetti had a vision, he had capital, but there was still
a major obstacle to overcome: persuading luxury goods
and fashion companies that they could trust him with
their brands. Trusting a complete outsider, a man from the
provinces with limited connections in Milan or the fashion
industry, who was attempting to convince them to believe
in a medium still in its infancy, was a big step. Through
friends and friends of friends he met with companies such
as Armani and inuential individuals like the entrepreneur
Renzo Rosso, the founder of Diesel. Many were skeptical, but
a few bought into Marchettis vision and took the plunge.
I have to say, chapeau [hats of] to all these designers,
because they believed in me and I was not giving them
millions at that time now, yes. I was just really selling a
dream and they dreamed with me.
I think that its fair to say that fashion and luxury goods
companies opposed the internet for many years, says Luca
Solca, managing director of Exane BNP Paribas Luxury
Goods. There were concerns about the discount part of it,
there were concerns about brand trivialisation.
Fundamentally though, the brands needed expertise
and execution. The Yoox.com business model is straight-
forward the company purchases out-of-season inventory
Imran Amed, founder,
Business of Fashion
0 9 0
avide Di Dario stands in the doorway
to a Yoox warehouse on an indus-
trial estate just outside Bologna. The
companys demand planning director
is tall and dressed all in black jeans,
a T-shirt and jacket. Di Dario, 43, who
is lean from swimming five days per week, trained as a
philologist at the University of Pisa, but turned from a life
in academia to one in customer service after ending up
working in a call centre after college.
Along with a team of 15 managers who work at a nearby
hushed, white-washed ofce with vaulted ceilings known
within the company as the temple, Di Dario oversees 250
web developers, designers and programmers (the company
employs 800 people in total). By creating a seamless, rich
customer experience through content and marrying this
with customer data, Yoox is able to create what it hopes
is something akin to a luxury experience in the real world.
We have a huge amount of data they dont have in the
physical world, Di Dario says. His team is able to establish
dozens of data points, including how long a customer has
been shopping, what they looked at, what time of day they
looked, and the time it took to make a purchase.
You cannot be further than us from the customer,
DiDario says, but we are very close to them because we
know exactly what they are doing. Products are built from
customer response for instance, the team established
there was a demand for packaging without the Yoox logo.
Feedback isnt just about solving the customer problem,
Di Dario says. Its an internal tool to optimise.
A seamless, handsome web ofering is one thing: deliv-
ering products to customers when those buyers could
be anywhere from Beijing to Bradford is a very diferent
challenge, especially when an order is received, on average,
UK fashion
disruptor #2
Olapic, visual
commerce app
_
Founded by three
Spanish students
who met at New
Yorks Columbia
Business School,
Olapic is a leader in
the nascent eld of
visual commerce:
identifying images
featuring products
across social
media and helping
brands tap into
content generated
by consumers and
make it shoppable,
says cofounder
Jose de Cabo.
The proponents
of visual commerce
believe Instagram
images can have a
similar galvanising
effect to online
reviews. You
know the photo
was taken by a
real person, not
a professional
photographer
de Cabo says.
Consumers trust
that more. MC T
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and sells it on to customers via the web. The mono-brand
model meaning the designer websites that the Yoox Group
powers is diferent: Yoox makes a little less than a third
of the sale price on every item, meaning that the brands
make more than wholesale and a little less than at retail,
but without the associated costs.
The idea of a digital store was fascinating to me because
of the enormous potential the internet allowed us to reach
a global clientele and especially people in countries where
we dont have a mono-brand shop, says Carolina Castiglioni,
special projects director of Marni which, in 2006, became
the rst luxury goods company to launch a mono-brand
store with the Yoox Group. [It was] a way also to present
our collection in our way and not through distributors
ormulti-brand shops. You can create image, constantly
update and present it in your way.
Up until that point, luxury brands had experimented
by putting some accessories online, but few were willing
to risk their mainline collections on the web. Marni took
the plunge, creating a site that didnt make a distinction
between physical and virtual retail. The idea was to have
the concept the same as the shops, Castiglioni says.
Ready-to-wear was the main category. At that time it
was a bit strange. But, in the end, we were right.
Yoox innovated by introducing a data driven approach to
fashion, relying on an algorithm thats said to run to four
hundred pages of code. Marchetti describes its author,
Alberto Grignolo, as the most important man in the organ-
isation. Among other things, the code helps buyers to
ensure that Yoox purchases exactly the right amount of
inventory a key attribute in a low margin business to
satisfy customer demand and, critically, how customers
will respond to trends in what remains a business built
on intangibles such as trends and emotion.
UK fashion
disruptor #3
Julia Fowler,
_
Even in fashion,
data analysts are
the new rock stars.
Which makes Geoff
Watts and Julia
Fowler (above), the
married cofounders
of EDITD, the
London fashion
tech scenes new
It couple. Originally
from Australia,
Watts and Fowler
moved to the UK
to set up EDITD,
based in Londons
Hatton Garden,
in 2009. Fowler,
a womenswear
designer, knew how
tough it was to get
detailed insights
about the market.
We didnt have
data to gure out
what products we
should be backing,
Fowler says. You
might know that
last season we had
a cardigan that sold
really well. But you
didnt know if there
was an opportunity
you may have
missed out on.
The EDITD
analytics tool is
a dashboard of
whats hot and
whats not across
the entire industry.
So, the jeans buyer
at one retailer can
easily compare the
relative success
of jeggings versus
boyfriend and
skinny cuts at their
own company and
at other stores.
EDITD now
works with most UK
high-street fashion
brands, as well as
major international
retailers such as
Gap and Target.
This analytical
approach to
fashion has its
detractors, who
believe fashion
decisions should
be inspired by
instinct and
intuition. Watts
argues that
this concern is
misplaced. People
have seen tooling
make some
industries become
commoditised and
boring, right? he
says. But fashion
is the number one
way people express
themselves. So
unless society and
peoples sense
of self becomes
diluted, fashion
will never lose that
innovation. MC
every 11 seconds. The moment a customer completes a trans-
action, the order is conveyed to the Yoox Group warehouse.
The company currently has three such facilities outside
Bologna, with four more to be built. There are also hubs in
New Jersey, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The business model is based on centralised inventory,
so the majority of the products that we present to our users
worldwide are here, Di Dario says. This is coupled with local
hubs they are shipment hubs as well as [being] equipped
with local digital production. On one hand it gives us the possi-
bility to sell to our nearly 15 million customers a centralised
inventory, increasing the margin, on the other side we have
the possibility to localise the inventory for instance, for
certain brands who want to be closer to certain key markets.
When Yoox rst built the warehouses in 2007 they operated
in a traditional way, using barcodes and manual picking. But
the company grew at such a rate that the physical capacity
of the warehouse couldnt keep up with the digital demand.
In 2010, we had to decide whether to move to a larger
place or to operate in a diferent manner, Di Dario says.
So we automated the warehouses based on RFID (Radio
Frequency Identication). Up to that point, RFID tags had
been widely used in the grocery industry, but not in fashion.
An inbound logistics warehouse performs product receipt
and product SKU (a unique product identier code) to which
an RFID tag is attached. Its the core of the automation,
Di Dario says. RFID gives us full control of the inventory
level we know where every single item is throughout the
supply chain and the automation is based on it.
What Di Dario means is that, at every stage, the operation
is dependent on being able to locate each of the ve million
products it holds in its warehouses instantly and match
them with a customer order. This takes place in warehouse
spaces totalling 86km
2
, the equivalent of 318 tennis courts.
When deliveries are made to the warehouse, one item is
taken from each batch and the other items are put into stock.
The product thats been separated from the others is then
used for digital production, attaching all the data needed
for the item to be presented and sold online the product
description, photography, post-production and quality
control. The warehouses have 60 photographers working in
55 studios on mono-brands and automated photography for
Yoox.com that completes 200 photos an hour, by means of a
series of mannequins that glide slowly around a mechanised
route. This way 15,000 items are photographed every day.
The products are then distributed randomly in what
Yoox employees describe as aliens: black crates that are
stacked in the warehouses ready for robotic cranes to fetch
them when an order comes in. The accuracy of the contents
of the box is checked throughout the warehousing process
the crates pass along conveyor belts both at ground level
and suspended overhead, and, at various stages, must pass
through white arches. Inside each are antennae that verify
the contents of the crate via the RFID tags.
We are always 100 per cent sure that whats contained
in the box is what the customer orders, Di Dario says. The
facility normally operates from 8am to 6pm but during busy
periods, such as Christmas, it can be open 24 hours per day.
The crates are stored in enormous shelving units until
an order picker needs one of the items they contain. This
part of the warehouse looks like a dystopian city as story-
boarded by James Cameron: there are 20 aisles, each of
which is 12.5 metres tall, extending from the oor to ceiling.
Anautomated ordering system dictates the movement
of two stacker cranes that are balletic and jerky by turns
as they glide between the long aisles at six metres per
second, collecting crates at a mesmerising pace.
_
Left: batches of
items at the Yoox
Group Logistics
Centre, Interporto
P H O T O G R A P H Y :
Jasper
Cl ar ke
cofounder, EDITD
0 9 3
The cranes deliver their cargo to conveyor belts, which
run for 4.9km throughout the warehouse. The same as the
Autodromo Dino Ferrari at Imola, Di Dario says. There are
two diferent kinds of orders one is for the nal customer,
the other for local hubs. When crates arrive at one of the
24 picking stations, an image of the required item appears
onscreen in front the picker. The worker nds the item in
the crate which include items in assorted colours to make
them easier to pick out and conrms that its correct by
swiping the RFID tag. Next to each picker are what appear
to be stacks of lockers. After an item has been swiped, a blue
light associated with a particular locker lights up and the
item is placed inside. On the other side of the lockers a packer
will remove the completed order, box it up with tissue paper,
stickers or ribbons and print a unique tag on the box that
identies its contents. We increased the productivity here
by 500 per cent, Di Dario says of the automated process as
packages pass by with labels reading Russia, France, the UK
and Greece. In 2013, the company shipped 2.8 million orders.
Its late afternoon in Bologna as Di Dario nods towards a pile of
boxes. Those will be in New York tomorrow morning, he says.
At a table at the far end of the warehouse four women
are packing goods for a mono-brand in this case high-end
leather-goods rm Bottega Veneta. Each luxury company
has strict rules on the packaging and presentation of its
goods, meaning that only ve items are processed per hour.
These are the least productive tables because we
are required to perform these activities, Di Dario says.
Its the same as in a boutique; the only diference is you are
not offered coffee or prosecco.
he former CEO of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts
who assumed the role of vice president
of retail at Apple in May 2014 portrayed
the luxury customer as having two dening
characteristics: they used mobile devices to
shop and they travelled widely. Most luxury
stores now ofer a facility where customers can try a coat on
in, say, Hong Kong and then pick it up in-store when youre on
business in Zurich, or have it delivered to your home in Lisbon.
Executives at Yoox are keen to stress that the companys
global expansion is underpinned by a bespoke approach
to customer service in each territory: transactions are
completed in local currencies, sizing is organised in local
denominations, partnerships are signed with native payment
companies (such as Sofort in Germany and Alipay in China)
and mother-tongue customer agents answer calls at its seven
customer service centres. Accordingly, courier companies
are hired in different territories; in China, for instance,
such is the concern about replica goods that, when FedEx
couriers deliver a package, they wait for 15 minutes to give
the customer time to inspect and try on the garment.
Mobile now accounts for 40 per cent of Yooxs traffic.
Marchetti expects that to be 50 per cent by the end of the year,
but he is less bullish about so-called omnichannel retail
meaning a seamless continuity of experience throughout
all customer touchpoints in the physical and digital world.
Any innovation depends on how long its going to take
so mobile takes six or seven years to really become 50 per
cent of the trafc. As an information tool, cross-channel is
already relevant. In terms of retail I think its going to take
a little bit longer than everybody expects.
Equally, Marchetti doesnt see catwalk shows becoming
an outdated way of designers marketing and selling their
products. Because the fashion show is a good way to get
people together in one place and make business, which is
something with the internet you cannot do.
UK fashion
disruptor #4
Nick Knight,
_
Long before the
advent of YouTube
and Twitter, Nick
Knight (above)
was offering a
window into his
experiences
as a fashion
photographer
through lm
and real-time
interaction. When
a designer creates
a garment, its
to be seen in
movement, he
says. So any still
image of fashion,
however beautiful,
is to some degree a
compromise.
He began lming
his shoots in 1986,
but there was no
medium for sharing
his lms. The
internet came into
my life in 1997, 1998,
and I thought it was
a platform where
I could put fashion
lm, Knight says.
By 2009, Knight
was pioneering
the livestreaming
of catwalk shows
for Alexander
McQueens last
collection, Platos
Atlantis. The
machines almost
melted as six
million people
tried to get on
to the site, he
says. But that
showed it could
be done. Knight
now livestreams
all of his photo
shoots. I dont
think what I do is
photography any
more. I think [its] a
different medium
that doesnt
adhere to any of
the parameters
that dene
photography,
he says.
Although
Belgravia-based
SHOWstudio has
been around since
web 1.0, Knight has
plans for where
hed like to see it
go in the future.
The next step is
to take it physically
to New York and
open a SHOWstudio
there and open one
in LA and Beijing
and Moscow and
spread them like a
series of cells, he
says. You would
very quickly end
up with a global
broadcasting
channel thats live
24 hours a day. MC
_
Left: the conveyor
belts in the Yoox
warehouse run for
4.9 kilometres
S E L F P O R T R A I T :
Ni ck Kni ght
f or WI RED
photographer
0 9 5
archetti describes himself as like il grillo
parlante, the talking cricket in Carlo
Collodis book from 1883, Le Avventure
di Pinocchio: he communicates between
two worlds technology and fashion.
If they dont want to follow, they dont
want to follow, but all the time I say what I think, he says of the
executives at the luxury companies, the vast majority of whom
would have nothing to do with Amazon. Although Marchetti
doesnt mention Amazon directly he says that everything
starts from the source the source is still what were working
on and what differentiates you from all the others. The
implication being that, although brands are willing to
innovate in retail, they arent likely to end up on Amazon.
This position of trust within the luxury industry has
made him a wealthy man he has an 11 per cent fully diluted
stake in Yoox. (Public oferings are a relatively rare event
in Italy Yooxs IPO on December 3, 2009, was the rst in
the country in 17 months.) Marchetti recently renovated
an apartment in Milans Piazza Castello, opposite the citys
15th century castle, after making a personal appeal, via a
handwritten letter, to the elderly owners who planned just
to rent the space: they ended up selling it to Marchetti. He
collects art he has work by Lucian Freud, John Currin and
Andy Warhol, among others and a four-year-old daughter,
Margherita, with his girlfriend, fashion journalist Kerry
Olsen. Yoox now sells work by artists such as Damian Hirst,
Mark Quinn and Peter Blake and designs from companies
such as Cappellini, Alessi and Kartell (Yoox has recently
taken on Kartell as one of its mono-brand clients.) And the
Yoox Group is now moving into creative services, ofering
strategic and creative direction for its partner brands with
13 million visitors per month, there is an opportunity to
develop relevant content. Yet, although Marchettis house-
UK fashion
disruptor #5
Nathalie Gaveau,
_
A Google search of
Nathalie Gaveaus
two startups
speaks volumes
about the evolution
of e-commerce.
PriceMinister.
com, which the
entrepreneur
(above) launched
in Paris in 2000 as
a French version of
eBay, before selling
it to Rakuten in
2010 for 200
million (180m),
now resembles
a car-boot sale
transposed to the
web, complete with
banner ads.
Shopcade, the
social-shopping
app she founded
in November 2011,
on the other hand,
is bright, clean
and modern. The
platform favours
native advertising
and content that
comes via its
community.
Shopcade is the
rst shoppable
fashion magazine
made by users and
brands, Gaveau
says. Short for
shopping arcade,
Notting Hill-
based Shopcade
was launched on
Facebook before
becoming its own
site and iOS app.
I started
Shopcade because
I felt there was
a gap, Gaveau
says, explaining
that social media
and e-commerce
seemed strangely
disconnected. As a
result, the tone of
the site doesnt just
have personality,
it has multiple
personalities.
Theres @sophie-
hannahrichardson,
a stylist and
blogger with a
penchant for bold
prints, and Francis
Lola, a purple-
haired blogger who
goes by the handle
@amcis, and is a
purveyor of boho
chic. Readers who
follow them can
buy items theyve
pinned. Shopcade
also works with
brands to create
content. People
dont like ads,
Gaveau says. But
a good piece of
content, everybody
loves it, right? MC
P HOT O G R A P H Y :
Andr ew
Wof f i nden
founder, Shopcade
3D
PRINTING
_
Additive manufacturing is
not quite consumer-ready.
There have been plenty
of PR stunts, for instance
3D-printed lingerie at
the 2013 Victorias Secret
catwalk show, but the
elasticity and texture of
fabrics is hard to replicate.
However, the technology is
being applied successfully
in accessories and
jewellery. Designers are
now able to print major
precious metals such as
bronze, silver, gold and
platinum. Companies
such as Shapeways,
a New York-based startup,
have been assisting top
brands with CAD design,
material selection, printing
and marketing.
3D
DESIGN
_
The journey from sketch
to sample is often slow,
costly and liable to
miscommunication and
error. But 3D garment
software offers a new level
of accuracy, relying on
digital simulation of fabrics
that can be modied and
communicated between
large groups of people
in real time. Israels
Browzwear is a pioneer and
is used by over 400 brands,
including Nike and Adidas.
In South Korea, CLO3D
incorporates 3D output
into runway presentations,
e-commerce and virtual
dressing rooms where you
can try on garments.
INTERACTIVE
DISPLAYS
_
E-commerce has
challenged brands and
retailers to rethink the
in-store experience.
New York-based Perch
is encouraging shoppers
to pick up and playfully
engage with products in
a new way. The hardware,
which is installed in shop
ceilings for instance
the Kate Spade store in
London has an optical
sensor that detects when
products are handled
and triggers real-time
digital content such as
product details, photos,
tips and user reviews.
By registering every
interaction, Perch collects
valuable consumer data.
VIRTUAL
REALITY
_
Earlier this year, with the
help of Inition, an agency
that works on consumer
experiences with emerging
technologies, Topshop
enabled customers to
experience a fashion show
at its Oxford Circus store
while the actual event
was happening at the Tate
Modern a few miles away.
Customers were tted with
Oculus Rift headsets and
watched live streamed
HD footage, 360-degree
photography, tweets and
animations. If they looked
straight ahead they were
able to see the live catwalk
unfold on one virtual screen
as well as the celebrities
they are sitting next to,
thanks to an 180-degree
wide angle on the stream.
If they looked behind them
at a second virtual screen
they saw a view into the
backstage area. Liz Bacelar
_
Below: one of 55
digital production
studios, where
products are
photographed
warming was attended by big names in Milanese fashion, he
still retains a slight distance from the industry choosing,
for instance, to travel economy class when ying in Europe.
I think that there are a lot of advantages of being an
outsider, because I can see everything from very fresh eyes,
and I still have fresh eyes, despite the fact that Im kind of
an e-commerce dinosaur I mean, 15 years in e-commerce
is quite a lot, he says. Once you are an insider, sometimes
you lose your spontaneity, and so I love to be a little bit one
step back. But on the other side, two steps forward in terms
of innovation. So I nd my balance in the middle.
Luca Solca, the industry analyst who was CEO of luxury
group IT Holding (which held licenses to Karl Lagerfeld, Jean
Paul Gaultier and Ferr) from 2002 to 2005 and partnered with
Yoox, believes that there will continue to be signicant demand
within the fashion industry for end-of-season clearance
services, and predicts that this is where Yooxs growth will
occur. But he sees two major challenges for Marchetti.
Large brands in the future will want to manage the
online distribution in the same way that theyd manage
their stores directly. Solca sees other challenges coming
from mass-market e-commerce sites in the US and Asia.
Amazon seems to be quite interested in luxury goods in
the US, he says. And (Chinese e-commerce sites) Tmall and
Taobao [are] ofering similar services in China. So I think
theyre going to be up against the big boys.
Back in Milan, one of the many screens at the Yoox
office displaying real-time customer data shows that,
somewhere in Italy, a customer has just placed an order for
145.08. Marchetti takes a sip of his coffee. Its a lot of
responsibility, he says. But I continue to sleep very well.
Greg Williams is the executive editor of WIRED.
He wrote about the future of retail in 03.14
A few key technologies hitting the catwalk
0 9 7
0 9 8
1 0 0
Visualisations: Bungie
Photography: John Keatley
Bungie, the games studio behind Halo, has spent 300 million
making Destiny. If it isnt the most successful game ever,
it may well be considered a failure. WIRED goes inside an epic project
By Daniel Nye Grifths
Jason Jones is often described in the press
as reclusive eclusive, but when WIRED meets him in
February ary 2014 he is friendly and articulate.
His hair hair is greying, but he remains in good
shape, arriving in running gear. The company
moved to Washington state from Chicago in
2000, and andBungieemployees enjoyaCascadian
interest est in fitness: there is an indoor climb-
ing wall wall on the main floor of the companys
cavernous vernous ofce, for instance.
On the the same floor, below the conference
room wher where Jones, 43, talks to WIRED, 200
developers developers, designers and programmers are
busily building Destiny. On average, each
desk plays plays host to three high-end PC towers,
meaning meaning that Bungies IT department deals
with over over 300service tickets a day.
PlayS PlayStation 4 development kits in brown
cardboar dboardcontainers are stackedupalong one
wall. When Whenone one of of the the machine machines s on onthe the pr produc- oduc-
RIGHT Jason Jones,
cofounder of
Bungie, surrounded
by Playstation 4
developer kits, all
running Destiny
during the PlayStation 4s devel-
opment, Sony consulted Bungie on
both the console and the PS4s new new
controller. Adam Boyes, Sonys head
of publisher relations, tells WIRED
that Sony plans to make Destiny the
big bigggest est ggame ame launch launch of of all all time time..
ummer 1999, Macworld, New York
Ci ty. The worl ds l argest trade
show devoted to Apple products.
Its the year of the iBook and wire-
less networking. On stage, Steve
Jobs hands over to Jason Jones,
cofounder of a video game com-
pany named Bungie. After a brief,
nervous introduction, Jones begins
a demonstration. On screen, an
armoured warrior, chased by aliens,
runs out of a passageway into a
huge, open space an alien world
rendered in gorgeous (for the time)
detail. Its the first public outing
for a game called Halo.
Summer 2013, E3, the Electronic
Entertainment Expo, Los Angeles.
The most important event of the
year for the industrys biggest con-
sole makers and publishers. The
stakes are sky-high: Sony and
Microsoft will launch new consoles
head-to-head later in the year the
PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. On
the morning of June 10, Microsoft
makes its play for the hearts, minds
and cash of millions of players. Cen-
tral to that pitch is the promise of a
slew of new games, and a TV series,
based on one of the most success-
ful game franchises of all time, Halo.
Later tha that day day, it its Son Sony s turn and and
the company reveals a secret weapon.
Jason Jones takes the stage, control-
ler in hand. Behind him, his character
appears on a giant screen, ready for
action. Its adayfor rsts: Joneshasnt
made an onstage public appearance
since 2001; the game, called Destiny,
hasnt been seen before; and its the
rst newBungie franchise since Halo.
Inthe14years betweenthereleases
of the two games Bungie has been
acquired by Microsoft, split away
again and enjoyed record-breaking
success: more than 100 billion min-
utes of Halo have been played by mil-
lionsof peopleonlineduringthat time.
NowtheSeattle-basedcompany and
Jones, their publicity-shy talisman
arebackwithagamethat couldpoten-
tially be evenbigger.
Destiny is set after the cataclysmic
end of a future golden age for human-
ity. The survivors shelter within
Earthslast survivingcity. Playersven-
ture out to explore and reclaim their
legacyfromtheabandonedships of a
Baikonur-likeCosmodrometolost col-
oniesonother planets. Behindthehigh
concept, Destiny represents a massive
technical challenge: players travel
seamlesslyfrommissionsdesignedfor
small groups to public events, where
free-for-alls rage. Characters start out
highly customised, and develop new
skills andequipment over time.
Destiny is the studios first game
since the end of its deal with Micro-
soft and the first to be made for
Sonys current PlayStation consoles,
as well as Xbox. Being able to develop
for the PlayStation hugely increases
Bungies potential market, and the
Japanese entertainment giant is tak-
ing the opportunity very seriously:
Jones is RIGHT J
wall. Whenone of the machines onthe produc bbiggesst game launch of all time .
1 0 2
tionoor burnsout, astheydoonoccasion, anew
one is immediately unboxedandswappedin.
Things were a little diferent at the birth of
Bungie. Jones and the companys cofounder,
Alex Seropian, rst met in 1991 when the pair
were in the same artificial-intelligence class
at the University of Chicago. Seropian had, by
that time, already created Operation: Desert
Storm, a multi-level military strategy game
based on the 1990-91 Gulf war, which would
become the newcompanys rst release.
