Because Startups Deserve Great Tools The right tools can make a huge difference to your ability to run your startup and life. There used to be a time that great software cost more than most entrepreneurs could afford. No more. A highly competitive and innovative market has led to many companies using freemium strategies to recruit customers, resulting in a proliferation of fantastic free tools. This guide contains 50 of the best that we have come across. Whether you are looking for something to help you create amazing presentations, manage your finances and projects or raise your startup s profile, we ve got it covered. Some are completely free (often open source) and some are a free lite version with a premium paid version available. We also included a few extra paid tools that we came across just because they are so cool and useful and worth every cent (most come with free trials). Finally, some of the products, we use, have used or have tested. Some, our clients, colleagues and friends have recommended, others are award winning and some just have great reviews. We hope you find this guide useful. Martin Soorjoo Founder Investor Pitch Clinic LLC
Presentations SlideRocket is a revolutionary new approach to presentations. It's the only presentation software that allows you to create stunning presentations, manage them intelligently, share them securely and then measure the results. SlideRocket goes beyond traditional presentation tools by harnessing the power of the Internet and making everything available to you in an integrated and intuitive online interface. http://www.sliderocket.com/
Presentations Create astonishing presentations live and on the web. Where a typical presentation is based on individual slides with a set progression, the starting point for a Prezi presentation is one big page. On this blank canvas, you place all of your elements for the entire presentation images, text, even multimedia. http://prezi.com/index/
Edit Images Pixlr combines image design and paint tools with photo editing and adjustment features as well as many other paid online image editing programs. Whether creating an image carte-blanche, layering one image over another or using a variety of filters, effects and level adjustments to transform photographs, Pixlr will deliver great results. http://pixlr.com/
Communication GoldMail is the easiest way to combine your voice with your content to create on-demand rich-media messages and presentations. Don t let your content speak for itself online. Send a GoldMail! All you need are a few image slides and something to say. Almost anything can be converted to a GoldMail slide. You can import images files, PowerPoint presentations, insert screenshots from your computers clipboard. http://www.goldmail.com/
Documents Anytime, anywhere access to your work Google Docs is securely powered by the web giving you the flexibility to be productive from your desk, on the road, at home and on your mobile phone, even when you're offline. Works across operating systems Google Docs works in the browser on PC, Mac, and Linux computers, and supports popular formats such as.doc,.xls,.ppt, and.pdf. Easily upload and share files http://www.docs.google.com/
Content Review ReviewBasics lets you exchange ideas and gather thoughts on creative, interactive, motion, and written content in a breeze! Upload your content, and invite reviewers. Their feedback is reported back to you in realtime. It's Quick, Easy, and Hassle-Free! http://www.reviewbasics.com/
Business Model Creation The Startup Toolkit business modelling canvas is a quick place to write down what really matters about your startup, for founders in search of a business model. Document and update your hypotheses Stay focused on key risks Communicate your business model http://thestartuptoolkit.com/
Email Marketing Mailchimp is a an autoresponder that s especially well suited for those just starting out with email marketing. It has a great, Web 2.0 interface and once you sign up and get your account running, you can have your first email campaign ready in 15 minutes or less. Mail Chimp also offers designer and developers the ability to easily customize their campaigns to the style they want. http://www.mailchimp.com/
File Sharing For You Person-to-person large file transfer Send files to recipients in realtime Receive files into a personal Dropbox For Your Company Simplest file sharing for end users Easiest to manage for IT More peace of mind with file tracking https://www.yousendit.com/
File Sharing This tool caters for the basic need of short to medium term file storage & transferral. Using the very basic interface, you can upload a file of up to 100mb and you re given a link that goes directly to the file you ve uploaded. Instead of emailing the large file, you email or IM the link to the file. http://senduit.com/
File Storage Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically. 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers. Sync files of any size or type. Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected. Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on the same files. See other people's changes instantly. https://www.dropbox.com/
