This document describes a company that develops wall-climbing inspection robots. The company's key activities include continuous research and development, manufacturing, sales and marketing. The value propositions are cost and risk reduction by replacing human inspectors, as well as improved performance by allowing robots to reach difficult spaces. Key customers include building inspection companies, engineering firms, and government infrastructure inspectors. Revenue streams include unit sales, leasing, inspection contracts, and licensing intellectual property.
2. team
• Professor of robotics at CUNY City College
• Inventor of City-Climber wall-climbing robots
• Co-founder and Senior Technical Advisor of InnovBot
• Recipient of NSF CAREER Award, 2007
Jizhong Xiao / PI
• NYC-based Academic Industrialist
• Served as Chief Scientific Officer of biotech start-up until 2010
• Academic basic science research faculty for over 25 years
• Responsible for CUNY Industry-University Research Collaborations
John Blaho / IM
• MA candidate in Computer Science, CUNY Brooklyn College
• Experience in education technology, policy analysis, politics, teaching
• Author of chapter in forthcoming book on for-profit education startups
• Does the „robot‟ celebration after every video game soccer goal
Mickey Muldoon / EL
3. the first canvas
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost/risk • Personal support • Property
• Large civil • Manufacturing reduction: for major management
engineering firms • Sales and window customers companies
• Military marketing cleaning, paintin • Automated • Property owners
g, or building support for • Window cleaners
exterior cheaper models • Military
inspection • Communities for • Construction and
• Performance: research and engineers
Reach difficult hobbyists • Academic
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS research and
surveillance hobbyists
• Human: (e.g. • Direct sales • Municipalities
engineers tunnels, skyscra • Government • Solar farms
• Intellectual: IP pers) grant-writing • Dry docks
• Financial: R&D • Newness: for • Website • Oil rigs
money research and
hobbyists
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for window washing or inspection
• Cost of raw parts • Military/police/naval contracts
• Installation revenue
• IP License/royalties
5. segment pruning
Technology
Market Size Readiness
Inspection
of big, flat
things
6. application 1: tanks and towers
Magnetic inspection crawlers But there are currently no
already in widespread use for non-magnetic crawlers for
storage tank stainless steel and
inspection, especially for concrete inspection
ultrasonic thickness tests
8. from a robotic inspection
company:
“We currently have some extremely promising commercial
opportunities … and I would like to introduce your climber
… There are at least three such opportunities I am working
on right now. They are rather urgent … They have
applications now. The only thing they lack is a small
Climber that can be demo'd. And you have that NOW …
Their revenues are in excess of $200M and they would
want your Climber ideally to fully commercialize it and
scale it up.”
9. application 3: building façades
• Mandatory façade
inspection in
NYC, Chicago, Phila, Bost
on, Pitt, St.
Louis, Detroit, Columbus,
Milwaukee, Wash DC, etc.
