Technology proves its utility in diverse industries once again. This time we will be zooming in on technology applied on Sports. Techsauce got the chance to interview Taylor Host, CEO and Co-Founder of Miro which was one of the startups which attended Techsauce Global Summit 2018.

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Please introduce ‘miro’ to our audience. What does miro do?

Miro uses computer vision and AI to unlock consumer insights from photos and videos at a massive scale.  Working with running events like marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks, we analyze photos of athletes to determine brand preferences, demographics and performance metrics. Brands and sponsors use Miro’s one-of-a-kind data to better understand their consumers, market more effectively and directly benefit athletes and events in meeting their goals. Since its launch in 2017, Miro has analyzed over 13 M bodies in motion and delivered athlete insights to more than 500 events in 30 countries.

How did you find out about Techsauce Global Summit?

Techsauce Global Summit was discovered through Whub and regional press coverage.

Why were you interested in joining our pitching competition last year?

We have 2 reasons for joining the Hong Kong Regional pitch. If WHub is behind something in Hong Kong, we will make an effort to participate in it. Besides that, Techsauce Competition offers attractive branding, reputation, prize, and who would not want a free ticket to Bangkok?

How was it? (especially the Grand Finale in Bangkok)

Techsauce is a very smooth running show. Tech conferences are tough business and despite their best efforts, are often chaotic.  We found the Techsauce team to be second-to-none in the organization aspect. Perhaps, it is natural for the Thai business culture, but to achieve a layer of calm accompanied by the typical electric atmosphere at a large startup conference is quite a feat!

What did you get from joining us? How does our competition help you reach your goal?

The exposure for our company was high. The best outcome for us was to meet Chinaccelerator and join their next cohort (September 2018) in Shanghai. This was the best outcome we could have envisioned – changing our business and trajectory.

Besides pitching, you also had a booth in our summit. Any feedback on that?

The summit had a lot of foot traffic, generally higher volume than other booths we had at similar shows.

The video setup is a must for any startup.  As people are generally bashful, the video removes the conversational pressure.  It also draws in watchers, in which you can engage easily with, and keeps those waiting in line occupied before they speak to you.

If you have a startup booth, keep conversations brief. Open conversations with guests asking their purpose of attending the event. Business development and investment take time, and will not happen on the floor. Hence, make sure to have a go-to follow-up for reference and close conversations with clear actions. For investors, do a one-pager. For businesses, send an email with a sales deck. If you own the follow-up, you are likely to get a great indication of genuine intent after the show.

Any recommendations or advice that you want to share with startups joining this year’s program?

Walk the floor and meet the startups in attendance. Your next big partnership, investor or advisor can be found in your peer group. We are all in this together! Practice your elevator pitch to keep the conversation short and pointed, but exchange business cards only with startups that fit your business. There’s no good reason to waste yours or another young company’s time with loose questionings.

Do follow up and take a quick note on the back of the card or in a notebook, on how you may connect the dots between the businesses. For a young company, these founders around you are the greatest asset on the floor.