newcology

This week we had Jeff Raider come through for a Lunch n’ Learn. He talked about his days at Wharton, founding Warby Parker and the early years of hitting the pavement. Finally, he introduced us to his newest venture, Harry’s! There are a few highlights from his ride so far that I think are worth sharing.

First, Warby Parker began with a well-known startup story – bootstrapped from the dorm room. The idea came about when a friend was frustrated by the high cost of prescription glasses. There market was somewhat of an oligopoly, dominated by a few companies who got away with crazy markups. They found a spot to play and went against the big dogs. The four friends put their savings together and starting building the product. They sourced the first customer service rep from a classmate’s wife, who would answer calls while they were in class. Eventually, they were missing class and exams and working on the project full time.

Growth was organic – WP didn’t spend a dime on marketing for quite some time. Since Jeff was sponsored, he felt obliged and loyal to friends at his office to return and work for them. So two of the four left and now sit on the board while the other two still devote themseleves full-time to WP. Jeff, knew this wasn’t all and was waiting for another idea to catch his eye.

A friend called him one day after feeling ripped off from buying razors at a convenience store. They cost what, 0.40 to make? And he’d spent roughly $20 on all the supplies. He knew then there had to be a better way and the two began work on what now is Harry’s.

Jeff emphasized that Harry’s is a brand, not an ecommerce play. Ecommerce, he noted, is selling other people’s brands and products through your vehicle. Harry’s however, communicates a clear message to its consumers to resonate with them in a more personal manner. They sell directly and use a one-for-one model (or one-for-”value of one” model to give back to people and organizations that help people “look and feel great.”

I had a chance to meet with the Harry’s team in NYC a few weeks ago and they are doing great things! It will be really exciting to watch them over their first year.

Just as UX/UI for web development skyrocketed to popularity in the last decade, the point of intersection between fashion and wearable computing is a growing sweet spot that is likely due the same course of action.

The difference here is that instead of just aiming to ease use of interaction with technology, there is an additional physical layer (fashion) added on top. I’d argue that fashion isn’t just a subcomponent of UX in the case of wearable computing, but rather a deserving element of its own. There are both artistic and individuality breaths that need to be cared for when creating fashion. For some it’s irrelevant, for others it’s their strongest form of personal expression.

Just another space I’m particularly psyched about…

I write this post from the skies somewhere between MIA and LGA. Seems fitting for the excitement that ensues.  Although there are dozens of great startups tackling bringing AR mainstream, I have to admit that the hype surrounding the Google Glass Explorer Program bit me in the ass. But with the wait over I can finally say, I’m in!!

Now that I know I’ll be using them by this summer, I can’t wait. Think I’ll rent them out to my friends to cover the purchase price ha. Any first takers?

Augmented reality has reached new heights both in technological progression and a level of hot-off-the-press exposure this year. Sure, Google Glass has been a major catalyst for some of the hype and although I didn’t win the #ifihadglass contest I’ll still make sure to get my hands on an early version so that I can be one of the awkward people walking down the street talking to myself with no cords or phone pressed to my face. But it’s not just Glass. Apps for our smartphones and tablets are helping to integrate AR into our lives in a tangible and meaningful way. Check out Wikitude, Layar, and Jumio all of which are making good early strides in hacking this path for us.

I wanted to post a collection of videos that highlight both where we are today, and where we’ll be in I’m sure just the blink of an eye. Surfaced in some of the videos is the growing privacy and social impact concerns that AR will undoubtedly be forced to face. Some Asian countries I presume will be faster to allow more of this technology freely integrated into our daily lives. The US and many European countries I’m sure will be quick to ban AR in many places (fine dining establishments  movie theaters- for however long they will continue to exist, etc). But like many other technologies, I believe the benefits of AR will start to outweigh the negatives (or at least we’ll refine/enforce/adapt to the negatives) and boom pow – mainstream!

Early areas of disruption I see being obviously 1. social – messaging, video, posting, sharing; 2. cultural – museums, galleries; 3. retail/shopping – advertisements, previews; and 4. education – enhanced content. Now for the videos. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride…

Sight

How It Feels [Through Glass]

AR Chipset: Metaio & ST-Ericsson

Glass

Matt Mills – TED Talk – Aurasma