A look at startups from the back. Part 1
Good day, ladies and gentlemen!
The topic of startups lately, and not only lately, is very popular. That startup successfully sold, this startup received funding, there came up with a worthwhile idea, and here another idea is already being implemented on all pairs. And so on and so forth.
It so happened that by the nature of my work I occasionally work with startups. In this case, I’m talking about startups in which something material is created, something that you can feel at the exit with your own hands (or fob on others).
How do I work with them?
')
I hold the position of head of a team of mechanical engineers in one of the largest contract manufacturers of electronics in German-speaking countries. We have several factories in different countries. One of the factories is located in China. It is here, in the south of China, that I work.
The interaction lies in the fact that I either directly put startups on mass production, or independently develop mechanical components, or components are developed under my strict guidance. And sometimes I also have to dig out what's left of dead startups.
Below are the details about some of the startups to which I was more or less related.
I want to immediately make a reservation:
1. All products are available or have been available, information about them is public and can be found in the public domain;
2. A startup (read client) is anyone. It is easier to work with someone, it is more difficult with someone;
3. In any case, regardless of the result, the guys who have gone from the idea to the company and the realization of their idea in life are great!
Interesting? Then go under the cat!
This first part of the 2 and here will be reviewed the history of 5 startups.
Startup 1. Microclimate system
The current status is weakly moving
Plans were like Napoleon, for 2 years to recapture 15 million investments, to make many more from the top, to buy everything for a new car and more so that the ice cream remained. Not grown together.
Specifically, we made a humidifier for this system. It was necessary to produce a control board and a certain amount of mechanical parts. Production methods - plastic injection molding, stamping in progressive dies and stamping in a simple stamp.
The idea of ​​the device, in my opinion, is rather strange. There is a device that automatically maintains a certain level of humidity in the room. There is nothing strange at once, but there are such devices on the market, and much cheaper. Perhaps a competitive advantage was considered water filtration and specials. plastic additives that prevent mold.
With this special. the addition was a separate epic. The additive is produced in Europe (price of 1 euro per 1 gram, by the way) for importation into China must be officially imported. To import, you must provide chemical. composition to regulatory bodies. Manufacturer to provide chemical. The composition refused, they say, a trade secret. As a result, we could not import it. It is clear that you can bring in Hong Kong to black, but we do not do that. As a result, I found an alternative from Japan, which is worse, but is available in China.
Testing has shown that the air flow inside the device is not sufficient, as a result, water condenses where it is not necessary and in the sum everything does not work.
Some design decisions were quite controversial:
1. An adapter molded from TPU, later replaced with TPV, was used to connect two plastic cases. Why it was necessary to make a fuss instead of a usual rubber pipe for 5 kopecks per meter and two penny clamps — I still don't understand. Someone, apparently, lazhanulsya when designing.
2. The design of the humidification module itself is over-complicated — in any Chinese humidifier of parts, it is 2 times less.
3. And all the other little things.
Brief conclusion:
1. The technical solution is not well thought out and over complicated compared to peers;
2. The investment has not paid off. At least for now, after 3 years;
3. It seems like the company is still alive, but there are not many signs of life.
Startup 2. Automatic watering plants
The current status is bent
There is a sensor that is stuck in a pot with a plant that measures the humidity of the earth and, if it is dry, includes drip irrigation.
Did not take off. There was no demand for this. It is probably easier for citizens in the United States to take a watering can and water a drooping flower. The startup site, by the way, was alive for another 4 years after the death of the company, and now the domain is already being sold.
Brief conclusion:
1. The idea is good, but not all;
2. Still, you need to check whether there is demand, and then bravely conquer the market.
Startup 3. Modular Lighting System
The current status is bent
There is a pendant lamp, a lamp switch that switches the light from red to blue and to ultraviolet. Lamps can be assembled in blocks of 4 pieces.
It ended almost where it began. Constant modifications and new ideas. The startup has buried itself. The start-up crawled up to the production of motherboards, but didn’t master the way to the production of cases. Ideas beat the fountain and this fountain of unrealized ideas and buried him.
Brief conclusion:
1. Do not pull the product on the market output!
By the way, the startup has worked out very well. After the death of a startup, he took the position of Factory Manager, now Head of Operations. Periodically we meet and hang out with children.
Startup 4. Smart Home
The current status is running away.
For their smart home system, I made enclosures for 3 devices.