The teacher was giving out assignments to
do in the computer lab, Seropian says. As an
aside, he saidYoucoulddoit at home, but youd
needa computer with eight megabytes of RAM.
Nobody has that. Jason raised his hand and
said, I do! And I was like, How cool is that?
Back then, eight megs was nuts.
The pair set up a studio to design games
wher where e J Jones ones assumed assumedthe the coding codingduties duties.. I I dont dont
actually like to programme. I learned learned
to programme because that was was how
you make games, he says. As As soon
as I saw my rst video game Space
War with my dad, or Donkey Kong Kong
I wanted to make that. Thats what
drove me tomathandprogramming amming.
Joness first Bungie game, Mino-
taur: The Labyrinths of Crete Crete, was
innovative a multiplayer er game
playedover anetwork. Unfortunat nfortunately,
in 1992 this meant that the people people
interested in playing it were also also the
fewwho could download it illeg illegally.
We had a meeting once, where
I sai d, Everybody who pl ay pl ayed
Minotaur, raise your hands, Jones
recalls. Almost the whole studio
raised their hands. And which which one of
yyou ou fucks fucks bought bought it? it? Nobody Nobody..
When Desti ny i s rel eased on
September 9, it is certain to sell mil-
lions more copies than Minotaur.
But it has cost many millions more
to make. Expansive, expensive, high-
gloss games known as triple-A
in the industry can take years to
develop, and demand a huge invest-
ment of human and nancial capital.
To fund the development of Destiny,
Bungie partneredwiththe publishing
giant Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzards CEO, Bobby
Kotick, told investors that he expects
Destiny to be the best-selling new
video game IP in history, and that it
has thepotential tobecomeActivision
Blizzards next billion-dollar fran-
chise, alongside World of Warcraft,
Sk Skyl ylan ande ders rs and and Call Call of of Duty Duty.. where Jones assumedthe codingduties. I don t
1
2
3 4
1 0 4
BUILDING BUILDING
CHARACTER CHARACTER
1 / Bungie Bungies art
department tment
sketches etches the idea
for theTi Titan soldier
2/ Aclean, clean, line-only
concept concept is created,
addingrrenements
suchas colours
3 / Based Based onthe
rened plan, artists
build an anarticulated
wireframe ame 3Dmodel
4/Textur extures, colours,
shading shading and key
accessories accessories (such
as guns) guns) are added
OPPOSITE OPPOSITE
Bungies s ofce
in Seattle Seattle. The
bannerss feature
locations locations and
character acters
(like the the Vex)
fromDestiny Destiny
sketche
for theT
2/ Acle
concept
addingr
suchas
3 / Base
rened
build an
wirefram
4/Textu
shading
acc access essoo
as guns
OPPOSI
Bungie
in Seatt
banners
location
charact
(like the
fromDe
However, earning earning big big means spending spending big big.
Kotick described Destiny as a $500 million
[300m] bet at a conference in April. That
number includes Activision Blizzards costs in
funding, marketing, packaging and support-
ing the game, as well as royalty and bonus pay-
ments to Bungie, but it remains at the top end
of video game development. A senior member
of Bungie joked with WIREDabout the reported
record-breaking $265 million cost of Grand
Theft Auto V, which raced to a billion dollars
in retail sales three days after it launched. Did
that include marketing? Shit!
It was said with a laugh, but its no joke that
Destiny will be one of the most expensive video
games ever made. Eric Hirshberg is the CEO
of Activision Publishing, the subsidiary of
Activision Blizzard that publishes the hugely
popular, big-budget Call of Duty games. In April
2010, Activisionannounceda ten-year deal with
Bungie to release an as-yet-unnamed franchise.
Two years later that contract was unsealed
as part of an unrelated court case. It revealed
a working title Destiny and a plan to create
four games over ten years, with a large comet
release of downloadable content for each.
Hirshberg is reluctant to discuss that con-
tract much has changed since 2010, not least
the plan to release Destiny in 2013. The span
of the contract is unchanged, though, he told
WIREDbyphonefromActivisions SantaMonica
HQ: I thinkalot of franchises get built game-to-
game, or month-to-month the moment really
determines the momentum of the franchise
Bungie arent just thinking about the content
that goes ontherst disc; theyrethinkingabout
a ten-year story. Theyre thinking about a Lord
of the Rings-sized narrative. Howdo you builda
lastingfranchise?Howdoyoudesignsomething
that, fromday one, is built to last?
The relationship between Destiny and
Activisionis unusual. The studios that make the
biggest titles are usually owned by a publisher,
as Pixar is owned by Disney, or by a console
maker. These big companies can absorb costs
when a game goes over budget, and spread risk
across a portfolio of products. But Bungie was
determined to retain its independence.
One day, I got an email from[Microsoft CEO]
Steve Ballmer, saying, Steve Jobs is mad you
acquired some company called Bungie. Call him
and calm him down, Ed Fries says, sitting in
Bungies ofce earlier this year. It was 2000 and
Fries, then a senior executive at Microsoft, was
going to have an interesting summer.
Microsoft was planning its first games
console in order to compete with the Japanese
giantsSony, NintendoandSega. Fries, acompany
veteran, needed a portfolio of studios and exclu-
sive games to sell a whole new platform. After
Macworld, Bungie was hot, but Jones had come
toNewYorkwithtroublebehindthescenes: abug
in the companys last game that had the poten-
tial to delete a players hard drive had caused a
costly product recall. I remember at the time
thinking thinking, , Im Img going oingttoofeel feel horrible horriblemy mywhole wholelife life
if if we dont dont spend spend the the money , Jones
says. But it put a hole in Bungie Bungies
profits profits needed to fund fund the
development of newproducts.
When Fries discovered that Bungie
was on the market, he swooped, swooped,
turning Halo froma joint PC and and Mac
release to a key Xbox launch launch title.
Was the move worth that awk awkward
conversation with Steve Jobs?
Bungie became worth billions billions of
dollars [to Microsoft], Fries ries says.
There wouldnt be an Xboxx today
without Halo. In fact, how can can you
even put a value on that?
Halo: Combat Evolved launched launched
alongside the Xbox in November November
2001. Game designer Ste Curran, an, then
reviews editor of the games mag magazine
Edge, remembers playing his review
copy for 12 hours straight. He sent sent his
colleagues an email, titled: AA list of
things I consider wrong with Halo.
The body text was blank.
The Bungie product stormed ormed the
game-of-the-year lists, and sold a
million copies in its rst ve mont months
on sale the fastest-selling game in
that console generation. Mor More than
50 per cent of the newconsole consoles sales
were alongside a copy of Halo,, as the
console fought for ground ag against
Sonys well-establishedPlayStation ation2.
Bill [Gates] wouldsay, Who Whos your
Mario? Fries says, referencing encing Nin-
tendos iconic character. The Mast Master
Chief, the super-soldier at the the heart
of Halos 26th-century uni universe,
became a symbol of the Xboxs appeal
for hardcore gamers.
Bungie had not just made a multi-
ple-award-winning Xbox game ame and
console shooter, but one of the the best-
rated games of all time. With DDestiny
it would have to do it all over ag again.
or software developers, crunchis an
inevitableevil: theperiodwheredevel-
opers work in long shifts, often seven
days a week, toshipa product ontime.
Halo 2s crunch lasted a bruising,
exhausting year. Problems began
when the rendering engine the
programthat creates thevisibleworld
of the game had to be rebuilt from
scratch. Microsoft agreed to delay
the release, but tension was building.
Jones abandoned Project Phoenix
the newgame he hadbeenworkingon
and threwhimself into the crunch.
A week before Halo 2 shipped,
Jones called Harold Ryan, the games
E
1 0 6
producer andnowBungies president.
They discussed one last bug. Then I
said, I dont think Im coming in any
more. And Harold said, Yeah, stay
at home. [] My presence could
actually have made things worse; Id
push people to do one more thing.
Bungie split into teams to work
on multiplayer content. Halo 2 was
released in November 2004 but, by
then, Jones had taken leave to travel
around Asia and, just as importantly,
spend time in his back garden.
It sounds crazy, but your back-
yard is a pretty amazing place to be
when you havent seen it for a couple
of years. I spent a bunch of time just
being normal, he says.
The long production of Halo 2 had
irrevocably changed the relationship
between Jones, Bungie and Micro-
soft. Jones had gone and his erstwhile
colleagueswantedtheircompanyback.
Bungies COO Pete Parsons recalls
the negotiations that went onin2005
and 2006 that eventually led to the
companys independence in 2007, the
terms of which remain confidential.
The drive was self-preservation, he
says. We had to be responsible for
our own success or failure; to bask
in glory or bathe in our own blood.
Microsoft understood that.
The stakes were similarly high for
Microsoft: just as Halo had launched
t he Xbox and Hal o 2 i nj ected
new new life life int into o online online multiplay multiplayer er
gami ng, so Mi crosof t needed
Bungie to deliver Halo 3 in order to
sell its new console, the Xbox 360.
The core guys could literally stop
working and leaveHalo 3 would be
imperilled, and the Xbox 360 would
be imperilled, says Shane Kim, who
neg negotiat otiated ed for for Micr Microsoft. osoft.
Micr crosof oft wanted ed Halo lo 33, th the Halo lo IP and d
assurances ances that an independent Bungie would
maketwo twomoreHalogames whileit built anew
studio. . Bungie wanted independence and,
controversially oversially, freedom to assign resources
to a new newproject, owned by Bungie. This would
be led by by Jones if he could be tempted back.
After er protracted negotiations, Jones
returned eturnedfull-timeandcaught theendof devel-
opment opment on Halo 3. Had time away mellowed
his perfe perfectionist drive? Hardly. David Dunn,
who manag manages the art department, remembers
spending spending a Saturday working with Jones on
the Mast Master Chiefs nal mission.
We spent ve hours doing the same jump,
he says says. The sandbox designers job was to
tweak the the coefcients of friction. My part was
changing changingthe incline. AndJasonwas takingthe
jump, over over and over and over again.
Jones ones points out that, inthis case, ve hours
adjusting adjusting the same 20 seconds makes sense.
Every player had to make that jump. Its near
the end. end. Its going to be inyour mindwhenyou
nishthe the game, whenyouwalk away. I think in
that case case the drive for perfection was a bene-
t, not a curse. Its a curse when He breaks
of, and and explains that he chose the house where
he lives lives with his family because the rooms and
howthey they connect works so well that they dont
trigger er his habitual need to improve things.
I like like things to be pleasing. I like things to
be beautiful. beautiful. I like things to fit together. And
when y you can aimthat at something important,
its really eally powerful. When you aim it at your
house, its not super constructive.
A week week after the launch of Halo 3 in Septem-
ber 2007 2007, Bungies employees were packed into
a theatr theatre and told that Bungie was becoming
an independent independent studio. The room erupted in
cheers: cheers: ultimately, all but two of 110 employees
left Micr Microsoft and went with Bungie.
Reach Reach, Bungies last Halo game, closed the
circle by by ending moments before the action of
the first irst Halo game began. By then, however,
Jones had had moved full-time to a new project,
mysterious erious even even tto o the the r rest est of of the the studio studio..
ABOVE LEFT
Natasha Tatarchuk
(and friend). She
supervises character
and surface
renders in Destiny
ABOVE RIGHT
Human players work
together to ght
the Vex on Venus
In August 2010, 2010, the main team, having
nishedHalo: Reach, came back fromholi holiday to
a newofce to work on Destiny.
Natasha Tatarchuk, one of the rst en engineers
tojoinProject Tiger, remembers howvast and
empty it seemed. One of the IT guys was rid-
ing a Razor scooter around it, she says says. We
gathered, and the leaders said, Look Look at this
space! Well never ll it, unless we grow owto 400
people. Which will never happen! They hey were
wrong; the company payroll nownumbers numbers 500.
Today, almost the last unusedroomis is home to
stacksof Haloactiongureswaitingtobe besent out
to fans. Watched by the miniature Master er Chiefs
and Covenant Arbiters, a fewprogramme mers have
set up a game of cornhole a beanbag-thr beanbag-throwing
game playedat the studios sports day.
It was hard to find a building with with enough
space to fit the entire team: the last off office was
a converted hardware shop. The curr current one
is a former cinema. Between the high ceilings,
covered windows and hanging neo-tapestries apestries
of concept art, the atmosphere is somewher somewhere
between a computer lab and a cathedr cathedral: a
cathedral with a fridge full of root beer beer and
whiteboards covered with descriptions descriptions of game
levels and alien enemies.
The ofces former life created some unusual
challenges: the acoustics inthe bathrooms ooms were
startlingly clear. Initially, to maintain privacy,
musicfromHalowas pipedin, but thestaf affound
that it imparteda disquietingly epic, urg gent feel
to proceedings. The playlist was changed. ed.
As well as the production floor, the the Bungie
ofce contains testingandplaytestingfacil facilities;
one of the largest performance-capturee studios
in the Pacific Northwest; foley and recor ecording
studios; and a room-sized data centre for stor-
ing and transmitting the huge amounts of data
created by making the game.
Tatarchuk is one of around 200 engineers engineers
which is more than the entire studio that that deliv-
ered Halo 3. She joined Bungie from AMD AMD, the
makers of the processors that power Sony Sony and
Microsofts newconsoles, where she worked worked in
the forward-looking-technologies group oup to help
demos tohighlight what games couldlook looklikein
oger Wolfson, Bungies senior senior
engineeringlead, was once Bungie Bungies
emergency support system em he
slept under his desk for a week week after
each game launched, ready eady for a
crisis. A voracious and versatile versatile
engineer he spends his holidays holidays
helping astronomical observat observatories
calibratesoftware Wolfsonst started
out in Microsofts test team. Today,
his server engineering team eam num-
bers 23 people. A 24-hour opera-
tionscentre, laidout likeawar war room,
will employ a dozen staf. The he Halo
model of gaming is based ar around
two core modes: a single-play single-player
or co-operative campaign, which
tells the story of the Master Chiefs
long war, and competitive multi-
player where weekend warriors warriors
and professional gamers alike alike swap
grenades and plasma blasts.
Destiny pushes these element elements
together: players fight with with and
against each other in the the same
shared spaces. It combines ines the
rapi d acti on of a f i rst-person i rst-person
shooter with the persistent ent envi-
ronments and constant uptime uptime of
an online world that millions millions of
players are trying to exploree. Play-
ing a near-complete missioninDes-
tiny demonstrates just part part of the
challenge: the action is fast-paced fast-paced
and built around making the player
feel heroic through intense gunplay
and set-piece battles. To be able to
pull pull off off aa manoeuvr manoeuvree like like aa knee-
veyears time. Now, sheisusingthat experience xperience
torender the characters andsurfaces of of Destiny.
When a cape shifts on a players back, her her team
works with animators, artists and sound sound engi-
neers to make it look, soundandfeel right. right.
In a caf below the main office, Tat atarchuk
explains that the game engine developed developed for
Destinyis one of the most complex pieces pieces of soft-
ware she has ever worked on. Unlike the the Halo
engine, it needstobeabletocreatecontent ent forthe
PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and and Xbox
One. Bungie has more than doubled its po potential
market, but has takenona newchallengee.
Tatarchuk was also one of the Bungie Bungie staff
who played the game in public for the rst time
on the Sony stage at E3 in 2013. Shortly Shortly after
Jones dropped into the game, his screen een froze
for a half-second. Tatarchukfroze withit. it. As an
engineer, theres always a chance that it its going
ttoo be be my my bu bugg th that at cr cras ashe hedd it it,, sh shee sa says ys. .
slide slide thr through ough enemy r re while while resur-
recting a fallen ally, the lag between
a button press and its impact on
the game world latency needs
to be minimal. However, players
also increase their skills and collect
equipment over time, all while mov-
ing through a coherent narrative.
Wolfsons teamhas to keep the expe-
rience both snappy and persistent
and working alongside the mobile
applications and web companions
of the modern online game.
Keeping latency lowmay not be
the same problemas managing char-
acter progression and telling the
characters story over time, Wolf-
sonsays. They bothinvolve network
communication, but if we can tackle
them separately and on different
axes, we have two problems to solve,
as opposed to a single problem
that grows in complexity.
Weve taken on six or seven engi-
neering challenges at once that are
large enough to take years and a lot
of engineering thought, adds sen-
ior engineer Chris Butcher. And
weve done them all at once. Weve
never done more than two, I would
say, in a previous title here. It isnt
a linear increase in complexity
its a geometric increase.
Were coming to the endof it now,
and we have built a great game,
Butcher continues. But I dont know
how its going to be received. I dont
think anybody does It may well be
impossible to assess the game before
its actually in a live environment.
Over breakfast the teams days
are already starting early and end-
ing late Jones explains his routine,
as he navigates the complexities of of
the project as it nears completion.
I have very little scheduledtime, he
says. I have a list of my highest pri-
orities, and I check them depending
which is the most on re that day.
Every day more of those fires are
being put out. But not even Jones
knows exactly what will happen
whenthe game is releasedinSeptem-
ber. What would make Destiny feel
like it was a success? A billion-dollar
product? Droves of perfect review
scores? Tens of millions of players?
My definition of success is
that, when anyone who looks at the
pictures or watches the trailers and
is compelled by the world, when they
finally get to the game, they enjoy
it, Jones says. Thats what I go
home at night thinking about.
DDaniel Nye Grifths is a regular
con contri tribut butor or to to WIR WIRED ED
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amhas to keep t
h snappy and pe
orking alongside th
applications and web com
of the modern online gam
Keeping latency low
the same problemas m
acter progressio
characters sto
sonsays. They b
communication, bu
hem separately an
s, we have two prob
pposed to a sing
ows in complexity.
e taken on six or se
hallenges at once t
gh to take years and
ng thought, adds
Chris Butcher.
m all at once W
hil h i h lid h h
I L L USTRATI ON: JACK HUDSON
Who needs
marketers when
growth hacking
combines data,
psychology and
design to help
startups win?
It worked for Facebook
and Dropbox
but is it just hype?
tallyright, andmakeit fact-based. And
that wouldprobablygiveusanothersix
months before we all got red.
His growthteam, initiallysixpeople
butnowaround200excludinganalytics analy ,
was an unusual hybrid of product and
marketing specialists, who sought to
boostuserrecruitmentandengagement
througha combinationof A/Btesting,
dataanalytics, behavioural psychology,
design and user experience. Palihap-
itiyas team soon found unexpected
ways to kickstart Facebooks growth:
In Japan, we list your blood type in
your prole. We knewtheyusedblood
type to create trust with people; wed
asked a Japanese person. So we think
about it; then we test it; if it works we
useit; thenif it stopsworkingweget rid
of it. ButinRussia, weboughtkeywo key rds
for every single persons name and
ran ads. As Russians were ramping on
the internet, the rst thing theyd do
was search for themselves, and we
capturedall that trafc.
The growth teams mission was
to discover these really important
psychological trends around how
people really feel about friendship,
how they really think about people
connecting to them, howthese things
drive subtle behaviours around how
youengagewiththeproduct, hesays.
Wedgureoutthatwecouldpersuade
It was November 2007, and the executive in charge of Facebooks platform
andmonetisationhadafull-blowncrisisonhishands. Daysearlier, hedoverseen
thelaunchof what Facebookcalledacompletelynewwayof advertisingonline:
an ad network known as Beacon that would post the commercial activities of
Facebookusers totheir news feeds whenon44third-partywebsites, unless they
actively optedout. Palihapitiya, a risingstar whodrunAOLs instant-messaging
division and founded MyMusicChannel, had underestimated the resistance to
Beacon: fromfurioususerssuchasSeanLane, whosewifelearnedof asurprisegift
throughawall post that stated, SeanLanebought 14kWhiteGold1/5ct Diamond
EternityFlowerRingfromoverstock.com, andwhosubsequentlyledaclassaction
against Facebook; and fromthe 50,000 signatories in ten days to a MoveOn.org
petitionagainst the programme headed: Facebook, stopinvadingmyprivacy!
Weweresittinginthethirdoor of 156UniversityAvenue[inPaloAlto], and
TVtrucks with cranes were bearing downonus,
andpeopleoutsideprotesting,Palihapitiya, now
37, recalls. I was sonave withthe press trying
to explaincross-site Javascript to The NewYork
Times is generally a bad idea. The episode had a
really chilling efect on peoples perceptions of
Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg finally agreed to
roll Beacon back. Weve made a lot of mistakes
buildingthis feature, but weve made evenmore
withhowwevehandledthem,Zuckerbergwrote
ontheFacebookblog. Wedidabadjobwiththis
release, and I apologise.
Palihapitiya had been at the company for less
than a year. I had a lot of guilt, he says now.
I felt I had to undo a bunch of damage that Id
caused. So in 2008, I said, OK, we need to grow
again. I remember sittinginmybedroom, talking
[on the phone] to Zuck and Sheryl [Sandberg],
saying, Letscreateagrowthteam. Thesix-month
planwouldbetobuildcredibilitybyprovingand
disprovingthethingsthatpeoplethinkareanecdo-
CASE STUDY NO.1
LINKEDIN
Hacks include
lettingusers import
contacts; listinga
searchable public
prole; a progress
bar for users to
adddetail; and
endorsements
to tempt its users
back to see whats
beensaidabout
them. The trick is
usingdata to let
youget insights
andbuilding
features around
that, says
JoshElman,
partner at
Greylock anda
former LinkedIn
product manager.
CASE STUDY NO.2
SLIDELY
TomMore, founder
of the video-
slideshowapp,
tested Facebook
ads to discover
what motivated
sharing. Hisanswer:
musicians, actors
and celebrities.
By accessing
audiences through
those interests
we grewour user
base rapidly. We
then created
reasons for them
to come back
celebrity birthdays,
anniversaries,
er:
gh
s,
big news. We
spent $70 on one
Facebook ad, which
generated 500,000
views and 50,000
likes. Over 85 per
cent of our users
share after creating
thats free
virality, free users.
awomantouploadaphototoFacebook
if she was shown 11 photos; fromthat
we found we could showthat [photo]
tosevenmen, andfour of those people
would invite five other people We
could link this multi-hop efect of the
emotionaldecisionspeopleweremaking
andit all startedwithone photo.
Palihapitiya, akeenpokerplayer, bet
more thanhis professional reputation
on his growth machines success.
I made a deal with Zuck, he says,
saying, YoucouldpaymeXnow, orpay
me multiples of Xif we get to a billion
users. Good call: by August 2008,
Facebooks user base had doubled to
100 million; the following September
it was at 300million; andit hit abillion
in October 2012. This success soon
inspired other Bay Area startups to
build growth teams with a mission to
test, track, measureandredesigntheir
products to success. In place of tradi-
tional marketing, advertising and PR,
fast-growthbusinesses suchas Zynga,
hetermgrowthhackerwascoinedin2010bySeanEllis,
aformer marketer withDropbox, EventbriteandLogMeIn,
but the underlying strategies around building online viral
growthgobackfar earlier. In1996, whenSabeer Bhatiaand
JackSmithwerelaunchingHotmail, their investor, Timothy
Draper at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, asked how they were
planningtoattract users. Billboards andradioadvertising,
Bhatia replied. God, Draper replied, according to Adam
Penenbergs bookViral Loop. Thats expensive marketing
andweregivingthisaway?Instead, Drapersuggested, they
should use the emails themselves to promote the service:
Put PS: I love you. Get your free e-mail at Hotmail at the
bottom.Thefounderseventuallyagreedtotest thestrategy
minusthePS: I loveyou. Within18months, theyhadgone
fromzero to 12 million users. In December 1997, Microsoft
acquired Hotmail for $395m(240m).
What TimDraper suggested for Hotmail is the greatest
growth hack of all time, according to Alex Schultz, growth
VP at Facebook today. It was brilliant everyone else was
spendingmoneyonTV.SchultzgivesViral Loop, plusOgilvy
onAdvertising, toall newjoinersonhisteamwhichhecalls
not growthbut internet marketing. Skillsincludedata-
inspired design, linguistic understanding (How do we
predict which people in Pakistan should get Hindi, Urdu or
English on their feature phones?) and ensuring that SMS
authenticationworksincountrieswhereemail usageislow.
Itstheintersectionbetweenengineering, product, marketing
and data. Having a combination of marketing mindset and
analytical mindsetworkswell. Youneedanormalisingmetric,
aclear goal that everyones alignedonour goal couldhave
beenregisteredusers, but Markwouldhavebeenveryupset
if wedgrownregisteredusers andnot active.
For other businesses, viral growthhas comefromclassic
referral strategies. Dropbox which in May announced
300 million users, up from 200 million last November
initiallyexperimentedwithpaidGoogleadswhenitlaunched
publicly in September 2008. This, founder DrewHouston
quickly discovered, was costing $233-388 (139-228) per
LinkedIn, GrouponandDropboxbecame
known for obsessing with A/B tests,
landingpages, viralityfactorsandemail
deliverabilityrates. Thusbeganawider
growth hacking movement, which
today incorporates a booming sector
of specialist agencies such as Growth
Devil, possessedbymetricsandexper-
imentation; vendors of growth-
hacking tools such as Colibri; video
channels such as Growth Hacker TV,
ofering specic actionable tactics;
andevents suchas theLondonGrowth
HackingConferencethisOctober(600
to learn the strategies, mindset and
tactics you need to go frommarketer
to growthhacker).
