In a few months, Naya's keyboards will roll off the assembly line. Thanks to the support of a whole group of angel investors, the NOM, an immensely successful crowdfunding campaign and G-Force, the whole world will soon be market for the unique product, developed in Groningen. Mass production can start soon.
For years, Tom Theuer, Moritz Angermann and Niclas Bertelsen took years to develop and perfect their Naya Create. A successful round of investment means that their design product can go into production. The twenty-somethings, who knew each other from Groningen University, had and have a clear mission: technology is there to make the user better.
All in one
In the case of the Naya Create, it succeeds in several areas. The Create may be called a keyboard, but it is actually much more than that. It is also a mouse, a joystick/3D navigator for engineers, a tune button for music makers and more. All in one device. Or actually: in two devices. Because the "keyboard" is separated so that each person can work with it in the most ergonomically sound way. Angermann: ,,We start from the user and thus solve several problems at once.''
The board has unique features. For example, the parts are wirelessly rechargeable, each button is designed in-house, and it is built so that different modules can be linked depending on the type of user. And also the software for all that, the young entrepreneurs and their team developed themselves.
Angels & investors
''This is one of those stories you don't often come across,'' says Kyra Weaver, investment manager at NOM. ''These guys have grown tremendously in a few years. I was very impressed with how experienced they come across, how stable their team is and how far along they are.'' A sizable group of angels - the first group that believed in the young entrepreneurs - played a big role in this. Advice, network and financial resources gave the startup the wind.
NOM recently decided to take a stake as well. NOM investment manager Daan Verhorst: ,,We have a lot of confidence in NAYA, precisely because of that large group of investors. An important question for us was: how do they ensure that their product will soon be sold worldwide? We think about that, but they had already worked that out all by themselves.''
Crowdfunding
Market research NAYA did by having prototypes tested by specialists. But mainly by starting a crowdfunding campaign via Kickstarter. It became the second most successful campaign the Netherlands has ever seen. Niclas Bertelsen: ,,That included many professional users. It went very fast, which is a sign that the world is waiting for this.''
Niek Huizenga, fund manager of G-Force Capital, saw that too. ,,I followed that crowdfunding campaign yes. I've known them since they were in college. We decided to participate in a first round of investment in February and are participating again. This team stands and has a special combination, in which all the competencies you need for a successful startup are on board.''
The three entrepreneurs are no strangers to the Groningen startup scene. Three years ago they launched the Arc Pulse, a revolutionary phone protector that did well immediately. More than 100,000 have since been sold worldwide. Bertelsen: ,,That has given us a lot of knowledge and experience that will come in very handy with the Naya Create.''