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10 Exciting European Startups from 2010

Europe’s had a bumper year for interesting startup ideas. The Next Web’s Hermione Way and I put our heads together to come up with this list of ten small tech companies from across the continent that have excited us in 2010.

Brainient

London-based Brainient makes it easy to add interactive elements to existing web video. A ‘Magic Script’ lets publishers add a few lines of code into a website’s Body HTML, enabling pre-roll ads, overlays or any other type of Brainient layers on any embedded video in the page.

The company launched its developer tools at The Next Web Conference in April this year and announced the first of a fresh wave of commercial partnerships, allowing video site SeeSaw to transplant Hulu’s “Choose your own ads” format to the UK for the first time.

Tastebuds

If music be the food of love, the Tastebuds is on to a good thing. This Last.fm-powered dating site that we profiled earlier this year matches you with others who share your taste in music.

It’s a simple idea that the site carries off incredibly well and as a niche dating idea we love it. Music taste can often say a lot about a person’s outlook on life and if nothing else, it’s an excellent conversation starter. The service may be a little too reliant on Last.fm from a business point of view, but as a concept it’s beautifully realised.

Skimlinks

Affiliate links are a major revenue stream for some online publishers. Taking all the effort out of this type of marketing, Skimlinks gets rid of the long URLs that often put users off clicking links. The fact that the publisher is getting a cut from sales of the product they’re linking to is completely invisible, as a Skimlinks URL looks just like a normal non-affiliate link.

It’s a model that has won Skimlinks major worldwide publishing clients. This year the London-based startup launched Skimkit, a product that makes it easy for writers to add affiliate links to their articles, even suggesting items that might be suitable to link to.

Shutl

As satisfying as it is to conveniently order shopping online from home, the wait to get it delivered can sometimes make a trip to a bricks-and-mortar store seem like a better option. Shutl aims to improve on next-day delivery by offering products to your door as soon as 90 minutes after you place your order.

The service works by aggregating capacity across local courier companies into a single web-service that retailers can use to speed up deliveries. A GPS tracking facility in partnership with Bing Maps allows shoppers to track their deliveries in real-time via the Shutl website. The UK startup is currently trialling its service with certain Argos stores in the London area.

Paper.li

It was hard to ignore Swiss startup Paper.li this year. The “Twitter newspaper” startup saw rapid viral growth thanks to the automated tweets it sent out each time a user’s daily newspaper was published.

This annoyed some Twitter users, who found their reply stream filled with announcements that they featured in their followers’ Paper.li publications each day. Still, the service is still growing at a reported 1000 papers per day, with plans to expand beyond Twitter and Facebook and offer users the chance to make money from their newspapers in 2011.

Nuji

When we covered Nuji‘s launch earlier this month, we described it as “Instagram meets Instapaper” for shopping. This social network sees you sharing things you like, be they items in shops or objects you spot online, as a way of demonstrating your taste. A mobile app lets you scan barcodes while you’re out shopping, making adding items to your profile easy.

As it builds a network of tastemakers, Nuji plans to monetize by offering relevant shopping deals to users based on their interests.

Flattr

This Swedish startup from Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde offers publishers an “online tipjar” that can easily monetize any Web page.

After adding money to their Flattr account, users click the ‘Flattr’ button on pages that they like around the Web. At the end of the month, the money in their account is divvied up to the publishers of the content the user ‘Flattr-ed’. Thus far the service’s most high profile signup has been Wikileaks, which added the button to its Afghanistan war logs page as a way of accepting donations. The service remains one of the few income sources that hasn’t been closed off to the controversial whistleblowing website in recent weeks.

Moshi Monsters

Moshi Monsters from London’s Mind Candy became an online phenomenon for children this year. Youngsters can adopt a pet monster, and solve puzzles to earn virtual currency that can be spent on items to help kit out their monsters’ world with food, furniture treats and the like.

The virtual world has seen real-world spinoffs galore. A deal with Penguin Books was followed by toys, mobile apps and video games in what is set to be a highly profitable year.

Stupeflix

France’s Stupeflix offers a browser-based online video suite and this year launched a service to automate the creation of videos, for example, in the online retail sector where a video of a pair of trainers created from a bunch of photos might be more appealing to potential customers than static photos.

Stupeflix also offers an API to automate the processing and generation of video content for third parties.

Screach

Screach aims to make all sorts of screens interactive by way of a mobile app and a highly customisable development platform. TV shows could use it to allow real-time interaction from viewers, bars could use it to run quiz events with instant on-phone rewards for winners and it’s already being used to enhance a museum exhibit in the UK.

At present there’s little to try out Screach’s mobile app on, but that should change next year when the UK start-up is set to announce commercial partnerships.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL

For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com

CNN: Homeland Security chief Napolitano arrives in Afghanistan

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arrived in Afghanistan Friday and planned to spend New Year's Eve with U.S. troops in the region. Napolitano is scheduled to meet with senior U.S. and Afghan officials during her weeklong trip that also includes stops in Qatar, Israel and Belgium.



