A VC in Vacationland

According to Xconomy, several of this year’s YC
companies are trying to solve problems involving the manufacturing or movement
of actual stuff, rather than just bits. For instance, more than half of all
delivery attempts by companies like FedEx and UPS fail because no one is home,
so BufferBox
is building a network of lockers at retail stores and other locations where
shippers can leave packages; recipients can retrieve them using a code received
by e-mail. Keychain Logistics is working to cut out the
middleman in the shipping brokerage market by building an online service to
connect shippers directly with truckers. HD Trade Services is building software to make
inventory tracking more efficient in warehouses.

Viacycle, meanwhile, hopes to disrupt
companies like Bixi and Alta Bicycle Share by building tracking devices that
make it cheaper to operate fleets of shared bicycles. And in the
manufacturing realm, Dreamforge is creating software that average
consumers can use to design their own objects for 3D printing.

We'll keep an eye on them and feature the most interesting ones in the future.