This experience was made possible by Qualifyor, a Vegas program run by Kacy Qua that helps high school graduates and (soon) college students learn life skills and get real work experience before they actually enter the workforce. Funded by the Downtown Project, Qualifyor ran its first session this summer and has big plans to rethink the future of education. The first session was a trial run. A group of self-motivated, promising high school graduates took online courses and personality tests, and learned general-purpose skills like problem solving, project management, and professionalism....

This makes their offerings broader than those on similar sites, like Zozi and Kijubi, which mostly highlight sporty outdoor activities. Founded in 2010, RAVN has amassed over 15,000 things to do, which you can filter by who you’re bringing, how much it costs, and type – like relaxing or artsy. “RAVN is both a traveler’s companion and a local’s insider guide,” says Joe Frabotta, RAVN’s margeting guru. In fact, RAVN is constantly working to balance local and touristy activities, Frabotta says: RAVN learns to offer better recommendations when you click “want it” or “not interested” on suggested activities – for example, RAVN already knows that I like walking tours and food tastings....

According to Flexjobs, some 3.4% of the US population worked remotely as of 2017. Though this was a rise of some 159% compared to 2005, it will pale in comparison to the uptick that’s about to come. Given the urgency of business contingency plans now being enacted, the vast majority of US businesses – and their workforces – may feel unprepared for remote work. We explain the major security risks to consider, and what actions businesses should prioritize....

Yes, there are a bunch of competitors in this space – namely TaskRabbit, SnagAJob, and SitterCity – but Rock Your Block stands out thanks to their integration with Facebook and other social networks. The Rock Your Block app lets teens build a dynamic virtual resume, browse job listings in their network, and announce their candidacy for employment. As Rock Your Block’s founder and CEO Sarah Young told me, The best feature: As teens gain work experience, their Rock Your Block resume grows, showing: jobs completed, achievements and certifications earned, and recommendations from employers....

In Jones’ blog post he says, “We are witnessing a shift where consumer awareness on everything from news to music to food to art to clothing and adoption of that content or products is moving from platforms to influencers. Fans follow the content, they follow the tastemakers; and as more and more platforms give rise to greater and stronger influencers, it becomes easier for people to identify those whose ideas they admire....

Service, the popular customer service startup that has made the arduous process a thousand times easier, is now making the excruciating task even easier by introducing a new feature to their app, Protect. This feature will allow customers to instantly submit complaints for retail and air travel businesses with the click of a button. It will finally allow customers to really dig into what is bothering them without putting them on the phone with someone whose feelings they will likely hurt....

Sensors are central to IoT solutions in factories; gathering data from machines and delivering them to the right people at the right time. A survey by PwC showed that at least one-third of the manufacturers in the U.S. are embedding sensors in their factories and using the data generated to make their operations more efficient. 34 percent of manufacturers believe it is critical for American companies to adopt an IoT strategy and 38 percent say that they are using embedded sensors in products that allow their end-users and customers to collect sensor-generated data....

Smart PJ’s transforms kid’s evening wear into an interactive, night-time tale. By scanning the pajama patterns, families can enjoy watching a story unfold on their mobile device. Tech Cocktail caught up with Juan Murdoch, founder at Smart PJs to learn more about his innovative product. Tech Cocktail: What’s the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn so far? Juan Murdoch: Success doesn’t come when you think-or the way you think it will…It takes time and hard work....

Doingtonight co-founders Raji Bedi, Dan Koza and Alan Laudicina think so. “The world needs an easier way to find an answer to ‘What are you doing tonight?’” said Bedi. “We are deadset on making that conversation easier because it’s a simple question that’s really complex. ‘Social discovery’ happens, as do many other things, as a result of making answers to this question transparent.“ To that end, the doingtonight app allows you to make and broadcast plans for tonight only – and you get a certain level of anonymity....

First-wave unicorns have dominated headlines for years, serving as role models for other up-and-coming on-demand companies. Second-wave service platforms have modeled themselves after these tech giants, trying to navigate the same regulatory tightropes by taking a hands-off approach. Instead, these platforms function as layers of technology that facilitate connections between different groups of people. At least, that’s how the argument goes. The trouble is that not everyone gets to be a unicorn, and many of these second-wave platforms are struggling to make the economics of the on-demand model work....

