The Venture Codex

Participated · Seed · Sep 2016

Timeular is best known for the Zei, an eight-sided Bluetooth-enabled device that users program per side as a timer for different tasks. The device pairs with Timeular's software to log time and the company is shifting toward developing productivity coaching tools that give users tips and reports. Timeular plans to offer the core service via a paid subscription with limited free options and expects the service to work best when paired with the Zei device. The company used Kickstarter to launch the product, raising €313,637 from over 3,000 backers after a €75,000 goal was surpassed. Timeular was named Austrian startup of the year in 2016 and sells the Zei from its website for €115 ($129). The team intends to introduce the upcoming product in Q3 (beta) with a full launch before the end of 2017. Timeular is a Graz, Austria-based hardware startup founded in 2015 that builds ZEI°, an 8-sided polygon time-tracking device. Each side of the device is assigned to an activity and flipping the polygon activates time-tracking for that activity; sides can be customized by writing, sticking, or drawing. Timeular’s device integrates with existing time-tracking solutions including Toggl, Harvest, Timeneye and Wunderlist. The device has been shipped to 100 beta customers across 15 countries and is currently available on Kickstarter. The company raised €200k in pre-seed funding and intends to use the funds to ready the product for mass production and subsequently enter the mass market; Kickstarter funds are being used to pre-finance production, certification and shipping. Devices are planned to ship in early 2017 and are available to early-bird backers at up to 50% off retail.