Gabriel Glynn of MākuSafe

October 20, 2020 thetechtribune

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Gabriel Glynn, the co-founder and CEO of MākuSafe, which was honored in our:

Tell us the origin story of MākuSafe – what problem were you trying to solve and why?

More than 1,000 people lose their life in a workplace accident every day on this planet. Additionally, billions of dollars are lost to accidents and fatalities in the workplace. We believe that with a data-driven approach, we can proactively address these problems.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

There are technical challenges, supply chain and manufacturing challenges, business challenges, capital challenges, and people challenges. They occur without warning, so it’s been important that we have a well-rounded group of investors and advisors to help us through the challenges as they pop up. Battery requirements and certification were probably the most challenging on the technical side. Raising capital is always a challenge, especially because you need so much just to get up and running for a company with hardware technology.

What does the future hold for MākuSafe?

We are deploying product across North America at the moment and focusing on everything we can learn from our customers to improve it and our scalability. From there, we may look to grow our team for distribution, or perhaps work with third party distributors to scale the deployment of our technology. We are always in the lab working on new features, but shh… that’s a secret!

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in West Des Moines?

The tech startup scene in West Des Moines, and across the metro area, continues to grow and mature. The growth of local angel capital groups and state resources available to startups has played a role in that. One thing that could really accelerate growth would be to have a few successful exits by startups who choose to stay and support the community.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Enjoy the journey and when it gets hard, because it will, make sure you have good people around you to help you through.