Prior to the Hone program, Tim’s research had indicated the importance of reducing the biofilm on farms for water quality and health of produce but it was through his Hatch interviews that he learnt the expense and detail in the manual cleaning process and expanded his market to include large scale aquaria. His research also led him to the knowledge about two Queensland based potential customers who showed interest in being test sites for his technology. Tim’s general business knowledge increased dramatically prior to Hone where he learnt the lean concepts and how understanding the value proposition model could apply to any idea to build a sustainable business model.

Tim’s commencement in Hone coincided with him moving full time into his startup. Tim already had contacts in the industry from his previous research work who he was nervous to reach out to again after a prolonged period of disconnect. With the encouragement of the F2F team, Tim reconnected with these networks and found there was still keen interest in his technology and the progress of his prototype. During the Hone program Tim managed to secure an NDA with CSIRO to access one of the two potential sites in Queensland (CSIRO owned) and is looking to commence a trial with them within the next 6 months. Tim is further developing his prototype and is integrating design features in addition to functionality. He is also working on how to protect his invention and is developing pricing opportunities based on the current manual handling expense to maximise his business model. Tim’s 6 month goal is to
acquire paying clients in the onshore aquaculture and aquaria/zoo segments.