Which raises a question: for all its
current buzz, isgrowthhackingreallya
newidea, accessiblethroughanalmost
scientific growth toolkit that any
businesscanadapt?Orisitjustconven-
tional marketingrepackagedinhype?
1 1 1
acquisition, for a product that cost
$99 (60). Instead, he prioritised
a referral programme that offered
2GB of free storage to newusers, plus
bonusstoragetoanyexistinguser who
shared the link. But even before the
publiclaunch, Houstonhadobsessively
tracked what did and didnt generate
interest. An early three-minute video
explaining the service, narrated
by Houston and packed with geek
in-jokes, boosted the beta waiting list
from5,000to75,000peopleovernight
when posted on Hacker News in
April 2007, he later said.
We did lots of tactical things,
such as our referral programme,
shared folders, and other aspects of
the product that helped it spread,
Houston tells WIRED. Those tactics
canamplify something but the most
important thing is to have a product
that people really love to begin with.
Dropbox solves a problem file
synchronisation that you didnt
realise youhad, andit actually works.
That maynot soundthat highabar, but
youonly hear a couple of times a year,
Ohmygod, Iveonlyhadthis thingfor
a week andnowI cant live without it.
That sort of epiphany is something
you want to share. And we had this
currency called space, like points, so
we inadvertently gamied the whole
process of spreading Dropbox. You
can earn extra storage by logging in
throughFacebookorTwitter; likewise,
by giving product feedback.
Constant iteration of the landing
page through testi ng has al so
optimised the sign-ups. We focus
on two categories, says Houston.
First, split testing and optimisation;
we have a business operations team,
a monetisation team, an analytics
team, a data science team. Thats one
bucket. The one we focus more on, the
biggerlever, isthenewwaysof sharing.
Peoplearetemptedtobolt onareferral
programmelikeours andjust expect a
product to take of. But they underes-
timatethedegreetowhichit goesback
to building something people love.
Intheearlydaysat LinkedIn, testing,
measurement and product iteration
became analmost religious obsession.
JoshElman, nowapartner at Greylock
Partner Pa sbutformerlyaproductmanager
at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter,
recallsrepeatedtestingof theinvitation
wording: When we had the phrase in
the default invitation that joining will
make both of our networks bigger,
irbnb famously boosted growth
by integrating an automated way to
cross-post accommodationlistings on
Craigslist. Twitter found that return
ratesshotuponceithadpersuadednew
users to follow ten people. BillGuard,
whichmonitorscustomers credit-card
billsforunauthorisedspending, boosted
appdownloadsbyinventinganewterm:
We had the nearly impossible task of
creating awareness for a problemon a
startupbudget, says founder Raphael
Ouzan. Our technique was to find a
name for the problem(grey charges)
andput anumberonit ($14.3bnleaking
from Americans wallets every year)
froma third-party rmanalysing our
data. The result: thousands of news
outlets, morningshows, articlestalking
about greycharges, just aswelaunched
our iPhone apptosolve the problem.
Typically, online businesses that
find their way to sharp user growth
tapacombinationof dataanalyticsand
traditional marketing tools. PlayBuzz,
whichmakesit easytocreateandshare
social quizzes, had 13,000active users
inJanuary. Thenfounder Shaul Olmert
began experimenting: A/B testing and
measuring all aspects of the product,
fromformat to design, using fractions
of the audience; searchengine optimi-
the likelihood that someone whod
signed up would invite more people to
signupwashigher.Growth ow wasboosted
bymakingiteasyformemberstoimport
their email contacts; engagement was
boosted by installing a progress bar
that encouraged fuller completion of
proles. Itsnotjustlookingatthedata,
butgettingtothecoreprinciplesof why
[youwanttoengage],Elmansays. The
real trick is using data to let you get to
these deeppsychological insights, and
building features or products around
that. Intheearlydays onLinkedIn, you
signedin, gotawelcometothisproduct,
go and invite more people. But where
wasthevalue?Sowechangeditto, Hey,
welcometoLinkedIn, heres abunchof
people from the same company who
arealreadyhere. Nowwhoelsewill you
invite? I call itthedoubleviral loopby
causing ten colleagues to get a noti-
cationthat said, Hi, WIREDcolleagues,
David has just joined LinkedIn and
asked you to connect with him, they
now come back to connect. At that
moment, LinkedIn says, Hi, Davids
colleague John, who else do you know
thatyoudliketoinvite? Atthatmoment
itsmorelikelythatJohnwill invitemore
people than simply getting David to
invite people inthe rst place.
Andthe launchof the LinkedInjobs
site, in 2004-5? Everyone thought
LinkedIn was trying to do revenue.
You know the real reason? People
were afraid to sign up and upload
their profile, as they felt we were a
jobssite. Butbycreatingaseparatejobs
site on LinkedIn, we could convince
you to go to LinkedIn and it wouldnt
look like you were looking for a job.
Its all psychology.
CASE STUDY NO.3
AIRBNB
The Airbnb teamwrote
a script that lets users
easily cross-post
their accommodation
listings to Craigslist
boosting the ads
reach at no extra
cost. It boosted user
inquiries in the crucial
early days of Airbnb, but
this option is no longer
visible on the site.
1 1 3
thepeoplewhovespent thebetter part of their careers
maligningonlinemarketing,heargued, butitisharmful
toyourcompany. Growthhackingperpetuatesthismyth
that you can achieve hockey-stick growth by using short-termhacks.
Whats new, Josh Elman argues, is the application of an engineering
mindset to product marketing. Growth hacking is spending time
engineeringhowyour product getsout intotheworld. Nest, SmartThings
and WhatsApp are building incredible technology and products. The big
shift is what happens when we take the creative brilliance of design and
engineeringandapplyit tohowweget that product intopeoples hands.
ChamathPalihapitiyaismorehesitant. I hatethetermgrowthhacker.
Therearealot of snake-oil salesmeninthiseld,hesays. Letsnot create
somewizard-behind-the-curtainsthingabout thisconcept calledgrowth
hacking. It existedwell before me. Its calledproduct andmarketing.
What doeshavescalablevalue, Palihapitiyasays, isthedeeper psycho-
logical understandingof product andbehaviour. SinceleavingFacebook
insummer2011, hehastaken ta hisapproachtoTheSocial+Capital Partnership,
a Palo Alto-based fund that defines itself as a growth practice. After
making an investment, he will send in a growth team abstracted Navy
Seals, ranging fromphysicists to machine-learning experts to sit with
thecompanyfor amonth, extractingdatatoframehowtheyshouldthink
about their product. The framework works for any business, he says.
I ownachainof restaurantsandIvedeployedoneof myguystogointhere
andxit. Theyremeasuringcosts, howlongcustomersstay, changingthe
menu. Per-ticket price is up35 per cent inone restaurant.
What advicedoesPalihapitiyahavefor entrepreneursreadingWIRED?
Users areonlyever inthreestates theyvenever heardabout it; theyve
tried it; and they use it. What youre managing is state change. So the
framework is, what causes these changes? The answer should be rooted
moreinpreference, choiceandpsychologythaninsomequantitativething.
SowithWIRED, therearepeoplewhovenever heardof it, peoplewho
may read it, people who read it and may stop. Look at the psychological
thingstheythoughttheyweregoingtogetfromyouvalidation, community,
intellectual stimulation, that stuf. When you gure out why people stay
with the magazine the community, the association thats happening
youshouldbe saying, shit, we shouldbe organisingthis stufofine too.
This methodology could become truly powerful, he adds, in re-
assessinglargetraditional businesses. If I everchosetoraiseamuchlarger
private-equity-stylefundandbuybusinesses, thisframeworkcouldbereally
valuable,hesays. Theproblemis, thosebusinessesaresodeathlyboring.
I have nointerest inthem. Idrather buildthe future thanx the past.
David Rowan is editor of WIRED. He wrote about Tony Fadell in 07.14
sation; experiments to promote
engagement on Facebook, Google+,
WordPress, TwitterandPinterest. We
wereuptothreemillioninFebruary, 12
millioninMarch, 30millioninMay, and
by June we were getting five million
daily uniques, says Olmert. From
widgetstoembed buttonsandplugins,
were making it easy for our users and
partners toshare our content.
To Jim Goetz, the Sequoia Capital
investor who in 2011 put $8m into a
companycalledWhatsAppwhich, after
growing to half a billion active users,
soldtoFacebookfor $19bninFebruary
sees this approach as an enormous
opportunityfor anyconsumer-facing
business. Its probably your biggest
lever,hesays. Youvegot A/Btesting;
experimentation with the App Store
you see the best gaming companies
launch in Canada, Australia or Spain
rst andtheniterate; thenpeoplesuch
as Amazon do live ops where theyre
changing things every day. Its a blend
of engineeringandago-to-marketteam
memberthatspartof thisgrowth-hack,
live-opsprocess. Thecompaniesthatdo
it best have built it inhouse.
However, agrowth-hackingbacklash
is emerging. Earlier this year, digital
marketing consultant Muhammad
Saleem published a much-discussed
articletitledGrowthHackingIs Bull.
Dropboxs strategy was simply tradi-
tional referral marketing, Saleem
argued; Airbnbs Craigslist strategy
was simple cross-posting. Not only is
growth hacking a meaningless phrase
used to rebrand online marketing by
A FEW
MORE
HACKS
CASE STUDY NO.5
NEXTDOOR
At Greylock,
partner Josh
Elman has helped
scale the social
network for
neighbourhoods.
These days, no
one really knows
their neighbours,
so weve done a
bunch of testing,
including sending
physical postcards
ANGELLIST
Sign up to the site
where prospective
investors meet
startups, and youll
receive weekly
news emails that
bring you back to
the site and boost
engagement.
UBER
You dont need to
type in your credit-
card number when
you sign up - just
photograph it using
your smartphone.
By reducing friction,
more customers
completesigningup.
QUORA
Its answers to
questions sit high
in Googles search
results. But to read
them, you need to
be logged in via
Google, Facebook,
Twitter or email,
boosting its users.
to verify you.
When you sign up,
we say, Hey, your
neighbourbood
wont be live
until you get ten
people, so you
feel motivated to
get the rst ten.
Its data analytics
and psychology.
CASE STUDY NO.4
GIFFGAFF
Telefnicas virtual
mobile network
in the UKuses
O
2
s infrastructure
but members
get free calls and
texts to other
Giffgaff members.
They also get
bonus credit for
introducing a
newmember and
for answering
customer-service
queries. Last
November, the
network said it
had trebled
customer numbers
the previous
year to 800,000.
P H O T O G R A P H Y: ALASTAIR PHILIP WIPER
T E X T B Y KATHRYN NAVE
P H O T O G R A P H Y: ALASTAIR PHILIP WIPER
T E X T B Y KATHRYN NAVE
THE TRIPLE
-
E IS MAERSKS
LATESTAND THE WORLDS LARGEST
MODEL OF CONTAINER SHIP.
WIRED GOES TO SOUTH KOREA TO
FIND OUT HOWITS MADE
1 1 5
THE TRIPLE
-
E IS MAEERS RSKS
LATEST STA ANND TTHE HE WWOR O LD L S LARGEST
MO MODE DEL L OF OF CCON ONTA TAIN INER SSHIP.
WIRED GOES TO SOUTH KOREA TO
FIND OUT HOWITS MADE D
1 1 5 1 1 5
Opko, a port in South Korea, is home to Daewoo
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, a company
constructingtheworldslargest model of ship12at
atime. Theplaceis mind-blowing, says photogra-
pher Alastair PhillipWiper, whovisitedtheshipyard
for WIRED on the eve of the departure of the ninth
Triple-E class container vessel, the Matz Maersk.
This is just asmall part of what theyredoing. They
have 46,000 people building around 100 vessels
and everywhere you look theres some surreal
part of a ship thats just about recognisable as
something that should be underwater.
Twenty Triple-E class container ships have been
commissionedbyDanishshippingcompanyMaersk
Lines for delivery by 2015. The vessels will serve
ports along the northern-Europe-to-Asia route,
many of which have had to expand to cope with the
ships size. You dont feel like youre inside a boat,
its more like a cathedral, Wiper says. Imagine
this space being full of consumer goods, and think
about how many there are on just one ship. Then
think about howmany are sailing round the world
every day. Its like trying to think about innity.
(70m Boeing 747 for scale)
1 1 6
398m
I
L
L
U
S
T
R
A
T
I
O
N
:
A
R
T
E
M
S
U
K
H
I
N
I
N
P R E V I O U S S P R E A D
T H E H U L L
Each Triple-E class
vessel is 59 metres
at its widest point,
three metres
wider than the
previous largest
vessel, the E-class
Emma Maersk.
A U-shaped hull
design allows more
roombelowdeck,
providing capacity
for 18,000 six-
metre shipping
containers
arranged in 23 rows
enough space
to transport 864
million bananas.
T H I S S P R E A D
T H E P R O P E L L E R
The Triple-E
has a twin-skeg
propulsion system,
meaning that it
uses two engines
and two four-
blade propellers,
as opposed to the
more common
single six-blade
propeller of the
Emma Maersk.
Each propeller
extends 9.8 metres
in diameter and
is powered by an
ultra-long stroke
engine. This delivers
slower speeds to
maximiseefciency.
Tablet extra!
Download the WIREDapp
for more images of the
Matz Maersk being built
1 1 9
A B O V E
P R O P E L L E R S
The propellers are made at
Mecklenburger Metallguss
GmbH in Germany and
weigh 70 tonnes apiece.
E N G I N E
The total power output of
each engine is 30,000kW,
giving the vessel a top
speed of 23 knots (41kph).
T H E B R I D G E
The Triple-Es bridge has
been brought forward, so
containers can stack higher
without obstructing visibility.
C A B L I N G
Over 500kmof electrical
cable supplies power around
the ship and connects the
bridge to critical systems.
T H E C A P TA I N
Lars Peter Jensen, captain of
the Matz Maersk, has served
on four of the ships that were
previously the worlds largest.
U N D E R S I D E
The lower half is covered
with red-brown anti-fouling
paint to stop sea debris from
accumulating on the hull.
B L A S T I N G C O N T R O L
A technician operates the
steel grit blaster. Each piece
of hull is blasted to remove
imperfections before painting.
C A R G O H O L D
Containers can be stacked
11 levels deep beneath the
deck of the ship, and up
to ten levels high on top.
E N G I N E R O O M
The two engines will generate
50 per cent less CO
2
per
container than the average
for the Europe-Asia route.
T H I S S P R E A D
F R O N T S E C T I O N
This front section
comprises only
the lower half of
a Triple-Es total
height of 73m
if it were placed
next to the London
Eye, it would reach
about halfway
up. With 14.5mof
this lying below
the waterline, the
vessels are outside
the Panama Canals
current draught
restrictions, but
fall within the
requirements of the
Suez Canal, through
which theyre
designed to pass.
N E X T S P R E A D
CROSS SECTI ON
The Triple-E is
constructed from
425 pre-fabricated
segments,
making up 21 giant
megablock
cross sections.
Most of the
955,250 litres
of paint used on
each ship is in the
formof an anti-
corrosive epoxy,
pre-applied to
each block. Finally,
a polyurethane
topcoat of the
proprietary Maersk
brand colour,
Hardtop AS-Blue
504, is sprayed on.
1 2 1
I N S P I N S P
T H E
I LLUSTRATI ON:
VAL ERO DOVAL
F A C T O R Y
HOW PINTEREST FOSTERS CREATIVITY
BY AMANDA F ORTI NI
I RAT I O ON N
PHOTOGRAPHY:
MACI E K JASI K
aby Dalkin, whose blog,
Whats Gaby Cooking, gets
hal f a mil l ion uniques a
month, is a Pinterest obsessive. On
one of those hot, airless Los Angeles
days that melt makeup, ice cream
and spirits, WIRED meets her in her
kitchen, whereshepreparesacolourful
salad and discusses her devotion to
the popular social-media platform.
Dalkin attended culinary and pastry
school beforeworkingasaprivatechef.
(Her former client, a pregnant Jessica
Simpson, hailedher sluttybrownies
on a Tonight Show appearance.) She
develops all her recipes fromscratch,
depending on whats fresh at the
farmers market: You could give me ve ingredients and
say, Makesomething, andIdbeableto.Thesedays, Dalkin
gets many of her ideas from Pinterest; she searches the
app whenever she has a free moment. On an aeroplane or
idling in trafc, she says shell open Pinterest and decide
what I want to cook for the next couple of days. She
compares the inspirationhit she gets to a shot of cafeine.
When Dalkin, who has a light, zzy, almost cafeinating
energyherself sheslikethehumanequivalent of Coca-Cola
is shopping for ingredients at the farmers market, she
oftenchecks her Pinterest boards for ideas. (She currently
maintains 85 boards andhas more than49,400followers.)
If she wants tomake aburger recipe, say, shell gobackand
refer to an image shes saved, asking herself what she can
ndat the market thats goingtomake her foodequally if
not more beautiful. The picture serves as a kind of visual
prod, a jolt toher inventive inner chef: AndImlike, ohmy
G
Gaby Dalkin dips
into Pinterest at the
farmers market or
in the back of an Uber
whenever shes
hungry for ideas
Starring:
Gaby Dalkin
/whatsgabycookin
Mimi Goodwin
/mimigood
Eddie Rossetti
/eddierossetti
Bret Blount
/baggagehandler
GABY DALKI N
1 2 3
God, I need purple basil to put on top
of this... Asian pork burger!
Anyone who has used Pinterest or
simplylurkedaroundonit andsome
70 million people have knows that if
youareblocked, stumped, orinaslump,
avisit tothesiteor appwill likelyofer
aninspirational spark. Infact, thisisthe
companys raisondtre. Our mission
istwofold,sayscofounderEvanSharp,
wholaunchedPinterest withCEOBen
Silbermann in 2009. The rst half is
tohelppeoplediscover thethings that
they love. The secondhalf is to enable
peopletogooutandactonthosethings,
tomakethemactuallypartof theirlife.
Therst half of thePinterest mission
isfairlystraightforward. Users, known
as as pinner pinners, s, ca cann sear search ch within within or or
contribute to Pinterests immense database of
images, or pins, of which there are more than 30
billion to date the number has increased by an
astonishing 50 per cent in the past six months.
Then they pin these images to thematically
arranged pages that are like virtual corkboards
ormoodboards. Theresult isavisual collectionof
whatever tickles apinners fancy, whether thats
anime characters, Europeantravel destinations,
vintagetabloidmagazinesor racingcars. Pinners
can also follow fellow users with similar tastes
and interests. By doing so, they are curating a
personalised stream of images that constantly
refreshes itself. Mia Blume, Pinterests product
design manager, has a name for users tendency
to periodically return to, and draw ideas from,
this image stream: Inspirationsnacking.
AccordingtoPinterest, the companys mobile
segment grew by 50 per cent in 2013 and now
makes up 75 per cent of all usage. This growth,
Blume says, means that Pinterest has a unique
opportunity to connect you to inspiration
anywhere, anytime onthe bus, queuingat the
bank, in the waiting roomat the doctors ofce.
The fact that somanyusers are onmobile also
makes it easier for Pinterest to fulll the second
part of its mission, which is to motivate pinners
to act on all that found inspiration: to cook that
exotic dish, build those ofce bookshelves, get
that crazy layered haircut. When it comes to
this second part, our smartphones are indis-
pensable, arguably even essential, tools. After
all, howmany of us cook, sew, garden, shop, saw
or hammer while planted at our computers?
If you always had to have your computer with
you,saysSharp, youjustwouldntusetheservice.
For us, its really about the phone being part of
yourdailylife, andPinterestbeingtherewithyou.
Because they are al ways with us, our
smartphones (and the apps that are installed
on them) facilitate a kind of uid creativity that
in the past few years has come to define our
daily lives. Instagramhas rendered us amateur
photographers, taking pre-meal pictures in
restaurantsor shootingdeepinnature, mid-hike.
Twitter has made us epigrammatists trading
bons mots. Vine has made us videographers
lming bite-size documentaries. And Facebook
has made us chroniclers of the everyday (some
might call this artful complaining). For many of
us, these kinds of activities, once the province
of primary-school art class and summer camp,
have been cordoned off since childhood: they
were acceptable weekendhobbies, perhaps, but
not a seamless extension of our quotidian lives.
Yet now our phones have put our once-latent
imaginativeness and inventiveness on tap.
Pinterest onmobile is, insome sense, just one
more avenue tocreative expression. But its also
a particularly illustrative example of the way
we currently dip into our imaginations,
passions and hobbies in the course of our days.
I probably go on four or five times a day,
says Mimi Goodwin, an avid Pinterest user
whosefashionandDIYsewingblog, Mimi GStyle,
gets more than 1.2 million pageviews a month.
Its where I get my juice.
MOST POPULAR PIN CATEGORIES
BY DAY OF THE WEEK
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MI MI GOODWI N
n a side entrance to Pinterests San Francisco
headquarters, a bright orange sign with white
lettering reads creativity is just around the
corner. And indeed, just around the corner, in
a sprawling warehouse space decorated with
mid-centurymodernfurnitureandneonposters,
thePinterest staftoil inanopenoorplanamidst
the happyclutter of art supplies infrequent use.
Thecompanytreats its missionof creativeinspi-
ration with high seriousness. Yes, theres the
requisitetech-ofcegameroomwithtabletennis
and football tables, but theres also a working
letterpress on which much of the colourful
ofce signage is made. (Theres evena company
event called Printerest.) Art projects are
displayedaroundthe ofce. One wall is covered
with LEGO; a 3D cardboard sign in filigree
cursive reads: Discovery ignites the passion
to create. The vibe is art-school studio meets
Heals showroommeets the set of Friends.
Giventhat itsmobileuseskyrocketedlast year,
Pinterest has trained its creative sights on this
sector. Crafting delightful, powerful mobile
experiences is a huge focus for our team, says
Blume. The company has begun designing new
features andupdates for smartphones rst, then
adaptingthemfor the web. In2013, for example,
it introduced a shortcut that allows pinners to
tap the phone screen for a menu of options (Pin
it, Like it, Send it). And pinners can now swipe
from right to left to advance through a feed of
pins or swipe up to view related pins. In April,
Pinterest launchedadiscoverytool calledGuided
Search. With a single directional input, it helps
steer pinners towards what theyre looking for,
evenif they dont quite knowwhat that is. If, for
instance, you want a new sofa but dont know
what kind, type in sofa. Youll get various
topics accompanied by images: Comfy, Covers,
Sectional, Modern, Vintage. Simply tap one of
them (and on successive rening lters) until
you nd what youre looking for. Finally, also in
April, Pinterest introducedCustomCategories,
which allows you to set up a feed around any
interest, no matter howobscure.
Ultimately, of course, pinning is a form of
collecting, and collecting can be an integral
part of the creative process. Think of Freud
MIA BLUME
CALLS THE
PROCESS OF
BROWSING
ON PINTEREST
INSPIRATION
SNACKING
Mimi Mimi Goodwin Goodwins s
Mimi G OOTD + DIY
Looks board has 657
pins and more than
34,000 followers.
Her other boards
include All That
Glitters, Shoe Porn
and Leather & Lace
1 2 5
in in his his study study surrounded ounded by by his his antiquities antiquities,
or Vladimir Nabokov, not-so-amateur lepidop-
terist. Researchers who study creativity that
elusive, almost mystical phenomenonnotethat
Pinterest, as a locus of digital collecting, can be
auseful imaginativeaid. Thatsbecausecollectors
often recognise patterns in their collections.
And as Robert Root-Bernstein, an expert
on creativity and co-author of the 2013 book
Sparks of Genius, says: All art is the creation
of patterns frombasic elements.
Pinterest can certainly be a useful tool for
spotting patterns and making connections.
Sure, there are plenty of people for whom it
functions as apictorial shoppinglist. Thenthere
are those who use the platform as a place to
bookmark things, assemblingboards that, like a
kitchen bulletin board, are free of any aesthetic
principles. But for many pinners, Pinterest
functions as akindof creativehelpmateor muse.
Take Edgardo Eddie Rossetti. A self-
described menswear addict who lives on the
outskirts of Hartford, Connecticut, and works
asasocial-mediaspecialist, Rossetti canrattleof
details of an outt with the speed and authority
of a sports commentator talking stats. Before
joiningPinterest, heusedtocut out picturesfrom
magazines and post them to his college dorm
walls. Early on, he primarily used Pinterest to
keep track of favourite styles. But he came to
viewit as a creative opportunity, a place where
he could post photos of outfits he liked or,
as he does frequently these days, those he
has assembled himself.People respond to
the affordable, accessible ensembles he pins:
his Pinterest page has nearly 90,000 followers.
Mimi Goodwin underwent a similar creative
transition. Before she joinedPinterest, the walls
in her design studio were covered in magazine
tear sheets, swatches of fabrics, prints that I
loved, whatever I could find. But she found
herself overwhelmed. I would go to my walls
and it was too much, she says. So she recreated
those walls on Pinterest, and she turns to this
virtual collection whenever she needs an idea
she posts a newDIY sewing project every week.