The organization of work was cruel tin in the craziest of its manifestations. If startup number 3 was bent quickly enough, then the guys from startup 4 gushed forth and fantasized for a year. Ideas, ideas, ideas. They changed everything except the timing functions, electronics and mechanics. Alterations in non-stop mode. When I did send them, everything they asked for (cases for 3 products, a month of work), they lay to the bottom. Announced in 1.5 months in Skype and asked for 1 day to remake one of the devices. At the same time, they laughed loudly in Skype and said that what I did was similar to the design of Siemens from the 80s.
A day after a sober assessment of workload on other projects and an estimate of the amount of work on this, I wrote a letter to them in which I said that I could devote them 1.5 hours a day because of absolute congestion. And it was true. They panicked.
They tried to force through (through the authorities) the overtime variant, with payment, of course, but I told them that I have a child in the hospital and after the end of the working day I go to him.
When there were 7 days left before the launch of a startup in Las Vegas, they still didn’t know what they wanted. Every day they sent me kilometer sheets with detailed descriptions of their ideas and technical solutions. And this is after a year of work on your startup.
Everyone can independently assess the scale of the tragedy.
As a result, we found for them a person who for 5 days in the most incredible forms satisfied all their most violent and perverse desires, i.e. design and prototypes. For 1500 (one thousand five hundred) dollars per hour.
An extra touch. When the prototypes were in production and before the prototypes were sent, 1 day remained (and 1 more day before the presentation) Neil called us (the guy to whom we fused this madness). He said that startups had just called him (at that time they had a deep night) and asked to remake one product, because they just had an idea that they should immediately implement, because the presentation in Las Vegas in 3 days and need to hurry!
These guys, by the way, did collect loot on Kickstarter. In the presentation video, you can even see one of the details that I designed for them. The money is over, collected, but with this approach I do not even know how it will end. I very much suspect that since January (when the fundraising was completed), they are still spinning in an insane dance of change and wild ideas.
Brief conclusion:
1. If development, not development, but permanent rework, then immediately abandon this.
Startup 5. Robotic toy
Current status- run up
This startup is worthy of a separate article about what rake you can step on. You can learn a lot.
For the first part, my startups are over.
Next time there will be a few more startups of varying degrees of success. There will be good stories, honestly, honestly.
If you have any questions or would like to know something more next time, then write in the comments.
PS In the startup number 4 figure figure in 1500 dollars per hour. Everyone can relax because the Hong Kong dollars.
The topic of startups lately, and not only lately, is very popular. That startup successfully sold, this startup received funding, there came up with a worthwhile idea, and here another idea is already being implemented on all pairs. And so on and so forth.
It so happened that by the nature of my work I occasionally work with startups. In this case, I’m talking about startups in which something material is created, something that you can feel at the exit with your own hands (or fob on others).
How do I work with them?
')
I hold the position of head of a team of mechanical engineers in one of the largest contract manufacturers of electronics in German-speaking countries. We have several factories in different countries. One of the factories is located in China. It is here, in the south of China, that I work.
The interaction lies in the fact that I either directly put startups on mass production, or independently develop mechanical components, or components are developed under my strict guidance. And sometimes I also have to dig out what's left of dead startups.
Below are the details about some of the startups to which I was more or less related.
I want to immediately make a reservation:
1. All products are available or have been available, information about them is public and can be found in the public domain;
2. A startup (read client) is anyone. It is easier to work with someone, it is more difficult with someone;
3. In any case, regardless of the result, the guys who have gone from the idea to the company and the realization of their idea in life are great!
Interesting? Then go under the cat!
This first part of the 2 and here will be reviewed the history of 5 startups.
Startup 1. Microclimate system
The current status is weakly moving
Plans were like Napoleon, for 2 years to recapture 15 million investments, to make many more from the top, to buy everything for a new car and more so that the ice cream remained. Not grown together.
Specifically, we made a humidifier for this system. It was necessary to produce a control board and a certain amount of mechanical parts. Production methods - plastic injection molding, stamping in progressive dies and stamping in a simple stamp.
The idea of ​​the device, in my opinion, is rather strange. There is a device that automatically maintains a certain level of humidity in the room. There is nothing strange at once, but there are such devices on the market, and much cheaper. Perhaps a competitive advantage was considered water filtration and specials. plastic additives that prevent mold.
With this special. the addition was a separate epic. The additive is produced in Europe (price of 1 euro per 1 gram, by the way) for importation into China must be officially imported. To import, you must provide chemical. composition to regulatory bodies. Manufacturer to provide chemical. The composition refused, they say, a trade secret. As a result, we could not import it. It is clear that you can bring in Hong Kong to black, but we do not do that. As a result, I found an alternative from Japan, which is worse, but is available in China.
