PPB June 2018

by Jen Alexander TECH TALK Catching Conversation Clever startup introduces throwable, brandable microphone to engage groups. If you’ve ever waited to speak your mind at a conference event, only to miss the chance because time was up and it took too long for the mic to reach you, the makers of Catchbox had you in mind when they created the world’s first throwable microphone. Catchbox is a plush cube that can be caught and tossed like a ball or flying disk, and it can be customized with a logo for a variety of branding opportunities. The creators of Catchbox—Mikelis Studers, Pyry Taanila and Timo Kauppila—were inspired after attending a conference in 2012 and believed a throwable mic would not only speed things up, but could also serve as a way to break the ice among attendees. “The Catchbox design team went through over 100 iterations before arriving at a final design,” says Martins Vilums, head of marketing for Catchbox. “Soft foam was an obvious choice … more challenging was the shape. It was important to use a cube, rather than a ball. For one, balls can easily roll away. Another reason is that cubes can’t be thrown as far and are not as slippery.” The cube shape was also ideal for logo placement, and it is a “neutral” shape—no one is an expert at throwing or catching a cube, says Vilums, “so it makes everyone in the audience equally ‘bad,’ regardless of how athletic they are.” Catchbox’s technological features were an important design goal, Vilums adds. The cube includes an integrated accelerometer and gyroscope, which determine if the box is being held, thrown or dropped. “The sensors are very sophisticated. Shifting a Catchbox from one hand to the other won’t mute the microphone, but throwing it will.” The creators envisioned Catchbox being used at medium-to-large conferences as well as at corporate events and university gatherings. “But as Catchbox has taken off, it’s now used in the office of the Prime Minister of the UK, the United Nations, the European Union, and more than 40 percent of the Fortune 500 companies—and most of the Ivy League universities,” Vilums says. “Over 20,000 units have been sold around the world so far.” In addition to marketing Catchbox through its website, www.getcatchbox.com, the company sells through a network of conference and audiovisual technology resellers. Vilums says anywhere people go to connect—churches, classrooms, town halls, expo centers—is a potential opportunity to use Catchbox. “Catchbox allows people to participate, not just listen.” 72 | JUNE 2018 | THINK