A warm welcome to Founders Loft, tell us more about MeanWhile:
Thanks! Meanwhile is a newly founded company that aims to give peace of mind to dog owners. By combining embedded systems, IoT and smart app functions, we create products that help dog owners know more about how their four-legged friends feel when they are left alone, e.g. in the car or in the holiday home.
Our products can also be used as support when training dogs suffering from separation anxiety, to really make sure that your dog feels good and that the training can be carried out safely and effectively. Peace of mind is our motto!
Who are you and the team behind the startup?
The team consists of me, Niclas Gustafsson, and Annika von Hofsten. I am CTO and Annika is CEO. My background is in the development of medical technology products such as EKG machines and ventilators as well as leadership, B2B sales and project management. Annika's background is in the development of plastic parts for the automotive industry, software development, leadership, B2B sales and project management. Combined, we have 17 years of experience in product development and complement each other very well!
What made you apply to our incubator?
What made us apply to Founders Loft was initially a tip from Victoria Tötterström at Drivhuset. We took a closer look at Founders Loft and after a very fruitful conversation with Alma, we were convinced that Founders Loft was right for us. We feel that the guidance and knowledge we can share through the incubator will help us reach our goals!
The idea for Meanwhile was born approx. 3 years ago when Annika (who is also the world's biggest dog geek - ask me how I know) felt that she would like to have better control of her dog when she was driving but also during competitions when the dog rests in his cage long moments between starts. We were then friends and colleagues for a number of years and Annika simply asked me if I thought it would be possible to resolve it. Sure, I said, how hard can it be? We continued to discuss the idea and slowly a product idea emerged which we began to sketch and file more and more often. In 2022, we spent many evenings and weekends listening to the current interest, researching the technical challenges and planning to maybe even invest in this. Now at the beginning of 2023, we finally took the plunge and founded Meanwhile - our very own company!
Within the team, we have a lot of experience in product development and project management, so those bits don't feel so scary. On the other hand, we are completely new when it comes to building and running companies - but there we feel that we have found exactly the right place with Founders Loft and we are so looking forward to sharing the journey with you!
What's next for MeanWhile?
The next step for us is to continue development of our MVP, which consists of a physical unit with a camera and a number of sensors and an associated app. We also carry out market research and user studies in various forms to really ensure that we get it right from the start. In those activities, we feel extra safe now that we have a fantastic process and great guidance from Founders Loft behind us!
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