Someweeks Ivegot nothing, then15minutes in
its like, Ivegot tomakethis, shesays. Sheoften
brings an image she nds with her to the fabric
shop. You usually cant take a pinboard with
you. Having Pinterest on your phone is crucial.
Pinterest on mobile not only enables pinners
to find inspiration wherever they are; it also
lets them stockpile ideas. This is how Matt
Sutton, a special-education teacher from
Wheaton, Illinois, uses Pinterest. He checks it
on his phone during breaks in the school day.
Just about any time I have downtime, he says.
Hecalls it agoldminefor teachers andestimates
that 70 per cent of his ideas and projects
come from the database: If I nd something,
I can put it in my back pocket for later.
Whenit comestothesecondpart of Pinterests
mission, helping pinners close the gapbetween
ideation and action, the mobile version can act
as a blueprint or set of instructions. Rossetti,
for example, once took an image hed pinned (a
close-up of a denimshirt, its cuf hemmed with
aredbandana) alongwithhis sewingmachineto
Jo-AnnFabrics, where for $10(6) he receiveda
tutorial onhowto reimagine the look as a patch
for his jeans. He snapped a picture of the nal
product and uploaded it to his Pinterest board
fromthe store. At Piston &Chain, a community
motorcycle workshop in San Franciscos SoMa
neighbourhood, Bret Blount also frequently
accesses Pinterest via smartphone; he says it
makes it easier for him to walk through ideas
withhisdesignpartnertofabricatecustomparts.
Theylayer a screenof a prototype or interesting
imageontopof, or next to, theactual motorcycle
so that they cancollectively ideate, as he puts
it. Images do come fromother sources andcan
beprinted, Blount says, but Pinterest mobileis
the easiest toquicklyaccess alongside the bike.
Bl ount, a l anky fortysomethi ng wi th
artfully mussed hair, makes little micro-
inspiration boards that are very specic. He
calls up one hes named K Bike Inspire. Blount
recently bought an old K-bike a motorcycle
that BMW debuted in the mid-80s with the
intention of customising it and began pinning
to his board ideas for different projects.
Each bike, he explains, contains a multitude
of smaller projects wiring, suspension,
headlights. He clicks on an image of a copper-
colouredK-bikethat has beenstrippeddownand
rearranged into clean, diagonal lines. I found
this on Pinterest, and I thought it was beautiful
andsimple, he says. This was the inspiration.
Eddie Eddie Rossetti Rossettis s
most popular board,
Extra Flair, has 2,342
pins and more than
12,100 followers. He
curates 26 other
boards, including
Soles For Your Soul,
Saucy Ladies and
Werq That Bod
1 2 6
lounts motorcycle board, like those
of any dedicated pinner, is a precise
evocation of his taste. As anyone who
hasevercreatedamixtape, aplaylist or
acollageknows, acollectionnecessarily
conveys thesensibility, viewpoint and
aesthetic of the person who arranged
it. In Rossettis words, These images
reflect who you are. You re not
going to pin something if it doesnt
mean anything to you. This notion
of identity, of a collection revealing
characteristics of the collector, is
the real magic behind the Pinterest
experience. Many pinners report that
the page they assembled surprised
thembyilluminatingpersonal qualities
or preferences they were only dimly
aware of when they started pinning.
The images they collect allow them
to recognise or discover aspects of
themselves theyve never been able
toput intowords. GabeTrion, adevel-
opmental psychologist who is now a
user research manager at Pinterest,
says, When you put enough objects
together, you suddenly see a pattern
that youdidnt evennecessarilyknow
you were building, and you have this
moment of self-discovery.
Maybewereall narcissists at heart,
but this journey of self-discovery can
feelascreativeasanyartisticendeavour.
It may be, at root, why Pinterest is
so popular, especially on mobile.
Oursmartphonesarearguablythemost
personal thingwecarry, moreintimate
even than a purse or wallet. Theyre a
diary, a portfolio, a notepad, a camera,
a tape recorder, even an appendage of
sorts. All that they contain photo-
graphs, notes, apps, videos, emails,
contacts amounts to a reflection of
who we are. But since they also help
us record and execute our ideas,
plansanddreams, theyarevehiclesthat
steer us towhowe want tobe.
Perhaps this is why Pinterest is so
well-suitedtoour smartphones. What
we create on it is not always synon-
ymous with who we are. Often, its
synonymous withwhowewant tobe
withourhopes, dreams, futuregardens,
motorcycles, haircuts, selves. Mia
Blume explains that for manypinners,
Pinterest is aspirational. Its about
curatingtheirfuture, deningwhat the
possibilities are, she says. Whether
its what Im going to cook for dinner
orhowI want todress, shapemycareer
or decorate my home, youre basically
designing your future. And that, you
mightsay, istheultimatecreativeact.
Amanda Fortini (@amandafortini)
writesabout arts, cultureandtheWest.
She lives in Montana and California
THE WIRED ART DESKS
PINTEREST INSPIRATIONS
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1 5 2 6 3 7 4 8 9 10
EDDI E ROSSETTI
The
Craigsli
B Y D E V I N F R I E D M A N
select
0 0 0
st
The preacher placed the ad:
Wanted: a caretaker
for a remote piece of
Appalachian farmland.
Housing provided.
Bring all your own
possessions. Of the
hundred-plus men to
apply, four were hired.
The preacher and his
nephew offered each a
ride to the farm. The men
never knew what was
going on what bizarre
scheme theyd stumbled
upon. What happened
next was almost
too terrible to believe
killers
Wired feature 09.14
page 1 2 9
search
t is November, and 5am feels
like winter. As he has on
many mornings these past
four months of 2011, Brogan
Rafferty, age 16, wakes up
early to help his friend and
mentor, Rich Beasley, on an
errand of Beasleys design.
Rafferty doesnt need to
pick up Beasley until six, but
unlike your typical teenager,
Rafferty likes to get upearly
anddrinkcoffeeinthemorning
sohehas sometimetohimself
before he leaves the house.
Today they are going to pick up Timothy Kern, age 47, who will be waiting for
themin a strip-mall parking lot with all his earthly possessions. Like the three men
who preceded himon this grimadventure, Kern answered an ad on Craigslist that
said: We needsomeone towatchour farmdowninsouthernOhio. Live for free ina
double-wide trailer, nothing in the way of duties except to take in the peacefulness
of the countryside andremarkonthe changingof the seasons andmake sure noone
stealsanyfarmequipmentorperpetratesanymischief. Thepayis$300(175)aweek.
Rafertypullsupinfront of Beasleyswithplentyof timeandthrowshisBuickinto
park. Beasleycomeslumberingacrossthefrontlawn, expellingsteamybreathintothe
dark Akronmorninganddeposits himself intothe front seat. Raferty says nothing,
asishishabit. Rafertyisajunior of middlingacademicrecordat Stow-MunroeFalls
HighSchool, remarkabletohispeersandteachersmostlyforbeingsuchagiant. Nearly
200cmtall, more than 100kg and not nished growing yet. Hes a laconic character,
politebut suspiciousof authority, prematurelyworld-wearywithaneasilyinamed
sense of injustice andanalmost pathological ability tokeephis owncounsel.
Theagendatodaycant beabigmysterytoRaferty. After all, hewas theonewho
dug the hole yesterday out at a plot of neglected suburban scrubland near the old
Rolling Acres Mall about yay wide and yay deep and big enough for an adult male
body. Beasley, not beingpartial tomanual labour, hadwatched. Astheypull out onto
theroad, RafertywillshimselfnottothinkaboutwhatheandBeasleywill bedoingthis
morning. RichardBeasley: age52, former convict, motorcycleenthusiast, professed
man of God, known on the Akron street as Chaplain Beasley. Hed started taking
Raferty to church when Raferty was nine years old and already almost comically
largeandserious andquiet. SincethenBeasleyhas becomeprobablyRafertys best
friend, hisuncle-dad, hisguidetotheGospelsof theBibleandtheafairsof theteenage
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search
ich Beasley is sitting
in navy prison trousers
in the visitors hall at
ChillicotheCorrectional
Institution, situated
in farmlands south of
Columbus. On his face
is a commiserating smile that says: can you
believe it, the world is so fucked up, but did
we really expect anything different? He is
large, with a fulsome white goatee and an
untrimmedmustachethat coverstheabsence
of front teeth and works as a kind of flap
behind which bites of microwave cheese-
burger disappear as a dog disappears into
a ap in a back door. He has lively, almond-
shapedblueeyesthat donot shyfromcontact
anddont seemtohaveanythingtohide. They
might besaidtohaveamischievous twinkle.
He looks like the Grinch, or at least a little
like he was drawn by a cartoonist.
Itseasytoseethat Beasleywasapreacher.
Themanhas thegift of gab. But hes not what
youd call silver-tongued. His talent in the
sermonisingarenawasneversoaringoratory,
heart, to the mysteries of Akron and the even deeper mysteries
of Rafertys ownparents. Raferty calls himhis counsellor.
Theenterprisethat will bringthemtoTimKernbeganinAugust, in
thedeadof summer. Beasleyhaddiscoveredthat therewas awarrant
out for his arrest, the product of a 20-month investigation into
the goings-onat a halfway house he operated. If he were arrested, he
could spend the rest of his life in prison. So Beasley began to target
men like Kern. At rst because he needed a new identity, and later
to provide income to support a life on the run.
Beasleys Craigslist ad was designed for a certain kind of person:
male, white, unattached, ageing, someone on the downward slope
of life for whomthings maybe havent gone exactly as planned. It is
sort of a retirement planfor the obsolete white man. Inthe industrial
northeast of Ohio at the far side of the Great Recession, there is no
shortageof thesepeople. Beasleyhasbeeninterviewingsubjects
he carefully selects from the hundreds of men who reply to
the ads. Hes been showing up at the food court of the Chapel
Hill mall with an ofcial-looking application form, afecting
the air of an afable blue-collar-type landowner who wants to
ndsomeone friendly to campout onhis spreadwhile hes up
in Akron conducting the business of his normal life. Beasley
ascertains certain things fromthese gentlemen: do you have
a wife or kids or people you need to keep in close touch with?
This farmdoesnt havemobile-phonecoverage; canyoulivein
peaceful isolation?What typeof vehicledoyouhave, andwould
you be bringing that down with you when you came, and oh,
theres a laptop computer? Bring it all with you, and my
nephewand I will drive you on down to Caldwell.
Beasley tells Raferty to get ofthe highway at an exit in the
townof Canton. He says that TimKernis waitinginhis car not
too far fromthere. Raferty is quiet, as always. But he is also
observant. Beasleysmellsthismorningof barsoapand, beneath
that, something fetid. Raferty notices hes wearing the same
clothes as yesterday, and he wonders whether these are now
the only clothes he has. Beasley has always been a rumpled
character, acorpulent manindenimandleatherandboots, with
longwhitehair hewears inabaldinggrandmothers braid. But
oneof hisprinciplesistomaintainabrighthygieniclinebetween
himand the street people he ministers to. His message: I live
amongyoubychoice; I canleaveif I want. ButbyNovember2011,
neartheendof RichardBeasleysrun, thingsarefallingapart on
boththebodilymaintenanceandcriminal mastermindfronts.
Beasley has been dyeing his hair as part of his new identity,
but nowthelmysilver roots havegrownout. Hes abandoned
his houseandis nowlivingontheeast sideof Akroninarented
roomthat doesnt even have a door you can close.
Inlessthanamonth, Rafertywill deliveraseriesofconfessions
totheFBI about theelaboratelyplannedcrimes heandBeasley
committedtogether. If youlistentotheconfes-
sions carefully, they begin to sound diferent
whenRafertystartsdescribingthismornings
eventswithKern. Throughoutmostofhisstate-
ments, he maintains a tone of impassivity,
soundinglikesomeonewhodmerelywatched
aseries of killings onanunmarkedvideotape
hereceivedinthemail. Butwhenhetalksabout
Kern, its like things wont stay psychologi-
callytampeddown. Its as if whatever mental
box hed built to house these events comes
unsealed and everything spills out.
There is a surveillance camera in the
car park where Kern is waiting in his 1995
Buick LeSabre. Footage from that camera
will indicate it is 06:05 on that morning of
Sunday November 13, 2011, when Beasley
and Raferty arrive to get him.
Belowfar left
Ataleof twodads
Mike Rafferty with
his son Brogan.
He was a better
but ultimately less
formative father
gure than Richard
Beasley (above)
Left
Helpneeded
Timothy Kern
was nearly broke
when Richard
Beasley and
Brogan Rafferty
picked him up
R
page 1 3 1
moreof afolksysociability. Hecantalkknowl-
edgeably about using a store-bought still to
make moonshine and the origin and bylaws
of theHellsAngels, aswell ashowright Jesus
was when he said to give unto Caesar what
was Caesars. Beasleysays healways livedby
thelawsof Godbut that, whenhewent onthe
runfromthelaw, hewasnt livingbythelaws
of man and thats wrong, so shame on him.
Godhasbeentheoneconstant inhislife, he
says, thanks tohis mother. I acceptedJesus
as my saviour when I was 12 years old. I was
baptised then, and thats all the baptising
I needed, according to my religion.
Beasleys original and most dening role in Rafertys life was as
the guy who took him to church. First as a good-works type of deal
and then because they were homeys. Beasley did his ministering
in the ghetto, but he and Raferty went to services at the Chapel, a
giant evangelical church that looks not unlike an ageing community
college and serves thousands of mostly middle-class parishioners
who dont fancy putting on airs when it comes to worship but value
communityandcharityandChrist. Beasleysmother, Carol, hasbeena
member in good standing at the Chapel for 40 years.
I took him to church because he needed it, Beasley says. It was
the right thing to do. His father would go to his [bikers] club-house
on Friday and wouldnt be home. And his mother, wellBut Raferty
lovedchurch. His punishment was not beingallowedtogotochurch.
Raferty and Beasley were also regulars at the Bible study held in
the orchestra roomafterwards. Everyone thought they were a funny
pair, the little-boy giant and the ageing former
biker. They tried to get Raferty in with the kids
hisage, but hepreferredtobewiththeolderfolks.
Hewas nine, but helooked14, NancyWilson,
one of the regular members of the Bible study,
says at bakeryinAkronone morninglast winter.
Raferty was like a puppy. He was following
Richard [Beasley] around.
And Beasley, on the other hand:Well, he
maintainedwhatyoucall theroughlook. Youknow,
thedown-and-outer look,Wilsonsays. He
wasdishevelled, but hefelt that gavehiman
in withthe people he was ministering to.
Wilson, andthewholeBible-studygroup,
got toknowBeasleyfromthelettershesent
hismotherwhenhewasdoingtimeinprison
in the early 2000s. Carol would read the
letters aloud and then theyd pray for him.
Theyd heard, Wilson says, howhed got in
trouble the rst time, downinTexas, when
he wasnt more than 25 years old. A series
of robberies, thenaguncharge that he told
everyone wasnt his fault, then a couple of
other scrapes that heexplainedwerereally
justmisunderstandings. ItseemedtoWilson
that hespent alot of hisletterscomplaining
about the bedding and the food and didnt
say too many remorseful things, but the
group was compassionate, because give
theguyabreak, hewas injail, after all. Plus,
theyd all do anything for Carol. She lived
a real Christian life. There wasnt a thing
she wouldnt do or give to help people.
And after he got out, Beasley seemed to have found his way
backtoGod. Hedbecomeachaplain. Well, hehadnt technically
been ordained, but he said he was training up. The group knew
all about that halfway house hed started down on Yale Street,
where he lived. There were some weirdpeople whousedtostay
there, certainly. That oneguyendedupbeingasexofender. But
thesewereBeasleyspeoplethedowntrodden, theaddicted, the
halfwits, the streetwalkers, petty thieves and wrecks of Akron.
He lived among them. Because thats who needed help.
Akron belongs to the official demographic denomination
of Midsize American City your Springfield, Missouri, your
Greensboro, North Carolina the type of place most people
have heard of but almost no one has been to on purpose. In a
city of this size, with a downtown of no more than a handful of
city blocks, without even a proper ghetto, the street is small enough
that it is mostly on a rst-name basis with itself. And its true that
the street was on a rst-name basis with Chaplain Beasley. To hear
Beasleytell it (anda lot of his claims check out), he hadministeredto
themat theHopeCaf, wherethestreetwalkerswouldgather for some
freecofeeandfour-colour Jesus brochures; hehadfedthemfromthe
food bank; he had delivered bread to the drunks at the bars so that
even if theyd boozed away their wages, they could come home with
somethingfor their families toeat. HeconductedweeklyBiblestudies
at his halfway house for the unwanted and forgotten and lived with
them and tolerated their vices and their personality defects, their
vomit and blood and urine, and endured what no other man could
endure, andstill hadcharityinhis heart. That is thestoryhetells. And
its what Nancy Wilson and her husband, Dave, mostly believed.
Weoverlookedthings,Davesays now. Signals. Theywerethere.
These were Beasleys people
the addicted, the halfwits, the petty
thieves and the wrecks of Akron
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Above
Meetingplace
The Canton car
park from where
Brogan and
Beasley picked
Timothy Kern up
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really is a plot of land in Caldwell, just like Beasley promised in
theCraigslist ad. It technicallybelongs toacoal-miningcompany. Its
beautiful inthat corner of Ohios Appalachia, thehillocks bunchedup
andfrostedinwoods. It feels likebeingbackinwhat evenpeoplewho
have known no such simpler time refer to as a simpler time.
If on this November morning you were to head out of Caldwell, up
ontoRadoRidge, past acoupleof desolatehouses, andturnontoDon
Warner Road, youwouldndthefarm. That roadwill dropyoudown
intowhat peopleherecall aholler, andif youstopmidwaydownthe
hill andtakethehalf-grown-over four-wheeler track, youwouldnda
holecontainingthebodyof oneRalphGeiger, nakedandpartlydecom-
posed. Ralph Geiger being the name on Beasleys driving licence and
pill prescriptions these days. The body has been here since summer,
whentheleaves weregreen; nowit sits beneathametreof dampearth
coursedbyhuntersout savouringthenal daysof bow-huntingseason.
If youleft the four-wheeler trackandtraveledfarther downhill tothe
woodedoorof theholler, youwouldnd, under50cmof dirt, thebody
of David Pauley, whod answered the ad in October, when the leaves
had begun to change. Hed driven up fromVirginia with a pickup and
a U-Haul lledwithmodel trains, Nascar memorabilia anda shotgun.
Maybe15metres awayfromDavidPauleys bodyis aholethat Raferty
haddugnot muchmorethanaweekago. It is emptyexcept for several
centimetres of rainwater it had been meant for the body of Scott
Davis, whodansweredtheadanddecidedtomoveall thewayupfrom
SouthCarolina. But withDavis somethinghadapparentlygonewrong
withthegun. Beasleyhadonlybeenabletoshoot Davisinthearm, and
then Davis had taken of into the woods. Bleeding and cold, he hid in
the underbrush for seven hours, until, after dark, hed just by chance
found the road again and walked until he found a house with a light
on. Thered been no gain from the failed commission of that crime,
andthats why Beasley andRaferty are at it againsosoon, inthis car
park at dawn, saying good morning to TimKern.
Rafertysays hehangs backwhileBeasleydoes theinterfacingwith
Kern. Beasleygets jocular andstreet-preachery, andKernyields. It is
in keeping with Kerns character. He is closing in on 50 years old and
recently unemployed hed been working nights cleaning speedway
car parks until he was recently downsized. He has a history of being
a burner and a loafer and a dude who loves classic rock. He is the
divorcedfather of three boys. Tina, his ex-wife, a cocktail waitress at
theWinkingLizardTavern, still lovesKern, but shecouldnt takebeing
married to himany more. It was like having another kid. In the most
recent photographs, his face reveals an almost boyish guilelessness
that doesnt age super well. Raferty thinks he seems sweet. Today
he wears a black baseball hat that he cant seemto put on straight.
Therst strangethingRafertynoticesabout theTimKernsituation
is the car. ABuick that cant operate at speeds over 50kph. This is the
big payday Beasley has been hoping for? A car you cant even drive
on the highway? There is no question about Kern taking it down to
the farm theyll take Raffertys car. And then theres the stuff.
Kernis livinginhis car, at this point. All he has are garbage bags lled
with clothes and keepsakes, a fewpictures of his family and a soiled
ream of personal documents of the type you see the itinerant
clutching outside government offices everywhere.
Before theyget intothe car, Beasleystarts tellingKernwhichof his
things hell need down on the farmand what he should come back to
pick up later. Take this, leave that. Atoolbox, a believable amount of
clothes, so Kern will think hes really going somewhere. Raferty, as
the muscle, grapples the TV into his boot. Its not even a at-screen.
Why does Beasley want this TV? What kind of vetting process could
Beasleyhavedoneonthis guy?Whatever slimmarginof logic theyve
been operating on, robbing and killing men who were themselves
almost destitute, is now out of the window. Beasley asks Kern how
much cash he has on himto get by with down on the farm, and Kern
gets all sheepish and says: ve bucks.
Whileitsstill dark, thethreeof themdriveout of that carparklot and
intothestill- somnolentmorningforwhatissupposedtobea90-minute
drive toCaldwell. BeasleyandRaferty upfront, Kerninthe back.
Beasleykeeps the patter up. He was always goodlike that. Raferty
often remarked inwardly about howweird some of the stuf Beasley
talked to these men about was. Beasley would take them out for
breakfast onthewaytothefarm, thebigmagnanimousbossguy. When
they were eating breakfast with David Pauley just before they killed
him, Beasley toldthis longstory about a friendof his wholookedlike
KennyRogers, andwhentheydgoout toeat, Beasleywouldlet it slip
tothewaiter that it reallywas KennyRogers andtheydall eat for free.
Today, Kernseems afableinthefaceof Beasleys small-talkfusillade,
kindof dazy andtrying to act professional aroundhis newemployer.
What theCraigslist joboferedKernwasanunforeseenopportunity:
an actual grown-up life. Instant adulthood, including a place to live
where his sons they were grown, but he called themhis babies
couldvisit, asetupthat latelyseemedbeyondhimtopuzzle out. Still,
Kerndidnot exactly go gladly into this adventure. Hedbeenanxious
yesterday, wringinghis hands, tellinghis boys hedidnt want toleave
them, staying up all night packing at Tinas house he still used it as
kind of a base for showering and the keeping of important items. He
was tryingtoseemlaid-backabout it, but hefelt prettyadrift, heading
out that morning to go live by himself on a farmin southern Ohio.
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there
isnow18andheslockedupat theWarrenCorrectional Institution.
Twoyears ago, hehadnever evenbeeninthebackof apolicecar. Now,
intheearlydays of alifesentencewithout parole, hehas alreadycome
toinhabit thepersonaof theoldprofessorial prisoner whoapproaches
life inside with a quiet, philosophical asceticism.
NooneknowshowoldI aminherebecauseImold-school,hesays.
I carrymyself asif I wereolder. I looklikeImmid-twenties. Plus, they
all thinkImthiscrazykiller. Thisserial killer. Sotheysteerclearof me.
Raferty gives the impression that he would rather be alone and is
only being interviewed because his father told himto. (Both Raferty
and Beasley are appealing against their verdicts.) He gazes kind of
inwardlyinthemidst of theheartbreakinghumancalamitythat is the
visitors roomshackledmenwithfaceinkandcornrowsholdingtheir
newbornbabies, oldmumswheelingoxygentankstobuytheironlysons
amicrowavablecalzone. But itsnot thedesperatequietudeof someone
who wants to connect and cant gure out how. Its an almost imper-
turbable sense of independence. Raferty is, and always was, a priori
diferent, is howhe sees it. Hes not the kids in his high-school class,
hes not likethemanshackledwiththeneckink, hehas never beenlike
anyoneeverexcept maybehismumanddad, thoughbothof themwere
always at distances sountraversable that he couldnt knowfor sure if
hewaslikethemor not. Hehasnever reallyneededother people. (This
is convenient, becausehehas never hadanyonehecouldsafelyneed.)
Mike Rafferty, Brogan Raffertys dad, is in his early 50s, small in
stature, around170cm, built almost inasquare, aRubiksCubeof esh.
Before they get too far, Beasley leans back and says, Hey man, we
were hunting squirrels out by the old Rolling Acres Mall the other
day. Andyouknowwhat? I lost my watch. Its got a lot of sentimental
value. Doyoumindif wegoover tothewoods andlookfor it real quick
beforeweheaddowntothefarm? AndKernsays, No, I dont mind.
Granted, maybeBeasleyandKernliveinaworldwhereitsnot totally
implausibletohavebeenhuntingsquirrelsintheAkronsuburbs. But it
was still aweirdthingtosay. This overlycompanionableageingbiker
type and his darkly silent nephew pick you up to drive you down to
yournewjobonafarm, but rst, at sixinthemorning, theywant toroot
aroundthewoods for awatchtheylost whileshootingurbanrodents?
