Start-ups get helping hand to take products to market

This includes customisation for larger scale projects or manufacturing volumes.

Premier Farnell says its expertise and experience will help customers to overcome product design challenges – both technical and commercial – as well as providing advice and support with cost optimisation, volume production, certifications and compliance testing, all of which leads to a quicker time to market.

The distributor supported FutureHome, a Norwegian start-up that has developed a Smart Hub gateway allowing users to remotely control, automate and monitor multiple smart devices in the home.

Premier Farnell provided FutureHome with a full range of services, including engineering services, compliance and manufacturing, which then allowed the team at FutureHome to focus on product and business development.

The distributor sponsors Startupbootcamp IoT | Connected Devices, a dedicated accelerator program offering support, mentorship and investment opportunities to global technology start-ups working in the consumer or industrial IoT sectors

It also manufactures popular single-board computers – including Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black and BBC micro:bit.

“As the Development Distributor, we at Premier Farnell pride ourselves on providing great support to engineers taking their ideas and developing them to the next level”, comments Peter Birks, Business President, Farnell element14. “With our Maker to Market services, we are helping to meet the needs of both start-ups and professional makers who have great ideas and are passionate about the products or ideas they are developing - but who may not necessarily have the in-house skills or resources to be able to design, manufacture, distribute and promote their products.”

“As a result, we can help designers turn a brilliant idea into a finished product that can be promoted and distributed worldwide – and we can help makers get their product ideas to market faster and at a lower overall cost.”

An additional resource for start-ups is Hardware Studio Connection, a venture between Avnet(parent company of the Premier Farnell group of businesses) and Avnet’s new Dragon Innovation division, giving designers access to hands-on support from the companies’ engineers as well as discounts on components and services.

These new programs are designed to help guide start-ups through the product development cycle and get their ventures into the right channels as quickly as possible.