Exclusive Interview with Winner of GSC 2007 - How to win $500K in the Global Security Challenge?
May 16 2008 | 0 comment(s)
Exclusive Interview with Phil Davies, Vice-President Sales & Marketing of NoblePeak Vision, which won the GSC 2007. In the 1st part of our interview, Phil talks about life of a security startup. In the 2nd part, he reveals tips for winning our $500K startup competition, which we publish on Monday.
GSC: What is your elevator pitch for NoblePeak?
Phil Davies: "NoblePeak's revolutionary TriWave™ technology solves the night vision problem of security cameras by sensing the short wave infrared (SWIR) light emitted by the earth's atmosphere at night. This "night glow" is invisible to standard CMOS or CCD cameras, but our Germanium-enhanced CMOS TriWave image sensor enables cameras to see in zero visible light conditions. Cameras enabled with our TriWave based camera cores require no active illumination and can identify not just detect people and objects. Because TriWave has been developed using a standard CMOS process using a large wafer foundry manufacturing companies facilities we have been able to reach unheard of cost points for our technology which is making the night glow available to everyone for night vision."
GSC: You got money from different VCs in the US: are they specially focused on security technologies or did you find that generalist-VCs also have an appetite for security/defense startups?
Phil: "Because we are basically a semiconductor start up the two VC's that were our round-A investors specialized in technology based companies. The investor that we added in round B specialized in dual use commercial/military based technology companies."
GSC: Why did you decide to enter the GSC 2007 and what did you expect?
Phil: "Two executives from GE and SAIC here in the USA recommended we enter after they had learned about our technology. We also thought our technology was breakthrough and had a good chance of reaching the finals."
GSC: In general, what do you think business plan competitions offer to budding entrepreneurs?
Phil: "Exposure to a wider audience and critique of the value of the product and the business plan itself by experts in the field and by the attending audience of potential end users."
GSC: How is life after the GSC? Any impacts the GSC had on your business?
Phil: "Life is great; we have huge interest in our technology as a result of the publicity of winning and have many orders for our TriWave evaluation camera platform. The $500K award has also significantly helped us in improving our technology. We have also used the win to give the company credibility in our marketing efforts. Many people know about the GSC and so again winning was a big deal for us."
Read Part II of our Interview, in which NoblePeak gives tips on how to win the GSC $500K competition
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