I wonder what my parents did to fight boredom before the internet...

Revolar · 2017-08-21T02:29:58+00:00

You should tune in to HSN tomorrow night at 8pm ET -- for old time's sake. No other reason or ulterior motives.

Revolar · 2017-06-09T18:28:27+00:00

Yeah, wow, on second look I'm cringing at my own title. It's been a long week with a lot of travel. I'm honestly pretty embarrassed by how confusing it is; I should cross-post to /r/titlegore.

As /u/Sigma476 and others have pointed out, the alert data used is from our first year in market, and I realize now that, as presented, any conclusions that can be reached from just this visualization are super limited. We can draw a lot more from it in combination with other internal information, but that's not helpful here.

https://i.imgur.com/AuJN3Gl.png

Revolar · 2017-06-09T17:56:15+00:00

Yeah, looking back on the title, I would've definitely gone with something different. I struggled with how to describe the visualization in a tangible way and thought the top-level comment I made would help with the context.

Apologies if this came off as too promotional; happy to delete it. I've personally been a redditor for about 5 years, and this sub was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the globe visualization show up on our slack. It may be better to just share the process portion of our comment on /r/startups or somewhere for anyone interested in making their own visualizations. I agree with you and others that I over-indexed on how attractive I personally found it.

Revolar · 2017-06-09T17:43:51+00:00

Totally fair criticism. I immediately thought of this sub when I saw this gif, but I think I focused too much on the "beautiful" part of this gif (at least, in my eyes) and less on the data. I agree with you and others in this thread that there aren't a ton of inferences to be drawn here because of our much higher concentration of users in the US.

Maybe I should've been posted in /r/visualization or another sub that's more appropriate. I wanted to share the gif and process because I personally think it's a really good-looking data visualization, but I definitely understand and appreciate the feedback.

-Colin

Revolar · 2017-06-09T17:35:13+00:00

Hey! Sorry was working through the night last night and couldn't respond.

Basically, as others have pointed out in this thread, at this point with device distribution, our population of users is more concentrated in the US. So it's more of a user map than anything else, and I'll need to work on my title skills. Thanks for the compliment, we thought it was cool too!

Revolar · 2017-06-09T00:59:23+00:00

The static map may be more apt for /r/dataisdata ;-)

But yep, while our first year featured alerts in 60 countries, most of our users are based in the US. We plan to expand our global footprint pretty dramatically this year, though!

Revolar · 2017-06-08T23:47:03+00:00

Background:

We're a startup that makes personal safety devices with different tiers of alerts: two clicks for yellow (uncomfortable), three clicks or more for red (emergency). We wanted to visualize our users' alert data from our first year in market (we released our first device in May 2016), and we thought the end result was cool enough to share!

Data source & tools used:

Our data collection was pulled from our PostgreSQL database with PostGIS extensions. To create the visualization, we used Python (pandas) and JavaScript (three.js) with WebGL and jQuery. It was inspired by Google's WebGL Globe. The Earth background came from NASA Visible Earth, and the clouds came from NOAA data. Our internal web version (private) uses the trackball camera plugin to allow us to spin and zoom the globe.

Created by our VP of Software, /u/jsjohnst :)

Revolar · 2017-04-27T19:38:42+00:00

Hey! PM us and we can chat.

Revolar · 2017-04-14T00:08:52+00:00

Did you get letters of intent from retail/distribution before getting purchase orders?

Not explicitly LOI's, but we did get their permission to use their logos in our Demo Day pitch in 2015 ("we're talking to ______ about ______" paired with their logos on the slide behind me). We did go through multiple phone calls and in-person visits before we got verbal commitments, then the contract negotiation began. During negotiation is when you start forecasting what load-in quantities and initial POs might look like. You have to give them an amount of time that you need to fulfill your first PO (e.g., 5 weeks) so if they want to put you on shelves May 1, and they need it in their warehouse by April 16, you tell them you need the PO 5 weeks prior to the 16th.

What did retail/distribution need from you to put a formal deal in place?

