Scotland-based entrepreneurs launch ‘coin-sized computer' at MWC

28/02/2017 BARCELONA: A pair of Glasgow-based entrepreneurs have shrugged off the collapse of an £100,000 investment deal with Peter Jones on television show Dragon’s Den as they showcase at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona a coin-sized revolutionary mobile device that allows users to track and map everyday items.

Vincenz Klemt and Raj Sark are founders of Connect-In, the company behind the £20 gadget called Xupo [pronounced “zoo-poh”] that uses Bluetooth 5 technology to enable users to find lost items, ring their mobile and track items on a map. The pair are exhibiting and demonstrating the product, formerly dubbed Lupo, at MWC and are aiming to attract pre-sale orders.

Xupo, which allows users to connect anything to the IoT (Internet of Things), is being supported by Scottish Development International and is on the verge of claiming its share in the Bluetooth item tracker market, which is currently in its early growth phase and estimated to reach $1billion in 2017.

Klemt, from Germany, said: “This year’s MWC will be held under the theme The New Element, and we are ready to embrace it. With new investment on the horizon, Connect-In is on track to develop the next system of Bluetooth Smart systems with the smartphone as the gateway to your IoT.”

Sark, from India, added: “We are anticipating that the Bluetooth 5-ready Xupo will expand the community-sourced tracking market.”

Jones, of the BBC show that invites entrepreneurs to pitch ideas in a bid to appeal to investors, originally agreed to invest £100,000 in the product, but the agreement was voided when Connect-In and Jones disagreed on market valuation.

Xupo will give the user the potential power of GPS and ability to track physical devices, vehicles, buildings, and other items on a coin-sized $25 device running on a replaceable one-year battery. Connect-In owns a granted patent on certain vital functions of the product as well as Smart Location platform technology, including crowd search network, enhanced power management and calibration APIs [application programming interfaces].

Xupo can be attached to anything and tracked using three features: “find it” – call from your mobile and find your Xupo; “call it” – ring your phone from your Xupo; “map it” – find lost items on a map using community tracking.

Including a user replaceable battery in the product, Connect-In stays true to its mission to “connect to empower” by bringing innovative solutions and building a connected community through sustainable technology. With a brand-new look and built on the three-year matured Lupo stack, Xupo is ready to take its U.S. competition head-on, now offering additional features to unlock.

Since its first crowdfunding campaign, Connect-In has been providing a fully developed and open SDK [software development kit] as part of their open API strategy, allowing for the integration of their stack into third party products and app infrastructures.

Xupo, like its predecessor, offers audio-visual feedback on the device allowing you to call it when nearby and a map location feature marking the last known location of a misplaced item, helping you find it faster. Connect-In, which owns a crowd tracking patent feature giving you the power of GPS on a coin-sized device running on a replaceable one-year battery at the price of $25, sees a bright future in Bluetooth-connected personal location tracking.