Startups get a showcase for their hardware
A fingerprint-controlled bike lock. An edible worm farm for your kitchen counter. Robot luggage that automatically follows you through the airport.
Those are some of the outlandish products at a conference for hardware startups this week in San Francisco.
About 300 people attended the event sponsored by Hax, a Shenzhen, China, investment firm that focuses on tech startups developing physical products.
While Silicon Valley is filled with software companies, hardware startups have a more complicated path because they need to line up designing, manufacturing and distribution, said Cyril Eber-
sweiler, a Hax founder and investment partner.
“That’s the biggest difference between software and hardware companies,” he said. “Software companies can do everything on their own. Hardware companies have to actually get out of the building and meet people.”
Hax runs an accelerator to connect hardware startups with designers and manufacturers around Shenzhen. The company has invested in about 80 startups and has hosted seven demo conferences in the past three years to expose them to other potential Silicon Valley investors and partners.
At Tuesday’s event, 14 companies showed off products in health, lifestyle, robotics and manufacturing. Many also launched crowdfunding campaigns and are seeking more investment or distribution partners.
Whether any of the current smart hardware ideas eventually translate into real, profitgenerating products remains to be seen. Ebersweiler compares the current flood of Internet of Things ideas to the early days of the Internet.
“Some occasionally came up with goofy things,” he said. “Some others, from the goofy things, came up with something great.”
A few of the wares that were demonstrated at the Hax conference: Tally: From Simbe Robotics of San Francisco, this robot automatically roams retail store aisles taking inventory, scanning the shelves to make sure goods are properly stocked and priced. The company’s business model is to sell retailers “robot-as-aservice” plans and it says it is already testing Tally with a major unnamed retailer. Auroma: From a Vancouver, British Columbia, startup, Auroma Brewing Co., this home coffee maker can brew a cup of coffee tailored to the specific tastes of drinkers. It can be programmed with the brewing recipes of highend coffee shops and roasters. Livin Farms Hive: This countertop device from Vienna can grow 200 to 400 grams of edible mealworms every week, which CEO Katharina Unger pitched as an alternative, sustainable source of protein for health-conscious families — if they can get past the thought of eating bugs. “Insects are really neutral, a bit nutty in taste, so you can make a variety of dishes out of them, both savory
and sweet,” Unger said. Nua: This smart suitcase system uses robotics, sensors and mobile apps to make your luggage follow you hands free and wirelessly. “We want to make your belongings your personal assistants,” said Alex Libman, CEO of the Jerusalem startup. Madada: From a Shenzhen startup, this smart makeup system embeds a compact mirror with sensors that track skin moisture, UV exposure and humidity levels. It also has a button to take selfies. Revols: A Montreal startup promises to let you make custom-fitted, Bluetooth earphone earbuds in about one minute using a gel that presses into your ear and conforms to the shape. Once it fits snugly, the wearer taps a mobile app to start the hardening process. Grasp: A biometric bicycle lock that uses a fingerprint reader instead of a key. The $149 device starts with bike locks, but the Waterloo, Canada, company envisions using the technology on locks for other purposes, like school lockers. Dispatch: Forget drones, Menlo Park’s Dispatch Robotics has designed a small, autonomous vehicle to roll up to your doorstep with a package. You receive a four-digit code to unlock the Dispatch, which then rolls to its next delivery. Although the demo vehicle failed to roll up a ramp onto the Hax conference stage, co-founder Uriah Baalke said the company plans to test the Dispatch on college campuses next year and in business parks in 2017.
“Some occasionally came up with goofy things. Some others, from the goofy things, came up with something great.” Cyril Ebersweiler, a Hax founder