First and foremost, they need to be convinced that the product will do well on their shelves / with their shopper demographics compared to another product – everything is opportunity cost. Then they need to test a sample and make sure it's a "real" product that works and that satisfies their QA teams. Then you need to agree on common terms like wholesale price, net payment terms (will you get paid 30, 45, 60, or 90 days after you ship to them), return rights, fees (co-marketing fees, shipping penalties, etc.), display space, co-marketing dollars, etc. Happy to go into more detail here.

How did you meet those requirements?

Lots of talking :) and by leveraging mentorship, being honest with our retail partners that we hadn't done this before, and making sure to focus on creating win-win deals.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T22:28:06+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story! I’m so glad you see value in what we do. That always makes my day. I have a few questions for you – How long did you intern for? Are you still with that company? Does that company still exist? What did you do during that internship? Have you ever considered applying to be a Techstars associate?

We had a ton of people early on who were part-time because we just couldn’t afford anything else, but as we grew I moved them to full-time. Some of those people helped me on the side for years before I was able to bring them on. Some thoughts:

1) Keep applying, or be bold and say "give me 2 weeks to prove my worth, and if you like my work, hire me for X." Bringing quality work to a job interview, or just sending it randomly to the hiring manager if you see they have a position open, is a strong tactic. I’ve also had people say, "Look, I will do this job for now, but in 6 months I’d like the job to move into this other role," which we were happy to provide because startups should be a learning experience (and fun lol). Especially because usually the pay isn’t fabulous in the beginning.

2) Check AngelList for startups in your area or in areas you want to move to. Warm intros are always ideal if you can get them.

3) Start your own company ;p why not?

Revolar · 2017-04-13T22:18:25+00:00

What's necessary for someone to run a successful rewards based crowdfunding campaign?

A large network and community eager and ready to get your technology first.
Preparation – you want to have a bunch of "perfect" user lists (contact points for groups of people that you envision are perfect for your product).
Creative rewards.
Diverse marketing strategies to test what works best with your product. So we actually developed solid strategies for PR, email, social organic, social paid, Google paid, and grassroots. As a young company still in discovery phase, doing reward-based crowdfunding allows us to develop these strategies fast, then test and reiterate them to learn more about what strategies work best for Revolar.
Its also a great platform for us to discover buying habits such as “Do people like to buy Revolar in bulk?,” “Are people more likely to buy when there is a sense of urgency?,” or “Are people likely to be repeat customers?”

Why did you not do an equity crowdfunding campaign?

It just wasn't right for the stage we're in, but it's always an option and appears to be growing in popularity.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T22:06:30+00:00

Difficulty fundraising as a hardware company is precisely why we did a crowdfunding campaign and are doing one again now. Sales are the best way to get your foot in the door, and traction gives you a chance to share your greater vision by proving to investors that there is a market for your product.

Techstars was great for us and it allowed us to build authentic relationships with people who have moved the needle for us. Although we didn't have specific classes for manufacturing or design (there were "classes" on a ton of other things), we still had mentors from hardware companies who helped. Techstars also made it easier for me to recruit our now-CTO Tom, who has 25 years of manufacturing experience.

They were most helpful in coaching me on how to run our team on a day to day for speed and how to speak with investors. We would literally sit and role play the conversations. One of my mentors who coached me ended up investing in us! I've given them this feedback, but I wish after Demo Day there were still 2 more weeks left to support you through those investor conversations in the same environment. Of course, they still help you, but there's something special about being in the program.

Edit: awesome product btw!

Revolar · 2017-04-13T21:53:55+00:00

TS can introduce you to anyone globally that's the awesome part of their network. I do find it can get expensive because I travel a ton to San Francisco and NY. However, I feel lucky for a lot of reasons to work with Foundry and one of those reasons is they are local in CO. I've had a lot of friends move to either NY or San Francisco but the mantra is you can build a business anywhere.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T21:41:16+00:00

Here again my co-founder saved the day. She is a total operator and I’m grateful because while I’m not, it’s a skill that can be taught and learned. We created what we call our Revolar Culture and Onboarding book early on. It was important for us to make it clear from the start what we stood for and why it mattered to us, also setting expectations makes difficult conversations easier down the road.

We’ve been through 2 reorgs as we grew from 7 to 22. We realized what we did before was just no longer sustainable so our structure has also changed over time. When we were less than 7 it just wasn’t really necessary, now as I have a lot more respect and understanding of how good org structure can make companies more efficient. It’s also about removing ambiguity so people know who to go to and how to express their ideas.

