Too weird to exist, too awesome not to: 3 companies keeping Austin weird

by Anthony Sodd
August 26, 2015

Worried that Austin is becoming overrun, corporate and stale? Sure, Austin’s changed a lot in the last couple of years, but there are plenty of companies doing their part to keep Austin weird — even if they’re not keeping the city weird, they’re certainly weird themselves. Here are some of our favorite, weird Austin companies:

 

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Crem8: Bringing a transparency and dark humor to the cremation business

This company decided to use the number ‘8’ to spell out the word cremate in their name. That decision is made even more amazing, or just plain creepy, by the fact that ‘cremate.com’ is actually still available. After all, consumers probably want to type a cutesy URL into their browser when looking for deals on incinerating a recently passed loved one. At any rate, the company is looking to hire a CTO that could also go by the title ‘DeathTechie.’ If ‘funeral and tech sounds interesting to you,’ they’re looking to chat. No joke.

 

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Dinner Elf: Hire an elf to cook your family dinner

Once a week an elf, which is company parlance for a cook, will show up at your house and cook you and your family dinner. You pick something off a menu, they whip it up and even clean up the kitchen when they’re done. Unfortunately, in case you were wondering, the chef does not show up dressed as an elf. On the plus side, they have all gone through a criminal background check. 

 

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PeppyPets: A fitness tracker for your dog

Has Fido been looking a bit chubby recently? Maybe it’s time to get him his very own dog Fitbit. This surprisingly inexpensive activity tracker hooks onto your dog’s collar and syncs up with your smartphone. In addition to exercise tracking, PeppyPets lets you track things like medical records and bark frequency — which might actually be kind of helpful. The company also hosts local events, so Fido can have play dates with other neurotic dogs.

 

Have a tip for us or know of a company that deserves coverage? Email us via [email protected].

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