Product Development is a Joy; Product Launch Planning is Fascinating But Challenging!

Hey, everyone!  Welcome to our first update! 

We are delighted to share with you that we are now weeks away from receiving our final production samples. We've done more than a dozen 3D printed prototypes and pre-production in-the-metal samples since our first computer modelling, so this is a major milestone. 

We are stoked!

We also wanted you to know that what we're doing together at Helium Design Lab comes from a place of joy, fascination and respect -- and that everything we want to bring to you comes from a profound, emotional attachment to the ART - and humanity. 

Anyway…

If you thought the grip you saw in our launch video was cool, just wait until you get your hands on the actual finished product! We have pored over our grip from every angle: functionality, comfort, aesthetics, fit and finish, manufacturability, pricing, distribution, launch mechanics, and more. 

In the process, we've learned about all kinds of OTHER things like the complexity and black art of metals finishing to match the camera. 

We face two critical decisions at this juncture: can we FEASIBLY manufacture the grip domestically; and do we launch via Kickstarter or work with well-known and established retailers., or go and sell directly.

We are leaning toward a third manufacturing path we hadn't anticipated would be available to us when we began the project: off-shore manufacturing by one of two American companies with which we've been working.   This appears to be the most compelling path to feasibility for us. At present, we would have to charge a 25% premium to produce the grip domestically, and while we'd prefer to support our local economy, here's the question: would YOU be willing to pay the difference?

We've got a poll down below
we'd appreciate it if you took a minute or two for it. 

As for launch: we have already consulted with a Kickstarter expert and have begun a discussion in the retail sector.  Once we have the final samples, the retail discussion will accelerate, and once those discussions have become more concrete,  our go-to-market strategy should become clearer. 

Hold THAT thought. 

OH, PS: one more thing - our grip is now compatible with Leica's finger loop! Hold THAT thought, too! 

Hugh & Ed

PPS : Our Original launch video.