6 The TEP Times | Fall 2014 INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURS
6 The TEP Times | Fall 2014 INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURS
Unlocking the World with KISI
German native Max Schuetz co-founded KISI: an app-operated key system
BY ISABELLE RINGNES
Less than three years ago, Max Schuetz – along with Bernhard Mehl and Carl Pfeiffer- co-founded a virtual key company. After beating 220 other participants in the NYC Next Idea Competition in 2013, the KISI team decided it was time to bring their smartphone-powered virtual key company from Munich to New York City. Now they are working out of the NYU Poly incubator in DUMBO and continue to develop their innovative key solution.
Can you explain how KISI works? It’ s a combination of " keys " and " easy!" KISI enables people to unlock their doors with virtual keys on their smartphones. It’ s a smartphone app paired with a small device integrated with a building’ s electronic access system. KISI owners can easily share keys with whomever they want directly through the smartphone app or via email. This unique ability eliminates the need to wait at home in order to let your repairman or visiting friend in; with a simple click you can share keys, and just as easily you can revoke their access.
Why did you decide to move to New York? New York is a very dense market and it has an amazing infrastructure. With our Metro cards we are able to reach all of our clients within an hour. New York is a very attractive market because people are very open to try new technologies and innovations, as opposed to Germany where they are more conservative. You also get a lot of support from the city through organizations like the NYCEDC. They introduced us to many investors, clients, and contacts. In the beginning you often get overwhelmed, but once you get your life going
Max Schuetz( left) and Bernhard Mehl( right) co-founded KISI together with Carl Pfeiffer.
and establish a routine you are able to realize the massive potential in terms of future customer base and partnerships. New York is a great location because people travel here all the time; it is a natural connecting point to meet with international clients.
What did you find were the biggest challenges of moving to New York as an international entrepreneur? Immigration, getting a visa, and getting started... and of course, finding an apartment. I managed to get a visa through the help of a lawyer. We were lucky because we had already gotten some press coverage and could convince immigration that we were actually doing something innovative.
So if you ' re an entrepreneur I recommend that you try to get some media coverage; not only does it promote your business, it helps justify your visa. It’ s a win-win.
How do you recommend that people get their business started here? I recommend using co-working spaces. They are great because you get to meet a variety of people. Because the leases are short-term, it’ s also very inexpensive. I also recommend using the NYCEDC in addition to university programs like NYU Poly and Columbia University for help with HR. They have certain student programs that essentially pay for your summer interns.
What 3 pieces of advice would you give to international entrepreneurs following in your footsteps? 1. People from home will question your decisions and make you feel insecure. But don’ t listen to them. If you have an idea, try it out! It’ s important to ask for advice, but consider the background of the people that give it to you. 2. Make sure you have some friends where you move. They support you during bad times and lend you their couch when you don’ t have a home. 3. Don’ t think too much about the future. It might scare you. Prepare for what can go wrong, but don’ t be afraid of failure.
Why New Manufacturing Is The Next Big Thing: Q & A With Calvin Chu
BY FRANK HAUSER
Calvin Chu, former Managing Director of the R / GA Connected Devices Accelerator, powered by TechStars, shares his thoughts on the emergence of new manufacturing in New York City. Chu is a specialist in hardware and the“ Internet of Things”, and a member of the World to NYC advisory board.
Why do you promote“ new” manufacturing? When it comes to hardware, there are so many things that are not connected, that are not smart. It’ s a wide-open field right now where people can try anything.
Why is New York City the right place for new manufacturing? A lot of the enabling companies in 3D printing and in industrial design are setting up their base of operations in the five boroughs because of demographics, access to venture capital, and access to talent.
What will this new industrial revolution mean for NYC? This city ' s diversity of startups is going to really build up the“ street-cred” of the city. It’ s going to be the next big growth sector for New York. We already have fashion, media, and finance. Increasingly, these things can happen anywhere. But when it comes to hardware, there are few places in the world that are as perfect as NYC for this.
What do you think manufacturing in NYC will look like in ten years? Already we’ re seeing companies build up manufacturing lines in Brooklyn, and New Jersey has always been a big printed circuit board manufacturing center. We can have a complete end-to-end ecosystem where we don’ t need to outsource beyond the Tri-State area. And when you have a lot of companies in a manufacturing space working in a tight-knit manner, we can get to a place where a startup can go from concept to a complete end product in a very short amount of time, for not a lot of cost.
How should the city and government get involved? Taxes are higher here than elsewhere, but the city ' s heart is in the right place with initiatives like Startup New York and Made in NY. I’ m really loving what’ s happening, but it could be happening faster, especially with more official support.
What needs to be done to take new manufacturing in NYC to the next level? The next big thing is really branding. The next step should be to attract more venture capitalists that are willing to be a part of the ecosystem here. I also would love to see big support from the city and from the state to evangelize this. And I would love to see the media really get the word out.
Calvin Chu’ s Take on Demographics, Talent, and Venture Capital
Demographics
• Having high population density and a diverse population is intensely good for new startups. They can bring in a wide group of perspectives that cannot be found anywhere else. You can’ t go to Shenzhen, Italy, or Russia to field-test a product, but in New York City we can get to neighborhoods with those populations in a thirtyminute trip. Access to Talent
• We don’ t have a big hardware anchor company that’ s pulling in all the talent and " raising the floor " on the costs of talent. Here, there are so many people in diverse communities who are very knowledgeable in electronics, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering. Startups can get to them easily. Access to Venture Capital
• New York VC firms are increasingly including an international perspectives in their investments.