But what wouldyousay if youwere Kern? One thing about humans is
that theywill put upwithall but themost absurdandalarmingevents
once theyve signedontoa situation. There is infact a moment when
the teenage girl couldjumpout at the stoplight once she starts toget
thesmell of badmagicontheguywhooferedher alift home, whenthe
homeowner couldclose the door onthe manat the front steps whose
faceisnt composedright at all. But if youdont bail right away, chances
areyouwill bealongfor theentireride, however windyandgruesome
it turnsout tobe. Weveall doneit: takenthecabeventhoughthedriver
seemsweird, boardedtheplaneeventhoughthat guyinthetrenchcoat
is sweating and talking to himself, stayed in a situation even though
some tingly instinct is telling you to ee. And what youve learned
fromthoseexperiences is that it always works out. Trust is howCraig-
slist works. The shocking thing isnt that the occasional bad actor on
Craigslist shows up and takes advantage of that trust. The shocking
thing about Craigslist is that it almost never happens.
TimKern will not make it down to Caldwell today. He is not going
toa desolate parcel of landcarefully selectedbecause it seemedlike it
might needa caretaker andbecause youcant hear a gunshot fromthe
nearesthouse. Hewill nevergetfurtherthanthescrubwoodsaroundan
abandonedshoppingmall. Thiscriminal enterpriseisrapidlydevolving,
the standards lowering froma kind of wannabe Hollywood lmabout
professional hit menintoa haphazard, tragically absurdkilling spree.
Weknownowthat it will beover inaweek. But toRafertyit seemslike
it couldgoonandon. Whenhetalks about it now, hesays hewas living
ina state of total acquiescence. Asurrender towhat he calls darkness.
The entire period suffused with a thick matter that fundamentally
transformedall things, fromthe foodhe ate tothe people he talkedto,
intosomekindof intolerablesimulacrathat tastedof metal anddeath.
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ome, he was just death, says Raferty. When
I thought of him, it was death.
Beasley was death incarnate? Yes. Beasley
must have known, somehow, that Raferty could
handle living through that darkness without
imploding. It was Beasleys gift to see potential
whereothersdonot, wheremostpeoplewouldnot
want to look for potential. Beasley was almost blinded by the oppor-
tunities he saw like growing weed or making moonshine or faking
a rafe or trading on the inherent advantages of running a halfway
houseinthehoodinawaythat seemedtomakenormal opportunity
almost invisible to him. What Mike, Rafertys dad, usedto say about
Beasleywasthathedrathermakeacrooked
nickel thananhonest dollar. It wasthekind
of thingyoucouldsayrighttoBeasleysface
andhedlaughabout it. Mike says Richard
Beasley once asked himif hed like to rob
a bank. Which Mike most certainly didnt
want to do. But those were the kinds of
things kicking around in Beasleys head.
Perhaps Beasley sawin Raferty a kind
of potential that Rafferty was probably
unaware of. Beasley knew Mike from the
world of Akron bikers, and Yvette from a
life that brought himinto the drug houses
and jails of Akron, and he knew Raferty.
Thishulkingcastof, whostrangersthought
was possibly mute but condants knewas
a preternaturally sardonic kid who acted
like a full-grown man but was probably
hiding a stunted little baby somewhere
inside, like a worm larva in the middle
of an apple. Its not that Beasley became
friends with Raferty when he was nine as
part of alongcon. Beasleyprobablystarted
taking Rafferty to church because it felt
like a good Christian thing to do. Beasley
seemedtoenjoyhangingout withRaferty,
toolingaroundAkron, visitinggraveyards
and dropping general world knowledge.
And in the bargain Raferty, according to
the amateur psychology of pretty much
everyonewhocameintocontactwiththem,
He has a long dark ponytail, a prominent forehead, a small expres-
sionless mouth and shiny dark eyes framed out by the longest, most
beautiful, dark eyelashes that give a poignancy to the latent violence
heexudes. ItslikeMyLittlePonywasa53-year-oldbiker fromtherust
belt of Akron. Heisamachinist bytrade, worksnightsprecision-cutting
metal for aircraft landinggear, and, yes, isthepresident andamember
in good and legendary standing of the North Coast motorcycle club, a
closeafliateof theHellsAngels. Accordingtothepolice, NorthCoast is
suspectedof dealinginmeth, but Mikehasnocriminal record, savefor
a public-urinationcharge. Infact, he comes across as a straight arrow
whodoes not sufer fools gladlyor without punchingtheminthe face.
Maybe I wasnt the kind of father I should have been, he says. I
wasnt good at showing emotion, and I was a bit of a disciplinarian.
Thekindof father hewas: thekindwhobuys asmall houseinagood
school district, teaches his kidto box inthe garage starting whenhes
ve; whodidnt drinkonweeknightsbut spent Fridaysat church(the
weeklymeetingof NorthCoast) andmost of theweekendat bars; who,
Rafertysays, oncebroketheboysnoseoveramissingreport card; who
BeasleyandRafertyandYvette, Rafertysmother, all agreewasagood
provider but terriedBrogan. FromMike, Rafertylearnedwhat Mike
sawasthat most important tool: self-reliance. Upuntil that November,
Mikesawhimself asadadwhowasdoingaprettygoodjobraisingaboy
moreorlessonhisown. It wasastableplacetolive, but not ahomethat
allowedforcertainpartsof beingakid: likeadmittingthat youreweak,
andyoudont havetheanswers, andthat circumstances canarisethat
yousimply cannot be expectedtotake care of by yourself.
Rafertys mother, on the other hand, is an addict. Over time, hed
reduced his relationship with her to the smallest unit of parenting
she could handle: Rafferty told Yvette she could go on a crack
binge because no matter what she promised, she was going to go
on a crack binge anyway. She just couldnt do it on the weekends
Rafferty was with her. But he couldnt rely on even that.
Yvette was a biker chick from the rst time she ever got on a
motorcycle. I was hot as shit, I aint gonna lie, she says over a
steak at TGI Fridays. Hair down to my ass. I was hot.
Byall accounts this descriptionof YvetteRafertyis accurate.
She arrived in northern Ohio fromout of the American South
as awomanfromadreamissueof Easyriders magazine, skinny
and willowy, with hair spun fromice creamand sunshine and
a taste for denim and leather. She liked to party, and she was
crazy, too. She met Mike when she was working at a bikini bar.
That was not long before she became addicted to cocaine. She
says shewas sober whileshewas pregnant. But Rafertywasnt
three days old when she disappeared into a crack house with
himstill swaddledinahospital blanket. MiketookRafertyaway
after that, andtheyseparated. Shestill seems likekindof alove
mama, even though a good chunk of her humanity appears to
have disappeared into addiction. She is a hug person, a kiss
person, apersonwholoves tocry, thetypeof hippiebiker chick
whod want to sleep with all her babies in a big family bed but
also bungee them to a chopper for a ride to get formula. But
in reality, she is nowa 49-year-old woman who has to remove
her newdentures before she eats a TGI Fridays steakwithJack
Daniels sauce. Who, after twobeers, starts shiveringandloses
thegiftof coherentspeechforlongstretchesandtriestoeatawet
napkin ofher plate. Sits there chewing it like lettuce. Raferty
has known before memory that his mother is an addict. When
hewas ten, hefoundevidenceontheinternet that shedprosti-
tutedherself. Duringthesteakdinner sheadmits knowingwhat
shed become. Her face crumpled and she said: I knowall this
is my fault. I knowit is. If I hadnt have been an addict, none of
this would have happened.
Left
Eat tokill
Chaplain Rich
shown with Brogan
in a restaurant
surveillance
video, getting a
bite before an
attempted murder
Aboveright
Noparole
Defence attorney
Edward Smith
looks on as Brogan
Rafferty gives a
statement in court.
He was sentenced
to life in prison
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got adadwhowasnt ahard-ass, whotookhimaroundandtreatedhim
like anequal, but whoalsounderstood(without judgment) the world
where his mumcame from. Yvette describes Rafertys feelings this
way: He was ashamed of me, but he loved me. Beasley was kind of
like Raferty himself they both straddled the straight and the street
worlds. Andwhenthetimecame, Beasleyknewwhat Rafertysskill set
might be, knewhowto activate it, andhe apparently didnt hesitate.
Inthesummerof 2011, beforetheyluredthat rst man, RalphGeiger,
down to southern Ohio, Beasley had a conversation with Rafferty.
Therewasgoingtobeawarrant out forBeasleysarrest. Andif theygot
him, he said, they were going to put himaway for a crime he didnt
commit. So he was going on the run. This news lit in Rafferty an
incandescent bloomof indignation. Damncops. They messedwithhis
mother. Well, hehadtoldmethis storyabout howtheyweregoingto
put him in jail over some old stuff that he didnt do, Rafferty
says. I was angry. I was angry. It didnt seemright.
But then, whenthemurders began, it couldnt havebeenjust about
that anger any more. Whatever compelled Raferty to help Beasley,
it had to have become something else. Raferty says nowthat he did
what Beasley saidbecause Beasley threatenedhim. He toldRaferty:
I know where your mother lives. I know where your sister lives.
He would check on Raferty every day, call him, have him meet up.
Rafferty says that every time he dug a hole, he expected that he
might end up in it. This explanation seems too simple, but
Raffertys is the only narrative we have about these events.
Threatenedor not, Raferty trudgedon. Like a golem. Made of clay
by his master, animate but not awake to his humanity. To be there
and not really be there, the way he is here at the Warren Correc-
tional Institution, that was what Raferty could do better than just
about anyone. Rafertys greatest skill as accomplice in a crime of
massivelygruesomeproportionsistobeabletolocatehimself fathoms
beneath the emotional sea even when hes right beside you.
DoesBeasleyseehimself asamanattunedtothepotential lurkingin
places other menwouldnever look? The subject is broachedwhenwe
meet on death row. Awarrant had been out for his arrest, which was
for, essentially, runningaprostitutionring20women, onemaleout
of his halfway house. Aring stafed by the women he ministered to.
The women for whomhed stood up in court to promise judges that,
as counsellor andhalfway-houseproprietor, hedlookafter them. The
women hed visit in jail, talk on prison phones with, and describe his
physical longingforinconversationstheauthoritieswererecording. By
mostaccounts, hisfavouritehadbeena17-year-oldgirl namedSavannah,
whodiedof anoverdose. Raferty knewher as Beasleys girlfriend.
Beasley tried to get one of these women, Amy Saller, of drugs, in a
way. She says he devised his own detox system: three rocks one day,
andthentwofor eachof thenext coupleof days, andthendowntoone.
But it never worked. So hed just buy her the rocks and let her smoke
themat hisplace. Shethought hisbiggest fearwasthat shewouldleave.
She said Beasley put her up as an escort on Backpage and took a
commission on the money she made. When asked about all of the
above, Beasleyssays: AmySaller. Imsorry, I dont knowwhothat is.
Beasley mentions an car accident he had about eight years ago.
I havent beenabletohavesexsinceit happened.
I had a steel coffee cup in my lap. He smiles
mischievously here and slits his eyes like a cat.
You cant use what you dont have.
Andthen, thinkingabout it, hegetsalittlemore
grandiose. I thinkit wasablessingfromGodthat
I wasnt able to have sex. If I could, it might have
complicatedthe relationshipI hadwithall those
women. I might have been tempted. As it was,
I was able to remain pure.
n the way to the Rolling Acres Mall, Kern
mentions that he likes Rafertys Buick. Beasley
hasaplanforKernscar: heandRafertywill come
backwithsomeblowtorchesandscrapit forcash.
Beasley will take the cash and give Kern a Ford
F-150. Amore appropriate vehicle for the terrain
downonthefarm. Kernwill payofthediference
ininstallments that will comeout of his wages. Its almost as if Beasley
enjoysspinningoutthesescenarios, anatural outgrowthofthefecundity
of his scheming brain hes got the gift, so why not share it?
Rolling Acres is like Chernobyl, with its cheerful awnings inviting
you to condemned cinemas and the now-removed names of big-box
stores silhouetted on to the brickwork of its entrances. The mall was
builtinthe70sandexpandedinthe80s, andnow, intheaftermathof the
recession, is hometoonlyasingleJCPenneystorethat will itself soon
beshuttered. Theypull aroundanoutbuildingandparknearthewoods.
Whentheybrought mentothefarm, Beasleyhadatrickhedpull.
Hed walk in front of the subjects right away and let themfollowhim
downoneof thetracksintotheforest. Havingastrangerwalkingbehind
you into the woods tends to raise defences. And then at some point
likeinScott Davisscase, whentheywerelookingforsomeconstruction
equipment theycouldnt ndtheredbeanexcusetoturnaround. And
just like that, the subject would be out in front. Thats when Beasley
would shoot himin the head without the victimever knowing what
happened, Raferty says. It was the beauty of Beasleys method that
he never hadto lay a handonanyone, never hadto overpower a body
he simplyhadtopickthe right people andthenbethe guyincharge.
And nowthey are in the woods, looking for this watch. Beasley
pulls back a branch and lets it slap back at Raferty and Kern. Then
Kernholds it back for Raferty so he canwalk by. This act of kindness
disturbs Raferty, though he doesnt say anything.
Beasley and Kern walk together, looking. Rafferty acts like hes
searching the thick November leaf layer a fewyards away. Raferty
says he hears a pop. When he turns, he sees that Kern is down on his
kneesandBeasleyhasthe.22inhishand. Kernsholdingthesideof his
head. AndthenBeasley says, Are youall right? Like hes concerned
Kerns hurt himself. But when Kern doesnt respond, Beasley shoots
himagain, and again, and again, and Kern slumps over on to his side.
Theres something wrong with the gun, Beasley is saying. And it hits
Raferty thenthat Kernis still breathing. All of these events, Raferty
says, blend together maybe because he has a reluctance to go back
over themor because he dissociates even right there in the moment.
But this whole debacle is beyondthe pale, horric inanabsurd, intol-
erable way to Raferty. This man has nothing worth stealing, there is
noreasontokill him. Andnowhe wont die. Beasleygets upclose and
shoots himonelast time, intheface. NowKernis lyingontheground,
eyes openwide andstaring at the leaess branches above. Every few
seconds he takes a big, audible gulp of air, like a dying sh. Hes still
alive, Rafertysays, hes still alive. Beasleysays no. Noway. His brainis
dead, therearefour bullets inhis headandI put onebetweenhis eyes.
It stops eventually, the desperate, drowningsounds. ThenBeasley
says to grab a leg and takes the other one himself. And together they
This man has nothing worth
stealing, there is no reason
to kill him. And now he wont die
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dragKerntothehole. Its only60cmdeep,
and Kern doesnt fit in there. Beasley
removes Kerns jacket and cuts the shirt
of with a pair of scissors. The black hat
he kicks to the side is covered in blood.
Why?RafertysaysheasksBeasley. Why
did we do this, he didnt have anything.
Beasley has his own logic about it: well,
hewas adeadmanas soonas hegot inthe
car. As if it had been out of their hands.
The rst time, with Ralph Geiger, they
removedall theclothes, coveredhimwith
lime, replaced the ground cover so you
couldhavewalkedright thegraveandnot
suspectedanything. ForDavidPauley, they
hadchanges of boots, gloves; Beasleyhad
even put a $20 note next to the hole so
theyd knowif anyone sawthe hole in the
interim. But bythetimetheygot toKern
Well, Kernisstill inhistrousersandshoes
and socks. Raferty hasnt even nished
lling the hole when Beasley tells himto
stop. Its getting light now. Beasley kicks
some leaves over the hole.
This would be the last murder. Scott
But evenif Raferty is lyingabout the threats, evenif he believes that
he did this of his own free will, it was still coercion. These crimes
benetedonlyoneperson: RichardBeasley. Therewassomediscussion
at the trial about how Raferty received treasure from these men:
David Pauleys shotgun, for example. But it seems like, say, an uncle
who has molested his nephewand then buys himanything he wants
at the toy shop, in doing so binding all kinds of emotions (shame,
guilt, pleasure, terror, pain) into a terrible cocktail that can never be
unmixed. Hopefully Beasley will tell the truth, because its the only
possible way to take even a fractional step toward making amends.
Oh, Carol says, I dont thinkso. He doesnt want anyone toknow
the real him. Hes too ashamed. He will never, ever do that.
Andshewas right. Themoment hesat downfor our interview, with
a twinkle in his eye, Beasley began telling magnicent stories. Ralph
Geiger hadbeendowninCaldwell, poundingnailsfor work, whenhe
came across a meth lab he shouldnt have seen, andthe meth dealers
had to walk himout into the woods and kill him. Raferty murdered
TimKern himself, with an accomplice, as a way to earn his colours in
the NorthCoast motorcycle club. Beasleyseemedtounderstandthat
some of this was hard to believe, and so he didnt gild the lily.
He did not confess to a thing. It would seem that this failure to
come clean would probably have some ramications with God, if he
happened to believe in God.
Howis it a fellowgets to heaven?
I believe youwill gotoheavenif youaccept Jesus Christ intoyour
heart as your saviour.
You dont have to confess to anyone?
You have to confess to God and ask forgiveness. Do you knowthe
storyof KingDavid?Hekilledamanandhadanadulterous afair. And
he was the apple of Gods eye.
Thats it? Confess to God and then youre in heaven?
He nodded. Thats it.
Heaskedonemorething. Pleaseaskpeopletowritetome, hesaid. I
maybeabletocounsel themintheir lives. Andif I couldcommunicate
withmenoutsidethesewalls, hesaid, it wouldmakemefeel free, too.
Devin Friedman is director of editorial projects at US GQ
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1
The one who got got away
Of the four men Rich Beasley led to the woods, only Scott Davis survived. After his ordeal,
Davis told police his story; a couple of weeks later, Beasley and Brogan Rafferty were arrested.
Davis hadgot away. Andhetalkedtothepolice. Right now, as Raferty
andBeasley are at the mall, the FBI is tracingthe Craigslist adback to
Beasleys IP address, and later to a camera at a Shoneys in Marietta,
Ohio, that snappedapictureof RafertyandBeasleyastheywalkedinto
meet Scott Davisthemorninghewasshot. Threedaysfromnow, agents
will showup at Stowhigh school and pull Raferty fromclass. He will
still havetheTVinhis boot. HeandBeasleywont evenhavescrapped
Kerns car yet there will have been zero nancial or other gain from
the murder of TimKern. The same day Raferty is arrested, a SWAT
teamwill pickupBeasleyoutsidethehousewhereherentedtheroom.
Itsgettinglighter out astheydrivebackfromRollingAcres. Beasley
has Raferty stop at McDonalds for breakfast. Beasley likes McDon-
alds because of the free internet. Rafferty says they dont speak.
Beasleytaps onhis computer, andRafertywatches thestreet outside
as the day gets brighter. He drops Beasley at his place and heads for
his mums. When hes pulling up the hill toward home, he gets a call
fromYvette. Shes crying. Aman she knows had been an asshole last
night, and nowshe is walking home. Raferty says that hell pick her
uponthe way home. This is one of those periodic moments of clarity
for her, when she can see plainly what the dynamic is with her son,
Raferty being the stable one, the guy who comes to the rescue. Im
sorryI wasnt therelast night, shesays, I didnt knowyouwerecoming
over this weekend, I swear. Rafertystops her. It doesnt matter, Mum.
Carol Beasley, RichardBeasleys mum, says that shedoesnt want to
fool herself. Richard probably did the things they say he did. Though
she cant help slipping into the framework her son has provided her
for these events . But why did Scott Davis make the ambulance take
himtoAkronGeneral hospital, whichis right bythemotorcycleclub?
she asks. He literally had to pass several other hospitals on his way
there. And why did Davis refuse to talk to the police for days?
Even if she pretty much knows the truth, she wont really be able
toprocess it until Beasleyadmits it. Noonewill knowwhat happened
until he comes clean. It seems impossible to understand this whole
saga without knowing the truth fromBeasley.
Therearethingswedont knowabout Raferty. Heclaimshepartici-
patedinthesecrimesbecauseBeasleythreatenedhim. Itsalsopossible
that Rafertyparticipatedbecause he thought he neededtobe a man.
Davis and Beasley enter
the woods on a November
morning; Rafferty stays in the
car. Davis hears a click, then
Beasley mumbling in frustration.
1
Wounded by a bullet that
glanced off his elbow,
Davis turns and runs as
Beasley continues to re at him
as if he were a rabid dog.
2
He hides in a dry creek
bed, covering himself in
vegetation. Afraid to walk out
before dark, he huddles there
for seven hours, praying.
3
He walks to a house and
calls 911. At rst, police
dont believe his story. He later
tells Beasley in court, Youre a
liar, a thief and a murderer.
4
escape route
page 1 3 7
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1 4 0 / I N F O R M A T I O N / W E S O U R C E E V E R Y T H I N G . S E E R I G H T
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Number of countries that surpass the US in the amount of one-year-olds
immunised against measles between 1980 and 2012
Price of ProTechts
bulletproof Bodyguard
Blanket, designed to
protect children in the
event of school shootings
Precision of a thermometer
made fromlight developed
by a teamof physicists at the
University of Adelaide
Cost for enough growth mediumto
produce 1kg of cultured meat in a lab
Average price per kg of
minced meat in the UK
Time required to cool a dogs
temperature to 10C, inducing
suspended animation. Human
trials of the process are
planned for later this year
Percentage decline in Maa-related homicides
throughout Italy between 1992 and 2012
Approximate highest
pitch audible to humans
Highest-pitched call in the animal
kingdom, emitted by a recently
discovered insect named Supersonus
DATA
CLUTTERING
OURINBOXES
THIS MONTH
Age of the oldest discovered pair of trousers, which
were excavated froma tomb in western China
Measurements per second taken by Googles Project
Tango smartphone, which will provide navigational
data for Nasas robotic assistants aboard the ISS
Please turn the page to view Supplement
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CONTENTS /
MASTHEAD
Istanbul
Stockholm
Berlin
London
Amsterdam
Tel Aviv
Moscow
Helsinki
Barcelona
Paris
02
06
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28
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ROSS BAI LEY, FOUNDER
APPEAR
HERE
London, June 2014
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P O P. 14. 6 MI L L I ON
S I Z E 5, 343KM
2
G L O B A L C I T I E S I N D E X R A N K I N G 2014: 28
WO R D S B Y L I AT CL ARK
P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
THERE IS STILL HUGE POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH IN
Istanbulsstartupcommunity: aroundhalf of all Turkeys
internet usersmakepurchasesonline, andit isestimated
that the countrys internet economy will growby 19 per
centeachyear. However, Europestill attractsmoreventure
capital percapitathanTurkey. Bansonsocial mediahave
caused foreign investors to question the stability of the
Turkish internet market, explains Cankut Durgun of
AslanobaCapital. Thiscouldbeabout tochange. Histori-
callytheresbeenalackof investorswithdeeptechnology
experience, but nowthere are growth investors taking
an interest as well as successful Turkish entrepreneurs
reinvesting as angels, says Naz zerturul, head of
AtomicosvaluecreationteaminTurkey. Successhasduly
followedfood-deliveryserviceYemekSepeti expandedin
theregionafter securinga26minvestment, andmobile
commerce rm Pozitron sold to Monitise for 60m in
February after securing global clients including eBay.
HEMEN KI RALI K
Halaskargazi mah,
Safak sokak No:15/3, Istanbul
Turkey hasover eight millionsecondary
homes, with60per cent of themvacant for
tenmonthsof theyear, saysRemi Onur,
cofounder of AirbnbcloneHemenKiralk. In
thepast 12monthstheplatform, knownas
Flat4Day initsEnglish-languageversion, has
attractedover 25,000homesin542cities.
Onur, whoalsoenjoyedsuccessascofounder
of mobilegamingcompany PeakGames,
planstoexpandintotheMiddleEast, eastern
EuropeandRussia. hemenkiralik.com
2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 02
TURKEYS BIGGEST CITY
IS NOW ATTRACTING MAJOR
OVERSEAS INVESTMENT
Hemen Kiralk cofounders
(left to right) Alper Kaya, Rina Onur,
Remi Onur, Mehmet lk
ISTANBUL
ONEDI O
Bykdere Cad.
Levent Loft B96,
Levent
Atomicos Naz
zertugrul calls
Onedio, launched
in August 2012,
the BuzzFeed of
Turkey. Traditional
media channels
hadnt really
become social,
says cofounder
and CEOKaan
Kayabal. So I
launched onedio.
comto become
the rst content-
based social
network. Within
four months more
than 160 brands
had created native
adsandsponsored
content. In March
the site reached
tenmillionmonthly
unique visitors.
onedio.com
BI TAKSI
Ku baki i Cad.
No:7, Maden
I Merkezi Kat
2, Altunizade,
skudar
The startup
is Istanbuls
rst local taxi-
hailing company.
Launching on
the App Store
and Google Play
in March 2013, it
secured 1.2m
investment from
Hasan Aslanoba
and Serkan
Boranl in June
2013, and claims
100,000 active
monthly users.
