Can you envision a world where every product you use, could sense when it was running low, and could automatically replenish itself? Could you imagine a time where you no longer needed to place an online order for more supplies, or need to make a trip to the store to restock items in your pantry?
Michael Schmidt and Yash Ambardekar have anticipated this need at Vaska Tech with their first product, VaskaBrew, a smart container for k-cups. VaskaBrew holds k-cups, measures their usage, places an order online when you’re running low, and delivers new cups directly to your door. There is also a mobile application that enables you to view usage, orders, and flavors.
What Happens When you Run out of Shampoo?
Schmidt and Ambardekar worked together at GE in the engineering group about five years ago, and reconvened recently Boston. Schmidt is pursuing his MBA at Harvard, while Ambardekar is working in a healthcare technologies company. They both gained an interest in entrepreneurship and startups, and began kicking around a few ideas, experimenting with a few technologies.
Then one day, Schmidt ran out of shampoo and thought to himself, “Instead of spending the next 30 minutes buying shampoo, what else could I be doing with my time that is more useful?” Upon explaining this pain to Ambardekar, the connection to a running shoe sensor they had been exploring led them to realize that monitoring e-commerce in the house could be a real success.
Why Coffee?
Schmidt and Ambardekar found that coffee was something that is social that people consume in groups. Specifically, they focused on a subset of coffee drinkers: those who were willing to pay a premium for Keurig brewers that provide convenience. By providing the same value proposition, Schmidt and Ambardekar could build off of their consumer behavior. Schmidt stated, “Our product is is just an added value to a product that is already on the market. We provide technology and convenience. We’re starting with K-Cups, but that’s really just the beginning. We see this spreading to many parts of the home and office.”
Made from Scratch or Off the Shelf?
The company conducted customer interviews, and an independent study for one of Schmidt’s classes on premium and margin of coffee products, customer demographics, and customer k-cups. They used google surveys and national questionnaires of Keurig owners to understand pain points, and willingness to pay for such system. They used a 3D printer for their first prototype, but later found that it was much easier and more efficient to modify already existing products. This also allowed the team to better communicate what the final product might look like to retailers. They have been through three evolutions of electronic design, moving from rudimentary prototypes to something that is now very scalable.
Coffee Retailers and Beyond:
Currently, Schmidt and Ambardekar have an immediate deadline to deliver 100 units to a national coffee retailer and roaster. They have started the production process with their manufacturing partners. Beyond this, they are trying to grow the team and company with additional partnerships, and are also experimenting with direct to consumer sales, providing more flexibility for their vision of becoming a smart home system, rather than just a smart coffee system. Schmidt and Yash have brainstormed a variety of ideas for different products they might tackle next, but are looking to first learn by launching VaskaBrew.
We’re excited to see VaskaBrew arrive in our very own coffee stores here in Cambridge, and see what other ideas the team has brewing.
