Wrap-up: TechCrunch Disrupt Finals

The final day of TechCrunch Disrupt was marked by a fierce competition between six great new programs. What got us most excited at Untapped were the two new consumer companies that stood out as having the best chance to help us get more out of New York and actually affect our lives in the next few months,  Sonar and  Getaround!

Sonar is one of those, “Why didn’t I think of that?” programs.  Once you interact with it and start using it, you wonder why no one’s ever made it.  According to Founder and CEO, Brett Martin, Sonar gives you the power to find out who is in the room rather than find out where your other friends are – it’s a way to make new friends, business contacts, and connections simply by checking to see how you’re related to other people at your venue.  Brett’s endearing nervousness captured the crowd’s enthusiasm and it easily was the hometown favorite during the demos.  While it did not win, we know it’s going to quickly begin making a big impact on the way we see who’s in a room when we enter it.

Despite the love for NYC-based Sonar, it’s hard to argue against Getaround.  The service lets you lend and rent your car anytime its free.  Owners simply register their cars and then renters can find available cars and prices on the app, book one, and use the app to actually unlock the car doors.  That and they had an awesome new Tesla Roadster in Pier 94 to show off how you could open its trunk with the iPhone.  Getaround has the potential to upend Zipcar and traditional car rental companies by crowdsourcing surplus car hours when people’s cars’ are sitting idle.  So, whether you’re trying to make a trip to Fire Island or just Staten Island this summer, you will have a new option – one that is vastly more democratic than any to date. Congratulations Getaround.