The founders
nowhave plans
to expand to
other major
cities in Turkey
and beyond.
bitaksi.com
I NI NAL
Maslak Yolu
No:5, Ayaza a
Mah, i li
Only around
half the Turkish
population have
bank accounts or
debit cards. Since
launching in April
2013, prepaid card
provider ininal has
had 300,000 sign-
ups, with monthly
spending nowat
1.4m. We plan to
launch an online
loyalty platform
to develop
gamication
capabilities by
cross-selling
campaigns
between
partners, says
cofounder
Bulent Tekmen.
ininal.com
I YZI CO
erenky Mah.
Ye ilvadi Sok.
No:8, neren
Merkezi 34752,
Ata ehir
Aiming to become
the Stripe of
the Middle East,
payment platform
iyzico reports 100
per cent month on
month growth in
transactions and
their volume since
its November
2012 launch, and
claims it nowhas
3,000 registered
merchants.
An 800,000
investment from
Pachicle Invest
should help it
reach its 2014
goals 10,000
merchants and
expansion to
MENA markets.
iyzico.com
MODANI SA
Halk Cad. No:37
Sunar Merkezi
D:20 skdar
The founders
of this Islamic
fashion portal
believe they have
a market of 400
million potential
customers. For
now, its working
on the rst 15
million in Turkey.
Young Muslim
women want to
combine their love
of fashion with the
dress codes of
Islam, cofounder
KerimTre says.
The portal now
features 300
brands and
attracts 4.5m
monthly users,
and there are
plans to expand
in European and
MENA markets.
modanisa.com
2014 / STARTUP CITIES ISTANBUL P / 04
BULDUMBULDUM
Mahmutbey
Mahallesi
Dilmenler Caddesi
Aslanoba Plaza
No:19 Ba clar
Founder Gl
Gkozan and his
twin sister have
always competed
to get each other
the best birthday
presents. If the
gift is unique
or customised,
its invaluable,
says Gkozan.
BuldumBuldum
is nowthe
biggest gift and
custom-product
e-commerce
site in Turkey,
attracting 1.5
million monthly
visitors. It is also
developing an
engine to allow
customers to
design and order
their ownproducts.
buldumbuldum.com
HOTELRUNNER /
CLOUDARENA
Ba dat Cad.
458/6 Suadiye,
Istanbul
Established by
CloudArena,
HotelRunner gives
ofine hotels a
virtual presence.
A contender on
our 2013 list,
CloudArenas
founders secured
900,000 from
212 Capital
Partners and
Aslanoba Capital.
They claim350
per cent year-
on-year growth.
hotelrunner.com
VI VENSE
Bykdere Cad.
No: 201 Levent
Loft D: 78 Sisli
Since making
our 2013 list,
the furniture
e-commerce
platformhas
secured 1.5m
in funding and
achieved 50
per cent growth
and 750,000
monthly visits.
Its nowbuilding
a network where
interior designers
can give free
recommendations
to customers.
vivense.com
ARMUT
Okisikli Cad. Altunizade
mah. Haluk Trksoy Arkasi
Sok Altunizde
When Armuts CEO Baak
Tapnar Degim(right) and
her husband relocated
to Istanbul fromthe US,
it was a disaster. Our
movers brought the wrong
sized truck. Our house
painters overcharged us.
We realised consumers in
Turkey were stuck with bad
service and there were no
trustworthy alternatives
on the web, she says. In
2011 Armut lled that gap,
linking the public with
home improvement, interior
design, moving services and
more. Since January 2013
(and backed in January 2014
by Hummingbird Ventures)
they have seen revenue
double every ve months.
FromMarch 2013 to 2014,
100m-worth of service
requests were made through
the portal. armut.com
TheGalataTower
in the Beyo lu
area of Istanbul
P
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G
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MONEY HEALTH 2014 NEXT GENERATION
OCTOBER 16-17, 2014
BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW
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WIRED2014 is back. Our two-day event
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it happens. Confirmed speakers include:
Andrew Hessel
Distinguished research
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Andrew Hessel studies
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as DNA-writing opens up.
Charmian Gooch
Cofounder & director,
Global Witness
Global Witness seeks to
expose the networks
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environmental destruction.
John Graham-
Cumming
Geek-culture maven
Howwell does Hollywood
portray hackers? The Geek
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movies computer code.
Ze Frank
Executive vice president
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Ze Frank built a huge cult
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memes. Hes now building
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John Hegarty
Founder, Bartle
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John Hegarty, creator of
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unlocking creativity.
Lee Bofkin
Street-art curator
and photographer
Lee Bofkin is a maths PhD
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Saul Singer
Co-author,
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Saul Singer wrote the book
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TICKETING
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2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 06
STOCKHOLM
THE STARTUPS OF SWEDENS CAPITAL HAVE CEMENTED A REPUTATION AS KEY TREND-SETTERS
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G L O B A L C I T I E S I N D E X R A N K I N G
2014: 33
WO R D S B Y TOM CHESHI RE
P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
ONCETHEQUIRKY, INNOVATIVE
outsi der of startup hubs,
Stockholmis nowan established
base. Itwasdeclaredthesixthbest
polefor ICTexcellence inEurope
by the European Commission
ahead of Berlin and one point
behindCambridge. Stockholmis alsoramping
up in nancial tech: in the wake of Klarna and
iZettle, keepaneye onTink, Vaulted, Bellhop,
mCASHandSafello(see overleaf). Coworking
spaces such as SUP46, Knackeriet and Entre-
prenrs Kyrkan are hosting scores of new
companies. And although the hub has some
particular strengths, Swedish startups will
trytheir handat anything, makingit arguably
more diverse than London or Berlin. The one
thingthat uniesthem?Weareearlyadopters
of movements, says Teenage Engineering
CEOJesper Kouthoofd. What Swedens doing
now, sowill everyoneelseinacoupleof years.
Teenage Engineeringmakes the
OP-1, aportable synthesiser,
sampler andcontroller that
came out in2011 touniversal
acclaim(Beck andDepeche
Mode are fans). It was the
product of asimple design
philosophy: We designand
buildproducts that we need
ourselves, says cofounder
Jesper Kouthoofd. Never
speculate onwhat people
might want or need. Likewise,
the startups ofces cater to
the specic needs of its 17
engineers: behindagarage
door off aquiet street lies a
denlledwithelectric vehicles,
3Dprinters, CNCmachines,
turntables, arcade machines
andall sorts of prototypes for
future products. One of those
is the OD-11, abeautiful, retro-
lookingspeaker (its basedona
1974 designfromSweden) that
incorporates aWi-Fi connection.
The speakers connect witheach
other automaticallyandastheyre
(sort of) smart, Kouthoofdsays
it will openupnewways tolisten
to music. They are also working
ona range of accessories.
teenageengineering.com
TEENAGE ENGI NEERI NG
Katarina Bangata 71, 116 42 Stockholm
UNOMALY
Regeringsgatan29,
111 53 Stockholm
Software always
fails, eventually.
Founded in 2010,
Unomaly is a
machine-learning
tool that monitors
IT systems in real
time, searching
for any anomaly
that could indicate
a fault including
newissues, not
just historic ones.
unomaly.com
Left-right: Teenage Engineerings
Emil Kullnger, AndersHalvarsson,
Jesper Kouthoofd, David
Eriksson and Pontus Winnberg
2014 / STARTUP CITIES
BEHAVI OSEC
Jakobs Torg 3, SE-11152 Stockholm
Its time for the password
to die. BehavioSec hopes
to land the killer blow.
The traditional model for
authentication made the
legitimate user the one who
was being inconvenienced,
explains Olov Renberg, COO.
Renberg (pictured right,
centre) and his cofounders
Kristofer Nygren (left of
frame) and Hans Peterson
(right) wondered if it would
be possible instead to
continuously verify
users on a website, without
themeven noticing.
BehavioSec detects the
unique way people interact
with a device typing
patterns, mouse clicks
and the programs you use
to create a signature. So
if someone else has your
password and logs on,
BehavioSec will ag it up.
The technique is known as
behavioural biometrics.
Although statistical
modelling approaches
have been around for a
while, this startup thinks
its transparent methods
coupled with machine-
learning algorithms
constitute a secret sauce.
Convenience might play
well to consumers, but
what about security freaks?
Turns out theyre rst in
line: the quasi sci- military
research organisation
Darpa and several high-
prole nancial institutions
including Danske Bank
have already signed up.
The company has $2 million
(1.2m) in funding and
Renberg says he wants
to [get] inside every
device, working with all
applications, if everything
goes to plan, within the next
12 months. behaviosec.com
MAG I NTERACTI VE
Drottninggatan
71C, 111 36
Stockholm
Another Scandi
gaming startup
with extraordinary
growth: based
on MAGs own
revenues data,
The Next Web
calculated that
its revenues grew
5,740 per cent
over the last year.
Founded in 2011,
it makes mobile
games including
Ruzzle, and it
claims 50 million
iOS players.
maginteractive.se
TRUECALLER
Kungsgatan 15,
111 43 Stockholm
Truecaller is
a phone book
(remember
those?) for the
mobile age. Its
database of
veried mobile
phone numbers
makes it easier
to get in touch
with businesses
and individuals,
and also acts as
a spamblocker
to avoid PPI calls
and the like.
The company,
founded in 2009,
is adding 2.4
million users in
India every month.
In February it
raised $18.8
million in a
round led by
Sequoia India.
truecaller.com
PEOPLE PEOPLE
Fredmansgatan 4,
118 47 Stockholm
Like Teenage
Engineering,
People People
develops smart
hacks for the
physical world.
Projects include
the Envelope
Phone a
smartphone
concept that
incorporates pre-
paid postage into
its body: when
youre done with
the phone, drop it
in a postbox and
it will go back to
the manufacturer
for recycling and
the Memoto life-
logging camera.
All products
are delivered
as beautiful,
restrained
Scandinavian
designs.
peoplepeople.se
LI FESUM
Klarabergs-
viadukten 90,
111 64 Stockholm
Appropriately
for a company
dedicated to
getting in shape,
Lifesumis bufng
up for a tilt at
global success: it
changed its name
fromShapeUp
Club, raised
$6.7 million last
April, and has
nowlaunched in
the UK. Its app
lets users track
the food and
calories they
consume, via a
barcode scanner.
Theres a library
of exercises and
it integrates with
other apps such
as RunKeeper.
CEO Henrik
Torstensson is a
Spotify veteran.
lifesum.com
13TH LAB
Pilgatan 3, 112 23
Stockholm
The computer-
vision startup
has been
around a while,
taking Nasas
3D mapping
technology
for unknown
environments
on to everyday
smartphones.
The apps its now
releasing feature
seamless 2D
and 3D image
recognition
and tracking.
Its ultimate
application?
A user interface
for reality.
13thlab.com
VI NT
Baggensgatan 16,
111 31 Stockholm
Even if the world
is your gym, you
might still want
an instructor.
Vint is a peer-to-
peer marketplace
for personal
training, hooking
up individuals
and groups
with certied
instructors via
iPhones. The
founders come
fromSpotify,
Wrapp and Hoas
Tool Shop, and the
company recently
raised $1.8 million
in a round led by
Creandum, aimed
at funding US
expansion.
joinvint.com
SAFELLO
Regeringsgatan
29, 111 53
Stockholm
The spectacular,
possibly criminal
collapse of bitcoin
exchange Mt.
Gox might make
some users of the
cryptocurrency
wary, but
Safello sees an
opportunity. Its
pitching itself as
a pan-European
exchange,
transferring
bitcoins to
customers
wallets without
holding any
BTC itself. In
December 2013,
it installed
Swedens rst
bitcoin cash
machine and
it nowaccepts
payments from87
European banks
in 11 countries.
safello.com
Cofce, a coffee-
shop and digital
workspace
P
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Startups are the yeast that makes the whole industry grow, said
Chancellor Angela Merkel this March. Politicians are starting to get inter-
estedinthestartupscene,saysDavidKnight, editorof Berlin-basedtechblog
Silicon Allee. Especially ahead of the federal election in the autumn.
Berlin is getting more and more international traction, says Nikolaus
Rttger, editor of WIRED Germany. We had one of the biggest series A
rounds in Europe this year at $38 million with [startup] NumberFour, not
to mention Bill Gatess investment in ResearchGate. Indeed, according to a DowJones
report, in the second quarter last year, Germany received $375.8 million in new VC
investment, mainlyinBerlin. What Berlinis waitingfor nowis abigexit, Rttger says.
5 2 . 5 1 6 7 N , 1 3 . 3 8 3 3 E P O P. 3, 400, 000 S I Z E 891. 8KM
2
G L O B A L C I T I E S I N D E X R A N K I N G 2014: 19
WO R D S B Y JOO MEDEI ROS P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
Last December, scientic
publisher Reed Elsevier
started sending takedown
notices to thousands
of academics who were
making copies of their
scientic papers freely
available online. They want
to protect their business
model and thats natural,
says Ijad Madisch, CEO
of ResearchGate, a social
network for scientists that
allows themto publish their
research. The problemis
that scientists still sign
contracts with publishers.
There are alternatives
and Imconvinced soon
scientists will fully embrace
them. Madisch, a former
medical scientist, had the
idea to build a network of his
profession, but there was a
problem. My supervisor told
me that researchers wont
change their ways and that
I needed at least a dozen
Nobel laureates to join before
anybody else would sign up.
With friends Sren Hofmayer
6WUNDERKI NDER
Brunnen Strasse
141, 10115 Berlin
6Wunderkinders
task management
app, Wunderlist,
claims six million
users. The startup
announced last
December a
$19mseries B
funding round
fromSequoia
Capital, the rst
investment of the
Californian VC
fund in Germany.
6wunder
kinder.com
RESEARCHGATE
Invalidenstrasse 115,
101 15 Berlin
and Horst Fickenscher,
Madisch founded
ResearchGate in 2008. Today
its used by over four million
researchers (including 30
Nobel laureates). We want
scientists not only to publish
their paper, but the original
data, the code, the protocol
and even what went wrong,
Madisch says. Were
changing the way scientists
think and do research. Its a
big ambition with inuential
backers: last June,
Bill Gates led a $35million
investment in the startup.
researchgate.net
The TV tower in
Alexanderplatz,
where many tech
rms are based
*Rate available for a group order with either single- or
multiple-address delivery within the UK. Offer closes 31.12.2014.
Want your company to gain a competitive
edge? You and your employees can
get ahead of the crowd with a WIRED
business subscription. Its an injection of
innovation, delivered every month.
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Thats
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colleagues.
For more details or to place your order,
contact sarah.thomas@condenast.co.uk
or call 020 7152 3720
2014 / STARTUP CITIES BERLIN P / 11
Delivery Hero
distributed over
eight million
meals last year.
Not bad for a food
delivery startup
that launched
only three years
ago. When we
started we were
quite far behind
our competitors,
but they werent
adapting fast
enough to
mobile, says
CEONiklas
stberg. They
still havent.
stbergs rst
business was
an online pizza
delivery service
DELI VERY HERO
Kohlfurter Strasse 41/43, 10999 Berlin
Mohrenstrasse 60, 10117 Berlin
Exerzierstrasse
24, 13357 Berlin
Pinterest,
Atlassian,
Quiksilver and
Coursera are
among the 230
customers
of Small
Improvements
feedback system
for managers
and employees.
Bootstrapped
SOCI OMANTI C
Paul-Lincke-Ufer
39/40, 10999
Berlin
This adtech
startup was
founded in 2009
by Thomas Nicolai,
Lars Kirchhoff
andThomas
Brandhoff, using
a technology
developed during
their PhD. In
2012, they hired
ex-Googler
Jason Kelly as
CEO. By 2013, it
was generating
hundreds of
millions of dollars
in revenue, with
clients such
as Rakuten
and Zalando. It
was bought by
Dunnhumby in
April for over
$100 million.
sociomantic.com
CLUE
Bethaniendamm
19, 10997 Berlin
Clue adds female
fertility to the
quantied-self
movement by
allowing women
to track their
monthly fertile
cycle. Cofounded
by Ida Tin and
Hans Raffauf, the
app is designed
by Mike LaVigne,
a former creative
director at Frog
Design. The
Clue teamare
currently working
on hardware.
helloclue.com
ONEFOOTBALL
Greifswalder
Strasse 212,
D-10405 Berlin
Onefootball
covers 100
international
football leagues
live, provides
breaking news
and transfer
gossip, and
has 14 million
users in over
200 countries. It
recently partnered
with talkSPORT,
an ofcial
broadcaster of the
Premier League
and the 2014
FIFA World Cup.
onefootball.com
GETYOURGUI DE
Erich Weinert
Strasse 145,
10439 Berlin
In April 2014,
the activity-
booking startup
GetYourGuide
acquired
competitor Gidsy,
another Berlin-
based startup
that had attracted
investors such as
Ashton Kutcher,
Amazon CTO
Werner Vogels
and SoundCloud
CEO Alexander
Ljung. Its
expansion was
again boosted last
January by a $4.5
million investment
(taking total
funding to $20.5
million) led by
former Booking.
comCEO,
Kees Koolen.
getyourguide.com
AUCTI ONATA
Kurfrstendamm
212, D-10719 Berlin
Last year this live
auction website
made waves when
it sold the Egon
Schiele painting
Reclining Woman
for $2.4 million. It
has nowsold over
10,000 items and
hasraised$193.8m
in investment.
auctionata.com
in Sweden, which
he ran fromBerlin
before launching
Delivery Hero in
2011. We set up
in Berlin because
theres no better
place to start
an international
business,
stberg says. We
have great people
fromall over the
world. In 2013,
the company
raised series D
investment of
$340 million,
reporting more
than 100 per
cent growth and
net revenue of
60 million. It
also recently
announced an
expansion from
14 to 21 markets,
including seven
Over ten million users share photos on
EyeEm, which nowhas a facility, EyeEm
Marketplace, allowing themto sell their
images with EyeEmgetting a 50 per
cent cut. Users can also benet from
EyeEms partnership with Getty Images,
which licenses photos on iStock. In April
the startup, cofoundedby Lorenz Aschoff
(right), hired Markus Spierring, Flickrs
former head of product. eyeem.com
Latin American
countries via
acquisition. Our
main competitor
remains the
telephone,
because thats
what most
people still use
to order food,
stberg says.
The product
is still only 25
per cent of its
potential. We still
have little control
over food quality,
for instance.
Our long-term
ambition is to
deliver the perfect
food delivery
experience.
deliveryhero.com
EYEEM
St Oberholz caf
in Mitte, Berlins
startup district
SMALL I MPROVEMENTS
and with a
teamof 12 (with
representatives in
Toronto, NewYork,
San Francisco and
Sydney), Small
Improvements
reported 280
million in revenue
last year. small-
improvements.com
heres never been a beter time for
investment in newand disruptive
companies. In fact, it might be the
best route for the recovery of western
economies. On the micro and macro
level, the time is ripe for innovation and
paradigmshifs in technology.
Investors give people the benefit
of the doubt, says serial entrepreneur
and VCBrent Hoberman. Theyre
not looking at what you did yesterday,
theyre interested in five or ten years
hence. Which is really what that early
stage market should be about. Were
expecting in the next five years to see
more change than ever before.
Christophe Donay, head of asset
allocation and macro-research at
Pictet Wealth Management, is just
as definitive about the opportunities
facing us and the dangers of not
grasping them. As things stand today,
economies in the western world find
themselves at a newcrossroads, with
two trends opening up ahead of them,
he says. If there is no paradigmshif,
no positive shock to boost growth, they
will crumple under the sheer weight
of ballooning debt and lose ground
against emerging economies before,
ultimately, becoming impoverished.
On the other hand, they could seize the
initiative by returning to the trajectory
of sustained growth.
But howcan they resume that
growth path? Investment plays an
essential role in fuelling the momentum
behind growth, says Donay. It is the
conduit via which newproducts and
services are spread throughout the
economy, resulting in a broad-based
transformation through innovation.
Innovation-led growth must, more
than ever, be a leitmotif for mature
economies if they are to extend their
track record of impressive development
WHY
START
NOW
PICTET HAS SPONSORED THIS EDITORIALLY
INDEPENDENT WIRED LIST OF EUROPES 100
HOTTEST STARTUPS. PICTET BELIEVES THAT
INNOVATION IN KEY SECTORS BACKED BY
INVESTMENT SHOULD BE CELEBRATED
ThePictet
promise
Founded in
Geneva in 1805,
Pictet is a leading
independent wealth
and asset manager,
with more than
259 billion in assets
under management
and custody (as
of March 2014).
Pictet is owned
and managed by
eight partners with
ownership principles
that have endured
since foundation.
As an independent
partnership, Pictet
is under no pressure
to maximise short-
termreturns for
shareholders;
instead managing
clients assets to
create value over
the longer term.
WIRED / PICTET PARTNERSHIP
Four billion people
will be online by
2020. Whoever
best cracks digital
communication
best will win big.
As the planets
population grows to
nine billion people
by 2050, smarter
energy solutions
will become critical.
Were on the cusp
of a revolution in
the life sciences,
and digital health
is at the fore of the
data-led disruption.
Dumb denims
may be a thing
of the past. Your
world will soon be
transformed by
smart materials.
that began a fewcenturies ago.
The radical breakthroughs that
innovation lends to economies are
exactly what is required today, so the
nurture of todays startups is critical.
Over the decades, successive
waves of radical innovation have
thoroughly transformed European
and American economies, improved
peoples standards of living and raised
levels of education, says Donay.
We have seen plenty of innovations:
weaving looms, railways, radio,
petrochemicals, medicines, television,
the car and the plane. Since 1800,
the level of the economys output has
doubled every 46 years, whereas that
would have taken 700years under the
pre-Industrial Revolution system.
Although Donay warns that genuine
technological revolutions take time
to deliver tangible and sustainable
boosts to growth, there are reasons for
optimism. Flickers of innovation
are appearing litle by litle in
individual economic sectors such as
biotechnology, advanced robotics,
big data and energy, he says.
For Hoberman, the health industry
andbiotech in particular are ripe
for investment. Theres alot in the
health industry that hasnt yet been
disrupted, he says. With the cost
of equipment andhardware going
down sofast andthe amount of data
in health, thats afascinatingarea.
Insteadof goingtothe doctor, you
can have an online consultation, with
an appexperience like Babylon.
Hoberman cites other areas
that particularly pique his interest,
fromeducation especially for
12-to 18-year-olds to finance
(Ospers finance for kids opens
up a new, untapped market). In
particular, he notes that we are
seeing the all-pervasive effect of
the internet revolutionising the way
we look at all businesses. With all
those networks out there, trying
to build trust between individuals
on the web is nowcrucial, he says.
I think youll find that any industry
that hasnt been dis-intermediated,
will be very soon. Andthats exciting.
Were seeingthe Uber-isation of
everything the ideaof instantly
findingwhatever it is that you need,
basedon wherever you are.
But there is one other crucial
factor that Hoberman is also keen
to stress. What makes a company
most investable for me is the passion
of its founder, he says. They have
to have a genuine excitement about
what it is that theyre doing and
that excitement needs to extend
to the consumer. Afer that you
have to decide if theyre going for
a big enough market.
We are already detecting a few
green shoots suggesting some new,
radically innovative technology
might be about to emerge. This will
bolster our confidence for the years
that lie ahead, says Donay.
Pictet Wealth Management has
pinpointed seven hot sectors
to watch: smarter energy; life
sciences; digital communication;
smart materials, digital security;
automation; and transport. Just
a fewof these sectors are explored
on pages 14-17, with exciting
companies operating within these
innovative spaces profiled.
The future will be forged in
the crucibles of boldly innovative
companies operating in these
seven incredibly important areas,
says Donay. Fromthemwill be
generated the economic growth of
the coming decades. pictet.com
PICTETS PICKS
Hot
sectors
With automated
malicious sofware
atacks on the rise,
theres more need
for greater digital
security than ever.
Christophe Donay,
Pictet Wealth
Management
Above: Christophe
Donay, headof
asset allocationand
macro-research,
Pictet Wealth
Management, at its
Londonoffice
Investment in
innovation plays
an essential role
in fuelling the
momentum
behind growth
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Circa is a mobile-only news source, delivered as
an app and designed for mobile first. Available on
both iOS and Android, it has atracted some $3.4
million (2 million) since its founding in 2011.
By breaking the news down to core facts,
Circas readers can catch up much faster than
with articles and get more detailed information
than with summaries, says CEOand cofounder
Mat Galligan, formerly of the Techstars incubator
and 1% of Nothing. The most unique aspect of
Circa though is the ability to followstories and
get updates on themas they progress. Rather
than constantly re-reading information in articles
day afer day, readers are able to get only
a storys newdetails that they havent seen yet.
IN THE SPACE: CIRCA NEWS
NEWS ONTHE MOVE
Neither Galligan nor his cofounder Ben Huh
of the Cheezburger Network comes from
a traditional news background, which they
believe helped the companys direction. I knew
very little about how news was produced, says
Galligan. So we came up with a process and
technology that was dramatically different than
had ever been done before.
The company aims to release its third iteration
in 2014, and with it gain a serious foothold in the
competitive, rather bloated, online news space.
Weve spent a long time trying to make sure
we had the user experience just right, and now
that were there, its time to really make a big
market share push, says Galligan. cir.ca
Sector #1
Digital
communication
Its already a
hotly contested
sector, but as the
online population
grows, sowill the
spoils for those
whocrack digital
communication.
