Every week there’s always something to look forward to on the crowdsourcing space. Definitely, we are living in the most exciting times. So here’s a curated weekly roundup of the breaking news and must-read thought leadership pieces on the crowd economy. Read what cities and governments expect from sharing economy, PWC’s crowdsourcing innovation, Google’s quest on smart cities and many more.
Cities see peer-to-peer business more positively says recent report
How do cities and governments respond to sharing economy platforms? Well, a recent survey says they see “the peer-to-peer business more positively than they have from the past,” Co.Exist wrote. Despite the tensions between sharing economy platforms and regulators, Brooks Rainwater, co-author of the survey, a director at the National League of Cities said, “Early on, the disruptive and abrupt approach many rapidly growing sharing economy companies took as they entered cities created consternation and concern. Over time, the desires of people and the goals of cities have coalesced and become clearer, and confrontation has moved more toward collaboration.”
PwC joins the crowdsourcing bandwagon
Wouldn’t it be nice if your boss gives you the opportunity to earn cash on the side? PwC (Yes, PricewaterhouseCoopers!) gives its staff a go signal and innovates with crowdsourcing to process out-of-hours claims, BRW said. How does it work? “The professional services giant is trying a crowdsourcing model that allows its team of 120 research and development tax specialists to earn a cash bonus if they process claims outside work hours of 8am to 6pm,” BRW wrote. On another note, it’s not just PwC embracing crowdsourcing model, Deloitte, EY and KPMG are also taking the shots in disrupting themselves. Read more of BRW post and find out how they do it.
Carpooling and ride-sharing trending in APAC region
Guess where’s the biggest app market? It’s Asia. Clickz said that apps are big sellers in APAC region, which indicates its ability to embrace sharing economy. The mobile penetration and usage are constantly increasing and “one pervasive trend” in Asia’s app world is carpooling. GrabTaxi, Tripda and recently launched Shun Feng Che from China are some of the popular carpooling and ride-sharing apps hitting the APAC streets.
Google’s quest on smart cities?
Google announced this week its new project: the Sidewalk Labs. ZDnet said “it’s a smart cities startup, which will build and incubate technologies to help governments run their urban areas more efficiently.” The project will tap the intersection of physical world and digital world, focusing on how to improve urban areas, including energy and transportation. Google said it will include these three areas: products, platforms, and partnerships.
Crowdfunding a business is okay, but a funeral?
Sure we have heard and read how crowdfunding have helped entrepreneurs jumpstart their businesses, but crowdfunding a funeral? Here’s an interesting read on Huffington Post. Emily McLaren shares her insights on why it’s possible. “I’m not sure why (perhaps I always had it in my head that this was ‘off limits’), but in an article published earlier this year by Golden Charter, they found that the reason for crowdfunded funerals is simple – funerals are expensive and they’re not getting any cheaper (the average cost of a basic funeral in the UK is £3,456).”
Trends show that crowdfunding will overtake VC in 2016
If crowdfunded funerals look promising, then it’s not surprising if the crowdfunding industry will surpass even venture capital in 2016. What can be crowdfunded? Anything and everything. Chance Barnett shares his insights in his Forbes column, including the trends behind its growth. “Fast forward to today and we saw $16 billion crowdfunded in 2014, with 2015 estimated to grow to over $34 billion.”
[Image credit via Deposit Photos]
There are tons of amazing stories out there. What else caught your eye this week? Did you come across some breaking news or a good thought piece?
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