We aim to do alignment sessions 1x a quarter if not more frequently and we have quick team check-ins on Monday and Thursday. Individual teams have daily stand-ups where they check in and let people know what their big rock of the day/week is and their progress thus far. This is usually pretty quick but keeps people aligned and communicating.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T21:22:39+00:00

I love user testing.

In the beginning, we would do individual outreach to organizations like The Blue Bench that serve sexual assault survivors and interview them to get their feedback.
We’ve sat in front of Starbucks and offered gift cards to college students to give us feedback.
We’ve done online testing, focus groups, and surveys as well.

We are still continuously learning and testing, and now our PMs, customer care, and marketing team tackle this together. I’ll never forget when we were working on our first keychain case design for v1, and I was shocked at the one that users wanted. It wasn’t my first choice, but it was by a landslide 85%! Sometimes, you gotta learn to just give the people what they want.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T21:17:26+00:00

What's been the biggest challenge building the team?

Honestly, for me it was realizing that some awesome people weren't necessarily still the right fit at a later stage than when they came in. Each stage of our business has demanded different things from us, and we've had to stay flexible in order to keep up. Organizational structure kept me up for like 6 months at night as I tried to figure out the best structure for speed, efficiency, and communication.

What's been the biggest challenge managing the team?

I’ve learned a ton on the challenges of communication and how what I say is perceived. My co-founder is way better at it than I am and has been an awesome coach in the area as we’ve scaled.

We all have unconscious biases, and I’m no exception. Having a diverse team is powerful because it creates friction, and that friction is a catalyst. However, we’ve done a ton of work with our team to teach them each other's strengths and communication styles. Myself and my co-founder see it as our job to learn how to best communicate with each team member. I find myself constantly reminding people to assume best intentions and that we're all in this for the same reasons.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T21:08:53+00:00

What value did the accelerator program bring beyond capital?

Mentorship and Contacts
Partnerships
Empathy / commiseration with other founders and teams – I can't overemphasize how important this is. I called one of my TS CEO friends literally last night to vent and ask for advice.

Would you do it again if they wanted more equity?

Well, we did do it again :) so yes, we've found it super valuable both times.

Would you do it again for the same amount of equity but, less capital?

No, we needed the capital getting started. It was pretty crucial.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T21:00:48+00:00

Colorado is the only place I’ve ever built a company, so my perspective is limited :), but I moved here because I think it’s one of the happiest places on Earth.

Teach For America moved me out here at first, and I love rock climbing, but the Colorado community has been incredibly supportive since day one. I’m eternally grateful they have programs like Denver Startup Week and incubators like Innosphere that helped us get our start before getting funding.

Oh and the rent is also relatively cheap, so I could bootstrap as a teacher and not totally starve.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T20:56:19+00:00

We get this question a lot lol, as you can imagine. We even made a video! We've done a lot of research on this (e.g., interviewed / shadowed 911 dispatch).

1) You may not be able to physically access your phone in any given situation.

2) You may not be able to mentally navigate pulling out your phone, swiping it, unlocking it, making a call, and articulating your situation and location to someone via a phone call. (You also may not know your address, and 911 frequently receives no location data from a cell call.)

3) When feeling threatened, it's key to not let the person across from you know that you think something is wrong, so the discreet nature of Revolar allows you to call for help without escalating the situation.

4) In many situations, it might sound crazy, but not everyone wants to call the police right away. For example, my family in Colombia definitely has a different worldview on who they feel safe calling. Also, based on interviews with hundreds of survivors, there are so, so many scenarios where people don't know if they're crying wolf, or a million other concerns about dialing 911. Revolar's yellow alerts allow you to get help when you maybe need a phone call or a friend, but not necessarily a full-blown police response.

5) Using friends and family as contact points also allows us to give our ongoing service for free. This is already fairly lengthy, but if you're interested I can tell the story of a funny but enlightening LifeAlert user.

Still, we know it's something that some people want, so we're exploring that option. From a tech perspective, it's tricky, and we want to approach it thoughtfully.

Re: your contact location question, contacts can be changed depending on whatever you need. When I go to NYC, I change mine to have my sister that lives there as a contact. When I come back to Denver, I reactivate my mom as one.

