FT Start-Up Stories Series 3: The intelligent vending machine 8/10
Nov 21, 2016
Phil Davidson, founder of Mother, shares his inspiring journey of creating innovative fresh-food vending machines. He discusses the tech behind the smart machines, including real-time monitoring and automated support features. Davidson reveals the challenges faced during development, from software hurdles to vendor partnerships. He also outlines Mother's unique leasing model, its deployments in corporate settings, and plans for expansion beyond London. With insights on competing with giants and advice for budding entrepreneurs, this chat is both enlightening and motivating.
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Product Tour Of Mother Machine
- Phil Davidson built "Mother," a fresh-food, high-tech vending machine with a 22-inch touchscreen and remote controls.
- He highlights real-time remote pricing, product info, and the ability to remotely vend to customers during faults.
Underestimating Software Complexity
- Phil underestimated tech costs and initially reused an off-the-shelf machine and bespoke software that failed.
- After a year of problems he rebuilt the stack with a new brief and a tech-savvy family friend.
Early Corporate Traction
- By the time of the interview Mother had eight live sites in major corporate offices like PwC and Amazon.
- Phil targets busy office environments as initial customers for the machines.