We’re sorry for not updating you guys about DOT’s progress in the last few weeks. We were in the process of wrapping up from Pakistan and heading to the United States for Maker Faire. But Pakistan, oh my, what an experience it has been! Four months of unerring growth for DOT and none of it would have been possible without moving to Pakistan.

As you may already know, we had a team of developers working with us in Pakistan but it was very important for them to have direct support during this crucial time of development hence our CEO, Yishel Khan, decided to move to Pakistan temporarily. She did not want to waste a single second so from the day she landed, she invited everyone to her grandmother’s place and literally made an office out of the guest room. Meanwhile the search for office space continued (here is a link to our previous article, In Search of Space and that’s when DOT found its second home at the National Incubation Center.

At first, our team consisted of a few people but slowly the DOT family started growing. We found developers who were not only highly talented but also really good human beings with dedication, eagerness to learn and most of all, a firm belief in DOT’s Mission

Waqas, Usman and Shayan would literally spend days working into nights on the algorithms for the headsets, the website, games, etc; making major to minor changes. Shout out to them for their hard work!

Our main focus was to prepare for the crowdfunding campaign which is launching soon. For those of you who aren’t aware of what a crowdfunding campaign is or for those who are planning on launching their own, we’ll explain our pre-launch preparations in Karachi in detail, to be able to help you learn from our experiences.

Startups who wish to launch a crowdfunding campaign need to consider several elements:

Hardware challenges

When launching a hardware campaign, it is essential to keep a few things in mind. Firstly, be open to change. Even if a product is well-designed, your audience might want something different. So once you receive feedback, be prepared to make changes in the product. Secondly, it is important to have a prototype ready before the launch. In order for the press to write about your product, they would want to use it first. For us, the most effective way to build our prototype was to 3D print our headset and use commercially available chips. However, when we go into mass production these will be replaced with our own PCBs.

Preparation for mass production

Considering that we’re a hardware company, we have more challenges as compared to a software company. Microchip processing, mass production of hardware and software production to name a few. For mass production, it is extremely crucial to have the vendors ready. Hence, before launching the campaign, we need to make sure that all our prep work is in order and when customers place orders, we deliver on time without disappointing them. We have our vendors lined up and are ready to roll!

Product development

Alongside the hardware, comes the software development. It was not only important to have the hardware ready, but equally important to develop an application interface capable of integrating with the hardware. Our software is our secret sauce, and it is based on extensive research. Alongside the algorithms being implemented, there was a medical research team formulating and testing side-by-side. Then comes the look and feel of the application itself, UX/UI, which should appeal to our target audience, so then comes the field testing with potential customers. Which is why you must have noticed the revamped websites and messaging of our product.

Digital marketing

In order for you to have a successful crowdfunding campaign, it is very important to create pre-hype and digital marketing is the way to go about it. Therefore, hiring a marketing manager was crucial for us. Having a marketing team close by to the development team makes a huge difference. The job of the marketing team is to keep the audience updated about the product, to keep their interest intact and to engage with them on a regular basis. Doing this makes the customer feel included and at one point they will start owning the brand. The mediums to market your product digitally are your personal website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Use these mediums effectively. Post content that is relevant, engaging and helpful. DO NOT SPAM!

Video shoot

This was definitely a learning experience for everyone on board. It was our first time shooting and we had to hire professionals. It was a day long shoot and we got to learn a lot of new techniques. Our video was shot but the results were not exactly what we had in mind because the execution was very different and time consuming than what we had in mind. So, if you’re planning on having a video shoot, take the following things into account:

• Decide on a camera and frames. Research about different types of cameras and lenses. Make sure your lense has a zoom in and zoom out function if that’s what you require. Communicate your thoughts and expectations clearly with the videographer. Make sure you are both on the same page.
• Have a script ready. Prepare a storyboard and a mood board. If your script has actors involved, make sure everyone understands what’s needed from them.
• Have a pre-video shoot session where the entire concept of the video is explained to everyone onboard and all queries are answered so that a smooth process can be followed on the actual day of the shoot.

Well, we’ve summed up pretty much everything we have done so far. We’ll be launching our campaign in a month and keep you guys updated about our progress.

If you found this article helpful and would like us to share more of our startup experiences, please let us know.

Keep a look out for more interesting know-hows!