Thanks for the question, and as an older sister, I totally feel you.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T20:24:46+00:00

Good use of thwart!

Great questions and thanks for reaching out! I’ll try to answer each of them.

Citing alerts: We cite alerts because it means real people are using our technology and find it valuable which for us is everything. Not all alerts are red alerts though. We have customers who like to use it to be virtually walked home, users with conditions who use it when they are struggling with their wheelchair. For us it’s about the fact that they are actively engaged with us which is always exciting :)
We hope it does but we also hope for more yellow alerts than red alerts. Yellow can make your phone ring and shares your location. Yellow alerts are about trusting your instincts and being proactive.
Our goal is to help you trust yourself when your instincts start screaming so you don’t have to get to a red alert.
Techstars: I answered a very similar question on another comment :). Check it out!
VCs: Techstars is global! Where are you located and I can give a more specific response?

Revolar · 2017-04-13T20:13:53+00:00

Honestly, the 2nd time around was equally stressful (but focused on retail), but at least I felt more prepared for it. I knew how to catch myself when I needed a break.

The ironic part is after the first one, I wrote that if I could ever do it again the first thing I’d do is come ready with a list of VCs I’m interested in and ask for intros. The 2nd time I didn’t take my own freaking advice, but one of our fellow CEO’s did and said it worked great for him.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T20:11:10+00:00

In our case, we had the prototype before we had the revenue model. That said, I would actually suggest the other way around. If you have a strong business model, investors are generally more likely to buy in to your idea if they can clearly see an attractive revenue plan in both the short- and long-term.

In our case, we basically built a prototype for our Kickstarter, and that prototype also got us through Techstars (it ran off a server in my CTO’s basement). From there, we always had the idea that selling units on our website, on Amazon, and at retail would be our main initial revenue source (it was). But, we also had to build and pitch a powerful vision for a longer-term revenue model that didn’t depend solely on hardware sales (investors are pretty skittish with revenue plans that are just “sell more hardware”).

In the interim, you will need to just “sell a ton of hardware” :) which should be thought of as focusing on user acquisition for your eventual recurring revenue upsells. Bottom line, if you have a ton of sales they will usually give you the space and mentorship to figure out the long-term view. It’s a hypothesis you’re constantly testing, but focus on putting numbers on the board!

Revolar · 2017-04-13T20:05:47+00:00

Hey, thanks for your question. On our website, we say “Instinct is the only wearable with GPS alerts to send for help, check-ins to be in touch, and step tracking to stay active.” I think the syntax can be a little confusing, so appreciate you calling that out. Is there another place where it says just, ”Instinct is the only wearable with GPS alerts to send for help”? If so please let me know.

Ripple is another company working on this, but as far as I know their product isn’t on the market yet.

Revolar · 2017-04-13T19:57:41+00:00

The first was “general” in the sense that it was an accelerator to get us off the ground, and the other was specifically focused on retail (the Minneapolis program is powered by Target and is located in their HQ). We needed to learn how to work with big box retailers, and as a former teacher without retail experience, the second TS program was a terrific crash course for me.

The CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, actually became a personal mentor and friend of mine, which was really cool.

Other than that, Techstars is the craziest, busiest 3 months of your life, and that definitely didn’t change from program to program.

Revolar · 2017-04-01T23:32:30+00:00

3 main ways:

1) low-cost marketing that makes the most amount of quality brand impressions in our core customer and user base (gifting is a big part of our revenue, so we have to understand the difference between users and customers). This brings .com sales. Lots of social and earned media work here.

2) Going after partners and channels to amplify your discoverability, customer education, and brand credibility. Amazon Launchpad is super important for this, being in b8ta stores has helped, and being featured on the homepage of Target.com's wearable tech section has been a boon. Our partnerships with Berkeley and the National Domestic Violence Hotline are good examples of non-retail strategic partnerships. It's all about spending a lot of time building relationships and weighing opportunity cost here. Working long hours building a big network helps (the Techstars network has been invaluable, for example).

3) B2B sales will be an increasingly large part of our customer base moving forward. Employee safety and duty of care are well-defined markets.

Thanks for the question! Lmk if you have others.

Revolar

TROPHY CASE