Crowdfunding has changed the landscape for startups, and it’s now spread outside of the traditional “give me money to help me fund my company or product” landscape. It has expanded into other areas, like real estate and now, cows. A startup company called Crowd Cow will let you get a piece of the action for a fraction of the price of buying the whole cow.
The company delivers specific cuts of meat straight to your front door. Their slogan, “Crowd Cow lets you buy a cow with friends,” sums up its business model. The idea is that you and 49 others all chip in for a single cow, then split the meat between you. Don’t worry. The farmer still does all the work, but the beef is all yours. You can choose the flank steak share, for example, for $79, while the rib steak share costs $104. Upon delivery, you’ll have between six and nine pounds of meat for your freezer. (For comparison, flank steak from a Seattle grocery store is about $12 a pound on Amazon Fresh.)
Why would anyone do this? The idea is to get away from industrial farming. Crowd Cow works with ranchers it trusts, and the founders say this gives them a better idea of how the cows are treated, what they eat, and so on. Crowd Cow even compares its approach to the “Is the chicken local” sketch from Portlandia.
Founded by Joe Heitzeberg (who founded Snapvine and Poppy) and Ethan Lowry (the founder of Urbanspoon and Poppy), the Seattle, Washington-based cow-slangin’ company is actually doing pretty well. On Tuesday, Crowd Cow announced that has secured $2 million in funding to expand its operations. Crowd Cow has even secured investments from Zulily founders Mark Vadon and Darrell Cavens, and from former NFL-great Joe Montana.
Currently, Crowd Cow is only available in select locations. This year, Crowd Cow plans to expand its operations to include the rest of the country.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.