• Real-time video feed
• Follow cracks beyond
reach of scaffold
• Corner buildings: check
street-facing façades
where scaffold drop not
mandatory
• Cheaper way to do
thorough inspection where
some problems found
• Impact echo analysis
11. Lesson inspecting big flat things:
1
here‟s what we thought
sell/lease robots
Our Property
company owners
$$
12. Lesson
inspecting big flat things:
1 here‟s what we found
Ecosystem of third-party architects, engineers, and
inspection companies
Other industrial inspection robots use daily rental
models
Offering services on top of products is far more
profitable
13. inspecting big flat things:
Lesson
1 here‟s what changed
Sales, Rentals Primary
Leases, Subcontracts contracts
Our Property
Inspectors owners
company
$$ $$
Modernize
local
inspection
Build pathway over time, codes
will be more lucrative
14. Lesson
2
pricing: here‟s what we thought
Technology is unique
and patented We can charge a premium:
Saves over costly and
dangerous human
scaffold work
Other industrial
$40-60k
“crawlers” sell for
upwards of $50k
15. Lesson pricing: here‟s what we found
2
• Customers explain that
human inspectors are far
more versatile and
capable
• Closest competitor has
run into price concerns
• Disruptive
innovation, could replace
centuries-old inspection
techniques
• Survey: $20k is the most
any engineering company
would pay
Deep price savings must be a major part of value proposition
16. Lesson pricing: here‟s what we changed
2
Focus on low-end
Minimal Viable
Prototype
$5k mfg cost
$20k retail
$500/day
rental
19. the canvas today
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• OEMs • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Mix of free and • Architecture and
• Component • Manufacturing replaces paid support for engineering
suppliers • Sales and scaffolds or lessees and robot companies
• CUNY marketing human rope owners • Non-destructive
climbers • Subscription testing service
• Risk reduction model: access to providers
(Safety) 1/2/3/4 robots at
• Speed a time
improvement
KEY RESOURCES • Performance: CHANNELS
Reach difficult
• Human: spaces for • Direct sales
engineers surveillance • Potential
• Intellectual: IP • Rapid distrib./licensing
• Financial: R&D deployment partnership
money
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Direct contracts/subcontracts for inspection
• Manufacturing • Extended warrantees, support
• Cost of raw parts • Daily rentals
• Labor: inspection services
• Warehouse space and maintenance
20. Total market size Target
Façade Inspection
Services $1B
Maybe 1/40 of market
spending diverted to
Min. $40 million spent per year in robots
NYC for gov’t compliance, at least
25x worldwide
$25M
Do our own inspections
NDT equipment
Frost & Sullivan, 2011 $100M+
$1B Our robots could
maybe take 1/50 of
market
$20M
$100M+
NDT services Do our own inspections
Frost & Sullivan, 2011 $2.5B
(and
growing
$245M+
at 5%)
$4.5 B+
21. how to get there?
revenue <$100k $500k $2M $10M +
Tanks, towers, turbines
high-end
Channel Customer
serious industrial
partnership in the discovery/
contracts product
works demos
$$ SERVICES $$
line
basic
commercial-
grade model
Open small Lobbying:
Pilot test with Iterate Mainstream Expand
rental/sales update
earlyvangelists product usage in outside
warehouse building
NYC NYC
code
Building facades
funding SBIR and/or seed SBIR Phase II and/or angel Series A Series B
23. … other wall-climbers?
City Climber is:
• Patented
• Cheaper
• Simpler
• More reliable
• Better with rough
surfaces
• Best weight-to-payload
24. March 21
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost/risk • Personal support • Property
• Large civil • Manufacturing reduction: for major management
engineering firms • Sales and window customers companies
• Military marketing cleaning, paintin • Automated • Property owners
g, or building support for • Window cleaners
exterior cheaper models • Military
inspection • Communities for • Construction and
• Performance: research and engineers
Reach difficult hobbyists • Academic
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS research and
surveillance hobbyists
• Human: (e.g. • Direct sales • Municipalities
engineers tunnels, skyscra • Government • Solar farms
• Intellectual: IP pers) grant-writing • Dry docks
• Financial: R&D • Newness: for • Website • Oil rigs
money research and
hobbyists
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for window washing or inspection
• Cost of raw parts • Military/police/naval contracts
• Installation revenue
• IP License/royalties
25. March 22
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Personal support • Government
• Large civil • Manufacturing replaces for major infrastructure
engineering firms • Sales and scaffolds customers inspection , esp.
• Military marketing • Risk reduction • Automated Bridges, dams
(Safety) support for • Nuclear power
• Speed cheaper models plants
improvement • Communities for • Property
• Performance: research and owners/managers/
Reach difficult hobbyists Third party
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS evaluators
surveillance • Dry docks
• Human: • Rapid • Direct sales • Military
engineers deployment • Website • Construction
• Intellectual: IP • Newness: for • Indirect : via • Solar farms
• Financial: R&D research and partners • Broadcasters
money hobbyists • Window cleaners
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for inspection
• Cost of raw parts • Installation revenue
• IP License/royalties
• Military/police/naval contracts
26. March 28
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Personal support • Building inspection
• NDT research • Manufacturing replaces for major and engineering
centers and labs • Sales and scaffolds customers companies
• Military marketing • Risk reduction • Automated • Non-destructive
• Large civil (Safety) support for testing service
engineering firms • Speed cheaper models providers
improvement • Government
• Performance: infrastructure
Reach difficult inspection , esp.
