This Kochi-based startup has a solution for firms to retrieve data from dumb machines

Big Data's biggest challenge is dumb machines. So even when smart companies make business intelligence a top priority, they often need smart devices to sift through random, unstructured data stored in not-so-smart machines. A Kochi-based startup has come up with a solution to address this problem.

TAPrint Technologies Private Limited has developed SenZe, a patented business intelligence solution that collects data from places where it remains untapped.

SenZe attempts to retrieve and analyse unstructured physical data hiding in regular machines--such as a coffee machine--to help companies gain actionable insights to predict outcomes, recommend business strategies and improve customer experiences.

How it works

SenZe is a paper-thin, plug-and-play piece of hardware attached to a machine, accompanied by business intelligence software that generates information to provide insights about a business.

For instance, if SenZe is attached to a coffee machine, it can help determine the sales rate and identify peak hours. This can help the vendor plan inventory, test market strategies and improve customer experience, claims Jose Antony, co-founder and delivery manager at TAPrint.

Founders, funding

TAPrint was founded by Kaviraj Murugesan along with Antony in 2014. A graduate of Karlstad University, Sweden, Murugesan has worked with software services giant Infosys Ltd in the past. He was also part of two startups in Sweden.

Antony, an alumnus of Mid Sweden University, worked with NeST Technologies in India and Momenta AB in Sweden before launching TAPrint.

TAPrint secured an undisclosed amount in angel funding from Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation. SenZe was also one of the products that recently graduated out of the first batch of Revvx's hardware accelerator programme.

Business model

SenZe operates on a freemium software-as-a-service model and sells usage rights directly to companies. The device is manufactured in Kochi.

"We provide hardware-based BI solution. This means that we are providing businesses a platform to build their software ecosystem," Murugesan said.

He added that the company has a few other sensing solutions in research that could tap into proximity-triggered, force- or pressure-based data.

Antony claimed that SenZe is integration-ready and has attracted interests from a number of companies including Bosch, Cafe Coffee Day, Accenture and Tata Consultancy Services.

What is their goal? 

"We want to bridge the five- to six-year gap the IoT (Internet of Things) market is looking at to give companies advantage over their competitors," Antony said.

"The plan is to target businesses and offer them a retrofit IoT solution that derives value in terms of BI as well as marketing which would lead to the trend of using a plug-and-play hardware solution," he added.

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