Tzukuri

Tzukuri Pty Ltd, an Australian company founded by Allen Liao and Michael Sutton, entered the wearable technology market with a clear focus on merging fashion with function. The company's flagship product was a line of high-end sunglasses designed to be "unlosable." This was achieved by embedding a solar-powered Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chip, specifically an iBeacon sensor, into the frames.

The core functionality revolved around a connection to a dedicated iPhone application. This app would alert the owner if they moved a certain distance—with notifications at 16, 32, and 50 feet—away from their glasses. The system also worked in reverse, triggering an alert if the user walked away with the glasses but left their iPhone behind. For retrieval, the app would record the last known GPS location of the sunglasses. The technology was designed to be unobtrusive, with the small, solar-powered chip eliminating the need for batteries or charging cables, thus not compromising the aesthetic of the eyewear.

The business model was direct-to-consumer, with plans for pop-up stores and a retail price point around $350 USD after an initial pre-order phase. The sunglasses were handcrafted in Japan, featuring polarized, anti-scratch lenses with 100% UV protection. Tzukuri offered six distinct, classic frame styles named after inspirational figures like John F. Kennedy and Grace Kelly. The venture garnered support from prominent investors, including the founders of Aesop and Tyro. Despite its promising start and clear value proposition, the company's Australian Business Number (ABN) was cancelled as of April 29, 2019, indicating a cessation of operations.

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