Sensative is a Lund-based company that has created the thinnest magnetic sensor for home alarm systems among currently available products in the market. The sensor, that is just 2,98 millimeters thick and has impressive battery lifespan of 10 years, works as an active and invisible intrusion alarm. It also enables users to know whether they closed the windows and doors before leaving their apartments. Sensor’s extreme thinness and appealing design has already inspired its creators to start thinking about other functionalities applicable to their unique product. Meanwhile, Sensative has prepared a crowdfunding campaign to both spread the word about their sensor and rise funding for production of the first batch of ultrathin Strips by Sensative. We got a chance to chat with Fredrik Westman, the company’s co-founder and marketing director, and ask him about the story of Sensative, company’s business model and goals for the future.
THE STORY OF SENSATIVE
Sensative started out as Fredrik Westman and Anders Hedberg met during the “Inwido – Compete & Incubate” competition by Ideon Open. They teamed up to work on a common idea that evolved around the development of smart and connected windows for the mass-market. In the context of the challenge, Inwido didn’t continue the journey with Sensative, but the two founders decided to give their idea a chance. Further studies of the market led to the development of an ultra-thin window & door sensor – thin enough to be invisible when mounted on windows & doors.
As the idea developed, Sensative AB was founded in 2013 and during the same year Mats Pettersson (the third owner) got involved in the project. With great experience & a network from the mobile industry and product development the product went from an idea to reality.
BUSINESS MODEL, CUSTOMERS AND CHALLENGES
Sensative is in the B2B market. Their main target audience includes different distributors and retailers within the smart home and security sector. The company is also set to approach window & door manufacturers and license their technology and design based on volume sales. In terms of strategy to reach their customers, Sensative is going for a “pull effect” from the end-consumer. And crowdfunding campaign in this approach is an important marketing tool:
“Our goal is to create market awareness, demand from end-consumers and of course sales leads. We also want to entice early adopters to buy and test our sensor and be a part of future products & services,” shares Fredrik.
The price of the first Strips that will be ready in fall 2015 will be 500 SEK. The idea is to push the price down once the production scales.
As of today Sensative is financed by the owners themselves as well as with the help from Almi and LU Innovation System. According to Mats Pettersson in the interview for 8till5, the company’s goal is to make it on their own all the way. There is of course a chance to get partial financing for production and development from potential clients.
Some of the challenges faced by Sensative are related to the stiffness of home security market. According to Fredrik, the smarthome market is fairly simple to approach with more “modern” and open technology. The security market is different, more conservative and using proprietary (closed) technology, which also created the challenge of sensor integration with different security solutions.
CROWDFUNDING AND THE FUTURE
The ambition at Sensative is to be a leading company in the smarthome market starting by setting a new standard for window/door sensors for homes and small offices. Sensative’s core asset is its great and experienced team and in 3-5 years they plan to develop several ground-breaking products targeted for an open smarthome. But already now there is a discussion about new additional features that could be added to the Strips, such as measuring of moisture level to detect leaks in fridges or alert about dishwasher full of water.
Started as an open innovation project, Sensative’s ambition is to continue working in this direction in the future. In 2014 the company received Vinnova funding to create “an open smarthome platform” for public housing. For this project they work closely together with partners from different fields such as two public housing companies, one service provider and one research institute (MAPCI).
Crowdfunding campaign is, therefore, one of the many steps towards this big picture that Sensative envisioned for smarthome market. The crowdfunding campaign will run for 30 days startup June 10th. The goal is to reach 200 000 SEK in funding which will be used for the product of the first batch of sensors which will be manufactured in Poland.
Find more info about Sensative and their crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.
