Paris, 17 April 2010 — Online research and development (R&D) problem-solving site hypios.com has been selected as a top 10 finalist at Startup 2010: The Mobile Revolution.

The conference is co-hosted by Silicon Alley Insider and New York University’s Stern School of Business. General Catalyst Partners is the exclusive founding sponsor.

The event will feature an interview with Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley, as well as sessions on major venture capitalist deals, building buzz as a startup, and leveraging the growing “appconomy” of mobile. Finalists will make their investment pitches between 9:40 AM and noon.

President Anthony DeFilippo of hypios, Inc. shall pitch on the company’s behalf. Asked whether investment is a motivating factor, he asserted, “These are opportunities to educate our peers about what hypios is and why it’s different from what’s out there. The more present we are among actors in the market, the better.”

hypios uses crowdsourcing principles to help organizations solve R&D problems online, using a diversity of expert “Solvers” representing disciplines from around the world. Problems on the platform include a request for a new method for measuring ice thickness (worth $50,000 to the Solver chosen), ideas for the “next generation business-class seat” (worth $7,500), and thoughts for how to improve chocolate that comes packed in ready-to-eat cereal (worth $10,000).

“One thing we hope to emphasize is that hypios is about the success of ideas,” said DeFilippo. “This isn’t about picking the ‘most qualified’ candidate, which means all problem-solvers get a fair shot. If the right solution isn’t found, the company doesn’t pay.”

hypios, funded primarily via private wealth, launched in beta last year. It tested its model by using its own platform to post an unresolved problem integral to the site’s development. It was solved in a handful of months by a PhD student.

The company won recent accolades at TechCrunch Paris and Seedcamp Paris, where it was named a top startup at both events.

Startup 2010 takes place Thursday, May 20, from 8 AM to 7 PM in New York. Tickets cost $495 per person and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

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Hypios combines intelligent crowdsourcing, competency discovery technology, and human outreach to deliver an optimal open problem-solving service. “Seekers” post R&D problems to the network and select a deadline and a price for the successful “Solver.” Hypios, which draws from a network of 950,000 experts across the world, has been solving R&D problems for global companies since 2008.

Press Contact

Hypios
Saman Musacchio
smusacchio(at)hypios(dot)com
Tel+33 1 77 13 67 79

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