#25 Find first customers with strong relationships with Derick Markwell Weird Growth

As an engineer, Derick loves to tinker. Not so long ago he found an opportunity to improve workplace safety all over the world with robots. Roborigger uses a wireless load controlling system which uses gyroscopic and inertial forces to accurately rotate and orient crane loads.

Company

Reducing the cost and improving the safety and efficiency of lifting operations.

https://www.roborigger.com.au/

Problem

Antiquated lifting methods on construction sites

Customers

Building companies

One big piece of advice

Work with a customer as early as you can to develop your product. Early customer feedback is critical to understand priority product features.

Bullets

(0:00) – Introduction

(3:42) – The business Derick would start if he were starting again today: Green energy

(5:05) – The beauty of engineering: Solving difficult problems

(7:08) – The origins of Roborigger

(12:45) – Developing a proof of concept with partners

(16:10) – Finding first customers through existing relationships

(19:45) – Scaling up from a proof of concept to full logistics automation tool

(24:21) – Challenges with adoption of Roborigger on construction sites

(27:55) – Roborigger’s investment from Blackbird

(34:38) – Why Roborigger chose to build their product in Perth

(36:04) – What’s on the horizon for Roborigger

(41:23) – Derick’s advice to founders looking to grow

(45:46) – The billionaire space race: Space Barons

(49:21) – The world’s first fully autonomous crane

Show & Tell

- https://earth.google.com/web/

- https://www.amazon.com.au/Space-Barons-Bezos-Colonize-Cosmos/dp/1610398297