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS Bridges, dams
surveillance • Website • Nuclear power
• Human: • Rapid • Indirect : via plants
engineers deployment partners
• Intellectual: IP • Indirect: NDT
• Financial: R&D equipment
money distributors
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for inspection
• Cost of raw parts • Installation revenue
• IP License/royalties
27. April 4
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Personal support • Building inspection
• NDT research • Manufacturing replaces for major and engineering
centers and labs • Sales and scaffolds customers companies
• Military marketing • Risk reduction • Automated • Non-destructive
(Safety) support for testing service
• Speed cheaper models providers
improvement
• Performance:
Reach difficult
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS
• •
surveillance
• Direct sales
Human:
engineers
Rapid
deployment
• NDT equipment
distributors
• Intellectual: IP
• Indirect : via
• Financial: R&D
partners
money
• Website
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for inspection
• Cost of raw parts • Installation revenue
• IP License/royalties
28. April 11
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Personal support • Building inspection
• NDT research • Manufacturing replaces for major and engineering
centers and labs • Sales and scaffolds customers companies
• Military marketing • Risk reduction • Automated • Non-destructive
(Safety) support for testing service
• Speed cheaper models providers
improvement • Federal and State
• Performance: Departments of
Reach difficult Transportation
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS
surveillance
• Human: • Rapid • Direct sales
engineers deployment • NDT equipment
• Intellectual: IP distributors
• Financial: R&D
money
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for inspection
• Cost of raw parts • IP License/royalties
29. April 18
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Personal support • Building inspection
• NDT research • Manufacturing replaces for major and engineering
centers and labs • Sales and scaffolds customers companies
• Military marketing • Risk reduction • Automated • Non-destructive
(Safety) support for testing service
• Speed cheaper models providers
improvement • Federal and State
• Performance: Departments of
Reach difficult Transportation
KEY RESOURCES spaces for CHANNELS
surveillance
• Human: • Rapid • Direct sales
engineers deployment • NDT equipment
• Intellectual: IP distributors
• Financial: R&D
money
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for inspection
• Cost of raw parts • IP License/royalties
30. April 25
KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
PROPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS SEGMENTS
• Manufacturers • Continuous R&D • Cost reduction: • Personal support • Building inspection
• NDT research • Manufacturing replaces for major and engineering
centers and labs • Sales and scaffolds customers companies
• Scaffolding equip. marketing • Risk reduction • Automated • Non-destructive
distributors (Safety) support for testing service
• Component • Speed cheaper models providers
•
suppliers improvement • Federal and State
Robotics • Performance: Departments of
companies Reach difficult Transportation
(licensing) spaces for
• Military
KEY RESOURCES
surveillance
CHANNELS
• Human: • Rapid • Direct sales
engineers deployment • Scaffolding equip.
• Intellectual: IP distributors
• Financial: R&D • NDT equipment
money distributors
COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS
• Research and development • Unit or bulk sales
• Sales and marketing • Leasing units
• Manufacturing • Direct contracts for inspection
• Cost of raw parts • IP License/royalties
Editor's Notes
We’re going to start with our initial canvas
Low-touch, high-touch, middle ground
Lots of sub-segments – those willing to try now, those willing to try later, etc.Lots of different “locks” – versions of technology. Different lock will work differently on same customerLots of potential paths to successTakes a lot of perseveranceAnd you have to take a leap of faith (pot of gold) – which can be foreign to scientifically minded peopleIncremental successes are still encouragingThere are costs to turning back