Hardware Accelerator Week 5

Teams have almost reached the halfway point of Rev: Ithaca Startup Work’s 11-week Hardware Accelerator and are diving into Sprint 2: “Proof of Concept.” During this sprint, teams will start to build their prototypes using feedback from the target market research they collected in Sprint 1.

On Monday, teams spoke with David Moroniti, CTO at MaidBot and Cornell & Hardware Accelerator alumnus. Maidbot is the world’s first housekeeping robot that cleans floors and collects business data to help hotels, airports, and malls run more efficiently. Moroniti gave teams advice about how to overcome roadblocks while building their first prototype.

Xanthe Matychak, Assistant Director of the Hardware Accelertator, led a workshop focused on understanding each team’s target market on a deeper level and matching features to customer needs.

On Thursday, teams spoke with Aaron Walls, CEO of BrewJacket and Hardware Accelerator alumnus. Walls’ journey from Rev’s Hardware Accelerator to Kickstarter to launching his company was relatable and eye-opening for many teams as they plot the future of their companies.

On Friday, teams ended Week 5 with another round of cohort presentations, giving each other advice and asking questions. Mentors guided teams and served as a valuable source of information and networking.

Keep up with the latest Hardware Accelerator happenings on our blog and save the date for the big Hardware Demo Day at Rev on Thursday, August 9, 2018. RSVP to save your spot.