When we scout for startups to join the Fiterator, we're focused on the value that they can add to the global connectivity industry through their incredible technology.
But we also love learning about the teams as humans - like we did here - and finding out how their technology is going to impact people all around the world. Learn how Blitzz is going to change the future of human connectivity.
If you have ever had a cable box, you probably had the cable guy come to your house to install it. And at some point, later down the line, you probably had the cable guy come back to your house to try to fix whatever issues were keeping you from connecting to the internet. Maybe the cable guy came back twice. Maybe he came back more than twice, just to solve one problem. All the while, something essential isn't working - potentially your internet connection.
Sound familiar?
Connectivity is infrastructure-heavy, making physical maintenance a necessary part of daily life. But maintenance and repairs can interrupt at-home connectivity, keeping us offline and disconnected, occasionally for extended periods of time.
Enter Blitzz, the San Francisco-based startup enabling a smoother and faster repair and maintenance process, maintaining your connection with fewer interruptions. Their platform uses live interactive video, augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that the cable guy only has to come out once to fix connection issues by connecting field techs with experts at HQ to tackle tricky issues.
Additionally, Blitzz empowers consumers to fix small problems at home on their own by allowing live interactive video and photo sharing during calls into customer service, enabling consumers to fix issues quickly by themselves, guided by experts, without having to wait for the cable guy to show up.
Blitzz’s lightbulb moment came when founder & CEO Rama Sreenivasan was redoing his entire kitchen with co-founder Keyur Patel’s help and would occasionally encounter issues that he couldn’t quite fix on his own. He wanted a solution that would give him immediate access to a handyman through his phone, who could literally see the problem through live video, giving him quick answers and results. Rama further validated a market need as an experimental scientist at MIT and Applied Materials, where support around equipment was often needed.
Rama and Keyur originally launched Blitzz as a similar product, but for veterinarians to provide consults through live video. Since then they have pivoted to their current model, which will enable customer support and service teams to improve their relationships with consumers.
Today, most of our lives revolve around being connected - whether for work, pleasure, or home - including IoT and smart homes. Blitzz graduated from the Fiterator with more than 10 high-level engagements underway with the CableLabs MSO community, and we're excited for all of the quick repairs and proactive maintenance that they enable!