CNNMoney: Former auto czar pays $10 million fine

Quadrangle investment group founding partner and former Obama "auto czar" Steven Rattner agreed Thursday to pay a $10 million fine in a settlement with the New York attorney general's office over a pension fund scheme. Rattner was accused of a "pay-to-play" scheme involving New York's pension fund, in which Rattner's Quadrangle allegedly gave kickbacks to officials if they directed state pension money to the fund.

New York Times: E.P.A. Limit on Gases to Pose Risk to Obama and Congress

With the federal government set to regulate climate-altering gases from factories and power plants for the first time, the Obama administration and the new Congress are headed for a clash that carries substantial risks for both sides. While only the first phase of regulation takes effect on Sunday, the administration is on notice that if it moves too far and too fast in trying to curtail the ubiquitous gases that are heating the planet it risks a Congressional backlash that could set back the effort for years.

Washington Post: Maine seeks exemption from provision of health-care law

Days before a key and controversial provision of the health-care law is set to take effect, Maine is the only state to have asked the Obama administration for an exemption, despite concerns expressed by at least a dozen states.

CNN: Alaska certifies Sen. Murkowski's re-election

Alaska's top two elected officials on Thursday certified Sen. Lisa Murkowski's re-election in November as a write-in candidate, clearing the way for Murkowski to be sworn in on time for the new congressional session that starts next week.

CNN: Well-known governors prepare to leave office

Beginning Saturday and continuing over the next few weeks, some of the nation's most prominent governors will be leaving office as a new crop of state chief executives are sworn in.

CNN Poll: CNN Poll: WikiLeaks has few fans in U.S.

It appears the website WikiLeaks has few fans in the United States. A just-released CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds 77 percent of Americans disapprove of the online organization's release of thousands of confidential U.S. government documents concerning U.S. diplomatic and military policies. Only 20 percent approved of the action.

Washington Post: WikiLeaks cable dump reveals flaws of State Department's information-sharing tool

Millions of people around the world now know that the State Department's secret cables became the property of WikiLeaks. But only recently have investigators understood the critical role played by Net-Centric Diplomacy, a computer initiative that became the conduit for what was perhaps the biggest heist of sensitive U.S. government documents in modern times.

CNN Poll: Opposition to Afghanistan war remains high

More than six in ten Americans oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan, according to a new national poll. And a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday also indicates that 56 percent of the public believes that things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Las Vegas Sun: GOP presidential hopefuls paying attention to Nevada

Nevada was a political afterthought for Republicans in the 2008 presidential election. Caucus votes were nonbinding, meaning delegates could change their minds about whom to support, so candidates focused on other more influential states rather than risk wasting time and money in Nevada. But that strategy seems to be changing, with the state GOP deciding to make caucus votes binding. Now that Nevada can boast real political juice, Republicans toying with the idea of presidential bids are scoping out the Silver State.

Chicago Sun-Times: Andy Martin, self-proclaimed 'king of the birthers,' says he'll run for president

Andy Martin, a political gadfly who ran for President Obama's former Senate seat in 2010, announced Wednesday in New Hampshire that he will run for the Republican nomination for president on a "birther" platform.

Politico: GOP pals could be 2012 rivals

Should both Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels seek the White House in 2012, Americans would glimpse a rare sight in the annals of presidential campaigns: actual friends competing against one another for the nomination. Not "friends" in the political sense, the way fellow senators disingenuously refer to one another during floor debate, but pals who truly like each other, and have a long-standing, personal relationship. It’s a nontransactional friendship that’s uncommon in the rarefied air of national politics.

St. Petersburg Times: Records in GOP fraud case reveal more of Jim Greer's business dealings

Delmar Johnson, former executive director of the Florida Republican Party, was president, secretary and treasurer of Victory Strategies, which prosecutors say was a "shell company" created to skim off GOP contributions. But most of the cash went to former state party Chairman Jim Greer, newly released documents show. …GOP finance committee officials began questioning Greer about the company in December 2009, and he resigned as party chairman in January.

Politico: Morning Joe to run again?

Former Florida Rep. Joe Scarborough says he would consider running for office again but, for the time being, thinks he’s better off right where he is. …But that could change. “An absence of leadership” could draw him back to elective office, he said in an interview with Parade magazine published Thursday. “The same thing that had me run the first time, in 1994, when I felt the country was veering off dangerously in the wrong direction.”

NATIONAL

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Los Angeles Times: Holiday anti-terrorism focus is on 'soft targets'

After arrests in Europe and sting operations in the U.S., intelligence agencies have been on edge this holiday season over concerns that terrorist organizations are setting their sights on easier-to-hit targets such as subways, trains and large public gatherings. Federal and local authorities have responded with demonstrations of force and high-profile arrests to deter would-be plotters.

