Welcome, this industry newsletter shares key market changes, in a twice-monthly publication, curated by Jeremiah Owyang, Founder of Catalyst Companies™, you can subscribe to the email newsletter on the footer of the homepage.

uTest is Resolving Complex Issues for the Crowd The company formerly known as uTest – now known as Applause recently began collaborating with Appirio to combined their shared sourcing skills for the greater good of the sharing crowd. Appirio shares the services of over 600,000 to help clients build apps. Applause offers more than 2,000 techie-type users to test apps “in the wild.” Crowd app building combined with crowd quality control promise a bright future for better apps. Read more.

Sort Out the Crowdfunding Noise with Crowdsurfer The rise of crowdfunding sites is happening at such a rapid rate that it has literally become beyond the ability of any one individual to keep up with the pace. Crowdsurfer, a Cambridge, UK startup, is building a data aggregator that will help seekers find the ideal funding site. Founder Emily McKay’s envisions Crowdsurfer becoming the Bloomberg of the crowdfunding world. Read more.

Wegosee Ensures That the Crowd Gets What it Hopes to Get Someone once said that for every problem solved another problem is created. That has been a problem in the space sharing segment of the Collaborative Economy. Renting a space through crowd sharing has opened up opportunities for fraud regarding simple matters of over-promised facility conditions to finding that a listed space does not actually exist. Wegosee is a collaborative company that will visit vacation homes, auctions, or any other POS in which an individual may be interested, to ensure that your expectations are met. Read more.

Miami Police Make Lyft Drivers Feel the Heat According to the Miami Herald, police are running a sting operation target Lyft drivers. Undercover police call the ride-sharing service, hop a ride, then fine the independent Lyft drivers for a variety of offenses, including not having a chauffeur’s license or not having a Dade County for-hire license. Then they fine them $2,000 and impound their vehicles. We’ve all known that the sharing economy can be disruptive, but it is neither devious or destructive. Lyft, by the way, has paid each driver’s fines. Read more.