Last week, we profiled Shaun Masavage, the precocious inventor who created a tiny breathalyzer you can plug into your smartphone. Now that DrinkMate for iPhone has reached its $35,000 Kickstarter goal — only 4 days in — we followed up with him about his business strategy.
Though he didn’t expect the funds to come in quite so fast, Masavage said in an email that he didn’t leave it all up to chance.
“I think a great many people were waiting for the iPhone version, so they were eager to sign up,” he said. Adding, “I reached out to literally everyone I knew and ‘asked’ that they kindly support the campaign on day 1 so that it started getting traction immediately.”
Screenshots of the DrinkMate app. (Image via Kickstarter)
DrinkMate had already built up a following from its September Android launch. Though making an iPhone-compatible version was essential for his company, Edge Tech Labs, it was much easier said than done. Masavage’s team had to overhaul the circuit, he said, as well as add a new plastic piece and custom sensor.
“iOS DrinkMate looks fairly similar to the Android model, but it’s a whole different beast on the inside,” he said.
On Monday evening, Masavage said he’d received nearly 1,000 orders for the iPhone breathalyzer. With the surplus funding, he’s planning to build a photo-enabled social feature on the app. “If you blow a high number at a bar, we eventually want a notification to automatically pop up next time you go that kindly reminds you of the last time when you ‘overdid it.’ Or on the flipside, we’ll remind you of a fun experience the last time!”
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