2. This is who we are.
POCO Labs was formed at the turn of the millennium as a
management consultancy specializing in strategic product and
business development for Fortune 100+ companies and leading
industry organizations.
Our experience is diverse by industry with a focus on delivering
unique consumer and business solutions, at times collaboratively
engaging strategically complementary organizations.
We work to make sense of seemingly unconnected relationships
among clients, technology, hardware, software, products,
services, organizations and people.
We harness the power of connections.
4. This is how we work.
Concept Development
Combining secondary research, ideation, consumer
insights, trend monitoring, and business
modeling, we outline unique opportunities for
collaborative new product efforts.
Pilot and Prototype Management
By selling and managing new opportunities across
organizations, we implement ‘first in market’
real-world executions to understand business
and consumer requirements of new products.
Research and Validation
Closely monitoring consumer and business
behaviors throughout the pilot process, our in-
pilot research and end-of-pilot summaries
prove where new product ‘sweet spots’ exist.
Business Design and Financial Modeling
By rigorously examining key business issues early
and often, our business modeling activity
requires that good ideas are designed to meet
our customers financial objectives.
5. This is what we’ve done.
Internet Home Alliance
Founded in 2000, Internet Home Alliance
became the world’s leading
consortium of companies advancing
the connected home market. It was
created as a market-accelerating
organization that conducted real-
world pilots, eight-to-ten research
projects and reports per year, and
severed as an ongoing perception-
influencing organization with media
and analysts.
POCO Labs defined and led over $3
million in research and pilots to
understand the emergence of the
connected home.
Member companies and the industry
developed partially based on the
knowledge creation and collaboration
enabled by the Alliance.
6. This is what we’ve done.
OnStar at Home
The OnStar at Home pilot provided
consumers with an easy to use,
consistent interface to control home
systems such as lighting,
temperature and home security. In
addition to OnStar's Personal
Calling Service, homeowners are
able to control their home
operations from any PC or
telephone. Participants included
General Motors/OnStar, ADT,
Hewlett-Packard, Invensys, and
Panasonic.
POCO Labs worked with the partners to
define the pilot and then led the
research activities.
Although market timing prevented
rollout of this service significant
business learnings were gathered.
7. This is what we’ve done.
Suzuki Motors of America
POCO Labs principals work closely with
global automotive manufacturers to
craft meaningful solutions that resonate
with consumers on a personal basis.
Our work has included the development of
conceptual brand, product and
marketing strategies, as well as the
construction of complete running
prototypes.
The Suzuki ‘Dune’ prototype was conceived,
designed and built as one of a series of
vehicles in support of the Way of Life
marketing campaign, and debuted at the
2005 SEMA show.
8. This is what we’ve done.
Sprint
POCO Labs developed a Technology
Roadmap to identify specific
near/long term cross platform
opportunities to capture additional
value for Sprint and it’s customers.
Our activities included the analysis of
viable solutions within the career,
family, entertainment and home
systems ecosystems.
Outcomes included the validation of
consumer opportunities in terms of
market size and timing, technology
readiness, value chain participation
and partner recommendations.
9. This is what we’ve done.
Location Based Services Study
Research examined the appeal of subsidized media
and location-based advertising overall and
determined the trade-offs consumers are willing to
make in terms of digital rights, giving access to
personal information and price in order to access
desired content on an on-demand basis or
alternately, receive targeted ads/offers. Study
estimated the market size and determined the
price elasticity with various concept configurations.
Our activity began in recruiting the participating
companies. POCO then led the definition of the
research objectives and managed the execution of
the research efforts.
Results identified target customers and quantified their
willingness to accept location based ads.
10. This is what we’ve done.
WiMax Vehicle
POCO Labs worked with a leading Tier 1
supplier to explore the potential of
broadband connectivity in a vehicle,
specifically WiMax and potential voice
applications.
POCO conducted extensive research and
analysis to determine the technology landscape
including the likely deployment approach for
vehicles. We analyzed the market potential
and the business opportunities. Our
recommendation included potential partners
and interim pilot projects.
The supplier is monitoring the vehicle connectivity
opportunity and refining current vehicle
electronics strategy to accommodate
connectivity.
11. This is what we’ve done.
Rear Seat Education Environment
POCO Labs worked with LeapFrog to develop
partnership opportunities with automotive OE’s
and Tier 1 suppliers to create a rear seat
environment that could entertain and educate
while providing a significant differentiation for the
vehicle brand.
Our activities included defining the rear seat
education opportunity and securing meetings
with several OE’s and Tier 1 suppliers.
As a result, we recommended working with Visteon.
The project resulted in a joint effort to create
platforms, products,
and content that
makes the child’s
time in the car more
educational, social,
and engaging
12. This is what we’ve done.
KB Homes
POCO Labs worked with one of America’s
leading home builders to introduce
new home buyers to the advantages
of a connected lifestyle.
Drawing on a wide variety of client
companies, we developed a series of
industry-unique new-product
offerings that buyers could easily
fold into a new home purchase.
By leveraging a truly unique channel, as
well as previously ‘un-bundled’
hardware and services, KB was able
to satisfy customers with an
unmatched product offering.
13. This is what we’ve done.
Whirlpool
Positioned to be the industry leader in
intelligent devices and their
consumer-facing embodiments,
Whirlpool partners with POCO Labs
to provide strategic counsel and
media representation in support of
their extensive ‘connected’
initiatives.
