Check out an interview IDG Connect did with our marketing manager, Daniel Rogan.
Here are some highlights:
What makes Vufine special?
The difference between Vufine and other seemingly similar products is that Vufine is an extension of current technology, not a replacement. We know that people are carrying more tech with them and that that tech is only getting more powerful but there will always be a need to interface with crucial information while your hands do the real work. We think your technology is smart enough, that you simply need a new way to experience it. The most special thing about Vufine is that it can be used in a nearly unlimited amount of ways because it is a display, not a computer. It enhances the user’s current activities instead of redefining them.
What’s your background, and what inspired you to come up with the idea?
Our team worked at a Japanese competitor to Google Glass and was able to experience that space in a very hands on way. While everyone was thinking about ways to bring a wearable computer to a user’s face with the goal of mimicking smartphone functionality, we wanted to do something significantly more streamlined. The industry has suffered from two main issues: privacy and affordability. We wanted to create something that almost anyone could own, that capitalized on the utility of their current technology without hindering them with unnecessary privacy concerns; something simple, detachable and useful. We are very fortunate to have constructed a team that is capable of taking all those buzz words and making something real out of them.
What have you learned from your campaign?
We’ve learned that crowdfunding is a full-time, high octane job. Throughout our pre-campaign work we encounter tons of crowdfunding “experts” who tried pulling us one way or another about our strategy, our product, or our goals and, though it’s always important to keep an open mind, we’ve found that crowdfunding is a very subjective art form.
Prior to launch there is always going to be stress about the size of your mailing list or the look and feel of the page but regardless of how well laid your plans are, at the end of the day it’s up to potential backers to decide whether you sink or swim. We’ve been very fortunate to receive the level of support we have. That support is a mixture of interest in the product and us sticking to our guns about how exactly we want to present ourselves and our campaign. You can do everything by the book, but ultimately it isn’t up to you to whether you meet your goals or fall short.
Google Glass ended up receiving a lot of negative press and being unpopular with the public, how do you ensure that doesn’t happen with your product?
Our work in the wearable space has given us first-hand experience in the successes and failings of the industry. We’ve taken to heart all of the prominent concerns associated with Glass and have deliberately avoided making the same mistakes so we are confident people will not run into the same issues they had with Glass. We’re hopeful that because Vufine is fundamentally a very different product that we will totally avoid comparisons to the negativity surrounding glass.
Check out the full interview here: http://www.idgconnect.com/abstract/10193/crowdsourcing-innovation-daniel-rogan-vufine-inc