Whatsapphas
scoredbig, but
Apple is absorbing
startups USPs
at anincreasing
rate. Online news
andjournalismwill
nodoubt continue
toevolve.
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CHRISTOPHE DONAY
OF PICTET WEALTH
MANAGEMENT HAS
CHOSEN SEVEN SECTORS ORS
TO WATCH IN 2014: FROM OM
SMART MATERIALS, LIFE
SCIENCES AND DIGITAL
COMMUNICATION TO
SMART ENERGY, DIGITAL
SECURITY, AUTOMATION
AND TRANSPORT. HERE
ARE JUST A FEW STARTUPS TUPS
WORKING IN FIVE OF
THESE EXCITING SECTORS ORS
HOTTEST T
SECTORS ORS
WIRED / PICTET PARTNERSHIP
IN THE SPACE: OPOWER
POWERT0THEPEOPLE
Sector #2
Smart energy
By 2020the EU
hopes renewable
sources will
provide some
20per cent of
its energy. In
the meantime
theres a drive for
more efficient
uses of energy
on our roads,
with hybrids and
electric cars, and
in our homes,
with connected
devices offering
simple energy-
saving solutions.
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Since its founding in 2007, Opower has helped
save more than 2.5 terawat hours of energy
thats equivalent to the total energy consumption
of 250,000American homes in a year. The now-
global company, started by Alex Laskey and
Daniel Yates, uses a combination of data and
clever psychology to help consumers engage
more with their energy use to increase efficiency
and potentially help lower bills.
We partner with energy retailers across the
world by offering a unique combination of data
science, behavioural science and computer
science to drive business outcomes in areas of
energy efficiency and consumer engagement,
says John Webster, VP of marketing and strategy.
Using information gleaned froma homes
smart meter, Opower educates and encourages
customers, using data about their own usage.
We utilise the best behavioural science to
create a model that engages and motivates
customers. By giving theminsights and
information about their energy consumption
in customer-friendly and targeted ways, consumer
behaviour can be changed, says Laskey.
The company nowclaims to have the worlds
largest utility end-to-end customer data
set, which has helped it continue to refine its
algorithms. Utility providers are also finding it
a useful tool: in the last financial year, Opower
received some $88.7 million (53 million) in
revenue fromenergy providers.
The company continues to exand. Opower has
been in the UK since 2011, and in 2014 Webster
himself based in London says the firmwill focus
on growth in mainland Europe and Asia. It already
has offices in London, Singapore and California.
Its clear Opower has been aiming high since its
founding. The company raised some $65 million
(38.3 million) of investment in three funding
rounds and debuted on the public market in April
2014, rising 26 per cent in its first day.
Webster says the success has come fromseeing
there was a gap between the number of people
who wanted to do something to save money and
energy, and the amount of time they actually
spent thinking about energy use.
Whats his tip for entrepreneurs? The clichs
are all true. Have a passion, have a vision, have
energy, belief and be brave. Maintain ownership.
Fail early, fail fast and learn. opower.com
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Shape Security aims to make websites more secure from
automated atacks by scripts, botnets and malware.
Shape was founded by executives fromGoogle, the
Pentagon and major defence contractors, who witnessed
first-hand howthe internet had become full of sophisticated
atacks as a result of there being hundreds of millions of
computers in the world infected by malware, says Neal
Mueller, director of product at the two-year-old startup.
The teamhas raised some $66 million (38.85 million) in
backing frominvestors such as Google Ventures, Allegis
Capital and Eric Schmidts TomorrowVentures. Its first
product, called ShapeShifer, takes a unique approach to
web defence, says Mueller: Web applications and websites,
once created, have unchanging code. ShapeShifer changes
the code of websites in real-time to turn web applications
into moving targets, which atackers can no longer program
against, while preserving their functionality for users.
Shape is already working with major web players in
the US and Europe. The goal? To protect every website
on the internet against the types of serious atacks
that are currently breaching companies every day.
Lets see howit shapes up. shapesecurity.com
Sector #3
Digital security
When the
Heartbleed
bug was found,
some 800,000
websites were
shown to be
vulnerable. Add
to that the fact
that our phones
and tablets hold
information many
of us would prefer
stayed private
a situation that
wearables will
likely exacerbate.
Digital security is
a priority.
Sector #4
Life sciences
Fromsimple
exercise-tracking
to connected
diagnosis, digital
health is going
mainstream.
Apples iOS 8, for
example, will ship
with an app called
Health, designed
to collate a users
data in one place,
and the WIRED
Health 2014
event showcased
tens of exciting
healthcare
businesses.
IN THE SPACE: SHAPE SECURITY
PROTECTING
THE WEB
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WIRED / PICTET PARTNERSHIP
IN THE SPACE:
INTELLIGENT TEXTILES
MAGIC
FABRIC
Clue is an app-based solution that gives women a way to
track and learn paterns about their reproductive cycles.
Our algorithmlearns and makes increasingly accurate
predictions the more women use the app, says Clues
cofounder and CEO, Ida Tin. Importantly, it does not tell
women what to do, for example, get pregnant, or dont get
pregnant. We present women with a tool so they can gain a
beter understanding of their personal physiology and then
make decisions based on that.
Based in Berlin and founded in 2013, Clue has users in
over 180countries and is available in English, German and
Danish. Tin hopes that by the end of 2014, its minimalist iOS
app will be available in ten additional languages and have
over one million active users with strong take-up in Asia.
No one has tackled digital fertility head-on, says Tin.
Weve had the birth-control pill for over 40years what
innovation has come since then? Nowtechnology, connected
to a mobile phone, can help people to understand fertility.
All data are backed up anonymously on Clues servers.
However, the company hopes to supply useful encrypted
data to research facilities or universities to improve
understanding of global fertility. helloclue.com
IN THE SPACE: CLUE
HEALTH
GOES DIGITAL
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Surrey-based Intelligent Textiles has
developed a material that acts like
a circuit board. Using conductive
yarn woven into tough fabrics, its
e-jackets can carry batteries and
instruments to create truly wearable
technology. The rugged clothing can
be easily fixed if torn or ripped and
has obvious uses in extreme sports
and survival environments. Despite
this, the company which first created
the material in 2002 found initial
success in a different market entirely.
For a long time we were trying to
push uphill, getting our technology
into snowboarding jackets, says
cofounder and crochet hobbyist
Asha Peta. But [the military] had a
problem our technology could solve.
We presented to NATO and the British
government picked us up and gave
us some funding, and weve just
started working with the US Army via
a contract with BAE Systems.
One of Intelligent Textiles first
partnerships was with Canadian
forces, who were looking into
wearable technology while carrying
60 AA batteries as part of their kit.
Thats not just heavy to carry, but
also expensive to transport across
distances. We can get rid of cables
and reduce the need for batteries,
says Peta. Intelligent Textiles and
its e-jackets have certainly lightened
the load. intelligenttextiles.com
Sector #5:
Smart
materials
From
piezoelectric
materials,
which emit
electricity
when
squeezed,
to shape-
memory
alloys that
transform
according
to their
environments,
expect smart
materials to
permeate
wearables,
biotech
and more.
WIRED / PICTET PARTNERSHIP
2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 18
EUROPES THRIVING DIGITAL
CAPITAL IS SHOWING NO
SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN
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P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
ACCORDINGTOMAYORBORISJOHNSON,
There is nowhere to rival London for
startups looking tothrive andgrow. The
combinationof world-classuniversities, a
buzzinginvestment community, interna-
tional transport links anda wide range of
acceleratorsandincubatorshavehelpedto
cement the citys reputationas Europes digital capital.
Recent initiativestohelpstartupsincludeanewgrant
togivesmall businesses access tosuper-fast broadband
and the funding of four computer-science projects in
schoolstondthetechstarsof thefuture. AndtheSmart
London Innovation Network will invite entrepreneurs
and innovators to team up with those organisations
already delivering Londons new infrastructure and
servicesinorder tomakeLondon, accordingtoJohnson,
an even better city to live, visit and work in.
LYST
48 Hoxton Square, N1 6PB
Fashionmarketplace Lyst
aggregates the inventory
of numerous luxury
e-commerce sites into a
single destinationwitha
universal shoppingcart and
a personalisedexperience
for users. Launchedin2010
by DevinHunt, Sebastjan
Trepca andChris Morton
(picturedright), it says it has
grown400per cent over the
last three years andhas two
millionvisitors a month. It
makes money by chargingan
afliate fee of betweenseven
and20per cent. Lyst recently
formeda partnershipwith
PayPal to take advantage of
in-store Beacontechnology,
whichalerts users whenthey
are ina sectionof a store
where anitemthey might
be interestedinis stocked.
InJanuary Lyst raised$14
million, whichit plans to use
to hire more engineers and
data scientists lyst.com
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2014 / STARTUP CITIES
HUMAN
Herengracht 182, 1016BR
AFFECTV
33-34 Alfred
Place, WC1E 7DP
Affectv helps
agencies and
marketers nd
and connect with
newaudiences.
It works by
analysing in real-
time the content
people are
interested in and
who they interact
with, which helps
advertisers deliver
their message
to their target
audience. Affectv
has more than
50 employees in
London and
plans to open
ofces in
Germany, the
Netherlands and
France this year,
and predicts
that it will hit
revenues of more
than 10 million
by January.
affectv.co.uk
CI TYMAPPER
16-30 Provost
Street, N1 7NG
Citymapper is an
iOS, Android and
web-based travel
planner which
combines transit
data to tell you
the easiest way
to get fromAto
B. Data relating
to transport
disruption, fares
and the weather
is added and it
will also tell you
howmany calories
you will burn if
you choose to
walk or cycle. The
company, founded
in 2011 by Azmat
Yusuf, is also
live in NewYork,
Berlin and Paris. It
raised $10 million
in funding in April
2014, which it will
use to expand the
teamand launch
in newcities.
citymapper.com
BLAZE
27 Paul Street,
EC2A4JU
Cycle-accessory
brand Blazes
agship product
is the Laserlight,
a light with an
extra green laser
that projects an
image of a bike on
the road ahead to
alert drivers. Its
being distributed
through Evans
Cycles, after
a successful
Kickstarter
campaign. This
year the company
raised 300,000 in
funding fromIndex
Ventures and the
Branson family.
Founder Emily
Brooke has talked
of further product
launches, with the
aimof becoming
a global brand. Its
expansion begins
next in the US and
Australia. blaze.cc
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G L O B A L C I T I E S I N D E X R A N K I N G 2014: 26
WO R D S B Y OL I VI A SOL ON P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
The Human app encourages
its users to move for 30
minutes a day. It tracks
physical activity, encourages
you to unlock badges and
lets you share achievements
on social media. In a world
where a sedentary lifestyle
has become the standard,
its not easy to motivate
people to make healthy
changes that t into their
busy schedules, explains
cofounder and CEORenato
Valds Olmos. Human exists
to do that. He claims that the
app helps people move up to
75 per cent more a day within
six weeks of using the app.
Its proved popular: Valds
Olmos plans to double his
teambefore the years end.
human.co
AMSTERDAMS INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK ACTS AS A
gateway to continental Europe. English is widely spoken and
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the continents busiest
and most efcient. The city is also a convenient launchpad for
Scandinavian markets, which, with their high GDP per capita
andhighbroadbandpenetrationrates, canbelucrativeforstartups.
Crucially, Amsterdam measures high on quality-of-life indices,
which makes it easy to hire talent. It has the culture, the canals
its not hard to attract people due to the quality of life here,
explains Reinout te Brake, foundingpartner of the GameOnfund.
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APPEAR
HERE
48 Hoxton Square, N1 6PB
SPACI OUS
1-2 Hatelds,
SE1 9PG
Spacious aims to
bring simplicity
and transparency
to the ofce-rental
process by listing
all types of space
on one platform,
handling the entire
process from
nding a site to
signing the lease.
It sells products
and services
for tenants, too,
such as storage
space and
ofce furniture.
It was founded
as part of the
Entrepreneur First
programme by
former investment
banker Tushar
Agarwal, computer
scientist Tom
Watson and
Rohan Silva,
former adviser to
David Cameron.
spaciousapp.com
TRANSFERWI SE
56 Shoreditch
High Street, E1 6JT
TransferWise
provides a
cheap way to
transfer money
internationally
allowing its users
to avoid the
expensive fees
charged by high-
street banks.
The company
which launched
in 2011 has
raised $33 million
in investment,
launched a
mobile app and
introduced more
currencies to
the platform.
It continues to
grow at a rate
of between 20
and 30 per cent
every month,
and recently
announced that
1 billion had
been transferred.
transferwise.com
YPLAN
147-149Farringdon
Road, EC1R 3HN
Mobile event-
discovery and
booking app
YPlan launched
at the end of 2012,
offering a curated
selection of last-
minute offers
for events in
cities. Launched
in London by
Lithuanians Rytis
Vitkauskas and
Viktoras Jucikas,
it has since
expanded to offer
the same service
in NewYork and
San Francisco
with more cities
planned on both
sides of the
Atlantic. The team
nownumbers 60
employees and
claims that the
app is installed
on one in ve of
Londons iPhones.
yplanapp.com
YOYO
107 Cheapside,
EC2V 6DN
Yoyo is a mobile-
payment app
offering loyalty
points users
pay for goods
with the app and
receive rewards
fromretailers.
The company was
founded in 2013
by entrepreneurs
with backgrounds
at Visa, Paypal,
Barclaycard and
Zopa, and has
raised 720,000
in seed funding.
Students and
staff at Imperial
College London
where Yoyo
launched use it
more frequently
on campus than
contactless cards.
There are plans
to roll out deals
with national
retailers this year.
justyoyo.com
DUEDI L
8Warner Yard,
EC1R5EY
Launched in
2011, DueDil is
a business-
information tool
that provides
information on
private companies
and directors.
Last March it
raised $17min
series Bfunding
and has doubled
in size in the last
12 months. In
2013 it introduced
its subscription
services and now
has more than
50,000 paying
customers,
generating six-
gure monthly
revenues. New
versions of its API
allowfor improved
searchcapabilities
on the nine
million companies
it holds info on.
duedil.com
THE CLOAKROOM
Passeerdersgracht
17, 1016 XG
E-commerce
startupThe
Cloakroomhelps
men buy clothes
online: new
members are
set a style quiz
that informs a
consultation with
a stylist. Items
are then shipped
to customers to
try and buy if they
wish. We are
generating almost
200,000 per
month, claims
cofounder Asbjrn
Jrgensen. It
raised a second
round of funding of
1.2 million earlier
this year, which it
will use to expand
to other markets.
thecloakroom.nl
ACE & TATE
Overtoom
141, 1054 HG
Eyewear retailer
Ace &Tate creates
spectacles for
a fraction of the
cost of designer
brands. (The
company is
named after the
acetate used
to create the
frames in its
Italian workshop.)
Customers can
try its online
Virtual Try-On
program, or they
can order up to
four pairs to try on
at home. Ace
&Tate launched
in the UK at the
end of 2013 and
plans to expand
to Germany
this year.
aceandtate.com
FASHI OLI STA
Keizersgracht
182-II, 1016 DW
Funded by Niklas
Zennstrms
Atomico,
Fashiolista is an
online fashion
community where
its members
share style
choices by adding
a heart button
on others looks.
The company
launched in 2010
and it now has
almost two
million users.
Fashion director
Emilie Sobels
says 2014 is
about taking
our expertise
to mobile and
the ofine
fashion retail
environment.
fashiolista.com
ALI VESHOES
Hoogte Kadijk
39, 1018BE
AliveShoes lets
us design, make
and distribute
our own footwear,
offering design,
communication,
e-commerce and
manufacturing
tools to develop
brands from
scratch. Once
the shoes are
designed, users
need seven orders
within 30 days
in order for the
items to go into
production. They
are then made
in Le Marche,
Italy (AKAshoe
valley), and
are shipped to
buyers within four
to six weeks.
aliveshoes.com
CASENGO
Orlyplein 10,
1043 DP
Launched in 2012,
the Casengo app
helps companies
respond to their
customers more
efciently. It mixes
Zendesk-like
support software
with chat apps
to enable speedy
response to
customer queries.
All messages be
they fromemail,
chat or social
media arrive in
the same inbox,
making them
easier to deal
with in a unied
manner. Its being
used by more than
2,000 businesses
and raised 1.5
million last April.
casengo.com
ELASTI CSEARCH
Rijnsburgstraat
9-11, 1059 AT
Launched in 2010,
open-source
search and
analytics service
Elasticsearch is
one of the few
Dutch startups
to raise more
than $30 million
in funding. It
is designed to
search documents
in near real-
time and counts
StumbleUpon,
Wikimedia, Etsy,
Foursquare, Quora
and SoundCloud
among its
customers. Its
revenue grewby
400 per cent in
2013 and it has
been downloaded
six million times.
elasticsearch.org
SI LK
Spuistraat
239-3, 1012
Silk helps its
users manage
structured and
unstructured
online content as
easy-to-search
collections of
web pages and
visualisations. In
October 2013 it
raised $1.6 million
in seed funding,
bringing total
funding to $3.7
million. silk.co
PakhuisdeZwijger
is a well-known
networkingvenue
Founded by Ross Bailey
when aged just 21,
Appear Here is an online
marketplace for pop-up
shops. Landlords list
unoccupied spaces for
brands to hire for short
spells. We make it easy for
landlords to ll their empty
spaces, eliminate waste and
generate demand, says
Bailey (pictured left), who
adds that he aims to make
the process as simple as
booking a hotel room. In
November 2013 it closed a
1 million round of funding
frominvestors who have
backed Hailo and Pinterest.
appearhere.co.uk
P / 21 LONDON

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Your laptop needs help. Most of the worlds laptops are made in the Yangtze
River region. But the pressure of global demand has left the regions natural
resources stretched and unable to cope. In partnership with the Chinese
government, WWF helped create a sustainable development model for the
region, which is home to the iconic giant panda, as well as some 480 million
people. Together, we are revitalizing an ecosystem that can support both
people and nature. Help us look after the world where you live at panda.org
HELP
SAVE
THE
LAPTOP
Fishing boat, Hunan Province, China. Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
WERCKER
Lauriergracht 116, 1016
Wercker helps developers
test and deploy code on a
social platform. It aims to
t between code-storing
platforms such as GitHub
and Bitbucket, and where
applications are deployed,
such as Amazon Web
Services. We help reduce
risk and waste by enabling
developers to test, build and
release to the cloud, explains
CEOMicha Hernandez van
Leuffen. Next up? To scale
the platform, operations and
teamin the US. wercker.com
2014 / STARTUP CITIES TEL AVIV P / 23
BLENDLE
Jaarbeursplein 6
3521 AL Utrecht
BasedinAmsterdam(despite
having a Utrecht address),
Blendle describes itself as
iTunes for journalism,
offering a pay-per-article
model through its app. Users
can browse newspapers and
magazines most of which
are locked behind paywalls
in the Netherlands for free,
and followothers to see
what they are looking at, only
paying for what they end up
reading. Founded by 27-year-
old ex-journalists Marten
Blankesteijn and Alexander
Klpping, Blendle even offers
a money-back guarantee if
you dont like what you read.
Publishers set the price
and take 70 per cent of the
revenue, and Blendle takes
the rest. During its beta
phase, the startup had
17,000 registrations, with
71 per cent aged under
40 a tricky audience for
publishers toreach. blendle.nl
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WO R D S B Y MADHUMI TA
VENKATARAMANAN
P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
2013 WAS TEL AVIVS ANNUS MIRABILIS:
foreign companies spent $6.45 billion
(3.82 billion) buying Israeli firms,
including maps startup Waze which sold
to Google for $966 million, and internet-
based voice service Viber, bought for $900
million by Japanese tech giant Rakuten. A
total of 622Israeli techrmsraisedasumof
$2.3 billion, the largest amount since 2000,
according to the business data company
IVC-Online; and IBM announced plans to
launchitsrst global acceleratorinTel Aviv,
following Microsofts pilot in 2012.
The tech communitys biggest strengths? The armys
focus is gathering predictive intelligence, so theres a lot of
education in machine learning, machine vision and big-data
analysis, says Eden Shochat, cofounder of Face.com and now
a partner at venture capital fund Aleph. These kids have
built multiple mission-critical systems by the age of 22 its
hard for anyone else in the world to match that.
WITH INVESTMENT AT RECORD LEVELS, THE WHITE CITY IS ON A ROLL
Rockstart Accelerator
holds spring and summer
programmes for startups
2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 24
FI VERR
12 HaOmanim,
6789731
One of Tel Avivs most
successful consumer
startups, Fiverr runs an
online marketplace for gigs
freelance services such as
graphic design, copywriting,
translation and animation.
Founded by Shai Wininger
(above, left) and Micha
Kaufman (right), Fiverr has
more than doubled its size
in the past year and has
more than three million gigs
offered in its community.
Initially, every service was
offered for $5 (2.95) but
over the last year the range
of prices has gone from$5
to $8,000 (more than 60 per
cent of Fiverrs transaction
volume is for services
higher than $5). The recently
redesigned site nowoffers
data analytics for buyers and
sellers. Since we launched
the newsite, we have seen
a 50 per cent increase in
demand fromsmall- and
medium-sized businesses,
says CEOKaufman. It has
also launched iOSand
Android apps and aims to be
available in seven languages
a Spanish version has
already been released by
the end of 2014. verr.com
17 Atir-Yeda
St, Kfar-Saba
4464313
Pebbles
Interfaces motion
sensors and
software can be
embedded into
smartphones,
PCs or smart
TVs to turn them
into gesture-
controlled objects.
With its mission
of naturally
interfacing with
every object, real
or virtual, it has
nowset its sights
on the affordable
consumer-
electronics
market. A 2013
funding round
raised $11m
frominvestors
such as Chinese
smartphone and
tablet maker
Xiaomi. pebbles
interfaces.com
RAVELLO SYSTEMS
13 Zarhin St
Building C,
Raanana 4366241
Founded in 2011 by
Benny Schnaider
and Rami Tamir,
Ravello Systems
is an enterprise
startup that is
developing a
virtualisation OS
to help companies
move their IT
services and
applications to the
cloud. It describes
itself as the rst
cloud application
hypervisor
provider. In 2013 it
raised $26 million
fromSequoia
Capital, Norwest
Venture Partners
and Bessemer
Venture Partners.
ravello
systems.com
ADALLOM
1 HaBarzel St,
6971001
Founded in
2012 by alumni
of the Israeli
Intelligence
Corps, the
software-as-a-
service (SaaS)
security company
monitors the
activity of its
customers SaaS
applications,
detecting
unauthorised
access and
protecting data
in real time. Since
its ofcial launch
in November
2013, it says it
has attracted
one million
customers, who
each pay $5 to
$10 per month. It
has raised $19.5
million from Index
Ventures and
other investors.
adallom.com
SPACE I L
30 HaimLevanon
St, 6139001
Space ILwas
cofounded by
engineers Yariv
Bash, Kr Damari
and Yonatan
Winetraub with the
mission to land an
Israeli spacecraft
on the Moon by
December 2015.
The team, which is
competing for the
$30 million Google
Lunar XPrize, is
building a 140kg
nano-spaceship;
if it lands on the
Moon, it will be
the smallest craft
to do so. Funding
has come from
philanthropists,
as well as
$26.4mfrom
US casino mogul
Sheldon Adelson.
spaceil.com
PEBBLES I NTERFACES
MOSCOW
PLARI UM
1 Hamenom
St, 46725
Plarium
specialises in
social games
such as Total
Domination and
Stormfall: Age
of War. It has
more than 600
employees in
Israel and the
Ukraine (where
R&Dis based),
and revenues are
upwards of $100m.
Its tipped by
some to be Israels
next billion-dollar
company if it
goes public in
the next year.
plarium.com
BI LLGUARD
32 Rothschild
Blvd, 66882
BillGuard is a
personal-nance
security company
that uses the
power of the crowd
to ght fraud and
errors on users
debit and credit
cards. We helped
Target consumers
nd over $1 million
in fraudulent
charges on their
cards after its
data breach last
year, claims CEO
Yaron Samid. The
BillGuard app,
which was ranked
the number-one
personal nance
app by Apple, is
currently US only,
but plans are
afoot to launch it
in other markets.
billguard.com
SEEKI NG ALPHA
47 HanesIImSt,
RaAnana 43583
Seeking Alpha
signs up nancial
experts to
share investing
ideas and
advice through
articles, and
charging users
a subscription
for access. It has
more than 7,000
contributors and
covers over 3,000
stocks; as of
February 2013 it
had three million
users. Earlier this
year, researchers
analysed 100,000
Seeking Alpha
articles from
between 2005
and 2012 and
found that they
predicted stock
returns above
what was evident
fromDowJones
news articles.
seekingalpha.com
ETORO
32 Habarzel St,
69710
Launched in
2007, eToro is a
social investment
network that
aims to bring
transparency to
nancial trading.
