Staffordshire start-up tech firm Stonelin launches funding appeal
A start-up tech firm that's launched a crowd-funding appeal to finance a trio of tracker devices including one for people with dementia has secured the backing of telecom giant Orange.
The devices are being developed using the latest inter-networking technology – known as the internet of things (ioT) – by experts at Stonelin Communications, based at Hednesford in Staffordshire.
They are looking for £1m from investors keen to make the most of the opportunities in the latest wave of technology forecast to be worth up to $7 trillion by 2020.
Stonelin Communications, led by business partners Steven Stone in the UK and Dabin Lin in Hong Kong, are the brains behind Pettorway, an ioT tracker for pets which has been sold across the world, including China, Malaysia, Brazil, India, America and the UK.
The device allows owners to track their pet’s activities and share that data about what their much-loved animal has been up to over a social network.
Realising the potential of tracking devices which use ioT, they have now forged ahead with developing three new products including the D-Trak for families dealing with the difficulties of looking after a relative with dementia.
Worn as a wrist watch, relatives would be able to monitor the whereabouts of their loved one, particularly if they move outside the parameters of a safety zone set by their relative or carer.
If breached, the D-Trak would alert the nominated relative or carer via their computer or smart device and the device has a unique power saving system which preserves battery life by keeping it in a low power setting until the safety zone is breached.
The other two devices in development are the V-Trak, a vehicle tracker for the automotive industry which is powered via a cigarette lighter or USB connection making it quick and easy to install and the W-Trak, a time management system for use by domiciliary care workers.
Steven, whose background is in physics and electronics, said: “ioT is a new emerging technology in the dot.com world and people are looking for opportunities and ways of using it and being a part of this revolution.
“Our aim now at Stonelin Communications is to design, develop and manufacture these three electronic devices to capture useful data from the outside world and process this data into a useful format.”
Trials for two of the new tracking ioT devices are underway and close to £100,000 of funding has already been raised via Invesdor which specialises in equity crowdfunding.
The devices have also already caught the eye of the business services arm of Orange which has already committed to providing Stonelin with connectivity services in Europe and Asia over the next five years.
Helmut Reisinger, executive vice president, international, at Orange Business Services, said: “We are proud to support Stonelin with their innovative tracking technology.
“As a global provider, we can support them with accurate and wide scale ioT coverage.
“And with our Datavenue ioT and data analytics offer, we look forward to helping companies like Stonelin capitalize on the ever-increasing connected world and data explosion.”
Steven added: “With our planned ioT portfolio, performance is paramount. As a start-up, the Orange experience in GPS tracking, ioT connectivity and connected device data support has been invaluable in the development of our tracking products and will ensure they realize their full potential.”
For more information go to www.invesdor.com/en/pitches/800 or www.stonelincom.com Facebook and Twitter @stonelincom
