Global startup fever 2013 The hottest of all

 yeEm

As Instagram's introduction of adverts and diversification into direct messaging takes it further away from a platform for sharing beautiful photographs, EyeEm's is ready to fill its app store place. Launched in Berlin in 2011, EyeEm had just 1 million users in January. Now, it has 10 million photographers on board. EyeEm lets users curate the content of their photo feed, making it possible to choose topics you'd like to see more of, such as “New York City,” “walking around,” or “cute pets”. The system of tagging photos in albums means EyeEm has been able to create a visual search engine which will soon be made available for brands and entities who'd like to purchase or commission quality shots but aren't willing to pay for Getty. Users will be able to offer their photos for sale through the EyeEm Marketplace, and will share revenue 50/50 with EyeEm. EyeEm has already begun working with companies including Lufthansa and RedBull to license images from the platform. Founded by Florian Meissner, Lorenz Aschoff, Ramzi Rizk and Gen Sadakane, this year, EyeEm also closed a $5 million Series A, bringing its total funding to $6 million.

RidingO

As Lyft and Sidecar battle for U.S. market space, car sharing continues to rise in profile. Universally useful, it is much needed in Bangalore, where 1,000 new cars reportedly hit the crowded streets every day. Founded at the 2012 Bangalore Startup Weekend, RidingO offers car sharers fuel recharge and gives riders prices comparable to air conditioned buses (and much cheaper than taxis). There's an option of women-only carpools and no awkward cash exchange - users buy miles online before getting in the car. Once you're registered, you don't even need a smartphone; users can request a ride through the website. RidingO charges 10% per transaction, and has gained more than 2,500 users since launching privately in May 2013. It is set to launch fully in 2014.

Instabeat

Wearable tech is all the rage on dry land, but underwater still has some ground to cover. This innovative piece of hardware straps onto a swimmers goggles to track heart rate, calories burned and number of laps, storing this data for in-depth analytics which can be accessed on a computer via USB post-workout. It offers swimmers information runners have had access to for years through FitBit and Runkeeper, and in doing so, is putting Lebanon on the startup map. Dreamt up in 2011 by Hind Hobeika, who swum competitively before turning her hand to engineering, Instabeat this year raised $50,000 on Indiegogo to finance a prototype now available for preorder which will ship in Q1 2014.

Trustev

Trustev verifies the identity of online shoppers by generating a digital 'fingerprint' through various social media accounts which prove you are who you claim to be. It may not sound exciting, but thousands of ecommerce sites would disagree - Trustev reduces the possibility of credit card or identity fraud for online retailers. It also stores customer information safely for order and shipping info. The Irish startup has raised $3 million since its 2012 founding by Pat Phelan and Chris Kennedy.

Thalmic Labs

Thalmic Labs' Myo armband is wearable tech from a sci-fi movie. The armband measures electrical pulses in your muscles to wirelessly control devices from computers to phones and other electronics. All you have to do is move your forearm and hand. With $14.5 million in funding, plenty of tech heads are excited by the technology. The Canadian device saw 25,000 units preordered, generating an estimated revenue of $4.5 million. Though not in market yet, these armbands are a taste of the future.

Tambero

Used by 35,000 farms in 120 countries, Tambero is taking farming digital. This app, available on desktop, mobile and tablet platforms, helps farmers manage breeding cattle, as well as milk and seedling production. Users can project births, set monitors and alarms, while building a database of animals. Herd analytics monitor performance and check yields. The Argentinian startup, which is pre-revenue but plans to roll out a freemium model, has built a following without spending a cent on marketing according to founder Eddie Rodríguez von der Becke.

YPlan

Social recommendations and mobile commerce is a hot ticket right now - so hot that this last-minute ticketing app is on 1 in 5 smartphones in London. Like Sosh, it lets you browse upcoming events, but users can also buy tickets in-app. After just a few months in New York, the app is seeing 500,000 regular users between both cities and has aggressive plans to expand. Founded by Rytis Vitkauskas and Viktoras Jucikas, two Lithuanian finance workers turned entrepreneurs, YPlan has raised $13.7 million in funding.