It’s been a little quiet around here
With the launch of our second crowdfunding campaign on Start Engine, the question has been raised, what has Mycroft been up to since the closing of our first crowdfunding campaign in early 2019?
TL;DR
- Hiring
- Reorganization
- Contract Manufacturing Search
- Mark II Redesign
Day-to-Day Business
We have made progress in various fields of the day to day business operations at Mycroft. In early 2021 we made two new hires: Duane Guenard, who is hiring our Contract Manufacturer (that one’s a big deal), and has been essential in standing up manufacturing and procurement, and Sarah Karner, who was hired for organization and overall project management. Mid-2021 we hired a paralegal, Leanna Pohevitz to bring some of the work concerning ongoing litigation in-house. More on that later. With a redesigned product and new hires who have been instrumental in getting our metaphorical space ship to ignite, it has been an exciting year at Mycroft.
Mark II Redesign
If you subscribe to our newsletter, you already know that we have been heads down with the Mark II redesign. Our Design Chief, Derick Schweppe, made an excellent part 1 post about the trials and tribulations that go into designing an aesthetically pleasing smart speaker that is simultaneously tasked with technological developments. One of the important hurdles that arises when designing a home for a device, where greater square footage is less desirable, is eliminating the useless space within. As technology advances, some parts get smaller while others change orientation (i.e. touch screens).
Beyond new hires, a contract manufacturer, a new CEO in 2020 (Michael Lewis), a book, our Dev Kits shipping, and standing up our second crowdfunding raise, Mycroft has been focusing on getting our product to Kickstarter backers, customers, enterprise business partners, and the greater world.
Stay tuned for Part 2, including:
- Major software updates
- Defending Mycroft against Patent Assertion Entities
- Learning
We are beyond grateful for our community. You have been our advocates, our helpers, and even our financial backers. We couldn’t do it without you.
Kris is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Mycroft. She helped develop and executed on the social media strategy for the Kickstarter and continues managing social media in her role as Social Media Manager at Mycroft today.