This is great advice from Forbes contributor Joe McKendrick.
Golden Kitty Awards 2024: The Best Innovations Are Here!
Golden Kitty Awards 2024: The Best Innovations Are Here!
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- February 10, 2025
And the Golden Kitty Goes To…
Every year, the tech world comes together to celebrate innovation, creativity, and game-changing ideas. Since 2015, the Golden Kitty Awards have been a model of excellence, recognizing the best products and the shining minds behind them.
Let’s dive into this year’s standout startups!
Finance Tech
Mercury is a fintech platform that offers businesses simplified banking and financial management tools, designed to streamline operations. It provides FDIC-insured business checking and savings accounts, along with features like seamless payment transfers, automated invoicing, expense management, and integration with popular accounting software. Mercury also offers Treasury accounts with access to venture debt, helping businesses manage both their day-to-day banking and long-term financial growth.
With flexible pricing starting from free, Mercury scales its services to meet the needs of growing businesses, offering advanced tools like customizable spend controls, bill pay automation, and dedicated support for high-balance accounts. It also connects startups to a network of investors through its Mercury Raise platform, providing further opportunities for growth and funding.
Central is a platform that automates essential HR tasks like payroll, benefits, compliance, and government filings, allowing businesses to focus on their core mission. Designed for startups, Central simplifies payroll processing for employees in the U.S. and contractors in over 200 countries. It also provides tailored insurance plans, protects against unexpected risks, and ensures businesses remain compliant with regulations— all while integrating seamlessly with Slack for quick updates and actions.
Founders talk about how Central reduces distractions, allowing them to focus on building their products. Trusted by over 100 companies, Central is a tool for any startup looking to simplify back-office operations while staying protected.
Gilion is an AI-driven platform designed to help entrepreneurs optimize, fund, and understand their growth. By offering data-first financing, Gilion provides growth loans with flexible terms, including interest-only payments for up to two years. This enables businesses to invest in their growth while ensuring manageable repayment over time. With advanced AI, Gilion reduces risk and provides fair, transparent terms, empowering startups to scale without sacrificing equity.
The platform also offers comprehensive growth intelligence, featuring real-time metrics and forecasts that help entrepreneurs optimize their performance. Gilion’s data-driven approach ensures valid insights, allowing businesses to make informed decisions and prepare for investor meetings.
Mobile App
Remy AI is a science-backed app designed to help individuals improve their sleep and overall well-being. With a focus on sleep and behavioral science, Remy helps users set healthy sleep habits, fall asleep more easily, sleep more deeply, and wake up refreshed. The app tracks key metrics such as sleep debt, alertness levels, and melatonin peaks to provide personalized suggestions for optimal wake-up times, naps, deep work, and relaxation activities based on individual circadian rhythms.
The app offers guidance for building sustainable habits, such as consistent bedtimes, morning walks, mindfulness practices, and balanced caffeine intake. Within just two weeks, 81% of users report improved sleep quality, leading to increased alertness and mental stability. It’s important to note that while Remy AI provides helpful tools for wellness, it is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment, and users are encouraged to consult healthcare professionals for medical advice.
Earth.fm is a non-profit platform offering a diverse collection of over 1000 nature soundscapes from around the world, designed to engage users in the natural world and promote a connection to the environment. Inspired by the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Earth.fm aims to raise awareness about environmental preservation through sound, while also encouraging mindfulness and deep listening practices.
In addition to its expansive collection of soundscapes, Earth.fm features interviews with field recordists and environmentalists, providing insightful content that sheds light on the importance of nature conservation. The platform also offers a range of thematic playlists, such as Dawn Chorus Day and Summer Sounds, to cater to different listening preferences. Earth.fm’s vision is not just to provide tranquil and captivating nature sounds but to encourage a collective effort to protect the planet. Through initiatives like the Earth.fm Gift Card and membership options, users can actively participate in supporting the platform’s mission, fostering a global community dedicated to environmental advocacy.
Arc is a browser designed to redefine how we use the internet. It offers a clean, calm interface that adapts to your unique browsing needs, anticipating your requirements rather than just meeting them. With its innovative Spaces and Profiles features, Arc allows users to organize their online activities—whether work, study, or hobbies—all within a single window. Arc’s focus on privacy ensures that your browsing is secure, as the platform does not track your online activity or searches.
