Senator Mark Warner spent a few days in San Francisco this week, meeting with tech companies, trying out virtual reality, and experiencing the chilly summer weather in the city by the bay. He stopped by the BuzzFeed office to talk about contract labor and the future of work, and while he was here we sat him down to play a quick round of "Startup or Made Up," a game we…made up.
1. Thuuz
"If I'm wrong, it should be made up, because it's a pretty crummy name."
Incorrect! Thuuz is “an award-winning mobile and connected TV service revolutionizing how sports fans discover and connect to sports programming.”
2. OOOOOC
Correct! OOOOOC is a startup. But it's not from the Bay Area.
3. Swrve
Correct! Swrve is a startup, and people in the Valley are real.ly bad at spellyng.
4. Rich.ly
Incorrect! Rich.ly is not a startup. Rich.ly is not based in New York.
5. Scrumpt
6. Broto
"I would think it would be a startup about hobbits, but I think, because it seems too obvious, that it's made up."
Correct! We were thinking "photos, but for bros."
7. Waffle
Correct! Waffle is a startup. Touché, Senator, touché.
8. Lentl
"That's a startup that comes from Seattle because it's all about nuts and granola and healthy eating."
Incorrect! Bad news: Lentl is not a startup. Good news: Lentl.com can be purchased for "only $2,995."
9. Prezense
Incorrect! From TechCrunch Disrupt 2015 brochure: "Prezense specializes in premium quality, immersive consumer marketing experiences for everywhere mobile Virtual Reality."
Final count: 5/9
¯\_(ツ)_/¯