Askem Gets You the Answers You Need, Fast

The Launchpad is a series that introduces Mashable readers to compelling startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Askem

The Pitch: Askem aims to simplify your decision-making process.

Why It's Taking Off: Askem lets you share your questions online and create up to five different text responses to choose from, so you can cut through the digital noise and get the answers you need instantly.

If you post pictures of three different outfits on Facebook or Twitter and ask which one you should wear tonight, chances are you'll get a bunch of "likes" and comments and countless opinions, but no definitive answer.

That's why there's Askem, an iPhone app that encourages its users to unleash their curiosity and "question everything." The Israeli-based startup created the app as a solution to the digital noise on social media, and the thousands of questions that users ask every day.

"People are always asking questions on social networks, but they don't get the bottom line, meaningful answers they're looking for," Itai Herman, CEO and co-founder of askem, told Mashable in an interview. "Those questions get comments, likes and wall posts, but no conclusions."

Similar to other decision-making apps such as Seesaw and Polar, Askem users start by uploading a photo and asking any question they want an answer to or feedback on. However, whereas Seesaw and Polar lets you vote on photos, Askem users can create up to five text responses that people can vote on, and place them anywhere on the photo.

Users then share their visual questions to Facebook or Twitter to get the answers they need directly. Anyone, not only askem users, can respond to your question by clicking on one of the text choices, or leaving a comment. The app displays the percentage of responses for each answer, and also breaks those percentages down into four categories so you can know what the world, just your friends, men, or women think.

The app also has a live news feed where users can follow other users or topics of interests via hashtags.

"It was important to us to create a platform that allows users to ask anything creatively that comes to mind, not just a yes or no question," Itai said. "Askem is much more than a decision-making tool – it unleashes curiosity and lets users know what the world thinks almost instantly."

Askem is a graduate of Microsoft's Israeli Windows Azure 2013 accelerator program, a four-month program that provides startups with the mentors, training, and tools they need to develop their startup. As part of the program, the participants travel to the U.S. to market their startup and seek investors. So far, Askem has raised a total of $560,000 in funding.

The app uses a profiling technology to measure and analyze how users engage with the app. This profile can help brands better understand their customers' behaviors and interests. Although the startup does not have a business model in place yet, they plan to provide in-depth analytics to users or brands that would create a meaningful relationship and new level of engagement between brands and consumers.

Image via iStockphoto, fotosipsak