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UPDATE - DECEMBER 2003. My column moved to the Always On Network as "Rafe's Radar" in October of 2003. An index of columns is here. My email is now rafen@rafeneedleman.com.
Fast Facts:
Superquad
www.wijit.com |
| CEO |
Tom Cerny (partner at Titan Ventures). Founder is Brian Watwood, who started Superquad after he became disabled.
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| HQ |
Sacramento, CA
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| Employees |
2
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| Founded |
1996
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| Market |
Wheelchair wheels
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| Funding |
$1.8M in angel funding; currently trying to raise $5M
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| Profitable? |
Projected for Q2 2005
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Update - August 2002. This is the 50th Catch of the Day that I've written as an independent publisher. It is also the last. But that's a good thing! Starting Monday, August 19, I will be writing a new column for Business 2.0, called What's Next. It will be a twice-weekly online/email column. I will also be writing a monthly column for Business 2.0 magazine. See the "Details on What's Next" sidebar at the end for more info.
Speaking of bidding goodbye to an old vehicle, last week I met with Geoff Workman of Titan Venture Partners, which is trying to bring startup wheelchair company Superquad into the business mainstream. This isn't a technology story like the other revolution in wheelchairs, Dean Kamen's self-propelled, stair-climbing, stand-up iBot. The iBot is an amazing and versatile vehicle, but it's very expensive and it's not yet available.
Superquad's Wijit is a new mechanical wheel system. It replaces the push rims of standard wheelchair wheels with a lever system the rider pumps to move forward. Wijit execs claim 50 to 60 percent more efficiency than regular push-rim propulsion, meaning riders can climb steeper ramps -- or simply go farther. There's also a reverse gear and, most importantly, brakes: when the levers are squeezed inward, the chair slows. The levers are also easier on the palms and wrists than push rims. A future version of the Wijit will have a selectable gearing system, allowing riders to gear up to cover more ground per push.
The system costs about $900 per wheelchair, versus about $500 for regular wheels. It is approved and reimbursable by Medicare (which represents a nice stable revenue source).
The thing that strikes me about the Wijit is the obviousness of it. The iBot requires new technology and a new way of thinking about wheelchairs. The Wijit, in comparison, is retrospectively obvious. It requires no new technology, and there are 2.1 million wheelchair users in the U.S. (and countless more worldwide) who are not just candidates for the product, but might actually be able to afford it. Wijit illustrates that sometimes there are more elegant solutions to a problem than throwing microprocessors at it.
Remember, my next column will be called What's Next and will arrive from Business 2.0. My new home on the Web will be www.business2.com/whatsnext.
- Rafe Needleman
email me: rafe-needleman@catchoday.com
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