How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney Bring BB-8 to Life | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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`3/31/17, 12:07 PM
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`https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/how-small-robotics-startup-helped-disney-bring-bb-8-life
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`How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney
`Bring BB-8 to Life
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`FREEENTERPRISE.COM
`
`Welcome to #BizUnited, a new campaign highlighting the ways in which small businesses
`and large companies work together across America. Check back periodically for new
`installments, and share your company’s story on social media with the hashtag #BizUnited.
`
`Adam Wilson and Ian Bernstein were running a small but successful robotics company
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`https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/how-small-robotics-startup-helped-disney-bring-bb-8-life
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`How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney Bring BB-8 to Life | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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`3/31/17, 12:07 PM
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`called Sphero when they received an invitation to attend the Disney Accelerator program –
`basically, a networking and mentorship symposium for technology startups – in the summer
`of 2014. The pair had already attended a similar program called TechStars, but this new
`opportunity to work directly with Disney’s mentors to develop new entertainment-focused
`experiences and products was too good to pass up.
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`“Sphero was already making money, but we were looking for guidance to take our
`products to the next level, to infuse a deeper story into our robots,” Wilson said in an
`interview.
`
`Off to Burbank they went. Little did they know, the decision
`would later spawn the most popular toy on the planet and
`would help their robotics startup make the jump to
`hyperspace – all thanks to a little collaboration, some speedy innovation, and an adorable
`orange droid named BB-8.
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`Four years earlier, Wilson and Bernstein were just two passionate robotics engineers in
`Boulder, Colorado, who wondered why there weren’t more smartphone-controlled devices
`in our increasingly digital world. They applied to Techstars Boulder that year and toyed with
`ideas for phone-controlled cars, motorcycles, and garage doors. As they contemplated one
`“smart” gadget after another, something stared to become clear: They wanted to focus
`their efforts on something fun.
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`Not long afterward, the first iteration of their company’s app-controlled toy ball, Sphero, a
`simple ball-shaped robot with a face, was born. Still, the two business partners believed
`they need something more – their beloved toy, they agreed, needed to have character and
`personality, and that would require a new level of storytelling and creativity.
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`With that idea in mind, Sphero accepted the invitation to the Disney Accelerator. During the
`course of the 90-day program, Wilson and Bernstein were granted 15 minutes to pitch
`Disney CEO Bob Iger, and they showed him their original toy, merely hoping for some
`advice or insight from one of the industry’s top executives. By sheer coincidence, however,
`Iger has just come from the top-secret set of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens film,
`and he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through photos.
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`He finally landed on the one he had been hunting for – one of the first photos of an orange-
`and-white, soccer-ball-esque droid dubbed BB-8. At that point, most Disney executives
`weren’t even aware that the character existed. Still, the Disney CEO asked if Wilson and
`Bernstein thought they could build an app-enabled toy based on the (soon-to-be-iconic)
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`How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney Bring BB-8 to Life | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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`3/31/17, 12:07 PM
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`character. In those 15 minutes, the opportunity of a lifetime for these two up-and-coming
`entrepreneurs had been forged.
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`However, there was lots of work to do – and little time.
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`“This character was an intricate one,” Wilson recalls. “After seeing our namesake product,
`Iger challenged us to build a prototype of the Droid he showed us.”
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`Problem was, the team had only 10 months to create a BB-8 robot to sell to the masses.
`They had to add a movable ball head to their original Sphero and design the product to
`make sure it rolled as smoothly as possible. While it was no easy task, Sphero’s team pulled
`it off, and when BB-8 hit stores the next year, it sold out the first day. One month of BB-8’s
`sales roughly equaled the entire company’s sales for the year prior, and by the end of 2015,
`Wilson and Bernstein’s startup had sold a million little orange robots.
`
`“Back in 2014, when we were dreaming of ways to infuse more character into our robots,
`working with Disney seemed like a stretch for our little startup out of Boulder,” Wilson said.
`“The partnership and mentorship we’ve received from the entire team at The Walt Disney
`Company has been so valuable.”
`
`“We’ve learned that story matters,” Bernstein added. “People identify with characters, not
`technology. But our technology can bring those characters to life in a way the world has
`never seen before.”
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`How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney Bring BB-8 to Life | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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`3/31/17, 12:07 PM
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`Of course, Sphero isn’t the only side benefitting from the partnership. Through its licensing
`agreement, Disney takes a percentage on every BB-8 toy sold, and while the company sells
`billions in Star Wars retail products every year, boasting the world’s most popular selling toy
`in 2015 helps the mega-company stay out front in the increasingly competitive toy industry.
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`It’s clear that Disney and its CEO recognize that Sphero wasn’t an anomaly, either, and that
`if the company wants to stay on top, partnership with innovative technology startups is a
`must.
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`“The more touch points we can create with the new world order, with changes that are
`occurring in our market every day, that will have profound effects on our business long
`term—the better off we are,” Iger told those gathered at that 2014 Disney Accelerator
`Program. He went on to note that the larger Disney grows, the more important it is to be
`work with tech startups.
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`In particular, Iger added, The ability to change with the times and by learning about by
`being introduced to new young talent with a completely young talent—that’s a great thing.”
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`The Disney Accelerator program, which the company’s senior vice president of innovation
`Michael Abrams describes as “a graduate-level class in media and entertainment” plays a
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`How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney Bring BB-8 to Life | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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`3/31/17, 12:07 PM
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`big part in keeping Mickey Mouse’s finger on Silicon Valley’s pulse. Other startups coming
`out of the accelerator in recent years include ChoreMonster, whose app encourages
`children to do chores by making it a game (now with a little help from Disney’s Inside Out
`characters) and MakieLab, which helps kids bring characters to life by building their own
`customizable 3D-printed toys.
`
`“If you’re going to win big, you have to get in early,” Iger said in an interview with Fortune.
`“If you get in late, the marketplace is so dynamic and the technology’s changing so much
`that oftentimes you make an investment in something that you’ve witnessed working, but
`it’s on the cusp on vast change.”
`
`Meanwhile, back at Sphero headquarters, the company has its sights firmly set on the
`future, too. Though the team says it can’t talk about what’s next for the Sphero-Disney
`partnership, Wilson and Bernstein say they’re focused on continuing to advance robotic
`technology. They’ve recently built up their Labs team, which consists of a group of
`technologists, engineers, and robot brain architects, among others, all of whom are
`determined to take the company to the next level.
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`Sphero even launched what it calls the SPRK education program, in which the company
`brings robots to schools to introduce students to hands-on programming. The goal of the
`program is to help get kids interested in math, engineering and computer science.
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`“We are constantly pushing the limits when it comes to robotic technology,” Bernstein said.
`“Our goal is a robot in every home and in every classroom, and we’re confident we can
`accomplish that.”
`
`What's your company's #BizUnited story? Learn more about the campaign and join the
`conversation here.
`
`About the Author
`
`FreeEnterprise.com
`
`FreeEnterprise.com features the faces of American businesses
`and all that they do to inspire, innovate, and create
`opportunities.
`
`(cid:1) @FreeEnterprise
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`How a Small Robotics Startup Helped Disney Bring BB-8 to Life | U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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`3/31/17, 12:07 PM
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`© The U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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