By Helmuth Fuchs
In the interview, Matthias Vanoni, Co-founder and CEO of Biowatch, answers questions regarding
- the patents and unique parts of the solution
«We have several patents on the hardware and the software and we keep extending them.»Matthias Vanoni, Co-founder and CEO of Biowatch
- potential other wearable components to use for identification, beside the watch
«At the moment we focus on the wrist worn wearables.»
- what happens if you lose your device
«Thanks to the biometric protection, only you can unlock your device. A first solution would be to have a spare device in a secure place. Additionally we think about a cloud based recovery solution.»
- the primary market segments for the device and the going to market model
«The first segment is the corporate market for physical and logical access control, replacing the badges and passwords in companies.»
- how far they are in the production of the final device and what the next major steps are in the business plan
«After focusing on the quality and miniaturization of the hardware, we will have to industrialize it beginning of 2107 and the next focus will be on the firmware and on the algorithm.»
- what he wants to achieve within the 11 weeks at the Kickstart Accelerator
«There is one thing I would like to see happening: That all the sponsors and partners of the Kickstart Accelerator understand the added value of Biowatch for their internal use cases at their workplace and pilot our solution.»
- which parts are developed and produced in Switzerland and where he will grow the business in the future
«So far everything is made in Switzerland, from the design of the buckle to the hardware and we are looking for Swiss partners for the first series of the product. For the mass market we will have to go outside simply for the level of facilities.»
- the biggest obstacles they have to overcome to make Biowatch an international success
«We need traction and all the service providers that provide Biowatch with a strong ecosystem of use cases.»
- who the biggest shareholders and investors are
«We are two co-founders, Joe Rice, the inventor of veign recognition, and myself. The third biggest investor is the well known serial-entrepreneur Patrick Delarive.»
- which the biggest competitors are
«All the big companies like Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, LG, Huawei or Sony have everything in their hands to do what we do. But they also represent the best opportunities for us.»
- which development will have the biggest influence in the industry in the coming years
«Biometrics that will be reliable, attack-proof, and compatible with the concept of wearables will revolutionize the whole industry of identification.»
- what his favorite exit scenario with Biowatch would be
«An IPO. It would mean that we have a very appealing product and a wide traction and ecosystem.»
- his two biggest wishes
«Doing a proof of concept or pilot with all the partners of the Kickstart Accelerator and all my challenges being sorted and solved.»
Matthias Vanoni
on Linkedin: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/matthias-vanoni-02147b76/en
Biowatch
develops a wearable biometric technology as an alternative solution to current authentication methods (PIN, passwords, cards, keys, fingerprint, face), based on vein recognition. www.biowatch.ch
Kickstart Accelerator
Kickstart is the most ambitious Swiss startup program to date. Never before has Switzerland or Europe had a multi-corporate and equity-free accelerator program welcoming over 60 founders from around the world. Backed by academia, corporates and the local startup ecosystem, it aims to put Switzerland on the map by bringing some of the most promising early-stage startups from different fields to Switzerland for 11 weeks.
The Kickstart Accelerator is operated by Impact Hub Zurich, which is part of the largest network of entrepreneurship and innovation centers across the globe. Kickstart was founded in 2015 and is an initiative in cooperation with DigitalZurich2025, a cross-industry initiative which aims at making Switzerland a leading digital innovation hub in Europe. Kickstart Accelerator