An interview with Brenton Sequeira of BandLess.
BandLess is a company developing deep learning-based blood pressure monitoring solutions taking part in the Tech South West StartUp Studio, an accelerator for early-stage startups delivered with Activate and Skowt Consulting, in partnership with Astley Media, Azure, RSM and Granted Consultancy.
Brenton shares his experience of the Tech South West StartUp Studio, what he has learned, and his ambitions for the future.
How are you finding the Tech South West StartUp Studio programme so far?
The StartUp Studio programme has been a fantastic learning curve for us. As a team of engineers our focus was on the product. It is great to have the opportunity to think about the different aspects of starting and growing a company. It has been a huge help for us, and we are now using the principles gained to get our business off the ground.
What has been the hardest part of the accelerator programme?
The hardest part is for us to reach a suitable beachhead market. Upon discussion we found out that a target market should not only be about how useful our product is for the market, but also how easy it is to enter and generate revenue.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve taken from the programme so far?
Even though our idea was voted “Best Idea” for this cohort, building a company is not just about the idea/product. It is about presenting and selling the idea/product to investors and consumers. It is also necessary to pace the product development cycle to match consumer feedback cycles to develop a good product.
What do you hope to get out of the programme – personally and for the business?
On a personal level, we have gained extensive knowledge about the business aspects of starting a company. We have also gained useful connections with the mentors and the other companies in the programme. For the business, we aim to participate in our first pitch event, make use of the consultancies associated with the program to grow the company, and hopefully attract some investors.
Learn more about the StartUp Studio at techsouthwest.co.uk/startupstudio