Kyzentree

WestBIC is an Enterprise Ireland partner providing hands-on startup support, funding readiness and investment preparation for early-stage founders in the west of Ireland.

Kyzentree was born in 2017 in Galway to help companies to optimize their manual assembly production environments. The solution is divided in four main services: software, hardware, coaching and consultancy. The primary product, KT-Pulse, is an easy-to-use software platform that captures performance data from manual assembly production environments via a simple touchscreen interface and produces real-time analytics that are accessible anywhere. The target sector is labour-intensive manufacturing environments where productivity data is traditionally captured using tools such as tally counters, checksheets and hourly trackers, which are painfully slow and cumbersome to manage and maintain.

Key supports received during start-up process & the role WestBIC played

Being accepted on the New Frontiers program was a huge step forward. This gave me the confidence to undertake market research and discover that there was a market need for KT-Pulse. That paved the way for successfully obtaining Competitive Start Funding (now known as the Pre-Seed Start Fund) through Enterprise Ireland.

The early support received from Zoosh, who help tech start-ups to get off the ground and grow, was instrumental in developing a minimal viable product. Following on from CSF and having successfully trialed KT-Pulse in three companies. Having successfully secured private investment the next step was to secure Enterprise Ireland High Potential Startup (HPSU) funding in order to scale the business.

WestBIC were instrumental in this journey right throughout the entire application process with an open door, a warm welcome and very sound and practical advice and support.

Words of advice for new start-ups

Take the time to really understand the problem that you are trying to solve. A good solution is only a good solution if you are fixing a real problem for somebody and if they see your solution as the best way to fix that problem.

Seek advice and support from the many supports out there such as WestBIC, Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and Enterprise Ireland. Also, take a leap of faith and check out your local New Frontiers program as that will open doors that are difficult to open alone.

Be ready to put in a few years of hard effort and sacrifice before you start to see proper traction. It's a relentless journey but very rewarding if you stay the course. Listen to what your (potential) customers are saying; if they don't see the value in what you are doing, review your messaging and more importantly review the approach that you are taking to solving the problem for them.

Future Plans

Up to 2022 we have been focusing on the Irish market and in optimizing our product based on customer feedback.

We plan to launch in even more new markets, continue enhancing our software and releasing upgrades, enriching live operator feedback with sensor and switch data.

By expanding our product features we are able to add more value for our customers and also attract new customers.