DEMO 2009: A Smaller Showcase for Startups

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Goldstein says Home-Account.com uses homeowners' existing financial data to do two things: Point them to potential loan offers for which they can realistically qualify and help them determine what they can do to whip their credit picture into shape so as to qualify for the more attractive advertised deals. A basic service will be free and a richer-featured component will cost $10 a month.

The company intends to support itself on subscription fees and doesn't make any money from lenders or mortgage brokers. "We want to be the Consumer Reports of mortgages," Goldstein says.

Pitching a combination 'Touchbook'

Other companies launching at DEMO have products aimed at helping consumers find deals on smaller ticket items. Gazaro.com targets those who peruse weekend newspaper sales circulars from such retailers as Best Buy (BBY) but never seem to find what they want on sale. Users sign in, tell the site what they want and where they live, and the tool will track pricing and sales information and indicate when a nearby retailer has it on sale, and then print their own customized sales flyer.

DEMO will also feature its share of high-tech gadgetry. Consider the Touchbook, a combination notebook and tablet computer that weighs two pounds and boasts long battery life. The device's display lifts off the body to become a touch-sensitive tablet computer about the size of a large paperback The company behind it, Always Innovating, was started by Gregoire Gentile, whose prior companies include Zonbu, a maker of environmentally conscious PCs, and Twingo, a network security startup he sold in 2004 to Cisco Systems (CSCO).

Avaak has developed a new kind of Web camera it calls the Vue, which can be placed anywhere around the home or office to broadcast live to the Web, with practically no need for setup and configuration. Born out of a military research project—the Defense Advanced Research Products Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research are investors—the Vue uses a proprietary wireless technology with a range of about 300 feet, requiring a wireless hub connected to a home router. It shows a live scene the user can look in on, but doesn't capture sound. A starter kit with two cameras and a hub is expected to hit the market this summer for about $300.

Meanwhile DEMO is in transition. Shipley and IDG announced on Feb. 18 that Shipley will end her involvement with the DEMO conferences after DEMOfall this September. Taking over as executive producer in 2010 will be Matt Marshall, CEO of VentureBeat.com, a blog site devoted to venture capital-backed technology startups. The change will give Shipley more time to focus on her own company, the Guidewire Group, a consulting firm devoted to advising early-stage companies. "With DEMO I get brief and not very deep encounters with these companies," Shipley said. "With Guidewire I get to go deeper and help them with their strategy and their plans to make money. But as for DEMO, it's been a great run."

Hesseldahl is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.