What happened when I outsourced my day to five New York City startups

By Alex Barinka, BloombergDec 18 – As an overscheduled New Yorker, I wanted to simplify my life. So I turned to the growing abundance of startups — there are more than 6,000 in New York City alone — that let you do everything from hire a chef to cook at your apartment, rent the perfect dress for an important date, and even geek out on coffee digitally matched to your preferences.To find out if they deliver on their promises, I handed over my daily rituals to a handful of Big Apple startups.Here are impressions from my digitally pampered day.Bespoke JavaI woke myself up with a cup of Modcup joe from Craft Coffee, a subscription service that matches beans to your preferences and delivers them to your home. The company says it analyzes brews from more than 100 roasters in about 40 U.S. states. For $20 on average you get enough coffee to brew about 21 Starbucks talls, less than a buck per serving."It's like you have a sommelier for coffee," said Michael Horn, who started Craft Coffee to help afficiandos find the perfect roast without having to do the work.. Bloomberg's Alex Barinka smells grounds of Modcup coffee, delivered by CraftCoffee product manager Sam Billetdeaux. Source: BloombergAn online quiz that asks whether you drink one or more types of coffee at home, what kind and whether you want something similar or are prepared to try something new. I wanted a version of the dark roast from Joe Coffee, a New York chain. Less than a week later, the Modcup beans arrived in a bag with a blurb telling me they were grown about 2,000 meters above sea level in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, and "pulped naturally," a process that involves removing the beans from the plant's cherry and sun-drying them..data-title=" Source: Bloomberg"Verdict:Save time? Yes. I avoided the commuter crush.Save money? Yes. Starbucks brewed in store — my usual purchase — costs almost twice as much, though their beans go for $15 a bag or $22 with shipping.Convenient? Yes. Beans were delivered to my door.Personal StylistEver tried applying lipstick and tweeting at the same time? Me neither. But as an inveterate multi-tasker, I always wanted to. So I requested the services of Glamsquad, which does hair and makeup at your house. Founded by beauty industry insiders, Glamsquad is aimed at smartphone-tethered women looking to summon salon-level pros to their homes with a few clicks and get primped for special events ranging from baby showers to red-carpet events.Hair stylist Erin Taylor and makeup technician Tara Schwartz arrived at my apartment armed with the tools of the trade. After a brief consultation, we retired to the bedroom where they blew out my hair, applied my standard cat eyeliner and contoured my face. I relaxed in my robe and caught up on social media. Forty-five minutes later they were done and I looked fabulous. The glam session cost $50 for the blowout and $75 for makeup.Verdict:Save time? Split. Took a bit longer than my usual routine, though I was able to multitask.Save money? No, because normally I'd apply cosmetics for free.Convenient? Yes.Dress for HireRent the Runway solves a perennial challenge: having nothing to wear for a special occasion. Unless you're wealthy, spending $300 and up for a dress you may wear once or twice isn't an option. So Harvard Business School classmates Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss started Rent the Runway, a website where you can find dresses from more than 300 designers, ranging from Alberta Ferretti to Vera Wang.I'd planned a full day with interviews, cocktails and dinner with friends and required a dress that was sufficiently conservative for work yet sassy enough for a night out. I scanned the website and chose a blue, grey and black sheath frock from BCBGMAXAZRIA. The dress retails for $250; I paid $50 to rent it for four days. I could've had the dress delivered, but wanted to be sure the fit was right for an active day. I shimmied into the frock at the firm's Flatiron District shop and walked out with it a few minutes later.. Bloomberg's Alex Barinka tries on a BCBGMAXAZRIA dress at Rent the Runway's storefront in New York's Flatiron District, where customers can pick up designer dresses they rent from the startup. Source: BloombergVerdict:Save time? Yes.Save money? Yes. The dress was the right choice for that day, though I don't think I'd wear it enough to buy it at retail.Convenient? Yes.Personal ChefA full day of work left no time for dinner prep so I fired up Kitchensurfing Inc. The company prepares meals in your home — even buying the groceries and cleaning up.From the three dinner offerings I selected Pan-Seared Cod with Cavatelli. Hours later, chef James Ramirez appeared at my door with all the food and tableware. Ramirez, who has cooked at Mexican eatery Mission Cantina, commandeered my four-burner gas stove and whipped up cod, cavatelli pasta with capers and olives, green beans and roasted purple fingerling potatoes.Less than 30 minutes later the food was plated, Ramirez was packed up and I was ready to dig in. He cooked the cod just to my temperature preference, medium rare. The saltiness of the olives and the sour, herbal bite of the capers mixed in with the cavatelli made for a dish I will definitely try to recreate. The fish and three sides set me back $25 a person.. Chef James Ramirez from Kitchensurfing, a startup that sends cooks to prepare dinner in customers' own homes, plates cod with cavatelli pasta and green beans. Source: BloombergVerdict: Save time? Split. I typically spend 30 minutes cooking, though in this case didn't need to hit the grocery store.Save money? No. A typical dinner with friends will cost less than $25 before alcohol.Convenient? Yes. I could've Netflixed House of Cards or done my laundry while dinner was cooked by an actual chefCocktails 101After a long day, I needed a drink. So I hit Gilt City, Gilt Groupe Inc.'s deals app and selected a Cocktails 101 class at The Wren, a favorite East Village spot. Gilt City offers flash discounts for one week on a range of activities from brunch to facials to tickets for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. I paid $69 for the mixology class, which ordinarily goes for $100.In the downstairs bar, where candlelight and reclaimed wood beams approximate a speakeasy, beverage expert Melissa Derfler gave an oral history of the American cocktail. (Did you know Jerry Thomas, known as the father of American mixology, first penned the recipe for a Tom Collins back in the 1860s?)Soon it was my turn to get behind the bar. As a southerner, I gravitate to whisky; Derfler had just the thing. First mixed by an expat living in Europe during Prohibition, the Boulevardier is the American cousin to Italy's Negroni cocktail. A long pour of rye, equal doses of Campari and vermouth, a flourish of orange peel and I had a new favorite sip.. During a Cocktails 101 class booked via Gilt City, The Wren bartender Melissa Derfler teaches Bloomberg's Alex Barinka how to make a Boulevardier cocktail. Source: BloombergVerdict:Save time? No. I had to revisit the Gilt City site to find the perfect activity.Save money? Yes.Convenient? No. It made looking for general deals simpler, but took work and patience to find the right drinks event.The bottom line: The startups made many activities simpler, though you have to be willing to shell out a bit more cash and spend extra time to reap the benefit of convenience. – BLOOMBERG

What happened when I outsourced my day to five New York City startups

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