Fax Send Your Faxes Via the Internet. No Fax Machine Required! http://faxzero.com/
Publicity No such thing as free PR? From The New York Times, to ABC News, to HuffingtonPost.com and everyone in between, nearly 30,000 members of the media have quoted HARO sources in their stories. Everyone s an expert at something. Sharing your expertise may land you that big media opportunity you ve been looking for. http://www.helpareporter.com/
Publicity PR Log is an online free press release distribution and free press release submission service. HTML links in the press release body. Search engine optimized dedicated web page & PDF version. Multiple categories & tags. Spam protection on your email address. Free press release account. Video Press release. http://www.prlog.org/
Publicity i-newsire claim to be the fastest and easiest press release distribution service and free press release submission online. Google News Inclusion in 1 hour of your Premium Press Release publication. Clients range from Fortune 500 companies to many small and medium sized businesses. http://www.i-newswire.com/
Video Creation Animoto automatically produces beautifully orchestrated, completely unique video pieces from your photos, video clips, and music. http://animoto.com/
Survey Tool Create fast, easy surveys Deploy via email or the web Analyze and share survey results Customer Satisfaction Surveys Employee Satisfaction Surveys Market Research Surveys Educational Surveys Twitter Surveys Facebook Surveys http://www.zoomerang.com/
Survey Tool Easy-to-use web-based survey tool Collect data via weblink, email, Facebook, or embed on your site or blog Real-time results 24x7 customer support http://www.surveymonkey.com/
Expense Tracking Expense Tracking and Management From Any Device. Record your expenses via Email, iphone, SMS, Voice, Twitter, IM, search box. Manage, Analyze, or Export Using tags, keywords, advanced search, or export to your favorite application or as RSS. Budgets, Per-Client Routing, Mileage Tracking, International Currency Conversion, Import Bank and Credit Card Statements, and more. http://xpenser.com/
Invoicing Freshbooks mission is to deliver fast and simple invoicing and time tracking services that help you manage your business. Freshbooks: Will save you time Is easy to use Make you look professional (think Fortune 500) Will let you manage your books without an accountant Secure, encrypt, and back up your data Be available 24/7 from anywhere with any computer http://www.freshbooks.com/
Invoicing Invoice Bubble is free invoice software that lets you create an invoice and send to your client in seconds. Create professional invoices for free! Get automated with recurring invoices Get paid online through PayPal http://invoicebubble.com/
Invoicing phpbms is web-based, open source, Business Management Software. phpbms is designed for companies looking for an application to manage their business. A system that is capable of creating and printing sales orders, tracking clients and prospects, fulfilling accounts receivable needs, and printing detailed sales and purchasing reports. http://www.phpbms.org/
Financial Management Mint pulls all your financial accounts into one place. Set a budget, track your goals and do more with your money, for free. Stay on top of your finances. See what's happening with all your accounts checking, savings, investments, retirement at any moment of the day. Set a budget and create a plan to reach your personal financial goals. You can track your progress online or stay up-todate with monthly emails. http://www.mint.com/
Financial Management Teaspiller helps you find an accountant then gives you an elegant web-based platform to work with your accountant. Ask an Accountant. Ask any tax or accounting question and receive a quick answer from one of Teaspiller s accountants. Find an Accountant. A free directory of accountants. Look through Client Ratings and practice areas of verified accountants (certification is verified), and select the expert right for your tax and/or accounting needs. http://www.teaspiller.com/ PAID
Raising Capital The WSGR Term Sheet Generator will generate a venture financing term sheet based on your responses to an online questionnaire. It also has an informational component, with basic tutorials and annotations on financing terms. Because it has been designed as a generic tool that takes into account a number of options, this version of the term sheet generator is fairly expansive and includes significantly more detail than would likely be found in a customized application. http://www.wsgr.com/wsgr/display. aspx?sectionname=practice/termshe et.htm
Screen Capture Take a picture or make a short video of what you see on your computer monitor. Share it instantly via web, email, IM, Twitter or your blog. Simple and free, Jing is the perfect way to enhance your fast-paced online conversations http://www.techsmith.com/jing/
Screen Recording CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files. You can use it to create demonstration videos for any software program. Or how about creating a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions? You can create video tutorials for school or college class. You can use it to create videobased information products you can sell. http://camstudio.org/
