Back in February, we introduced you to the “Ring Cam,” an engagement ring box that could candidly capture in HD video the emotional and life-changing moment when she says, “Yes.”
At the time, the product was essentially a prototype, and the inventors — four grads from Hope College in Holland, Mich. — were working hard to transform a neat idea for their senior engineering project into a viable business venture.
Now, a little more than five months later, the Ring Cam team has gotten its big break with a featured segment on Good Morning America. The reporter said the Ring Cam was “giving viral proposal videos a whole new perspective.”
Other high-profile media outlets, such as the Huffington Post, InStyle magazine and the Detroit Free Press, followed suit with a flood of positive coverage.
The Ring Cam team also was encouraged by a second-round audition callback for the popular TV show, Shark Tank, where wealthy investors help entrepreneurs make it big — for a price.
The Ring Cam provides couples with a video record of one of the most momentous events of their lives — a precious snippet that can be shared with family and friends and generations to come.
By simply pushing a button on the ring box, the romantic suitor can record up to 20 minutes of video in 720p high-definition format. The auto-focus, wide-angle lens is mounted near the ring, so the priceless reaction shots are seen from the ring’s point of view.
The ring boxes may be rented for $100 or purchased for $200. They have a USB connector that allows for video captures to be easily transferred to a computer for editing.
The inventors believe that jewelry stores will be a perfect place to rent or buy a Ring Cam. For now, the team is distributing its product through its website, www.getringcam.com.
In describing the original concept for the product, founding team member Sam Tzou told the Holland Sentinel, “We’ve had a lot of friends get engaged... In listening to their stories, [we learned] how excited they were and all the things they did getting ready to propose. We thought, ‘How awesome would it be to capture that moment on video?’”
The Ring Cam was conceived as a Hope College senior project and then migrated to the school’s 10-week summer incubator program, where it was refined. The early development was financed with a $5,000 infusion from Start Garden, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based program that “seeds” would-be entrepreneurs’ innovative ideas.
Now, it looks like the Ring Cam is ready to take off.
No comments:
Post a Comment