For our company, the Internet of Things forum has become a point of growth and gave us a possibility to build contacts important for further development. Apart from the invitation to the Startup Battle, we had a chance to participate in the exhibition area.
The exhibition went very successfully and we really have a possibility to compare, as before the event at Sokolniki, we took part in the Open Innovations Forum 2017 and presented our product and company in the iMarket area. However, when compared to the event at Skolkovo, the Internet of Things exhibition was better divided thematically, ran smoothly from the organizational standpoint, and attendees represented our target audience.
We did not have a goal to win or attract investors, but we wanted to tell about our project, product, get feedbacks, and find a major customer or partner (perhaps even several).
The victory in the Startup Battle was unexpected, because when we participated in the same activity at the Internet of Things last year, we were made mincemeat of with our “raw and unfinished product”. I should admit it was a right thing to do! After such a feedback, we increased our efforts and here we go – we have shown a result!
The exhibition helped to draw attention of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF) and arrange for an expert session, although we hardly rely on the IIDF as previously we were trying to get there in vain and the fund’s objections to our product were mildly speaking inessential. However, we will see how the situation is going and hope for a positive result and quick collaborative development.
As for useful contacts, I would like to mention Centr2m in the name of Denis Miganov (we discussed the possibility of adding universal SIM cards to the device) and Magic systems in the name of Aleksandr Meschersky. Overall, around 50 useful contacts and new private customers.
We thank the Internet of Things forum and will definitely participate the next year to present new devices for home!
A very interesting and useful event. I attended for the first time. I went to the conference having a general understanding of the Internet of Things and a huge desire to expand my knowledge. I managed to do that – now I know its application areas, advantages, the situation with standards, and technical aspects. What’s more important, I know whom to turn to and which things to pay attention to when implementing in business. The format is good because it combines presentations and round tables. Both activities are interesting in their own way, there is always a possibility to ask questions – it would be great to see the same format the next time.
I attended the event for the first time. I have a strong positive impression. It is always noticeable when the industry is just gaining momentum and people have glowing eyes. Almost all presentations were very interesting.
“Thanks to the whole team for the organization and that you host events intended to develop the startup culture in Russia. I hope that professional qualities of young entrepreneurs will be improving with every year and we will see a unicorn at the Startup Battle at some time in the future.”
Our target audience was not there, but it was interesting anyway. I talked to a number of colleagues, made appointments with many people. Separate thanks for the excellent organization of the event.
At the conference, I got acquainted with several interesting companies. We will possibly conduct joint researches with them! If more events are organized, I will gladly share my knowledge there.
Internet of Things solutions are not abstract. They exist in various industries such as transport, energetics. I urge you not to be afraid, as they have firmly established themselves. Just implement them.
We have set a record: 15 partnership offerings in just 3 hours – LPWAN solutions are being massively adopted!
We got into touch with a large Russian integrator and are currently trying to build a partnership in terms of design solutions. We managed to interest an investment fund. It was also a nice surprise to see the interest of the major state-owned company in our project.
In general, we received extremely good feedbacks while talking to attendees, which is especially important for projects at early stages of entering the market.