“Cars instead of people!”
As the legendary Steve Blank * bequeathed, the guys from the Perm startup Omi Robotics left the state of the “spherical startup in the office” very early. Already the first product samples found their buyer, and participation in the acceleration program GenerationS, created by RVC and the Moscow Innovation Development Center (CIR), allowed us to create a new business line and begin preparations for the launch of mass production. Developers of an alternative to janitors with a shovel during the competition found a major Moscow investor, IMI.VC founder Igor Matsanyuk. Before that, the founders were spending their own and angel money.
At the same time, IMI.VC became a partner of the Moscow Technology Incubation Program, which gave him the opportunity to place portfolio startups at API Moscow, an acceleration platform, an open CRD.
But about everything in order, today we are talking with Oleg Kivokurtsev, one of the founders of the manufacturer of the unmanned snow blowers Omi Robotics.
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SK: Oleg, tell me, where did the idea to create a robot-snowthrower come from?
OK: We noticed that household robotics is gaining momentum every year, and is constantly moving like a locomotive. And as soon as the following solutions began to appear in this area, such as lawn mowers, we could not stay in place and wait. One of the main domestic problems, in addition to the dirty floor and uneven lawn, is snow removal. What we decided to fight.
SK: Who was originally with you and how were the roles assigned to the team?
. .: We worked together in three, I was responsible for promoting the project, selling and attracting investments, I also had all the organizational responsibilities for finding suppliers and manufacturers of various components. Igor Yeremeyev, was engaged in software and hardware. He programmed the controllers, as well as engaged in the design of electronics. Maxim Utev invented the design, calculated all the nodes and forces acting on the equipment.
SK: Tell me, what was the prototype of your robot?
OK: Our first prototype was a telepresence snow blower with a minimal degree of autonomy. It was assembled from improvised means, a wooden cabinet, painted, traveled on wheels and looked more like a box with a blade, but nonetheless looked cool and coped with its task. Parking near our office was cleaned efficiently. They were immediately interested in various media, after which we began to receive a large number of calls and pre-orders.
SK: How did your communication with investors evolve? Was it difficult to attract funding?
. .: We passed a large number of contests, Generation S. was decisive for us. We did not actively search for investors. It so happened that at the competition an article about us was written in a newspaper, and our investor read and became interested. Several Skype calls, then a personal meeting and the signing of the necessary documents for processing the transaction.
SK: Oleg, how about the economics of the project: how much time is required to create one robot, how much does it cost, what results have you achieved in terms of revenue, how stable is it?
OK: Today, with all the components, the assembly is 20 minutes. The price of the robot, we denoted in accordance with market conditions - 100 000 rubles. We have sales, but we are not actively involved in them, because we are at the completion of the development of the first production batch, at the end of which we begin to enter the market. We have a large number of pre-orders from around the world, most from Europe.
SK: How do you see the future of the project, with a perspective of 1 year and a few years ahead?
OK: A year later we plan to sell several thousand copies of our products, and then proceed to develop the second version, taking into account the wishes of the market. We already have several contracts and preliminary agreements with federal dealers of special equipment, with large retail chains, with outsourcing companies doing snow removal, as well as with stores specializing in robots.
We see entry into international markets this year. In a few years, we will have a large number of competitors, but our product will benefit in price and functionality.
SK: In what direction, in your opinion, will robotics develop as a whole? What needs to be done to become competitive in this market?
. .: At present, there are not so many solutions on the market for household robotics, I would even say that the market is filled only with 10% of its capabilities. The biggest potential for B2C segment solutions. People are ready for such decisions, you just need to form an adequate proposal, such as ours. I know only two models of lawn-mowers robots so far, if you move in this direction, you can take part of the market. I can say that I see great potential in decisions in the agricultural sector, in which there are a large number of identical operations. Also, that in the road construction industry you can succeed quite quickly and effortlessly. Skating rinks roll asphalt absolutely along the same trajectory with an offset of 1 m per minute. Motor graders are able to independently move the working body in accordance with the program previously established. The operator also produces a movement back and forth. Excavators and loaders perform the same movements throughout the work shift.
SK: Give advice to young guys who have cool ideas or a thirst to create something new, but absolutely no idea where to “run.” What needs to be done first of all to make a distant dream turn into a foreseeable future?
OK: It is imperative to pump up sales skills, participate in contests and presentations, believe in your project, because if you don’t believe yourself, then no one, respectively, will also believe. Listen to only good advice, as well as to be arrogant and hardworking.
SK: "Insolent"? - I wonder what you are investing in this concept?
OK: To be arrogant, but adequate. Do not be afraid to establish contacts with various people, stand firm and argue correctly, regardless of the status of the opponent in the dispute. To be ahead of competitors, and also not to be afraid to tell the truth.