Organize Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your notable life using your computer, phone, and the web. Chances are, if you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it. Type a text note. Clip a web page. Snap a photo. Grab a screenshot. Evernote will keep it all safe. Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made searchable. If you like, you can add tags or organize notes into different notebooks. http://www.evernote.com/abou t/home.php
Organize Ta-da List claims to be the web's easiest to-do list tool. Make lists for yourself or share them with others. Ta-da List works in the most popular web browsers (IE 6/7, Firefox 2, and Safari 2) on the Mac, PC, and the iphone. http://tadalist.com/
Password Manager Your LastPass master password is the only password you'll ever need. Easily log into your websites seamlessly with a single click of your mouse button. Your data is securely synchronized across all devices giving you access to it anywhere at anytime. http://lastpass.com/
Remember Remember everything! Seriously, whether it s following up on a good lead or picking up your anniversary present, with NudgeMail you have no excuse. NudgeMail helps people manage their time and emails by synchronizing their important upcoming events. Without leaving their inbox, a user can set a reminder far ahead of time, simply by sending an email to NudgeMail about a major event. http://www.nudgemail.com/
Manage Time Track your time - Without notes or timers. Chrometa automatically captures and organizes the time you spend on your PC, facilitating your ability to accurately bill all your time. With Chrometa, you just work while Chrometa watches in the background. It logs all your computer activity and helps you capture phone and meeting time spent away from your PC. http://app.chrometa.com/
Manage Time RescueTime is a web-based time management and analytics tool for knowledge workers who want to be more efficient and productive. RescueTime allows you to easily understand and optimize how you and your team spends their time and attention. One of the most important things about RescueTime is that there is no data entry. http://www.rescuetime.com/
Website Website Grader, from those clever folks at HubSpot, will analyze any URL and assign a grade to it, depending upon a number of features found on the site. You can use Website Grader to compare your site to a competitor s, find out which aspects you are performing well at in comparison, and which aspects need attention. http://websitegrader.com/
SEO TOOLS A fantastic array of free and paid web based SEO tools created by SEO Guru Aaron Wall. If having your website found online matters to you, then have to check out SEOBOOK. http://tools.seobook.com/
SEO TOOLS SEOmoz is a giant in the world of Search Engine Optimization. Like Aaron Wall s SEOBOOK, SEOmoz offers a wide range of free and paid SEO tools. http://www.seomoz.org/tools
Analytics Clicky takes analytics to a whole new level. Clicky is a real time web analytics service. This means that when you login and view your stats, you are seeing up to the minute data on the traffic to your web site. Real time data lets you react to changes in your traffic as they occur. For example, if you had an article that hit the front page of a popular site like digg.com, you would see the traffic spike in Clicky immediately, along with links back to the sources sending you the traffic. http://getclicky.com/
Video Analytics & Syndication If you use video to market your business then you need TubeMogul. TubeMogul InPlay is the leading online video analytics solution for publishers, online video platforms and video sharing sites. TubeMogul OneLoad provides a single point for deploying videos to the top video and social networking sites http://www.tubemogul.com/
User Testing UserTesting.com is a "crowdsourcing" service that provides fast and cheap usability testing. UserTesting.com gives you access to a large panel of users, on-demand. You get to "look over the shoulder" of these users while they perform common tasks on your website, to see and hear where they get confused and frustrated. PAID http://www.usertesting.com/
A/B Testing Create multiple versions of your website in a visual designer Define what you want your visitors to do (buy, sign up, download, etc.) Split your website traffic amongst different versions Select the best performing version. Make extra $$$. PAID http://visualwebsiteoptimizer.co m/
Wireframing With Balsamiq, using Mockups feels like drawing, but because it s digital, you can tweak and rearrange easily. Teams can come up with a design and iterate over it in real-time in the course of a meeting. Product managers, designers, developers, and even clients can now work together in the same tool to quickly iterate over wireframes, before writing code. PAID http://balsamiq.com/
Disk Imaging Don't compromise your data integrity. Macrium Reflect uses leading data compression techniques to create accurate and reliable images of your hard disk or partitions on your disk. With Macrium Reflect you can schedule Images to run at any time. Disk space management ensures that you optimize the available space on external drives. http://www.macrium.com/refle ctfree.asp
