“When your luggage is lost, stolen, or tampered with, AKQYS
protects you.” This tag line pulled from the AKQYS (pronounced Ahh-kiss)
website sums up this product perfectly. AKQYS is a luggage tracking
company based in Florida. Their product is a tracking device that not
only tracks where your luggage has been, but if it has been opened. If
that isn’t enough, they also offer a secondary device, a camera, which
activates when the luggage is opened to see who is peeping inside of it.
This brainchild of Felix Mercado came about from a horrible
experience he had when traveling with an airline. We all know the feeling:
slight panic sets in, you look around your immediate vicinity, and then you
begin to search your bags and wonder, “Did I leave it at home or did I pack it
away with the other bags?” The truth is, you will never see it again. You have
just lost your laptop… Utter dread sets in. This scenario was the exact case
with Felix, his luggage was lost, but more importantly, an invaluable item that
he used for his livelihood had vanished forever.
One Million Cups is an initiative created at Rollins College
located in Winter Park Florida, which allows startups and businesses the
opportunity to present themselves to listeners, students, and potential
investors. As a student attending Full Sail Universities Entertainment Business
program, I was given the chance and the pleasure to witness Felix and the AKQYS
team present this ingenious idea first hand. Our Product and Artist development
class was given an assignment that related to the presentation. The following
are the questions from the assignment and how I chose to answer them.
1. What did you think of the business concepts?
I felt,
overall, that the product was a great concept. It serves a purpose, solves an
issue, and caters to a certain market that lives a particular lifestyle.
2. Are they viable and something the market might want, or are
they ill conceived or misplaced?
Both the product and
business are definitely attractive, and are something the market needs. Mercado
showed how luggage theft, loss, and invasion of privacy are an epidemic. He
also compared how his product “trumps” the others.
3. Do the presenters appear to have a good understanding of
their target market(s)?
Felix was the only presenter. He clearly understood his market
and whom he was trying to pitch his product to. The AKQYS team is targeting the
travel industry, or the travel security industry, to be more specific.
4. Do they know their product/service inside out?
They definitely knew their product. Mercado spoke about
everything from the functions of the device, patents, and even privacy. He
clearly understood the specifics of both his devices and his services.
5. What did you like or dis-like about the presentations?
The AKQYS presentation was great. They know their product, are
passionate about it, and clearly communicated their vision using a well made
keynote. Felix as a speaker was engaging, charismatic, and confident. If I had
to be critical and choose something I did not like about the presentation, it
would be the lack of a physical version or prototype, for us to see. However, time
did not lend itself for physical prototypes to be showcased. Here is a LINK to see the devices in comparison to luggage.
6. Do you think that pitching at One Million Cups is effective
marketing?
I think One Million Cups is great place to share your idea,
engage in feedback, and practice presenting your product. I do not see it as an
effective marketing plan...yet. One Million Cups is growing and spreading to
other areas in central Florida. I can see it becoming a viable marketing source
in the near future.
7. If you found any of the concepts appealing, what would you do
to "take them to the next level?"
Felix Mercado has his finger on
the pulse of the industry and appears to be on the right track to success. The
AKQYS website is functional, the marketing plan is sound, and the potential
partners he described are perfect. There is not much I could suggest to him
that will take him to the next level. However, I did feel the site could be
evolved to include a marketplace where the device can be purchased. He did
mention that a marketplace was in the works. Simple and ease of use is the
motivation behind their products so the option to subscribe to a newsletter for
updates and the ability to pre-order is the focus at the moment.
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