Campaign TV: Meet the start-up graduates of R/GA’s IoT Venture Studio UK
R/GA Ventures showcased the nine start-ups, specialising in the internet of things, that graduated its Venture Studio UK programme.
The programme, launched in collaboration with Innovate UK in February, initially shortlisted ten start-ups from more than 100 applicants.
Only one company, Den, did not make it to the Demo Day on 4 May. A spokesman for R/GA explained that due to time and scheduling conflicts, the company had to drop out of the programme by Demo Day. “The R/GA Ventures team sees huge potential in Den’s product and services and wishes them all the best in its future endeavors as they look to focus on other elements of their business,” he said.
R/GA worked with the companies for the duration of the programme, and the entrepreneurs also received input and collaboration from mentors, clients and partners of the Interpublic agency.
While some of the start-ups had only to refine their offerings, a few have evolved quite a long way from when they first joined the programme, according to Matt Webb, managing director of R/GA IoT Venture Studio UK. “Each of the companies has experienced growth and built next-level partnerships,” he said.
DigiSEq, for example, started out as a “wearable credentials specialist” in February, but has since evolved into a system that allows contactless payment capabilities on just about any wearable device.
Webb declined to disclose which startups R/GA would continue to work most closely with. “This is not the end of a three-month program, but the beginning of a long collaboration with R/GA and our network of clients and partners.”
The nine graduating companies were:
DigiSEq – provides the platform for
contactless payment on just about any wearable smart device.
Flock – provides pay-as-you-fly insurance
for drones;
Hoxton Analytics – offers privacy-conscious
in-store analytics which counts and profiles people based on their
shoes.
Iota Labs – automates smart home devices
using accurate indoor positioning.
KG Protech – provides a hardware-enabled
software solution for automotive training.
ScreenCloud – makes it simple for a
business to turn any screen into a digital sign.
Sensible Object – makes games that combine
beautiful things, custom hardware and digital apps into new kinds
of play.
Snaptivity – is a robo-camera
infrastructure that drives fan engagement at live Sporting &
Music events using candid cameras.
Winnow – uses technology to prevent food
waste.
Stephen Plumlee, global chief operating officer of R/GA and managing partner of R/GA Ventures, said: “Watching the polished pitches from each company today really demonstrated the disruptive and refreshing power that IoT can have in the real world.”