Startups that Clicked: Innovative ideas which grew to outperform initial expectations

From personal image curating to social task-mastering, these seven companies generated plenty of buzz in 2011, but are set to take the spotlight in 2012.

Pawngo: Launched in June, Pawngo is best described as an online pawn shop: users can put up an item of value and receive relatively small loans. In less than six months, the Denver-based startup has already loaned more than $2 million.



TaskRabbit: Founded in 2008, San Francisco-based TaskRabbit, an online task-for-pay platform, is growing leaps and bounds. In early December, it received $17.8 million in series B financing and plans to expand from five cities to 12 by next year.



BlackLocus: Ever wanted to keep a better eye on your competitors’ pricing strategy? BlackLocus, launched in 2010, is an online service which lets you do just that. In July, the Pittsburgh-based startup got a $2.5 million equity investment by venture capital firm DFJ Mercury.

Pinterest: Launched in 2010, this invite-only social discovery platform lets users connect through the images, pages, recipes, and whatever else they find on the Internet. Think of it as a personal online mood board. Though it has been around for over a year, it quadrupled its visitors since August, going from 1 million to over 4 million now in just four months.



Slice: Slice is a free online service that organises users’ online purchases. Still in beta, the service has generated a good amount of press, with positive reviews. It has now announced a new ‘Track with Friends’ feature, which lets users visually track gift packages.

Birchbox: Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp founded Birchbox, a $10-per-month subscription service that sends beauty samples to members, last year. Less than a year old, Birchbox currently has 45,000 users and 25 employees. The service has expanded to giving beauty advice, via their blog.

Expensify: This online service that streamlines expense reports has raised over $6.7 million in two investment rounds. Founded in 2008, the company today counts 90,000 organisations as customers and 650,000 individuals. The firm has expanded the service to phone apps.

Source: Inc. magazine