Three Tech Startup Ideas: Tracking, Water, and EV Charging

Introduction

The following three project proposals each identify an unmet market need and outline a technology-driven solution. Each concept is evaluated in terms of existing technology, potential stakeholders, and the resources required to bring it to market.

Project 1: Bluetooth Item-Tracking Stickers

The first idea originated from a simple frustration: searching for a lost book. The concept is a sticker containing a code that allows an item to be located on demand. When a user searches for an item, the sticker emits a signal that responds to a query from a paired smartphone app.

A variation of this technology already exists in the logistics field, where the RFID concept has been adapted to use Bluetooth and smartphone apps. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, which sits dormant until queried, is at the core of this approach. Apple has its iBeacon platform, and commercial applications are already in development (Swedberg, 2013). If a model can be developed that supports a signal capable of pinging back to a phone when the app calls it, users could locate any tagged item — whether a book, a laptop, a wallet, or car keys. The applications from the user's perspective are quite broad, and if priced competitively, this technology could appeal to both commercial and residential customers.

There are several stakeholders beyond consumers. Existing technology rights holders are either potential suppliers or potential competitors, depending on whether they choose to develop a competing application. Smartphone manufacturers and telecom companies are also stakeholders, since they help provide the underlying service, and access to the API for different mobile operating systems would be essential to making this work (Orenstein, 2000). Existing technology that can be adapted for this purpose creates partnership opportunities, though it will be necessary to determine who owns the relevant intellectual property or whether proprietary technology must be developed. App coding and marketing capabilities will also be required.

Project 2: Rainwater Collection and Water Security

Financial backers will need to be persuaded, as will developers capable of building one or more apps, in order to produce the application, license the technology, and fund a marketing budget.

The second project addresses drinking water resilience. Individual water filters and commercially bottled water are currently available on the market, but municipal drinking water resources typically draw from only a limited number of reservoirs. If one were to be polluted — whether through accident, environmental contamination, or deliberate attack — the strain on the water system would be significant, with serious consequences for public health. The EPA has identified water resources as being at heightened risk, including from terrorism (EPA, 2014). The Puget Sound region receives substantial rainfall, much of which flows back into the Sound and could instead be captured.

In off-grid communities around the world, rainwater harvesting is a proven method for obtaining drinking water. This approach works in climates as varied as a rainy tropical island and the New Mexican desert — communities living in earthships outside of Taos collect enough rainwater to meet their daily needs (GSL, 2014). A similar system could be implemented in the Pacific Northwest, where precipitation is abundant.

Conclusion

Each of the three proposals addresses a real and emerging market need, leveraging existing technology in new ways. The Bluetooth tracking sticker targets everyday consumer frustration; the rainwater harvesting system addresses infrastructure vulnerability and public health risk; and the solar-powered mobile EV charging station anticipates the support ecosystem that a growing electric vehicle market will require. All three ideas involve navigating stakeholder relationships, securing financing, and either licensing or developing proprietary technology — challenges that are substantial but not insurmountable for well-positioned ventures.