How Blind Smartphone Users Helped This Startup Test the Waters
Published on by Rhiannon M. in Technology
It was midnight in London whenIoannis Verdelisgot the call from his co-founder Kostas Eleftheriou that gave him the insight for how to take on his company's biggest competitor.
During the conversation, Eleftheriou explained how their product had a true, life-changing connection with their target demographic -- blind people.
While presenting at their first demo in 2012 in front of a visually-impaired audience, people were moved to tears using their productFleksy, a mobile application that allows people to use their phones without looking at the device. It was the first time many of these people experienced a product that is designed to help them forget their disability.
It was this news that inspired Verdelis to give it his all, no matter what he was up against.
While aspirations were high, the then 27-year-old co-founders faced considerable challenges. Among others, they had no funding and little experience disrupting a competitive mobile text-input market.
Still, their past milestones did help prepare them. Verdelis and Eletheriou had always known they wanted to start something together but needed to find the perfect opportunity.
Despite becoming fast friends during college, the two ended up parting ways after graduation with Verdelis taking up a consulting job in the United Kingdom and Eleftheriou moving to California to start a new venture. While living miles apart, both shared the same frustrations with their smartphones: It was hard to type text messages and emails on them. Deciding that this was the opportunity they had been waiting for to collaborate together, the two kicked into action.
The pair began chatting over Skype a few days a week about starting a business with their prototype. That lead to in person meetings. And then, as Fleksy started to gain momentum, Eletherious convinced Verdelis to pack up and move to California.