Users can display
and share the
stocks, currencies
and commodities
they are investing
in with others via
its iOSand Android
apps. They can
also followtraders,
with eToro acting
as the broker. A
joint paper with
MITMedia Lab
suggested that
copy trades are
more protable
than manual
trading, with 26 per
cent more positive
gains for copy
traders in the last
year. etoro.com
TABOOLA
5th oor, 7
Totseret Haaretz
St, 6789104
Taboola is one of
the two biggest
companies in
the paid content
recommendation
space the other
is fellowIsraeli
company Outbrain
and both are
likely to go public
this year. It serves
up about 3.5
billion links daily
to videos and
articles around
the web on news
websites such as
Time, the BBC,
and The New
York Times; it
has about 350
million monthly
users and annual
revenues of more
than $100 million.
taboola.com
THE FUTURE FOR
RUSSIAN STARTUPS
i s l ook i ng r os y :
according to Fastlane
Ventures Russi an
Internet Deal Book, in
2013, 245 companies
received funding. Allied to this,
there is strong growth on the
consumer side forecasts suggest
an average GDP per capita growth
of six per cent per year until 2015.
Nadir Khabdulinof MaxeldCapital
believes an increase in private and
international investors on the
Russian venture market is thanks
to advances in three specic areas:
the countrys engineering schools;
a large online presence; and an
emerging middle class that has an
increasing disposable income.
Anna Dvornikova, managing
partner of TEC Ventures, claims
that the quality of Russian startups
is constantly increasing to the
level that soon they will be able to
compete with other international
startups for Silicon Valley money.
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WO R D S B Y NI CHOL AS TUF NEL L
P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
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Below, l-r:
Plariums
Gabi
Shalel, Ilya
Turpiashvili,
Avi Shalel
andHaim
Turpiashvili
2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 26
OMETRI A
15 Donskaya Ulitsa, 117049
Ometria is an e-commerce
intelligence platformfor
online retailers seeking to
understand the data behind
their business. Founded in
early 2013, it recently raised
$1.5mand is preparing for
signicant expansion
into the wide European
market, according to CEO
and founder Ivan Mazour.
Ometria wants to help
retailers attract and keep
customers while maximising
protability by providing
data, such as personalised
advertising and analytics,
to businesses. Mazour
is enthusiastic about his
countrys startup scene.
Theres a huge amount of
intelligent young people
here, he says. We hope
Ometria will become the
main link between Moscow
and Londons communities,
and will be the conduit to
share knowledge between
the two. ometria.com
GI TOON
18-52 Novochere-
mushkinskaya St
WHEELY
Varshavskoe
Shosse 9, 117105
Wheely offers
what it describes
as the experience
of a private driver
for the price of
a taxi through
its free iPhone,
Android and
Windows Phone
app. Users can
order a car on
demand or book
for a certain
time, and, unlike
competitors such
as Uber, it doesnt
use surge pricing.
Wheely was
cofounded by Ivan
Samsonov, Pavel
Bocharov and
Anton Chirkunov
in Moscowin
November 2012
with funding from
serial investor Yuri
Milner. wheely.com
10TRACKS
Bld 1, 17
Krylatskaya St,
Krylatsky Hills
Business Park,
121552
Founded in 2011
by Vladislav
Vernigora
and Olga Sklyar,
10tracks is a
music-streaming
service that
tracks the habits,
tastes, activities
and personal
characteristics of
its users which,
according to
Sklyar, means
theyre served
with the right
music at the right
time. With the
recent collapse of
Bloom.fmafter
its Russian
investor pulled
out, 10tracks
could ll an
emerging gap in
the music market.
10tracks.com
TI MERA
Friedrich Engels
St 75 Building
20, 105082
Arephotography
app for iOS and
Android, timera
allows its users to
combine images
of the past with
the present.
The community-
powered app can
match a photo
taken on your
smartphone with
another of the
same location
fromthe past. We
call it the closest
thing to a time
machine in your
pocket, says
founder David
Webb. Launched
in Moscowin
February 2013,
it has since
opened a UK ofce
and is a featured
app on iTunes
in 19 countries.
timera.com
WAYRAY
100 Novaya St,
Odintsovsky
143025
WayRay is a
navigational
systemfor
drivers that uses
augmented reality
to improve road
safety. Users
can track their
cars journey
with WayRays
heads-up display
without having
to shift focus
away from
the road. With
smartphone
integration,
in-built apps and
voice control,
WayRays primary
aimis to make
driving safer
and with 27,000
road fatalities
reported in Russia
in 2012, theres
clearly roomfor
improvement.
wayray.com
CHOI STER
Proezd, 7, 20-B
Bagrationovskaya
Choister is a
website that
helps you search
and compare
all educational
programmes in
the US, allowing
individuals to
compare, contrast
and analyse
courses to easily
nd the most
appropriate one
for their needs.
It is a Kayak
for educational
programmes,
claims cofounder
Ola Brukovskaya.
We launched
the alpha version
of Choister last
summer and
Mashable has
already listed us
as one of the 20
hottest Russian
startups.
choister.com
PENXY
Likhachevskiy
Proyezd,
Dolgoprudnyy
141700
Penxy is an
iPhone app that
can be used to
control and record
presentation
slides. Its a
new way to
automatically
record live
presentations
as narrated slide
decks talking
slides, as we call
them, says CEO
Vova Platov. Once
a talk has been
captured, the new
narrated slides
can be shared
immediately. The
company says
its experiencing
12 per cent user
growth every
month. penxy.com
ROBO CV
House 3,
Elektrolitny
Proezd, 115230
Robo CVs
X-MOTION system
kits warehouse
vehicles out with
an autopilot mode,
enabling forklifts
and similar
product-retrieval
devices to operate
autonomously.
The systemcan
also be adapted to
t on to tractors,
lifters and high-
rack stackers,
and is already in
use in Samsungs
factory in Kaluga,
Russia. The
company was
founded in 2011.
robocv.com
Gitoon is a
peer-to-peer
publishing
platformwhere
you can upload
pictures, videos or
texts and receive
anonymous
feedback and
reviews fromthe
sites curators.
Our model
allows us to
offer objective
and meaningful
feedback on a
virtually unlimited
volume of
content, claims
founder David
Zokhrabyan
(pictured right).
The startups
motto? Be
curative.
gitoon.com
GAMESLOOPER
Bratislavskaya
14, 109541
With almost
a quarter of
the countrys
economically
active population
playing video
games, swap-
and-trade
marketplace
Games Looper
sees a big
opportunity. After
our successful
launch in Russia,
we are nowready
to disrupt the
gaming industry
globally, claims
founder and
CEOAnton Ilyin.
gameslooper.com
HELSINKI
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Nexstimis working on non-
invasive neuromodulation
for patients. Its navigated
brain therapy is helping
stroke survivors with
recovery: the technique uses
low-frequency magnetic
stimulation to prime the
motor cortex of patients,
and can be administered by
a technician or nurse rather
than a doctor or therapist.
The company, a spin-off
fromHelsinki Technical
University, was founded in
2000 and has $17.9 million in
funding. More than 100 care
units use the technology
and the company holds 25
patent families. Strokes
are only the rst target,
according to CEO Janne
Huhtala. Our proprietary
navigation allows us to
target additional indications
later, he says. These
will include chronic pain,
depression and tinnitus.
nexstim.com
WHICH STARTUP IS THE NEXT
Supercell? Investors are taking
their pick from the scores of
gamingcompaniesthat Helsinki
churnsout. Thecityrulesmobile
and, as Nokias phone division
finally moves to Redmond to
become part of Microsoft, a
thousand mobile startups are
blooming. Its not just gaming,
though: Protogeo, maker of
the Moves app, was bought
by Facebook in April this year.
BEDDI T
Kimmeltie 3,
Espoo 02110
Sleep monitors
suffer fromthe
observer effect:
wearing headgear
or wristbands
doesnt make for
a comfortable
nights sleep.
Beddits insight
is to put its
149 monitor in
your mattress
to track your
breathing, heart
rate, movement
and snoring.
The startups
2013 Indiegogo
campaign raised
$503,000 in
just over two
months, making
it Finlands most
successful
reward-based
crowdfunding
campaign to date.
beddit.com
NEXTGAMES
Mannerheimintie
12B, 00100
The founders
of NextGames
have serious
gaming and
entertainment
pedigree: they
come fromDisney,
Supercell and
Rovio. The startup
launched in 2013
and has raised
$6 million to take
two games into
production, one
of thembased
around The
Walking Dead.
nextgames.com
5TH WAVE BRANDS
Aleksanterinkatu
16-18, 00170
Rovio is testament
to the power of
branding: half of its
revenues are from
merchandise and
spin-offs rather
than games. Last
year, three Rovio
employees left to
form5th Wave, to
help other gaming
companies do
the same fellow
Helsinkians
Frogmind and
MAGare on its
books. Mobile
brands can
gain fans all
over the world,
which enables
huge licensing
opportunities,
cofounder Heikki
Laaninen told
ArcticStartup.
5thwave
brands.com
DI KTAMEN
Haapaniemenkatu
7-9C, 00530
A startup
that makes
transcription
software is always
going to appeal
to journalists, but
Diktamen has
wider applications
in business
and, especially,
medicine.
Already in use
by 420 doctors
in North Karelia
Central Hospital,
the software
has meant
more accurate
patient data and,
according to the
startup, around
14.5 per cent
less time spent
transcribingnotes.
diktamen.com
NANOL
TECHNOLOGI ES
Mannerheimintie
8, 00100
Founded in 2010,
Nanol makes
a lubricant
made of copper
nanoparticles that
forma lmon a
surface, saving
wear on machines.
nanoltechnol-
ogies.com
BI TBAR
TECHNOLOGI ES
Fredrikinkatu 25
A8, 00120
The Android
rmament
comprises a
wealth of devices.
Howdo you
make sure your
app works on
themall? Bitbar
is a virtual testing
rig for more
than 300
handsets
Google, Supercell
and Facebook
are all users.
The company
raised $3 million
frominvestors
including
Qualcommand
DFJ Espirit,
money it will
use to go to
platforms other
than Android,
iOS and HTML5,
and beyond just
testing devices.
bitbar.com
TEAM ONOMATI CS
Berggatan 14,
00100
The nuances of
legal jargon dont
lend themselves
to automation,
but trademark law
does. Onomatics
lets startups
search for existing
trademarks and
other intellectual
properties easily.
Its products are
based on legal
expertise and
AI tech, and the
company has $3.5
million in funding.
onomatics.com
PLAYRAVEN NEXSTI M
Urho Kekkosenkatu 7B, 00100 Elimenkatu 9B, 00510
Smartphones and
tablets stretch across all
demographics, according
to Lasse Seppnen, CEOof
games studio PlayRaven.
We believe the mobile
gaming audience can no
longer be satised with a
one-size-ts-all approach,
he says. The homogeneous
mobile audience is a
myth that we want to prove
wrong. PlayRavens ten-
strong development team
was responsible for creating
survival horror hit Alan
Wake. The studios rst
title, Spymaster, in which
you manage covert agents
operating in Nazi-controlled
Europe, soft-launched in New
Zealand and Finland, is being
polished using feedback and
will make its way to the UKin
the third quarter of 2014. The
company raised $2.3 million
in funding this January from
London Venture Partners.
playraven.com
Aalto University
specialises in
art and design
SUMOI NG
Keskuskatu
1, 00100
Photoshop may
be the industry
standard, but it
comes at a price.
Sumo Paint is a
web browser and
desktop-based
Photoshop-like
utility, accessed
for free (upgraded
versions cost
$9 and $19 for
lifetime licences).
The company
behind the
software also
offers Repix, a
photo editor, and
is developing
a connected
camera app for
smartphones.
sumoing.com
2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 28
FROM AUGMENTED REALITY TO
AI CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS, THE
CATALAN CAPITAL IS BUZZING
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P H O T O G R A P H Y: NI CK WI L SON
BARCELONA
INTHEPASTYEAR, THECATALANCAPITALHASPROVEDITSELFA
hubforglobal businessesonlinetravel companyeDreamsODIGEOwas
valuedat 945millionafter goingpublic inApril, andsoftwareportal
Softonic announced 125 million monthly users (an IPOis rumoured).
SuperstarslikethesemakeBarcelonaimportant, becausetheyreworld
leaders, says Christopher Pommereningof Active Venture Partners.
The citys appeal is partly down to Spanish government incentives
suchassimplifyingthevisaprocessfor entrepreneursoutsidetheEU.
Barcelona is alsohome of the international trade showMobile World
Congress. Every startup believes they have to create software rst,
focusingontheinternet of thingsandmobilebigdata,Pommerening
says. Local startups need to be aware that English is at the heart of
companyculture, otherwise theyll just staylocal.
CATCHOOM
Llacuna 162-164,
08018 Barcelona
The image recognition
company launched its
CraftAR software tool for
businessesthisyear, allowing
users to create augmented
reality (AR) additions to
physical products such as
printed ads, viewable via
a phone app. The system
enables drag-and-drop
assembly of ARprograms,
with content management
tools. We believe in
actionable augmented
reality, not gimmicks,
says CEODavid Marimon
(above). Catchoomclaims
it processes three million
interactions every month and
is in partnership discussions
withkey players inthe smart
glasses arena. Wonder who
that couldbecatchoom.com
No human being will have
to listen to customer
complaints again if this spin-
off fromSpains Articial
Intelligence Research
Institute gets its way.
Founded in 2011 by Sindhu
Joseph (above, foreground;
COGNI COR
IIIA-CSIC, Campus de la UAB,
Bellaterra, Barcelona
OMNI DRONE
Carrer de Pallars
99, 08018
Barcelona
Before it had
even released
its rst game,
mobile developer
Omnidrone had
raised $2 million
(1.2m). The
founders all hail
fromCalifornia
games company
Digital Chocolate,
but came to
Europe seeking
fresh challenges.
We decided to
do something
smaller, with
quicker decisions,
says cofounder
Gerard Fernandez.
Each game will
be developed by
teams of six to
eight developers,
and the rst,
aimed at mid-
core gamers,
will be out soon.
omnidrone.net
SOCI AL & BEYOND
Plaza Ernest
Lluch i Mart,
5 planta 11, 08019
Barcelona
Bringing web-
based analytics
to physical stores,
Social & Beyond
uses Wi-Fi to let
retailers target
customers in
stores. Sixty
thousand people
used the platform
over a six-month
pilot period, and
its just secured
a contract
with H&M.
socialandbeyond.
com
CTORosh Cherian, rear),
CogniCor is multilingual and
deals with simple complaints
through automation and
machine learning. Its aimed
at telecommunications,
but has its sights set on
the banking, insurance and
transportation sectors, and
plans to move into the UK,
USandGermany. It claims
to resolve 75 per cent of
complaints automatically,
taking about six minutes
to complete. Computer
says yes. cognicor.com
The22@Barcelona
techdistricts
Media-TICbuilding
2014 / STARTUP CITIES P / 30
P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
Y
:
A
L
A
M
Y
MARFEEL
Rambla Catalunya
35, Pral 2,
Barcelona
Marfeel helps
online publishers
create optimised
web apps for
touch devices.
The company
won Madrids
SeedRocket
startup
competition in
2011, and in the
next 18 months
secured 1.3m
in funding and
clocked up 100
customers. That
equates to more
than 100 million
users reading
more than a billion
Marfeel pages.
marfeel.com
IT HAS BEEN AN EVENTFUL YEAR FOR THE
Paris tech community. In April last year the
Frenchminister of industrial renewal, Arnaud
Montebourg, blocked Yahoo!s bid to acquire
75 per cent of Dailymotion, a video-sharing
platformownedbyFranceTelecom. It saidto
international investorsthatFranceisanti-inno-
vation,saysAliceZagury, CEOof techincubatorTheFamily.
Last December, Fleur Pellerin, then deputy minister for
digital innovation, announcedLaFrenchTech. Inspiredby
LondonsTechCity, LaFrenchTechaimstorepresent French
technology at events such as SXSW, and also backs it with
200millionininvestment. Four months later, Pellerinwas
removed fromher ministerial role: the startup community
respondedwiththe hashtag#keepeur.
On October 29, advertising company Criteo raised $250
million from its IPO; in February it acquired Paris-based
ad-techstartupTedemis for $29million. Its alocal merger
andacquisition, whichis a signof a strongecosystem, says
LiamBoogar, editor of techblogRudeBaguette.
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SCYTL
Plaa de Galla
Placdia, 1-3,
08006 Barcelona
The secure online
voting company
appeared in our
2012 list and has
since secured
around 30m
from, among
others, Vulcan
Capital and
Balderton. It
has absorbed
competitors in
the US, Brazil and
Europe, and its
revenue grewby
72 per cent in
the past year.
scytl.com
AUDI OSNAPS
Plaa Ernest
Lluch i Mart, 5,
Planta 11, 08019
Barcelona
By April 2014,
160,000 photos
had been
taken via the
AudioSnaps app
and 1.8 million had
been listened to.
The app enriches
your shots with
background
sound: Were told
photography is
about capturing
moments, but
in fact were just
capturing images
the emotion and
environment gets
lost, says CEO
Marc Sallent.
In February it
signed a deal
with a top ve
smartphone
manufacturer to
come pre-installed
on its devices.
audiosnaps.com
WALLAPOP
333 Carrer de
Valencia, 08009
Barcelona
Launched in June
2013, this mobile
local ea market
app has already
been downloaded
1.5mtimes and
has 500,000
active monthly
users. Everything
was crazy fromthe
very beginning,
says cofounder
Agustn Gmez,
so we decided
to move very fast
and land in the
UK and France.
The Wallapop
teamwanted to
create a simple
platformto help
users nd new,
sustainable ways
of consuming.
Its free to post
items users
take a photo and
upload details.
wallapop.com
TYPEFORM
Passeig de la
Pau 10, bis 1-2,
Barcelona
By April 2014,
just two months
after coming
out of beta and
having acquired
550,000
in seed funding,
the free, online-
survey-creation
tool already had
60,000 sign-
ups and 90,000
questionnaires
created. Typeform
makes form-
building rather
enjoyable, thanks
to its elegant
and simple
user interface.
Monthly payment
plans unlock
features such
as Logic Jump,
which moves
users around
questions based
on their answers.
typeform.com
CL3VER
Pau Claris 139,
08009 Barcelona
Viktor Nordstrom
andhis cofounders
are democratising
the demand for
slick 3Dgraphics
inbusiness
presentations.
Creating and
distributing [3D]
has hurdles:
licence fees,
productiontime,
and platform
fragmentation,
says Nordstrom.
CL3VERsbrowser-
based software
turns designles
into interactive
3Dpresentations.
With475,000of
seed funding, the
startup is ontrack
to launchiOSand
Android apps, and
is building Oculus
Rift compatibility.
cl3ver.com
Thecity council
provides473free
Wi-Fi hotspots
PARIS
In January, Sylvain Utard,
the VP of engineering of real-
time search startup Algolia,
wrote a blog post titled
ImprovingTwitters Handle
Search. The post started
with a jovial Hello Twitter
and then proceeded to list
everything that was wrong
withTwitters search engine.
Example: It would be nice
if I could nd President
@barackobama with his last
name. Utard also helpfully
included some code for
xing these problems.
Twitter is not alone in
having a problematic search
engine. Indeed, many of us
resort to Google to search
inside the database of
websites. Algolias solution
is a search engine adapted
for websites and apps.
We started with a different
project in mind, which
is howto make a search
engine running ofine on
mobile devices, says CEO
Nicolas Dessaigne, who
has a PhDin computer
science. Because of those
constraints, we ended
up building something
incredibly fast and efcient
when applied to database
searches. In some case
studies, Algolias response
time is up 200 times faster
than other search providers.
In October, Algolia raised
a seed round of funding:
$1.5 million fromIndex
Ventures, Alven Capital
and Point Nine Capital.
In January, it joined the Y
Combinator programme.
It currently has 160 paying
customers, including Peeble,
USATodays Reviewed.com
and SocialCam, in over 26
countries. algolia.com
DEEZER
10-14 rue
dAthnes,
75009 Paris
Music-streaming
service Deezer is
available in more
than 180 countries
and this year is
rumoured to be
expanding to
the US in June
it struck a deal
with Disney. In
November 2013,
it revealed that
it has ve million
paying customers
and 30 million
tracks on its
platform(Spotify,
by comparison,
has six million
customers).
Were not content
to simply keep up
with the world,
said CEO Axel
Dauchez in a
press statement.
We want to lead
the charge.
deezer.com
If someone just mentioned
you onTwitter, Facebook or
wired.co.uk, Mention will let
you knowimmediately. We
notify you and allowyou to
react in real-time, says CEO
Edouard de La Jonquire.
Were a turbo-charged
Google Alerts. He started
Mention in April 1, 2012 with
three other cofounders
includingThibaud Elziere,
a serial entrepreneur who
also founded image bank
Fotolia.com. The media
monitoring tool provides
real-time web alerts for
brands, companies and
individuals to track whats
being said about themon
the web and social media
sites. The app also uses an
anti-noise technology
an adaptive lter that learns
fromyour past searches and
personalises your results.
The company claims around
170,000 users and is now
MENTI ON
37 bis rue du Sentier, 75002 Paris
BLABLACAR
33 rue de
Chazelles,
75017 Paris
In January,
carpooling
startup BlaBlaCar
acquired
Podorozhniki,
a similar rm
covering Russia
and Ukraine
bringing its
number of
acquired rivals
to ve. BlaBlaCar
claims six million
members, and
one million people
across Europe
every month make
journeys using it.
blablacar.com
EBUZZI NG
97 rue du
Cherche-Midi,
75006, Paris
Video advertising
company
eBuzzing recently
merged with
three-year-old
startup Teads.
Both companies
specialise in
video advertising
formats that
allowcustomers
to make money
from their
content. It claims
a reach of 680
million users. The
combined group
has more than
300 employees
across ten
countries, and its
revenue reached
$70mthis year.
It announced an
IPO for 2015.
ebuzzing.com
LEETCHI
7 rue Commines,
Paris-lHpital,
75003 Paris
Founded in
2009, this social
payments
startup has
since expanded
its usefulness
beyond being a
way to divvy up
the cost of a night
out. In June 2013
it partnered with
Amazon, allowing
users to pay into
Amazon gift cards
via Leetchis
app. Currently,
Leetchi has
partnerships with
over 70 brands in
France and, with
a funding total of
4.6million, has
teams in Germany
and Spain, and is
expanding into
Italy and the UK.
leetchi.com
CAPI TAI NE TRAI N
9, rue Ambroise
Thomas,
75009 Paris
After founding
train-ticket
booking startup
Capitaine Train in
2009, CEOJean-
Daniel Guyot had a
year of protracted
negotiation with
French railway
company SNCF
to get access to
its reservation
system. It now
has deals with
other European
railway companies
such as Deutsche
Bahn, more than
170,000 users,
and a pot of 2.5
million from
Index Ventures
and CM-CIC
Capital Priv. In
March this year,
its iOS app was
joined by an
Android version.
capitainetrain.com
PRETTY SI MPLE
24 rue de lEst,
75020, Paris
Criminal Case is
a Facebook social
game where
players arrest
criminals by
uncovering clues.
It was awarded
Game of the Year
by Facebook and
it has around nine
million active daily
users. The startup
behind it is Pretty
Simple. Backed
by $3.4 million,
it launched
the game in
November 2012,
nearly two years
after its rst, My
Shops. Along with
Magical Ride,
its games are
played by over
35 million users
every month.
prettysimple
games.com
VESTI AI RE
COLLECTI VE
47 rue Louise
Michel, Levallois,
92300 Paris
E-commerce is
traditionally a
strong sector in
Paris. At Vestiaire
Collective, every
second-hand
high-end itemof
clothing is vetted
by a teamof
specialists before
it makes it into the
hand of buyers,
eliminating
counterfeit goods
and controlling
quality. The
Parisian startup
has raised more
than 30 million
(including series C
investment from,
among others,
Cond Nast, the
owner of WIRED).
vestiaire
collective.com
WI THI NGS
20 rue Rouget
de Lisle, Issy-
les-Moulineaux,
92130 Paris
The Paris-
based maker of
connecteddevices
fromsmart
baby-monitors
to Wi-Fi scales
this year launched
Aura, a pair of
sleep-tracking
devices linked to
an app. Another
newproduct is
the Pulse 0
2
.
An update of its
previous activity
tracker, it can be
worn as a watch or
in a clip, and has
capabilities such
as measuring
your oxygen
levels. Withings
also has deep
pockets for future
developments it
has raised $33.8m
in investments so
far. withings.com
opening an ofce NewYork.
Mention detects ve million
alerts a day and has paying
customers including
GitHub, CrunchBase and
Microsoft in 45 countries.
The startup has raised a
seed round of $800,000 from
Alven Capital and Point Nine
Capital. In 2013, it reported
245,000 in revenues and
this year registered an
average monthly growth of 13
per cent. mention.com
ALGOLI A
14 Rue Saint-Fiacre, 75002 Paris
The 3WAcademy inParis
trainsbuddingwebdevelopers
2014 / STARTUP CITIES PARIS P / 32
020 7152 3196
CONSULTING@WIRED.CO.UK
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