* Steve Blank is the patriarch of the startup industry, a participant in eight projects, including: E.piphany, Zilog and MIPS Computers, Ardent and Rocket Science Games.
Interview for the GenerationS contest was taken by Sergey Kokarev
At the same time, IMI.VC became a partner of the Moscow Technology Incubation Program, which gave him the opportunity to place portfolio startups at API Moscow, an acceleration platform, an open CRD.
But about everything in order, today we are talking with Oleg Kivokurtsev, one of the founders of the manufacturer of the unmanned snow blowers Omi Robotics.
')
SK: Oleg, tell me, where did the idea to create a robot-snowthrower come from?
OK: We noticed that household robotics is gaining momentum every year, and is constantly moving like a locomotive. And as soon as the following solutions began to appear in this area, such as lawn mowers, we could not stay in place and wait. One of the main domestic problems, in addition to the dirty floor and uneven lawn, is snow removal. What we decided to fight.
SK: Who was originally with you and how were the roles assigned to the team?
. .: We worked together in three, I was responsible for promoting the project, selling and attracting investments, I also had all the organizational responsibilities for finding suppliers and manufacturers of various components. Igor Yeremeyev, was engaged in software and hardware. He programmed the controllers, as well as engaged in the design of electronics. Maxim Utev invented the design, calculated all the nodes and forces acting on the equipment.
SK: Tell me, what was the prototype of your robot?
OK: Our first prototype was a telepresence snow blower with a minimal degree of autonomy. It was assembled from improvised means, a wooden cabinet, painted, traveled on wheels and looked more like a box with a blade, but nonetheless looked cool and coped with its task. Parking near our office was cleaned efficiently. They were immediately interested in various media, after which we began to receive a large number of calls and pre-orders.
SK: How did your communication with investors evolve? Was it difficult to attract funding?
. .: We passed a large number of contests, Generation S. was decisive for us. We did not actively search for investors. It so happened that at the competition an article about us was written in a newspaper, and our investor read and became interested. Several Skype calls, then a personal meeting and the signing of the necessary documents for processing the transaction.
SK: Oleg, how about the economics of the project: how much time is required to create one robot, how much does it cost, what results have you achieved in terms of revenue, how stable is it?
OK: Today, with all the components, the assembly is 20 minutes. The price of the robot, we denoted in accordance with market conditions - 100 000 rubles. We have sales, but we are not actively involved in them, because we are at the completion of the development of the first production batch, at the end of which we begin to enter the market. We have a large number of pre-orders from around the world, most from Europe.
SK: How do you see the future of the project, with a perspective of 1 year and a few years ahead?
OK: A year later we plan to sell several thousand copies of our products, and then proceed to develop the second version, taking into account the wishes of the market. We already have several contracts and preliminary agreements with federal dealers of special equipment, with large retail chains, with outsourcing companies doing snow removal, as well as with stores specializing in robots.
We see entry into international markets this year. In a few years, we will have a large number of competitors, but our product will benefit in price and functionality.
SK: In what direction, in your opinion, will robotics develop as a whole? What needs to be done to become competitive in this market?
. .: At present, there are not so many solutions on the market for household robotics, I would even say that the market is filled only with 10% of its capabilities. The biggest potential for B2C segment solutions. People are ready for such decisions, you just need to form an adequate proposal, such as ours. I know only two models of lawn-mowers robots so far, if you move in this direction, you can take part of the market. I can say that I see great potential in decisions in the agricultural sector, in which there are a large number of identical operations. Also, that in the road construction industry you can succeed quite quickly and effortlessly. Skating rinks roll asphalt absolutely along the same trajectory with an offset of 1 m per minute. Motor graders are able to independently move the working body in accordance with the program previously established. The operator also produces a movement back and forth. Excavators and loaders perform the same movements throughout the work shift.
SK: Give advice to young guys who have cool ideas or a thirst to create something new, but absolutely no idea where to “run.” What needs to be done first of all to make a distant dream turn into a foreseeable future?
OK: It is imperative to pump up sales skills, participate in contests and presentations, believe in your project, because if you don’t believe yourself, then no one, respectively, will also believe. Listen to only good advice, as well as to be arrogant and hardworking.
SK: "Insolent"? - I wonder what you are investing in this concept?
OK: To be arrogant, but adequate. Do not be afraid to establish contacts with various people, stand firm and argue correctly, regardless of the status of the opponent in the dispute. To be ahead of competitors, and also not to be afraid to tell the truth.
* Steve Blank is the patriarch of the startup industry, a participant in eight projects, including: E.piphany, Zilog and MIPS Computers, Ardent and Rocket Science Games.
Interview for the GenerationS contest was taken by Sergey Kokarev
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/221107/
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