Shenzhen’s hardware accelerator HAX funds its first Indian startup

The team at Riot.

After announcing plans to look at India for startups a few months ago, Shenzhen-based hardware accelerator HAX let out today that it has accepted Bangalore’s Riot into its latest cohort.

Riot creates baby monitoring devices. Its first product is a device that monitors the sleep of babies without touching them. The lack of contact makes it safer to use and easier for parents to trust, explains Aardra Kannan Ambili, who co-founded the startup with Ranjana Nair, Sanchi Poovaya, and Kannan Natarajan.

Riot will receive US$100,000 in funding as well as an office space in Shenzen with access to a laboratory. The program will also put it in touch with design experts and local manufacturers that will help it produce a working prototype. It is 111 days long and will culminate in presentations across the globe, including a demo day at the CES conference in Las Vegas.

Design

Shenzhen is often called the Silicon Valley of hardware. Aardra explains that the nickname is well-deserved.

“You’re surrounded by great technology everywhere you look,” she says. “In India, it can be hard being a hardware startup because resources are difficult to find.”

Riot is now working on a fast prototype.

HAX’s location helps it tap into these resources. Riot is now working with local manufacturers to create a fast prototype.

HAX also helped Riot look at its product from the eyes of those who would buy it. While hardware products can often get stuck in labs, Aardra emphasizes the importance of creating something that not only works well, but looks and feels good too.

“Sometimes you don’t think about these things because you’re so focused on making your product work,” she explains. “But there are startups and then there are hardware startups. HAX has helped us with everything from how the product will look like to how a user will interact with it.”

It’s not always the case that the most high-functioning technology will be what a customer wants, she adds. “It’s important to consider – what does it mean to a consumer? What do they need exactly?”

Kickstarter launch

“There’s no extra work,” says Aardra. “You plug it in and install it, and get mobile updates after that. It’s a life saving unit specifically designed for babies.”

Once the team created a prototype, they presented it to HAX – whom they met at the Tech in Asia conference held in Bangalore in July. “We believe that the Riot team has the perfect combination of talent, technology and ambition,” says Benjamin Joffe, who is a partner at HAX. “India’s IoT scene is growing fast and now is the time to connect with the world’s best resources.”

Other startups that have gone through HAX include Dispatch, a company that creates self-driving delivery vehicles that operate on the ground. In April, Dispatch received US$2 million in seed funding from Andreessen Horowitz.