On Wednesday 24th January, Christopher Hunter from Odyssey Sensors joined the eight other startups at the London Science Museum to pitch his business in front of a 300-strong audience of investors, partners and potential customers as part of Startupbootcamp IoT's Demo Day.
We caught up with Christopher shortly before Demo Day to find out how preparations for Demo Day were going, and what the experience of participating at on the Startupbootcamp IoT accelerator program had taught him...
Preparing for Demo Day...
Christopher and his team's experiences in the weeks leading up to Demo Day demonstrate the many responsibilities a startup needs to juggle to succeed. In addition to preparing for the event itself, Odyssey Sensors was in the midst of a product launch in Australia, with further global roll-outs planned for later in the year, plus a major Q1 fundraising drive requiring the creation of appropriate investor materials.
Christopher credits excellent coordination across the Odyssey Sensors team with keeping everything on track during this crucial moment for his business, which is especially crucial given he's currently the only member of his team based in London. "Coming in every day and working with the Startupbootcamp team and the rest of the cohort has been a great experience." he says.
The evolution of Odyssey Sensors
Odyssey Sensors joined Startupbootcamp IoT to develop their latest product TankSentry - a sensor-based solution that provides smallholder farmers with an easy, efficient and cost-effective way to manage their water supply.
Working with the mentors at Startupbootcamp IoT has given Odyssey Sensors the opportunity to make some changes to their product. New features include over-the-air updates and the addition of a repeater node to extend the transmission distance of the sensor network. In reviewing their business model, they are also looking into a subscription-based service rather than simply selling the system directly to the farmers.
The future...
Once the Startupbootcamp IoT program comes to an end, Christopher and his team will be diving straight into their product launch in Tasmania. The plan is then to launch across Australia throughout 2018 while also making inroads in the North American market. This will also be supported by a major funding run, which they hope to bolster with their performance in front of the potential investors at Demo Day.
"It's extremely frenetic at the moment" admits Christopher. You suspect he and his colleagues wouldn't have it any other way...
