Case study: R/GA IOT Venture Studio UK

Digital agency R/GA supported ten UK startups that built solutions in the IOT space. I developed fundamental strategic content, such as vision statements, value propositions, stakeholder messaging and tone of voice guidelines for four of those companies.

What is the R/GA IOT Venture Studio?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an ecosystem of physical devices that are connected to the internet and exchange data between each other – like Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, Google’s Nest thermostat and autonomous cars.

With its IoT Venture Studio UK, digital agency R/GA supports early-stage startups that are developing new solutions in the field. Besides funding, mentorship and business development opportunities, R/GA also offers marketing, design and branding services.
Learn more about the R/GA IOT Venture Studio

What I did

I developed the core messaging for four startups, in close collaboration with UX and visual designers, strategists and the company founders themselves. I created vision statements, value propositions, manifestos, stakeholder messaging, taglines, tone of voice guidelines and consumer-facing website, app and pitch deck copy – all in the space of just a couple of weeks. It was an intense, exhilarating and rewarding experience.

Here are the companies I worked with:

• Flock, who offer instant pay-as-you-fly drone insurance;
• KG Protech, who are providing remote training for car mechanics;
• Hoxton Analytics, who are creating a device and a software that gives owners of physical stores detailed insights on their customers – simply by filming their shoes;
• Iota Labs, who are developing a combination of mobile app and bluetooth beacons that let you control your smart home devices simply through your presence.

Work examples: mission statements

Developing mission statements was a key part of my work. We – strategists, designers, the company founders and myself – aimed to distill the comapny's essences into a few memorable words. Since the companies were so different, I approached developing those mission statements differently each time to truly represent each company.

Flock

For Flock, I focused on the core benefit: Flock is powered by a real-time engine that calculates the risk for each drone flight. This allows drone operators to insure their drone flight in real time, no matter where they are or what time it is. (It's hard to predict an early-stage startup's chances of success. So I was excited to read that Flock recently raised a $38M Series B.)

KG Protech

For KG Protech, a company that offers fully remote training for car mechanics, I took a different approach: research had shown us that training mechanics on the latest cars and their parts can be cumbersome and time and resource intensive. KG Protech aimed to change that: by taking the hassle out of automtotive training.

Iota Labs

I took yet another approach for Iota Labs, a company that used physical beacons in the real world to leave and receive messages. As an early-stage startup, the Iota Labs founders had many ideas where they could take their company. I decided to not limit the company's vision statement to a single application of their technology, but rather give them a conceptual umbrella that would let Iota explore different paths under a singular vision: "Simplifying people's lives through connected technology".