Over the course of the past two years, HWTrek hosted 80 hardware creators and accelerators to visit Taiwan, Beijing, and Shenzhen on Asia Innovation Tour 2016 (April), Asia Innovation Tour 2015 (August), and also on the first tour in April 2014. We’re organizing the next tour in November 2016 to Shenzhen, Osaka, and Kyoto. You can register on the HWTrek platform and create a project to apply to join the Asia Innovation Tour Winter 2016 cohort destined to meet manufacturing industry experts, see assembly lines in China and Japan, and gain insights about their consumer markets for smart, connected devices.
We reached out to a participant in our third tour, Zoran Grabovac (CEO of PetBot) who joined the HWTrek Asia Innovation Tour, Spring 2016, to learn more about his project and his insights. PetBot successfully raised $136,517 on Indiegogo in October 2015.
When asked to comment on the tour while in Shenzhen, Zoran had this to say:
“I’m really enjoying this trip with HWTrek. It’s been a blast. What I really like about this trip with HWTrek is [that] we’ve seen a ton of factories, suppliers, and people that can help us bring this to reality and get into people’s homes and get them connecting with their best friends.” “I am here to source suppliers for manufacturing, more specifically for plastic tooling and trying to bring our product to reality from the prototype stage. We’ve been graciously accepted by HWTrek to join Asia Innovation Tour and it’s been a fantastic show so far. And Kingbrother is really a part of that. It seems they really support startups, especially startups like us who have relatively small volume. We really just want to prove our product, get it into people’s hands, get them using it. And it seems to be a fantastic place to do so.”
Please introduce yourself and your project?
My name is Zoran Grabovac – I’m the CEO of PetBot Inc. PetBot is a device that creates meaningful 2-way interaction between people and pets using artificial intelligence (or ‘petificial intelligence’, as we call it). We let people see, speak to, and treat their pets, and we let pets send selfies to their humans.
What’s the inspiration for your project? What problem does it solve or address?
The inspiration for PetBot is really the smartphone. We all have the ability to interact with each other in a million different ways using our phones, but we have no way of doing the same for our pets. This especially becomes a problem when you have to leave your pet at home alone while you go to work or run errands. Not everyone can afford an expensive pet-sitter, walker, or daycare – which is why we came up with PetBot.
What solutions did you use for prototyping?
When testing our idea and creating prototypes, we mostly used a combination of ABS and SLA-based 3d printing for the exterior casing and the Raspberry Pi for electronics.
What resources have you used for sourcing and supply chain management?
We used a combination of resources for sourcing and supply chain – mostly HWTrek, Alibaba, and personal networks.
What were the most difficult things to source for your project and how did you source them?
The most difficult thing to source wasn’t really any specific part of our project, but more of a general attribute. By far the biggest difficulty was finding reliable partners for every step along the way. There are so many organizations out there that are technically able to provide what you’re looking for, but very few that are proactive, reliable, and work with you to make sure your needs are accurately identified and met. It is very important that your partner work with you to make sure your scope of work is accurate and clearly identified and that they don’t hesitate to tell you when you’re wrong, particularly if it’s your first time doing such a project.
Is your team co-located or do you work with remote team members?
Our team is mostly remote.
What tools, if any, do you use for real-time collaboration on your project (with team members and partners)?
We’ve used a ton of tools, but the ones we rely on the most are Google for Business, Slack, and Skype. Between these 3, we can reliably work on more or less anything from anywhere.
What’s the greatest challenge working with a team?
Communication. It’s an essential part of everything…keeping each other informed of what’s happening, making each other aware of issues, and generally making sure that communication is clear is the biggest challenge to working with a team just like any other relationship.
What have been the significant challenges or obstacles you’ve faced on the project? How were they resolved?
The most significant obstacle we’ve faced was a significant delay caused by one of our external partners. The partner was not only delayed in delivering the work but also delivered something of poor quality that had to be modified afterward to bring it up to par (at an additional cost). This caused us issues with our customers and investors, as our timelines were pushed quite significantly. The only resolution to something like this is, to be honest with everyone involved. Explain the situation as it is, and people generally will respond well.
What are the takeaways and lessons learned from working on this project that you’d like to share with other hardware startups?
There are 3 things I would tell anyone who is interested in a hardware startup:
- Don’t hesitate to pay a little bit more for peace of mind. Hiring a consultant to help with something might add 10% to your costs, but it will save you 99% of the problems and time. It’s more than worth it, just make sure you stay on top of them and demand frequent updates.
- Never do it alone. Unless you are an expert in hardware and have done it a million times before, don’t do any part of the project without input from someone who knows what they’re doing. Also ties in with point #1.
- It always takes twice as long and costs twice as much. Always.
We all know the phrase “hardware is hard.” Is there something that was much easier than you had initially thought when you started out on your hardware journey?
I personally thought it was much easier to design for plastic injection molding than it actually is. The physics involved are interesting and there are a ton of little tricks to make sure something comes out well.
What’s next for your project?
Delivery!
You joined the HWTrek Asia Innovation Tour to China this past spring, what did you learn or what are the significant takeaways you have from the experience?
Coming from a non-engineering background, I learned a ton. Seeing the factories first hand, being able to ask questions and see the process as it happens opened up a new world of knowledge for me. Not only did I gather a ton of contacts from possible sources, but I got to visualize how the processes work and how our product could fit into them. On top of this, I got to spend many hours on the bus with fellow hardware startups, exchanging ideas, thoughts, advice, and concerns about our respective projects and industries.
And now for something completely different, fun questions:
What are your ‘go-to’ sources for tech information and news? (Do you have any recommendations for a must-read/watch/listen to article, book, blog, film, or podcast, etc.?)
It depends on the topic. I get 99% of my tech news from friends on social media and general news websites (BBC, Google News, etc.). There are enough people in my network that follow the latest tech news that I can scan my feed and get all the general tech news I need. Aside from that, I read books and follow people depending on the topic – the latest I have to admit is Gary Vaynerchuk and social media marketing. I identify with his style, and social media is something I’ve always been interested in.
What fuels you (coffee, tea, or….)? When you’re low on creative juice, what is your #1 method to get back on track?
This might be heretical, but I don’t drink any caffeine. I drink herbal teas occasionally, but I get all of my energy naturally. I work out generally 4 days a week to energize my body and mind. Music helps to keep me motivated and focused. If I feel like I’ve hit a wall and can’t power through, I’ll play some Battlefield to switch gears mentally before going back to it.
What do you recommend for a visitor to Toronto or Sarajevo?
You can’t go to Toronto without visiting the CN Tower…the view is breathtaking, and if you’re particularly adventurous you can even walk outside (while strapped in with plenty of safety, of course). The Ripley’s Aquarium nearby is also a really interesting place to see, and Yonge-Dundas Square always has something going on (when it’s not frigid outside).
Sarajevo is a beautiful city with a very rich history. If you find yourself there, make sure to go to the Bascarsija district and have some cevapi…I’ve had the dish elsewhere, but it’s never as good as the original.