According to data from YouGov, there are a number of posts that could easily prevent you from getting that second interview. After surveying more than 2000 business decision makers, YouGov was able to discover which kinds of posts are the most likely to raise concerns among potential employers. And the results are a little more petty than you might expect. Aggressive and offensive language came in as the number one reason an employee wouldn’t be considered for a position, with 75 percent of decision makers saying that would put them off a candidate, with references to drug use coming in at number two (71 percent)....

This scam comes in the form of an email promising a sneak peek at Spider-Man: No Way Home, as long as you put your credit card information into the attached link. While this might seem obvious to some, this movie is a huge event, so the chance to see it makes the risk seem worth it for any mega fans out there. Avoiding this scam is somewhat easy, even if you’re tempted to click on everything related to Spider-Man in anticipation of his upcoming adventure....

With it, customers can quickly use contactless payment, giving consumers an easier shopping experience while helping sellers use the Square system with even less friction. Tap to Pay will be available to all Square sellers sometime this year, with an Early Access Program coming this summer to let sellers tip their toe in the concept first. Secure and Seamless Payment Square is one of the biggest POS systems on the market for retailers and restaurants alike, while Apple is one of the biggest tech giants....

He starts with a few choice examples: Breathing is an example of a totally abstract principle. We do in subconsciously, never thinking about it, never multitasking. Piloting an airplane relies on abstraction, too, as a handful of dials and knobs represent all the complex tasks that a pilot doesn’t need a PhD in order to use. Have you ever looked inside one of those things? It’s like a labyrinth of buttons with every wrong move being life or death....

Other participants in this round include Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, Court Square Ventures, OCA Ventures, IDEA Fund Partners, Steve Case, and other existing investors. With this recent funding, Automated Insights has raised a total of $10.8 million, including a $100,000 investment that the company received from Steve Case at the Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day this past April. This funding will allow the Durham, NC-based company to further expand its sales and marketing team, as well as expand into new markets....

The Study As Bloomberg reports: The term “European” covers a wide range of different cultural working styles, with the Swiss close to Americans and the Italian workforce a whole 29 percent less active. Don’t Become a Statistic What’s the solution? Perhaps a focus on quality over quantity, as Bloomberg indirectly suggests at on point: We’ve already discussed whether those who claim to work 80 hours a week are really making the best use of their time....

Researchers at Nozomi Networks have determined that 35% of businesses do not know whether their online security precautions have been compromised. That’s a little unsettling, given that you can’t patch a bug until you understand what it is and how it is being exploited. But there’s good news, too: That statistic has dropped. Last year, nearly half of all businesses (48%) knew if they’d been hacked. Is your own operation secure?...

Known for its surprisingly impressive and affordable televisions, TCL jumping into the smartphone game for itself could seriously shake up the industry. Each of these three phones are remarkably inexpensive for what you’re getting, and their presence in the market could seriously drive the affordability trend in a new direction. Now, let’s take a look at what you’re going to find in these three phones: the TCL 10 Pro, TCL 10L, and TCL 10 5G....

Need more funding news? You can get the Tech.Co deals roundup send directly to your inbox by subscribing here. Acquisition BlackBerry Acquires Good Technology for $425M BlackBerry has acquired the mobile security company Good Technology for a sizable $425 million, reports VentureBeat. The news comes as a surprise to those in the industry considering both companies’ contentious past with each. The move by BlackBerry will help to position the company in the mobile security market, boosting its existing software and Cloud portfolio to create a comprehensive secure mobility platform....

If you have an early stage startup, apply today to be a showcased startup, gaining additional exposure at this community event as well as online — TechCocktail.com will cover every company that participates and share that coverage with it’s national following in tech communities across the country. To apply, fill out this form by May 12, 2011. We’ll select 10 to 12 early stage startups to participate as our Startup Innovation Showcase at the event....