I’m finally coming down off my adrenaline rush that was last weekend in Boston for AARP’s Innovation@50+ conference. Zansors was one of the top 10 startups (selected out of about 200!) to pitch our sleep sensor to AARP members and venture capitalists (VCs).
We treated this event as an opportunity to launch our brand and get feedback on our first sensor. While the future of Zansors will include different types of sensors, allowing you to collect and understand your personal health analytics on many levels, we started with sleep because we believe it’s the platform on which each day is built. Sleep is at the core of human function.
With polished industrial design images and one of our first prototypes in hand, we met with AARP members, some of our target customers, and got one-on-one feedback on our sensor. We discussed everything from size, shape, feel, use, cost and on the overall idea of capturing one’s sleep quality. Talking to our customers was invaluable – they asked great questions, shared concerns and even gave us some great sales and marketing ideas! My favorite part was seeing their facial expression, in person, after explaining what our product captures and what it can do for their health. With each smile (or astonished stare) I was reminded that all our hard work was worth it. We’re going to improve lives.
The pitch I gave was definitely memorable, and that was the idea. We were there to launch Zansors and our position that health care should be based on you and not someone like you. We want our customers to better know themselves and we’re dedicated to developing products that fit our mission.
I couldn’t end this post without thanking the event host AARP, especially the innovation@50+ team. Giving startups a platform to pitch and share their idea with such a wide audience is a one-of-a-kind opportunity. It’s this kind of forward thinking that keeps large organizations relevant and creates some real possibilities.