Walking to Work Could Cover Your Energy Bills

In recent years, mom and pop shops have made a comeback in the form of startup companies, many of which deal in new technologies. It is now far more possible to begin one of these companies thanks to initial public offerings and crowdfunding programs.

One such company that has taken advantage of these techniques, according to Grub Street, is the two-year-old food delivery surface DoorDash. Currently, the company is only a small player in their industry as compared to organizations such as Postmates and even Uber.

However, DoorDash has still managed to make a name for themselves by acting as the go-to deliverer for both Taco Bell and KFC using their advanced logistics technology.

After being sued by In-N-Out Burger for allegedly delivering their food without permission, DoorDash is looking to expand with news of an IPO with three-comma-club potential.

In other words, insiders say the company “is in talks to raise financing at a valuation of at least $1 billion.”

They are currently delivering food on both the East and West Coasts and recently started their first abroad service in Toronto, CA.

As they expand, another young company is planning to capitalize on services like DoorDash and even just from pedestrians. Nanalyze reports that Pavegen systems recently developed specialized floor tiles that can actually harvest kinetic energy from footsteps.

This energy is able to be transferred directly to a powergrid to power lights and other applications or can be stored in batteries for future use. With both outdoor and indoor installations, they can span long distances and cover large areas.

While the original tiles cost around $7,571, their latest models are a modest $378 per tile. SO far Pavegen has accumulated $4.12 million in funding, $3.12 million of which was from a crowdfunding campaign in which they gave up 10.64% — similar to an IPO, which typically sells up to 10 to 15% of a company.

With the technology already installed in 100 projects across an excess of 30 countries, they are expected to generate $8.46 million in sales by next year.