Testing has shown that the air flow inside the device is not sufficient, as a result, water condenses where it is not necessary and in the sum everything does not work.
Some design decisions were quite controversial:
1. An adapter molded from TPU, later replaced with TPV, was used to connect two plastic cases. Why it was necessary to make a fuss instead of a usual rubber pipe for 5 kopecks per meter and two penny clamps — I still don't understand. Someone, apparently, lazhanulsya when designing.
2. The design of the humidification module itself is over-complicated — in any Chinese humidifier of parts, it is 2 times less.
3. And all the other little things.
Brief conclusion:
1. The technical solution is not well thought out and over complicated compared to peers;
2. The investment has not paid off. At least for now, after 3 years;
3. It seems like the company is still alive, but there are not many signs of life.
Startup 2. Automatic watering plants
The current status is bent
There is a sensor that is stuck in a pot with a plant that measures the humidity of the earth and, if it is dry, includes drip irrigation.
Did not take off. There was no demand for this. It is probably easier for citizens in the United States to take a watering can and water a drooping flower. The startup site, by the way, was alive for another 4 years after the death of the company, and now the domain is already being sold.
Brief conclusion:
1. The idea is good, but not all;
2. Still, you need to check whether there is demand, and then bravely conquer the market.
Startup 3. Modular Lighting System
The current status is bent
There is a pendant lamp, a lamp switch that switches the light from red to blue and to ultraviolet. Lamps can be assembled in blocks of 4 pieces.
It ended almost where it began. Constant modifications and new ideas. The startup has buried itself. The start-up crawled up to the production of motherboards, but didn’t master the way to the production of cases. Ideas beat the fountain and this fountain of unrealized ideas and buried him.
Brief conclusion:
1. Do not pull the product on the market output!
By the way, the startup has worked out very well. After the death of a startup, he took the position of Factory Manager, now Head of Operations. Periodically we meet and hang out with children.
Startup 4. Smart Home
The current status is running away.
For their smart home system, I made enclosures for 3 devices.
The organization of work was cruel tin in the craziest of its manifestations. If startup number 3 was bent quickly enough, then the guys from startup 4 gushed forth and fantasized for a year. Ideas, ideas, ideas. They changed everything except the timing functions, electronics and mechanics. Alterations in non-stop mode. When I did send them, everything they asked for (cases for 3 products, a month of work), they lay to the bottom. Announced in 1.5 months in Skype and asked for 1 day to remake one of the devices. At the same time, they laughed loudly in Skype and said that what I did was similar to the design of Siemens from the 80s.
A day after a sober assessment of workload on other projects and an estimate of the amount of work on this, I wrote a letter to them in which I said that I could devote them 1.5 hours a day because of absolute congestion. And it was true. They panicked.
They tried to force through (through the authorities) the overtime variant, with payment, of course, but I told them that I have a child in the hospital and after the end of the working day I go to him.
When there were 7 days left before the launch of a startup in Las Vegas, they still didn’t know what they wanted. Every day they sent me kilometer sheets with detailed descriptions of their ideas and technical solutions. And this is after a year of work on your startup.
Everyone can independently assess the scale of the tragedy.
As a result, we found for them a person who for 5 days in the most incredible forms satisfied all their most violent and perverse desires, i.e. design and prototypes. For 1500 (one thousand five hundred) dollars per hour.
An extra touch. When the prototypes were in production and before the prototypes were sent, 1 day remained (and 1 more day before the presentation) Neil called us (the guy to whom we fused this madness). He said that startups had just called him (at that time they had a deep night) and asked to remake one product, because they just had an idea that they should immediately implement, because the presentation in Las Vegas in 3 days and need to hurry!
These guys, by the way, did collect loot on Kickstarter. In the presentation video, you can even see one of the details that I designed for them. The money is over, collected, but with this approach I do not even know how it will end. I very much suspect that since January (when the fundraising was completed), they are still spinning in an insane dance of change and wild ideas.
Brief conclusion:
1. If development, not development, but permanent rework, then immediately abandon this.
Startup 5. Robotic toy
Current status- run up
This startup is worthy of a separate article about what rake you can step on. You can learn a lot.
For the first part, my startups are over.
Next time there will be a few more startups of varying degrees of success. There will be good stories, honestly, honestly.
If you have any questions or would like to know something more next time, then write in the comments.
PS In the startup number 4 figure figure in 1500 dollars per hour. Everyone can relax because the Hong Kong dollars.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/291174/
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