Past event
The Hidden Genius
Three outstanding Kiwi companies fit perfectly into this month's Hardware Meetup theme 'The Hidden Genius,' which aimed to showcase products and companies helping other products work better/smarter/harder.
A huge thanks goes to StretchSense, Avertana, and Teknique for speaking.
This month we welcomed new sponsors Blender Design (specialist product design and development company) and GPC Electronics (complex electronics manufacturers), and GridAKL provided us with an outstanding venue. Blender Design have also jumped onboard as a series sponsor.
Full house tonight for the @HardwareAKL meet up 💯🙌🏾⚡️👌🏾 pic.twitter.com/mSdKINoif9
— GridAKL (@GridAKL) February 8, 2017
Todd Gisby
The hidden genius, products inside products #HardwareNZ meetup. CTO Todd Gibsy @StretchSense talks patents, hiring, & sensors everything. pic.twitter.com/ViDdBs1aQZ
— Idealog (@idealogmag) February 8, 2017
"4 yrs ago we finished our PHD and founded a company with our PHD advisor" @sensor_todd @StretchSense #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
"We make smart rubber bands; it's as simple as that" @sensor_todd @StretchSense #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
The consumer space is big for @stretchsense but also sports, gaming, VR and wearables. They're looking currently at med devices #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
We've got 300 customers around the world, but all pretty confidential for now... Watch this space @StretchSense #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
The future? Sensors everywhere is the short story. EVERYTHING will eventually have sensors #hardwarenz @stretchsense
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
"You shouldn't try and do everything yourself" @HardwareAKL @StretchSense 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #hardwareNZ
— Blender Design (@blenderNZ) February 8, 2017
The more people can talk, meet and leverage the skills of others the more successful they'll be #hardwarenz @StretchSense @sensor_todd
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
Another goodie. 'In this day and age if you reinvent the wheel your going to get overtaken' @GridAKL @HardwareAKL @thefrerk
— Mark Lloyd (@iotcto) February 8, 2017
You can follow StretchSense on Twitter to keep up with their journey.
James Obern
"Around the world there are mountains of waste that cropped up around industrial revolution that can be reused" James Obern #hardwarenz pic.twitter.com/6BH1Es4u0p
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
The whole disposal process is broken: we asked how could we make valuable products but leave nothing behind? James Obern #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
1.3 bil tonne of waste from steel, generating a lot of slag - lots of health and safety hazards - this is what we create from it #hardwarenz pic.twitter.com/QblqIZpBDo
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
We're converting waste into products in NZ currently, but South Africa is up next #hardwarenz https://t.co/51riBtBKkr James Obern
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
The Avertana team #hardwarenz pic.twitter.com/kb5NRel77h
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
You have to go through each of these production scales then validate to seek investment, Avertana #HardwareNZ pic.twitter.com/wME2zBM9dJ
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
Growth: this is where the resources (waste) are but it doesn't always match up with the end market is #HardwareNZ Avertana pic.twitter.com/HUgOpJ6ORl
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
Avertana: looking for two technicians, one would have a split role doing procurement & the engineering team will also grow #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
You can read more about Avertana on their website.
Pitches From The Audience
This month we trialled something different - members of the audience could pitch something hardware related for one minute. Five people pitched in total - here's a video from Facebook Live (6 minutes in length).
Pitches were a combination of help needed and early-stage products showcased.
This is something we will be doing at all future events. If you have something to pitch, let us know.
Ben Bodley
.@benbodley chatting with @ElyseWyatt_NZ 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Iuq3QabhMF
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
We didn't start out with this great venture to create cameras, we were asked to do this project everyone said was impossible #hardwarenz
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
Smart homes are where 70% of our market is - we're just a barnacle sitting on the hull of a growing market #hardwarenz @benbodley
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
If you're building smart devices they have to be really smart - theres a difference between connected & smart #hardwarenz @benbodley
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
"Smart device has to be smarter than you" 💡👌🏽 @tekniquelimited @HardwareAKL #hardwareNZ
— Blender Design (@blenderNZ) February 8, 2017
A camera is a just sensor, an eyeball, so eyeballs are the future for us - think of it as sensors & intelligence #hardwarenz @benbodley
— Hardware Meetup AKL (@HardwareAKL) February 8, 2017
You can learn more about Teknique here.
Other News
Our next event will be showcasing MarineTech, and is happening 9th March. You can be notified when tickets are released by signing up to our Meetup page, and following us on Twitter.
Event attendees have indicated a digital form of communication for the hardware community is needed. In response, we're trialling a Linkedin group and a Facebook group for the New Zealand's hardware ecosystem. Please join these groups, and lets continue the conversation together.
Speakers
Todd Gisby
StretchSense
Todd Gisby is CTO of StretchSense - global leaders in the supply of smart stretch sensors for the rapidly emerging wearable technology market. Their products are making massive enhancements in fields like biotechnology, augmented reality, robotics and autonomous vehicles.
James Obern
Avertana
James Obern is Commercial Director of Avertana, a very stealth company converting low-value industrial waste streams into raw materials for manufacturing, using innovative chemistry, advanced materials, and process design.
Mineral and chemical products of Avertana’s novel process are used in everyday products like paint, paper, fertilizer and building materials.
The Auckland-based company is working to create value for a range of industries, using a new approach with much lower environmental impact than existing methods.
Ben Bodley
Teknique
Ben Bodley is CEO of Teknique - a company whose imaging solutions are behind many of the world's largest consumer brands. Their products help companies who are integrating cameras into their own consumer products, all the way from drones and 360 VR cameras, to IoT and Smart Home products.
Teknique are based in Albany, and were named 8th fastest growing company in New Zealand's 2016 Deloitte Fast 50.