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The Virtual Window uses head tracking technology (the kind that doesn't need you to wear anything) to change the perspective on the TV based on where you're standing to create the effect of a real 3D world behind it and create the illusion of a real window. It gives you the ability to let you feel like you live anywhere in the world (or even beyond), that you could possibly want to live.
Note: Currently only works for one person (until TVs can show a different perspective to 2 different people)
What We Need
What I have works, but it could be far far better and for that I need your help (and your money).
The 3 main things that need to be worked on are:
- Better head tracking
- Good artistic renderings to give you a wide range of views to choose from
- Hardware manufacturing.
For that I need to build a team to collectively work on those things and ultimately give you the best experience we can possibly give you.
Why are you asking for so much money?!
Because as much as I would like to ask for less, a device capable of the kind of photorealistic renderings that would give you the best experience is not cheap to make.
The reality is that most of what you contribute will likely be eaten up by manufacturing costs, and so I have to ask for enough to be able to fund the team as well. It would be irresponsible of me to ask for less and be unable to actually do what I'm promising just because I ran out of money.
It's worth saying that this is an all-or-nothing campaign, so if you contribute and we don't hit our goal, you do get your money back.
What You Get
What the product will ultimately be is a plug and play device that you just put on top of your tv, plug into an hdmi port and select which view you want.
This is also a genuine chance to learn about how to grow a business from the very beginning. I'll do a weekly vlog talking about what I'm going through and what I'm struggling with and we can all learn how to overcome it together. By the end of it, you and I will both know what it means to build a business and hopefully should you ever have a dream, you'll have the knowledge to go after it too.
The Impact
I really like the idea that you don't have to be rich to live anywhere you want to live. With this technology you can have the benefits of beachfront views, high skyrises or mountain homes without the high cost that typically comes with them. And even if you can afford such things, you can save a lot of money by living somewhere cheaper with a crappy view and using this instead.
As far as the blog goes, I really truly believe in the power of, well, empowering people through knowledge. I hope that by tearing away the veil of mystery that to often surrounds these success stories, we can teach more people how to go after their own dreams and ultimately create more successful businesses and cooler products in the world.
The Challenges
The challenge here is that I've never done anything like this before. Hiring employees, working with manufactures, tax forms, laws and regulations are all completely new to me and are all obstacles that I will have to overcome. I don't know if anyone is necessarily "qualified" to venture into the unknown, but I do know that I have the drive to make this succeed, the desire to make this real, and the personality type that thrills in overcoming things that I have never done before. (And also I have a cat, and as we all know, nobody with a cat can possibly fail.)
The Risks
The risks are twofold:
I think its important to say that you'll definitely get SOMETHING. What I have is a working solution and so if I completely failed at everything else I could at least deliver that to you.
The goal here is to take something that's good and make it amazing, and so ultimately the risk you're taking is that what you get may not be as good as what you imagined it could be. But I think you'll be happy with what we can do.
The second risk is the rawness of information. I believe in knowledge and I'm not going to give you a white-washed everything is going OK narrative, I'm going to give you the real deal. The struggles, the fears, and the problems that we are trying to overcome.
I'm not going to lie.
It may stress you out.
Investing in startups is not for the faint of heart.
But I think the world will be better for it.
Other Ways You Can Help
Spread the word, tell me how awesome I am (or how much you like the product), and also if you're Ellen, I'd love to be on your show!