Each month as part of StartHub's Startups to Watch Program, we connect with the winning company to learn more about them. We had the pleasure of interviewing Jack Yao, CEO of Mobile Pixels. Here’s what we learned:
Tell us about your company. What is Mobile Pixels?
We are Team Mobile Pixels, a startup based out of MIT in Boston. We are working on a consumer electronics product which is a cool computer accessory that provides a user with a dual screen capability.
We raised over $1M in crowdfunding and were one of the winners ($100K) of MassChallenge Boston 2018. Currently, we are in production and we will soon start shipping our first batch of units. We anticipate $5M+ revenue in 2019 and we plan on crowdfunding our next project TRIO in May 2019.
What is your background?
My Co-founder Stephen Ng and I have more than ten years of experience together in product design and manufacturing. I have a dual Master's from MIT in Mechanical and Management, and Stephen has his Master's in Mechatronics Engineering at Northeastern University. Shruti Banda, our CMO, has more than three years of experience in Product Management and Digital Marketing.
How did you come up with the idea for Mobile Pixels? Who is your target customer?
While working as an intern at Amazon, I constantly felt frustrated by the lack of a secondary monitor that could help me work more efficiently. Feeling strangely nostalgic about my old work monitor, I decided to build a laptop monitor from a broken laptop. I also realized that most of the monitors currently available were stationary and did not serve the purpose when I'm moving around. So I built a prototype of a light and portable monitor that I could carry anywhere with me. Soon everyone in the office wanted one, and our product Mobile Pixel was born! We combined the best technology to create a lightweight portable monitor that increases your productivity and makes working efficient. We give you the freedom to swivel the screen at the pivot and adjust the angle. In short, we give you an external monitor that travels with you!
How do you think Mobile Pixels is going to disrupt the market? What are the main differentiators between you and your competitors?
Our Dual screen is
- Durable
- Energy Efficient
- Light Weight
- Compatible across different laptops
At Mobile Pixels, we built a portable monitor that is lightweight, energy efficient and affordable. Unlike dual monitors such as ASUS and Dell, you do not need extra real estate to place the monitor next to the laptop. Unlike iPad as a dual monitor, Mobile Pixels' product is not very expensive and we provide a solution that works with any laptop.
Who are your main investors?
MIT invested in us for building the initial prototypes. Northeastern investment helped us with marketing and advertising. We also have an angel investor who has experience in mass production and selling.
Why did you decide to start your business in Boston? How long has your company been around?
We were students at MIT and Northeastern University and so it made a lot of sense to be based out of Boston. Also, the startup culture in Boston was very conducive to our growth. MIT and Northeastern were our early investors and also helped us in making the initial prototypes that helped us raise more than a million dollars in crowdfunding. Our company has been around since November 2016.
What resources in the startup community have contributed to the success of Mobile Pixels?
We were part of accelerators at MIT (MIT Sandbox), Northeastern University (IDEA accelerator), and MassChallenge Boston. We were also one of the $100K winners at the Mass Challenge Boston and they provided us with co-working space to work out of Boston. All of these resources at our universities and accelerators have helped us kick off our product and raise over a $1M in crowdfunding.
What is the most important thing our readers should know about Mobile Pixels?
Our goal at Mobile Pixels is to help you increase your productivity. We believe in helping you multitask and serve you anywhere work takes you. We think that there is no such thing as too much screen space and with our new product TRIO we plan to provide you three screen for efficient multitasking! Check us out!
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