CNN: NYC mayor to probe claims that workers delayed snow cleanup

Four days after a monster blizzard blanketed much of the northeastern U.S., New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he will investigate whether sanitation workers intentionally delayed cleanup efforts over frustrations regarding citywide budget cuts.

Washington Post: As frustration grows, airports consider ditching TSA

Some of the nation's biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration. Sixteen airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City International Airport, have made the switch since 2002. One Orlando airport has approved the change but needs to select a contractor, and several others are seriously considering it.

INTERNATIONAL

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CNN: Ban 'deeply alarmed' over call for violence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, distressed over a call to attack the hotel where Ivory Coast's president-elect and U.N. security forces are based, said Thursday that the forces are "authorized to use all necessary means to protect its personnel" and any others at the location.

The Guardian: Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault

A study examining the causes of a dramatic spike in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Falluja has for the first time concluded that genetic damage could have been caused by weaponry used in US assaults that took place six years ago.

The Daily Telegraph: Chinese military aircraft more aggressive since September, Japan claims

Defence officials in Tokyo told the Asahi newspaper that in addition to the harassment of Japanese aircraft, China has stepped up its probing of air defences in the region and the monitoring of military exercises involving units from the United States and Japan. In the last nine months, Japanese fighters have been scrambled to intercept Chinese intruders on 44 occasions, the highest figure in the last five years and more than double the number for the whole of fiscal 2006, the defence ministry officials said.

NPR: Dubai Restaurant Offers A Taste Of North Korea

North Korea's best-known exports tend to be conventional weapons and nuclear technology. But now, curious diners can add to noodles to that list, thanks to a chain of North Korean restaurants in China, Nepal, Thailand and Dubai. Analysts say the restaurants are a prominent source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang, which struggles under economic sanctions for its nuclear program — and for its sometimes belligerent behavior toward South Korea.

CNN: Russia's Mikhail Khodorkovsky faces another 6 years in prison

A judge in Moscow sentenced Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of Russia's Yukos oil company, and his business partner to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Thursday.

Wall Street Journal: Estonia Prepares to Join the Euro Zone

When the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia rings in the new year, it will become the latest addition to the euro zone—and the poorest member of a currency bloc that is struggling to restore financial stability.

Der Spiegel: The Underbelly of Ukrainian Gas Dealings

The agreement in early 2009 which restarted gas deliveries from Russia via Ukraine to Western Europe, was hailed as a success. But since Viktor Yanukovych became Ukrainian president in February, many of those involved in the deal have been arrested. Furthermore, the president's friends have profited handsomely while the state has lost a fortune.

Wall Street Jouranl: IMF Chides Pakistan on Budget Gap

The International Monetary Fund issued a stern warning to Pakistan to take steps to cut its spiraling budget deficit, said a senior Pakistani government official. In an official letter to the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, the IMF warned that the state of the nation's economy is far worse than previously realized and urged immediate fiscal belt-tightening measures, according to the official, who has seen the missive.

CNN: Vatican Bank to reform banking standards

The Vatican Bank will adapt to meet international standards on money-laundering and other illegal activities, Pope Benedict XVI decreed Thursday, after some of the bank's assets were ordered frozen in Italy.

CNN: South Korea works to contain foot-and-mouth, bird flu

South Korea confirmed an outbreak of bird flu Friday as it struggles to contain foot-and-mouth disease, which has rapidly spread across the country. A duck and a chicken have tested positive for the deadly bird flu virus, authorities said. The government has culled 119,000 birds and set up a quarantine zone around the affected farms.

CNN: Residents evacuated in Australia amid lengthy flood forecast

Thirteen townships in Australia's flooded Queensland state were evacuated Thursday as forecasters warned it may be weeks before river levels start to drop. …Over the entire month of December, Queensland has seen 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) of rain - most of which fell during the past four or five days, said Tony Auden, a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology.

BUSINESS

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CNN: Ford, Chrysler recalling thousands of vehicles

Ford Motor Co. is recalling 19,600 2011 model year trucks and crossover SUVs over concerns that an electrical short could cause a fire, the manufacturer said Thursday. Chrysler Group LLC also is recalling nearly 145,000 trucks and crossover wagons in three separate campaigns for steering, stalling and airbag concerns, according to letters posted this week on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CNNMoney: Jobless claims drop below 400,000 mark

For the first time in more than two years, the number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week - a ray of hope in the one of the longest job droughts in U.S. history. The number of initial claims fell to 388,000 in the week ended Dec. 25, down 34,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Fortune: Goldman bonus pool looking shallower

The days of the $500,000 average paycheck are long gone, even at Wall Street's most gilded firm. So predicts a report issued Thursday by Credit Suisse analyst Howard Chen. He slashed his fourth-quarter earnings estimate on Goldman Sachs (GS) to $3.70 a share from $5.08, citing its latest soft trading quarter and higher non-compensation expenses.

In Case You Missed It

CNN's Jill Dougherty explores why the public admires Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports on recent terrorism incidents around the world.

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