Wed Aug 22 '18 Announcement
over 7 years ago
– Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 03:56:23 PM
Hello AVA’s Food Futurists,
We can’t believe it’s August already!
We’ve been busy moving into a new office in Gastown, Vancouver, with lots of space for more plants.
We have recently brought on a new plant scientist who worked at Plenty, paired with our pod developer whois now in-house. As a result, we have been making some exciting discoveries with our AVA pods and finding the very best conditions to make them grow to full harvest!
Our mobile app design is complete, and we’re moving into mobile app development for iOS and Android for full rollout with the AVA Byte. What do you think about our new design?
Additionally, we are proud to say that we have made some massive improvements in the final product we are taking to manufacturing. AVA Byte has been updated to be a sleeker, more beautiful design. It’s going to look truly stunning in your kitchen, on your shelf, or wherever you choose to display yours.
Major changes include:
- A much stronger telescoping pole, eliminating possible slumping from the weight of the LEDs which was an issue for our earlier prototypes
- A robust metal heat sink that ensures proper heat dissipation to make the LED cover very safe to touch and minimizing risks of plastic warping
- Updated pod design featuring 360-degree watering, and a new grip handle to make it easier for you to plant and harvest your pods
- Water level sensor from 0 - 100% instead of just low water level warnings
In other news, our website makeover is getting the t’s crossed and I’s dotted and should be going live in the next week or so. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed for the new site and all the awesome new content at avagrows.com!
P.S. If you haven’t already shared where you want to put your new AVA Byte, we’d love you to tell us HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to send us a note at [email protected].
Fri Jul 13 '18 Announcement
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Jul 13, 2018 at 02:32:16 PM
Hello Backers,
Team AVA is working hard to make sure AVA Byte is going to be even more awesome than expected. We’ve been working tirelessly with our talented design partners, in-house team, and app coders, and are still aiming for a first shipment to go out to our lovely pre-orderers in October 2018.
In next month’s update, we’re going to have lots to share, including:
- Final working prototype
- Packaging design
- Visit to the manufacturing facility in US
Before we start manufacturing, we want to make sure we're building a product you're going to love. So, we’d love to get some info from you, our awesome backers on how you're looking to use your AVA Byte.
Please head to this questionnaire and share your thoughts. [LINK]
Right now, we’ve been testing the telescoping pole to make sure it looks great as well as securely holds the AI-enabled lights with a strong and adjustable mechanism. There are lots more details to come in the next month, so stay tuned.
The evolution of AVA Byte has come a long way. From our original ideas, a few refreshes and visits back to the drawing board, we’re really excited about the last steps before the finished devices get put together. We truly appreciate your patience along the way and know that you’re going to love it when it’s in your home.
Team AVA is growing, and we’re excited to have a new Senior Marketing Manager, James R.C. Smith.
James (me, hello) has a background in social media strategy, advertising, writing, photography and content creation and has worked as a Digital Marketing lead in both consumer furniture and organic food retail industries.
Dr. Apple Mahmud is joining us from another Indiegogo success story, BioPod Systems Inc. He will be leading our manufacturing process from both here in Vancouver, and abroad.
Alex Kwon has changed focus from app development to become the new Business Ops Manager.
Alex Graduated UBC Science in 2017 in Computer Science and biology. He joined in the entrepreneurial space immediately after graduation, helping out other startups before joining AVA. Alex is also an aspiring pilot!
In other news, we’re also working on a fresh website update to keep you updated with the latest news, upcoming features and product news.
Again, we’d love you to participate in this month’s survey HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to send us a note at [email protected]
- James
Tue Jun 5 '18 Announcement
almost 8 years ago
– Tue, Jun 05, 2018 at 02:17:52 PM
Hi AVA Food Futurists,
The past 3 months, we've been working on something very exciting that we had to keep under wraps. We're so excited to share with you the news of our seed financing announcement - $2M USD Seed Round!
We thank each and every one of you for making this possible. Your contribution has helped us make a real company. What this means for you? Security that your product will be delivered, that the company will continue to service you, and bring the absolute best quality we can in every Byte.
FREE GIFT FOR AVA BACKERS
To celebrate this announcement, we are delighted to share a gift for all of you: FREE HD CAMERA WITH EVERY AVA BYTE TO ALL OF OUR BACKERS!