Whether you’re looking for a personalized setup with features like Split View and customizable Themes, or seeking a browser that makes navigating the web more efficient and enjoyable, Arc delivers. Its seamless design has made it a favorite among users who value both functionality and aesthetics. Arc’s future-forward approach goes beyond just performance—it’s about creating a space where everything you need is within reach, all while prioritizing your privacy.
Web3 & Crypto
Burner is a crypto solution designed for everyone. Unlike traditional hardware wallets, Burner is a compact, secure computer that protects your digital assets and identities using the same advanced secure chips found in expensive wallets. You don’t need to be a crypto pro to use it. Burner operates through a browser—no apps to install, no trust needed, and it’s open source. With Wallet Connect integration, you can use Burner with virtually any decentralized application (dapp), from Safe to Uniswap, all while ensuring your security with pin-code protection and a lock feature after too many failed attempts.
Created with simplicity in mind, Burner makes gifting crypto as easy as it gets. For power users, Burner can hold NFTs, store tokens, and integrate with multisigs. It’s portable, affordable, and can be backed up to multiple locations without ever revealing private keys. Whether you’re gifting crypto or storing assets, Burner offers a secure, customizable, and intuitive experience with no app downloads or batteries required.
DeFi Lens offers advanced market insights powered by Generative AI, designed for crypto traders who want to explore the market. With tools like AI Explainer, traders can easily detect quick trends, while AI-assisted chart analysis helps uncover hidden gems, technical analysis signals, macro events, and more. By tracing historical patterns and utilizing similarity observations, users can predict price movements and optimize trading strategies. With customizable search settings and the integration of AI assistance, DeFi Lens helps users make smarter trading decisions by exploring thousands of cryptocurrencies and identifying profitable signals.
Additionally, DeFi Lens stands out in the crypto space with its Mass Backtesting of technical analysis, allowing traders to verify signals and strategies through algorithmic analysis. All data and results are securely stored on the blockchain using Trustworthy Proofs contracts, ensuring transparency and verifiability in every trade.
Sharpe.ai is an all-in-one, self-custodial DeFi automation platform designed to provide advanced data analytics and trading capabilities for digital assets. It integrates real-time crypto intelligence, offering users tools for trading, cross-chain swaps, NFT marketplace aggregation. The platform serves as a comprehensive data hub, tracking over 200,000 tokens and providing insights on diverse asset classes like NFTs, crypto ETFs, and macroeconomic indicators. With its AI-powered tools, Sharpe.ai helps traders and investors optimize strategies, backtest technical analysis, and stay ahead in the dynamic crypto market.
Sharpe.ai aims to simplify complex crypto trading and investment processes, making it accessible for both retail and institutional users. By offering real-time market intelligence, advanced trading tools, and institutional insights, Sharpe.ai helps users make informed decisions and navigate the evolving world of digital assets with ease.
Personal Productivity
Raycast Notes is a fast note-taking tool that allows users to catch thoughts and ideas instantly. It’s designed to keep you in your flow, offering features like Markdown formatting, daily to-do lists, meeting notes, and idea scratchpads. The tool is integrated into the Raycast ecosystem, providing seamless interactions with other Raycast tools. Whether you’re tracking daily tasks or writing down thoughts, Raycast Notes ensures you never lose your ideas. It also supports exporting notes to various formats like plain text, HTML, and Markdown and syncing across Macs with Cloud Sync.
Raycast Notes is built with speed and efficiency in mind, allowing users to quickly create and manage multiple notes. Notes are stored securely in an encrypted database, and deleted notes can be recovered within 60 days. The app’s minimalistic design makes it easy to use, and it’s available for download on Mac, with plans for a Windows version.
Notion Calendar is a designed and fully integrated time management tool that brings all your commitments into one place. It allows users to see their schedule, join meetings directly from the menu bar, and collaborate effortlessly across time zones. With built-in scheduling features, users can share their availability and let others book meetings without the need for a separate app. Designed for efficiency, Notion Calendar supports a modern command menu, and shortcuts, and is available in 12 languages. Whether managing work or personal commitments, it seamlessly connects multiple calendars to prevent double bookings and ensure a smooth workflow.
Fully integrated with Notion, this calendar enhances productivity by allowing users to view deadlines and project timelines alongside events. Users can create and update Notion docs, modify project timelines, and maintain full context for every meeting. Notion Calendar syncs with Google Calendar, Google Meet, Zoom, and even Arc’s sidebar for quick access.