By coordinating leading edge research-
driven pilots (like LaundryTime and
MealTime) with Internet Home
Alliance partners, POCO Labs
manages the pilot contributions of
multiple product and service
providers for mutual benefit.
14. This is what we’ve done.
Cisco Systems and Linksys
POCO Labs provides leadership for
Cisco’s Internet business solutions
team to develop focal areas for
digital home research and market
tests.
Playing a key role within the discovery
process, POCO Labs manages various
research projects and pilots on
behalf of Cisco and Linksys.
Following Cisco’s acquisition of Linksys,
POCO Labs developed an
‘Opportunity Radar’ to explore
interrelationships between consumer
and commercial space, and used that
activity to identify consumer needs
on the critical path to success.
15. This is what we’ve done.
Kings County Ventures
POCO Labs provides its expertise in new
business and service creation, as well
as alliance development to help
create the future of living on a grand
scale at Quay Valley Ranch
Our team has been retained to
conceptualize and foster connected
opportunities for entertainment,
security, education, retail, family
and career initiatives by creating
partnerships and identifying product
and managed service opportunities.
16. This is what we’ve done.
NAVTEQ Innovation Portfolio
POCO Labs principals worked with NAVTEQ,
a leading provider of comprehensive
digital map information for automotive
navigation systems, mobile navigation
devices, Internet-based mapping
applications, and government and
business solutions to evaluate and
improve their innovation process.
Our interviews and cross divisional analysis
resulted in significant cost savings and
budget reallocation into several promising
innovations including personal navigation
and increased use of digital
representations for POI and landmark
data.
17. This is what we’ve done.
Typical Project (Pending)
Disney, Intel, Sprint, and Vanguard are exploring
jointly testing an in-car entertainment system
for long distance car renters who are traveling
to the Walt Disney World Resort as part of their
vacation. Renters would be offered, for a daily rental
rate, a portable in-car entertainment system with
content (TV, movies, casual games), navigation, and
location-based information. The consumer would be
able to play the content in their vehicle and take it on-
the-go with them into their hotel room and the
theme park. Additionally, they will be able to
use the device for navigation and to receive
location based information.
POCO is proposing to conduct the research and consult
on vehicle integration.
19. Tony Barra
Tony works with clients to collaboratively develop innovative business
opportunities enabled by his breadth of industry experience and passion for
new technology.
Tony applies his extensive expertise in business strategy development with an
emphasis in business modeling and economic analysis to identify true
opportunities. He is a leader who applies his experience in a range of
industries combined with deep expertise in technology and business
strategies to deliver high value results to organizations facing market
challenges created by rapid innovation. Tony’s 20+ years of experience with
a broad range of responsibilities in new product and service introduction
including market and consumer research, product concept ideation, product
portfolio creation and management, project management of pilot and
consumer trials, organizational design and integration, operational process
development and product launch.
Through rigorous and thorough analysis and insight, Tony provides clients with
the action plan for success and is highly valued for his ability to help clients
not only fully understand new market opportunities but also the
requirements to execute on those plans.
20. Tom Pavlak
Tom works with clients to ensure that crisp and intelligent design coupled with
business development ideals can work collaboratively to produce and
perform—time after time.
Tom’s work continues to span across a variety of technologies, brands and
markets, and he has broad experience in consumer, commercial and
automotive industries in bringing new concepts to reality. As a designer and
engineer with 20+ years of practical, professional experience, he has
created thoughtful market successes for leading Fortune 100+ companies.
Through these engagements, Tom has led multi-disciplinary teams to earn
multiple Industrial Design Excellence Awards, as presented by the Industrial
Designers Society of America in conjunction with Business Week magazine.
With extensive business and enterprise development skills, he’s regarded as a
‘designer’s designer’ and product development consultant, with a complete
understanding of the innovation process, and an earned appreciation for the
many different participant perspectives in that process.
21. Dave Skelly
Dave works with clients to spur meaningful innovation by pulling it all
together with sound business acumen, creative insight and analysis
—all to deliver winning solutions.
Dave embraces every client opportunity from a unique perspective with
years of experience in a number of industries and markets—
consumer and B2B. He engages with traditional non-technology
companies to national and international tech leaders to deliver
consistent and creative realism behind the successful development
of products, services and new business. Dave’s 20+ years of
expertise of acute strategy creation, ideation, concept development,
research, product mapping, market analysis and strategic alliances
continue to be well shaped via client experiences every day.
As a catalyst for collaborative innovation, Dave is recognized within
industry and by clients as a consultant that truly understands how to
make robust connections that others don’t see.
22. Tim Woods
Tim works with clients to drive innovation and the appropriate use of
information and technology in everyday consumer and business
solutions as a well respected resource to not only the firm’s clients
—but to the national media marketplace.
Tim’s extensive experience in business and product development and
ground breaking research has afforded him an opportunity not open
to many and provides him insight into what it will all mean to clients
and their customers in the future. Among a diverse client portfolio
and through partnerships, Tim works to make sense of innovations
for all engaged and is able to create productive partnerships where
and when appropriate.
With a broad background including 20+ years of experience, Tim
provides creativity into every client deliverable and a unique ability
to see well beyond the task at hand through a keen intuition.