For those of you who had purchased an HD Camera already, thank you! We will be sending you exclusively a limited edition pod pack (hint hint, space) just for you. Alternatively, you can choose 2 pod packs of your own, which is essentially 2 packs for the price of 1. Backerkit will be updated to reflect this.
BACKERKIT ORDERS
We've received quite a few shipping address and email address updates. Make sure that you are still able to log in to your Backerkit (we sent it to your original emails that you backed your Indiegogo order with), and there you can adjust any payment, shipping, or gifting information!
We have not locked any of the payments in, as there are details to be changed and some backers who have not yet answered their surveys. You may also see an email update from us in accordance with the new European privacy laws.
We also have rectified the previous issue with shipping charges being added on to each item instead of already included in your additional order. Shipping will only be added on top of your existing order if you purchase additional AVA Byte units or add-ons within Backerkit.
MANUFACTURING UPDATES
Did anyone catch our demo at Target Open House in San Francisco? We showcased a prototype there, and ended up outperforming on every metric from views, likes, touches, and more! Very cool experience.
In terms of manufacturing, we are on the last stretch. Most of the final work has been ensuring that we have quality production and a stable design. Through a thorough design review, we saw some improvements that can be made to strengthen the structural rigidity and performance of the product. This includes:
- Improving rigidity of telescoping arm and adding some stability to the bottom of the reservoir so it doesn't slide around your kitchen countertop:
- Testing out new horticultural LED spectra:
- HD Camera Set up and Testing to ensure full coverage of all 5 plant pods:
- We've talked to a certification body about CE, UL and other safety certifications for consumer electronics, everything looks smooth so far
SHIPPING TIMELINE
As mentioned in previous updates, we're still good to go for first shipping starting October this year. We're looking for ways to expedite this process and ship earlier if it does not sacrifice production quality! Almost there, folks :)
WE'RE HIRING
We will be onboarding 2 new people this month - 1 marketing manager (to help us with the influx of emails that are currently backlogged and social media pages that need updating), and 1 pod development manager (to help us develop cool new pod innovations for all of you). If you are interested in joining our team, we are currently looking for a few more positions: http://avagrows.com/careers.html as well as advisory & board members.
Let's Grow,
Val
Tue Apr 17 '18 Announcement
almost 8 years ago
– Tue, Apr 17, 2018 at 03:41:13 PM
Hello Backers,
A few of you have pointed out the glitch on our Backerkit shipping charges - thank you so much for flagging this! Rest assured you will not be charged the extra shipping costs per perk. Here's what happened.
NO EXTRA SHIPPING COSTS FOR INDIEGOGO ORDERS
To clarify, you should NOT be charged for the perks you have already paid for through Indiegogo, which already includes shipping charges (either free or on top of your order depending on country and/or if you were part of our early bird discounts or not).
WHAT HAPPENED
The shipping charges were added to every single perk, whereas it was intended to only be per additional order.
WHAT WE'RE DOING
We are working with Backerkit to change this now. Sorry for the confusion; you should see this be removed over the next couple of days.
ONLY TIME YOU ARE CHARGED ADDITIONALLY
Finally, you should only be charged for shipping if you have added additional items to your order within the Backerkit portal (e.g. if you purchased a second Byte).
WHAT TO DO WITH BACKERKIT PLATFORM ISSUES
If it is an issue with the platform itself (glitches, technical difficulties, credit card processing), there will be a Backerkit representative to help you through the technical areas. If it is related to your order details, clarifying what you get, or any inquiries on how the product works, you can reach out to the AVA team.
Let's Grow,
AVA Team
Mon Apr 9 '18 Announcement
almost 8 years ago
– Mon, Apr 09, 2018 at 11:14:15 AM
Dear Backers,
We planned on sending out the survey (to select pod packs and Byte colors) this weekend, but are still missing a few last email addresses.
Please make sure to use an email address you check frequently, and double-check the spelling of your email address. You will receive the backer survey link to choose your AVA Byte colours!
We will be giving the last couple dozen backers until Wednesday to update their email addresses, otherwise we will be sending out the link nonetheless.
Let's Grow,
AVA Team