Online Meetings Your own meeting room online. Talk through your computer from anywhere in the world. Or connect to any phone or mobile device at no extra charge. Invite guests up to 15 at a time. It s free for them. No downloads or headaches. PAID https://www.imeet.com/
Virtual Business Cards BusinessCard2 makes it easy to create, manage, and leverage your online professional identity by enabling you to create an online business card. Once created you can easily share your card by placing it in your email signature or embedding it on any website. http://businesscard2.com/
Virtual Phone Toll free or local number - local or national presence Unlimited extensions - for departments & employees Call forwarding - work from anywhere Voicemails via email - play online or on cell phone Manage online or by phone - no hardware to purchase PAID http://grasshopper.com/
CRM SugarCRM helps companies communicate with prospects, share sales information, close deals and keep customers happy. Free Community Edition http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/ products/editions.html
POS Lemon is an open source Point of Sale software targeted for micro, small and medium businesses. MySQL is employed for data management and storage, and can be used a single database with many POS terminals on a network. http://lemonpos.org/index
Sales Communication CrunchConnect brings social networking into meetings, presentations & email without software downloads, so you have more opportunities to connect with customers. (BETA) GET INVITED http://crunchconnect.salescrunc h.com/
Customer Service Zendesk is a web based help desk software with support ticket system and self-service customer support platform. PAID http://www.zendesk.com/
MindMapping FreeMind enables you to organize thoughts on a page as they connect to each other and to the larger picture. You shape, place, and name that master idea, then create child or sibling spokes that relate to it. FreeMind includes a wide range of features, including scads of icons and color formatting options to help you visually organize concepts. It also supports hyperlinks, which allow you to link Web sites and even documents to a map. http://freemind.sourceforge.net /wiki/index.php/download
Project Management Basecamp is the world s leading online Project Management Software that helps in project collaboration. Basecamp facilitates keeping communications about a project all in one place by the use of messages, which can be: Organized into different, customizable categories Use check marks to specifically notify selected or all project members via email Be associated with and/or complete milestones andhave files attached. PAID http://basecamphq.com/
Project Management PivotalTracker is an easy to use, agile project management tool that brings focused collaboration to software development teams. Built by Pivotal Labs, it embodies proven agile methods, based on experience on over 100 large scale, commercial software projects. PAID https://www.pivotaltracker.com /
Social Media TweetDeck is your personal realtime browser, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google Buzz and more. Jampacked with features, Tweetdeck is the first choice for many who market using social media. http://www.tweetdeck.com/
Social Media Compose, communicate, and converse with HootSuite. Manage multiple social media accounts, customize searches, upload photos, receive notifications, view click stats, and more. Simple, elegant, and powerful, HootSuite allows you to send and schedule social media updates from anywhere. http://hootsuite.com/
Social Media Lazyscope Beta offers X-ray vision for Twitter. See through shared links in your Twitter stream without visiting. You can follow any non-twitter sites. You can also follow any non- Twitter sites. Discover and follow streams from any website along with Twitter, in a single real-time stream. http://www.lazyscope.com
Microsoft Tools and Platforms Microsoft BizSpark is a global program that helps fast-track the success of early stage technology startups with resources, including software, support & marketing visibility. BizSpark provides fast and easy access to current, full-featured Microsoft software development tools, platform technologies, including the Windows Azure platform and production/hosting licenses. Application Required. http://www.bizspark.com/pages /home.aspx
Office OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose. http://www.openoffice.org/
Office For Mac NeoOffice is a full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs) for Mac OS X. It is an office suite that is adapted to the unique needs of Mac users. http://www.neooffice.org/neoja va/en/index.php
Business Zoho provides a wide, integrated portfolio of rich online applications for businesses. With more than 20 different applications spanning Collaboration, Business and Productivity applications, Zoho helps businesses and organizations get work done. http://www.zoho.com/
Coming Soon Funding and Fame For Startups Fast!
Helping Startups Launch and Get Funded T: 650 373 2036 E: coaching@investorpitchclinic.com W: http://investorpitchclinic.com