Findr is designed to help you organize, search, and use information across apps, bookmarks, notes, and files effortlessly. With fast search, seamless integrations, and AI-driven insights, Findr ensures that every idea, note, or document is instantly accessible—right when you need it.
Findr transforms the way you manage knowledge. Whether you’re a researcher, marketer, developer, or writer, Findr streamlines your workflow, connects your ideas, and enhances productivity.
Community & Social
Unicorns Club is revolutionizing startup fundraising saying goodbye to frustrating cold outreach and letting investors come to you. The platform ensurs that startups are recognized for their traction, not just their network. By keeping your profile updated, you attract the right investors without endless pitching. Featured by 500+ leading media outlets worldwide, the company helps founders secure investment while focusing on what truly matters: building and scaling their business.
For investors, Unicorns Club provides exclusive early-stage access to a global startup database, automated matching, and real-time updates—ensuring you discover future unicorns before the rest of the market. Whether you’re a startup looking for capital or an investor seeking the next big opportunity, Unicorns Club bridges the gap with a seamless approach. Join now and transform your fundraising journey!
Airchat is a new contender, prioritizing voice-based communication for a more natural and engaging social experience. Co-founded by Naval Ravikant (AngelList) and Brian Norgard (Tinder), this invite-only platform has already sparked curiosity, ranking 23rd in social networking on the Apple App Store despite still being in beta.
Unlike traditional social networks, Airchat allows users to share thoughts through recorded voice messages, which are then transcribed, offering a fresh take on online interaction. With asynchronous messaging, the platform reduces the pressure of live conversations, making it particularly appealing for introverts and those who struggle with text-based expression.
Our relationships shape our lives in ways we often don’t fully appreciate, and many of them form through seemingly random encounters—turning a conversation into an introduction, a job, or even a life-changing move.
Mozi focuses on helping users know where their contacts are and when they’ll be in the same place. Whether it’s planning meetups while traveling or coordinating event attendance, Mozi facilitates genuine, in-person connections. The app is now available for iOS with an Android waitlist, is a step toward redefining social networking—not as a media platform but as a tool for meaningful human interaction.
Bootstrapped & Small Teams
Voicenotes is a platform that lets you record notes and meetings with incredible, accuracy, significantly outperforming tools like Apple and Otter. With an AI that remembers everything, you can effortlessly search through your notes, ask questions, and gain valuable insights from past entries, no matter how extensive your collection becomes.
What’s more, sharing is seamless. Easily collaborate with your team or keep your family in the loop, and integrate effortlessly with tools you already rely on, like Notion and Zapier. This isn’t just a note-taking app—it’s a complete system for organizing and accessing your thoughts, ideas, and important information, all in one place. Get ready to supercharge your productivity and bring clarity to your daily life!
If you’re struggling with too many tabs, lost pages, or restarting your browser, you’re not alone.
Horse replaces chaotic tab management with a structured, intuitive way to organize research, projects, and daily tasks. Say goodbye to endless bookmarks and history searches—just fold, name, and access everything you need in a click.
Whether you’re a designer, developer, journalist, researcher, or someone with ADHD, Horse helps you work smarter, stay focused, and reclaim lost hours from tab overload. Ready to browse with purpose? It’s time to get on the Horse.
WrapFast is a powerful tool designed to streamline the app development process, making it faster and easier to launch iOS apps, including AI-based ones. The platform offers a simple solution for integrating authentication, user onboarding, payment systems, and other essential features, all while securing API keys and using cloud databases. Developers can build monetizable apps without spending hours writing repetitive code, and the platform provides documentation and tutorials to guide users through every step.
With lifetime updates, an active community, and the option for one-click app publishing, WrapFast makes it easier for developers to launch and monetize apps quickly. The platform also provides a development service for AI identifier apps, helping creators get their apps live on the App Store with minimal effort.
Final Thoughts
The 2024 Golden Kitty Awards celebrated some of the most innovative products that are shaping the future of technology, business, and our daily lives. These remarkable winners represent the standard of entrepreneurship and creativity, showcasing how startups are driving change across industries.
If you’re ready to take your startup to the next level 👇
As part of the growing startup ecosystem, we’re excited to continue supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. At Elite Dev Squad, we’re here to help you build the next game-changing product. Let’s work together to create something extraordinary.
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